400 Years: Dutch Formosa - part one

Of course, Chen Di was not actually the first person from China to visit Taiwan. What makes him special is that he wrote an account of what he saw here in 1603, and that account is the earliest surviving manuscript discovered thus far.

Chen Di's short travel commentary focuses mostly on the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan; their customs, diet, etc., a rare and valuable documentation by a man who was both a scholar and a warrior. Chen Di's account of his 1603 trip was only rediscovered in 1955!

Interestingly, the same year Chen Di came to Taiwan was when the Dutch East India Company (the VOC) set up a permanent trading post in what's now Indonesia. The Dutch are determined to break into the China trade market - but they'll need another base. Somewhere a bit closer.

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荷蘭人來臺雖然只有短短的三十幾年，但為臺灣帶來深遠的影響。其中之一就是把原產南亞、東南亞的許多物種引入臺灣試驗養殖或種植。當然荷蘭人的嘗試並非完全成功，也不一定為臺灣帶來正面的影響，但的確有非常多的物種就此被「馴化」，成為臺灣的物產。這集 Formosa Files 中文版 Podcast 就由兩位主持人來跟大家聊聊，日常生活中意想不到的，由荷蘭人引入臺灣的一些物種。

主持人簡介：

Eryk Michael Smith－ICRT南臺灣特派員，長期從事記者採編工作、聲音編輯，也會客串DJ。現居高雄，在臺灣已經居住了接近30年，認為臺灣是自己的家。

Eric Hsu（徐葆權）－彰化北斗人，從大學南漂高雄以來，人生的大部分時間都在高雄渡過。關心臺灣文史與地方文化發展，尤其是自己的兩個家鄉：北斗與高雄。

Need a break from typhoons (Taiwan)? Need to escape the non-stop political election-related noise (USA)? Or maybe you simply would like to hear John and Eryk babble about a couple of strange out-of-print books with a Taiwan connection (everyone)?

This week we meander, go off on tangents, tell virtually unknown stories (including mysterious deaths), and discuss two books we bet you’ve never heard of, let alone read.

Also: Happy Halloween (and of course, it's Chiang Kai-shek's birthday).

More info and links at FORMOSA FILES DOT COM