清代嘉道年間淡水砲城興廢與街市發展

The Construction and Deconstruction of Two Barrack-forts and the Development of Tamsui Society during the Jiaqing and Daoquang Periods

During the Jiaqing period, Cai Cian (蔡牽) harried the southeastern coast of China and occupied ports in Taiwan, including Tamsui (as known as Huwei滬尾). To enhance the littoral defense, the Qing officials proposed a series of reformation plans for the coastal defense and soldier-rotation system from 1808. Among these plans, the most significant one should have been the construction of barracks, forts, and walls at the port of Lu’ermen, Lugang, and Huwei in 1812. The officials planned to build two forts and appropriated funds from tariffs, and the Qing court decided to station soldiers from different prefectures of Fujian at these two forts, which could be considered as the militarization of local society by the central government. However, during the construction, a typhoon and earthquake struck Tamsui. Besides, the growing local power of the growing commercialized society in Tamsui opposed such militarization because the stationed soldiers would create social disorder. In 1824, local officials were struggling with serious economic issues, such as the delivery of grain to Fujian, so they had to rely on the assistance of traders and elites in Tamsui. Eventually, the court terminated the construction plan due to the cost, disturbances, and the peaceful ocean. The termination of construction was the result of negotiations between the central empire and local power. Nevertheless, for twelve years, the impacts of construction left long-term marks. This article uses two maps collected in Junji Lufu軍機錄副as the primary sources to examine the social history constructed by the empire, officials, and Tamsui society.