alt=Photograph of a European style fortification with stone walls and a white pointed tower.|thumb|Fort Zeelandia, built in 1634, was the governor's residence in Dutch Formosa. In 1624, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established Fort Zeelandia on the coastal islet of Tayouan (in modern Tainan). The lowland areas were occupied by 11 Indigenous chiefdoms, some of which fell under Dutch control, including the Kingdom of Middag. When the Dutch arrived, southwestern Taiwan was already frequented by a mostly transient Chinese population numbering close to 1,500. The VOC encouraged Chinese farmers to immigrate and work the lands under Dutch control and by the 1660s, some 30,000 to 50,000 Chinese were living on the island. Most of the farmers cultivated rice for local consumption and sugar for export while some immigrants engaged in deer hunting for export.
alt=Photograph of a European style fortification with stone walls and a white pointed tower.|thumb|Fort Zeelandia, built in 1634, was the governor's residence in Dutch Formosa. In 1624, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) established Fort Zeelandia on the coastal islet of Tayouan (in modern Tainan). The lowland areas were occupied by 11 Indigenous chiefdoms, some of which fell under Dutch control, including the Kingdom of Middag. When the Dutch arrived, southwestern Taiwan was already frequented by a mostly transient Chinese population numbering close to 1,500. The VOC encouraged Chinese farmers to immigrate and work the lands under Dutch control and by. the 1660s, some 30,000 to 50,000 Chinese were living on the island Most of the farmers cultivated rice for local consumption and sugar for export while some immigrants engaged in deer hunting for export.