Feng Xifan ( 17th century),

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Xifan (), was an official and general of the

Kingdom of Tungning The Kingdom of Tungning (), also known as Tywan by the British at the time, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly Han Chinese state in Ta ...

on the island of Taiwan in the late 17th century. He was from Longxi County, which is around present-day Qiling Village,

Longwen District Longwen District () is a district of Zhangzhou, Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong t ...

Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefec ...

Fujian Province Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

Life

Feng Xifan's father, Feng Chengshi (), served as an official in the court of Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong), the founder of Tungning. When the forces of the

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

-led

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

conquered Beijing (the capital of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

) and

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

(the capital of the

Southern Ming dynasty The Southern Ming (), also known as the Later Ming (), officially the Great Ming (), was an imperial dynasty of China and a series of rump states of the Ming dynasty that came into existence following the Jiashen Incident of 1644. Shun forces ...

), Feng Xifan and his father joined Koxinga's army and resisted Qing forces in southern China. Koxinga later wrestled control of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

from Dutch colonial forces and established the

there. Koxinga died in 1662 and a power struggle broke out between his eldest son

Zheng Jing Zheng Jing, Prince of Yanping (; 25 October 1642 – 17 March 1681), courtesy names Xianzhi () and Yuanzhi (), pseudonym Shitian (), was a 17th-century Chinese warlord, Ming dynasty loyalist and ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan. Bio ...

and fifth son Zheng Xi (). A group of officials headed by Huang Zhao () and Xiao Gongchen () opposed Zheng Jing succeeding to the throne of Tungning, so they supported Zheng Xi, who became the "Royal Supervisor of Yanping" (). At the time, Zheng Jing was at

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...

, where he gathered his own supporters from Fujian's coastal regions and led them to attack Taiwan. Zheng Jing highly trusted Feng Xifan and appointed him as a personal bodyguard. Zheng Jing's forces then fought with an army led by Huang Zhao at Chikan (赤崁; present-day

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...

). Huang Zhao was defeated and killed in battle. After this battle, the officials who initially supported Zheng Xi immediately defected to Zheng Jing's side, so Zheng Jing became the new king of Tungning. He implemented policies to pacify the people and the military. As a gesture of kindness, Zheng Jing spared his brother Zheng Xi but had the latter placed under house arrest in Xiamen. In 1679, Zheng Jing appointed his eldest son,

Zheng Kezang Zheng Kezang (1662–1681), birth name Qin () or Qinshe (), was the crown prince and regency of Kingdom of Tungning. Kezhang was the eldest son of Zheng Jing and Chen Zhaoniang, and his grandparents were Koxinga and Princess Dong. Biography ...

, as "Royal Supervisor" and allowed him to administer some state affairs. Zheng Kezang married the daughter of the official

Chen Yonghua Chen Yonghua (; 1634–1680), courtesy name Fufu ()), was a prominent official of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan in the late 17th century. He was from the region near modern-day Quanzhou. Biography Chen Yonghua was born in 1634 in the ...

(), who was Zheng Jing's tutor. Chen Yonghua helped Zheng Kezang in his duties. Zheng Kezang was strict and he punished members of the royal family according to the law when they committed crimes. He was hated by many royals and aristocrats, including Feng Xifan. Zheng Jing and Chen Yonghua died in 1680, after which Feng Xifan and

Liu Guoxuan Liu Guoxuan (1628-1693) was the Wuping Marquis and a 17th-century military officer of the Kingdom of Tungning based in Taiwan. He fought all over the island of Taiwan and the nearby mainland. He also commanded the Penghu defense during the Bat ...

gathered his supporters to kill Zheng Kezang and install Zheng Jing's second son,

Zheng Keshuang Zheng Keshuang, Prince of Yanping (; 13 August 1670 – 22 September 1707), courtesy name Shihong, art name Huitang, was the third and last ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan in the 17th century. He was the second son of Zheng Jing and a ...

, on the throne. The actual power was in his hands. After the loss at the

Battle of Penghu The Battle of Penghu () was a naval battle fought in 1683 between the Qing dynasty and the Kingdom of Tungning. The Qing admiral Shi Lang led a fleet to attack the Tungning forces in Penghu. Each side possessed more than 200 warships. The Tungn ...

, he along with Liu convinced Zheng Keshuang to surrender. In 1683, when Zheng Keshuang surrendered to the Qing dynasty, Feng Xifan was granted the noble title "Count Zhongcheng" () by the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to 1 ...

. Feng's daughter married Zheng Keshuang and bore Zheng a son, Zheng Anfu ().

In popular culture

Feng Xifan appears as a minor antagonist in the novel ''

The Deer and the Cauldron ''The Deer and the Cauldron'', also known as ''The Duke of Mount Deer'', is a comic historical novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha), the longest of his novels and the last to be published but chronologically it is the eighth novel. It was initially pub ...

'' by

Louis Cha Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong dail ...

. In the novel, he is depicted as a powerful swordsman from the

Kunlun Sect The Kunlun School is a fictional martial arts school mentioned in several works of ''wuxia'' fiction. It is usually featured as a leading orthodox school in the '' jianghu / wulin'' (martial artists' community). It is named after the place where ...

and is nicknamed "One Sword (Thrust), No Blood" () for his skill in swordplay. He serves as

's martial arts teacher. He and his disciple together killed the Tiandihui's leader Chen Jinnan.

References

* ''Draft History of Qing'', Volume 170. {{DEFAULTSORT:Feng, Xifan Hokkien people History of Taiwan People from Zhangzhou Kingdom of Tungning Chinese nobility Taiwanese people from Fujian