Chengtian Prefecture of Dongning

Timeline

1. 1651–1660Fort Zeelandia · Anping DistrictFrom 1651 to 1660 the present-day Tainan area remained under the Dutch East India Company (VOC); Fort Zeelandia served as Taiwan's highest administrative and military center, while Fort Provintia housed administrative offices and a Chinese settlement. This was a key node in the East Asian trade network, where Chinese goods, Japanese silver, and Southeast Asian spices converged, while Zheng Chenggong's maritime forces already posed a threat in the surrounding area.
2. 1661–1662Chengtian Prefecture · Tainan CityZheng Chenggong landed with his forces and after a nine-month siege the Dutch governor Frederick Coyett surrendered in February 1662. Zheng immediately rebuilt the site, establishing Chengtian Prefecture as the capital of Eastern Capital (later renamed Dongning), with two counties, Tianxing and Wannian, creating a complete Chinese-style administrative system, introducing large numbers of settlers for reclamation, and rapidly expanding the city's scale and population.
3. 1662–1683Chengtian Prefecture · Tainan CityDuring the twenty-odd years of Dongning rule, Chengtian Prefecture established schools and Confucian temples, promoted the imperial examination and education, and was Taiwan's earliest Chinese cultural and educational center; simultaneously, as a maritime trade hub it maintained trade with Japan, Southeast Asia, and Luzon (the Philippines). With Dongning's fall in 1683, the Qing court established Taiwan Prefecture here, continuing its regional center status.