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Exhibition on Taiwan’s Dutch past takes place in Amsterdam

  • Date:2024-10-18~2025-04-06
Anthonius Hambroek (center) was a Dutch missionary in Formosa from 1648 to 1661.

The Taiwan Cultural Center (TCC) in Paris has collaborated with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to hold a Taiwan-themed exhibition, titled “Once upon a time…the Netherlands and Taiwan.” The exhibition features 16 exhibits, and will be on display until April 6, 2025.

 

Showcasing the history of the Netherlands’ colonization of Taiwan, known as Formosa in the 17th century, the museum offers visitors an opportunity to see the history of Taiwan from the perspective of the Dutch, the Han Chinese, and the indigenous people on the island, while reflecting on the topic of transitional justice. 

 

In addition to the exhibition, the Rijksmuseum also invited Dutch, Swedish, and Taiwanese scholars to comb through the historical records and artifacts of Dutch Formosa. The articles will be published on “Aziatische Kunst,” the Royal Asian Art Society in the Netherlands’ journal, in a special issue titled “Formosa”.

 

Hu Ching-fang (胡晴舫), head of the TCC in Paris, noted that 2024 marks the 400th anniversary of the establishment of Fort Zeelandia in 1624 in Taiwan’s Tainan City, which signaled the start of the Dutch colonial era in Taiwan. She added that, through art and archival documents, the exhibition presents the moment when different cultures converged on the island 400 years ago, displaying the historical context and memories shared by Taiwan and the Netherlands.


(Photo credit: Rijksmuseum)