The Dagregisters van het Kasteel Zeelandia (Fort Zeelandia Diaries) represents an invaluable primary source for Dutch-era Taiwan studies. In 1624, the Dutch East India Company established Fort Zeelandia at present-day Anping, integrating Taiwan into global trade networks. The resulting administrative records provide comprehensive documentation of Taiwan's indigenous cultures, natural resources, and economic development.
Originally written in early modern Dutch and preserved in the National Archives of the Netherlands, these manuscripts were collaboratively edited by Dutch, Japanese, and Taiwanese scholars. The Chinese edition, published in four volumes (2000-2011), features translations and annotations by renowned scholar Chiang Shu-sheng, recipient of the Presidential Culture Award.
This compilation encompasses daily journals, company reports, council resolutions, and official correspondence. The diaries chronicle maritime commerce, military conflicts with European powers and Chinese pirates, the complex Hamada Yahyōe Incident (1626-1636), and the VOC's evolution from trading enterprise to colonial administration. They document the deer-hide trade, agricultural innovations, missionary activities, and indigenous-colonial interactions, providing unparalleled insights into seventeenth-century Taiwanese society.