The Kingdom of Tungning (東寧王國; pinyin: Dōngníng Wángguó ) was a kingdom existing on Taiwan between 1662 and 1683. The kingdom was founded by Koxinga, a former pirate who styled himself as a Ming Dynasty loyalist, and who hoped to marshal his troops on the island.

History

In 1661, Koxinga led his troops to a landing at Lu'ermen to attack Taiwan. By the end of the year, he had expelled the Dutch, who had controlled Taiwan for the past 38 years. Koxinga proceeded to devote himself to building Taiwan into an effective base for anti-Qing sympathizers who wanted to restore the Ming Dynasty to power.

At the age of 39, Koxinga died of malaria, although speculations said that he died in a sudden fit of madness upon hearing the death of his father under the Qing. His son, Zheng Jing, succeeded him as the King of Taiwan.

For the next nineteen years, Zheng Jing tried to provide sufficiently for the local inhabitants and reorganize their military forces in Taiwan. Contact with the Kangxi Emperor from the mainland through ambassadors was frequent. Under Qing pressure, Zheng Jing struggled to defend Xiamen, Quemoy and the Pescadores islands, which he had eventually lost over the years, mainly due to his minuscule army forces which were insufficient to defend from the Qing. Zheng Jing committed suicide in 1681 in a battle with the Qing empire. His son, Zheng Ke-Shuang, succeeded him.

Taiwan finally fell to the Qing in 1683.

Legacy

See also

• Koxinga
• Taiwan under Dutch rule
• History of Taiwan
• Qing Dynasty