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Fort Provintia or Providentia, also known as Chihkan Tower (), was a Dutch outpost on Formosa at a site now located in West Central District,
Fort Provintia or Providentia, also known as Chihkan Tower (), was a Dutch outpost on Formosa at a site now located in West Central District, 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 commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...
, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. It was built in 1653 during the Dutch colonization of Taiwan. The Dutch, intending to strengthen their standing, sited the fort at ''Sakam'', about due east from modern-day Anping. During the Siege of Fort Zeelandia (1662), the fort was surrendered to Koxinga, but was later destroyed by a rebellion and earthquakes in the 18th century. It was rebuilt afterwards in the 19th century under Qing rule.
The fort's name derives from the Taiwanese aboriginal village recorded by the Dutch as ''Sakam'', which has developed into the modern-day Tainan. After growth in size and trade, the Chinese called it ''Chhiah-kham'', and surrounded it with high brick walls. It eventually became the capital of the whole island under the name of Taiwan-fu.
In addition to the site's architectural and artistic significance, its library of dictionaries and business transactions documents the Siraya language
Siraya is a Formosan languages, Formosan language spoken until the end of the 19th century by the indigenous Siraya people of Taiwan, derived from Proto-Siraya language, Proto-Siraya. Some scholars believe Taivoan language, Taivoan and Makatao la ...
spoken by the native inhabitants of the region during Dutch rule.
The fort is up for redevelopment which will see it turned into a museum. The project is led by Taiwanese architecture studio HOU x LIN, the two partners of which both have a connection to The Netherlands. The project should be finished by 2024 in time for the celebration of the 400 year old relationship of the two countries.
See also
* Fort Santo Domingo * Ft. Zeelandia * Cape of San Diego * Eternal Golden Castle *History of Taiwan
The history of the island of Taiwan dates back tens of thousands of years to the earliest known evidence of human habitation. The sudden appearance of a culture based on agriculture around 3000 BC is believed to reflect the arrival of the ancest ...
* Taiwan under Dutch rule
* Koxinga
* Siraya
Footnotes
References
Bibliography
* * * ---- 1653 establishments in Dutch Formosa Provintia Dutch Formosa Former properties of the Dutch East India Company Buildings and structures associated with the Dutch East India Company National monuments of Taiwan Former star forts {{Taiwan-struct-stub