I.The Era of Global Navigation 9 8 ISLAND IN THE STREAM between the Dutch and Japanese but it dissipated when in 1635 the cabbages,garden peas,tomatoes,mangos,capsicum,rice,and Tokugawa shogun began a policy of isolationism (sakoku).They especially sugarcane.They also brought in the Indian buffalo. forbade trade and then outlawed shipbuilding of ocean going Revolts vessels and other ships from 1633 to 1636.In 1639 they formally entered into a self-imposed isolation policy that would last until During the Dutch rule of the island,there were revolts from the 1853 when the "black ships"of Admiral Perry would force their aborigines and Chinese,but the Dutch were able to employ a way into Tokyo Bay.With trade down to a trickle and with ship- policy of divide and conquer.The aborigines rose up in the Madou building hampered,even the Japanese pirate groups lost their Incident(麻豆事件)inI635 and the Xiaolong Incident(蕭壟事 influence in the Taiwan Strait. )in 1636.As these revolts were crushed,the Dutch increased their hold on the island. Dutch Colonial Profit The Chinese whose immigration had been openly encouraged Using the labor of the aborigines and the Chinese immigrants,the also became dissatisfied..n1652,Guo Huai-yi(郭懷一)a Dutch were quick to gain profit from Formosa.Trade increased. subordinate of the pirate Zheng Zhi-long gathered the people The Dutch could get spices,amber,kapok and opium from together to resist the Dutch.Unfortunately Guo's brother leaked Southeast Asia through Batavia.They also got silver from Japan information of the planned revolt to the Dutch and the Dutch with and silk,pottery,Chinese medicine,and gold from China.All this 2000 Christian aborigines met and defeated them. was exchanged for sugar,venison,and deer hides from Formosa. Lacking appropriate weapons,Guo and 4,000 ofhis men were Formosa was proving valuable to them. routed and hunted down.But this and the other revolts indicated a The pirates who surrounded Formosa still existed but the growing tendency of the various groups on the island to seek their Dutch made a treaty with Zheng Zhi-long(鄭芝龍)，a pirate own freedom.They did not look to be united with either China or leader,to guarantee the safety of their vessels at sea.The Dutch Japan but simply to be left alone to make a living.In the meantime, could now spend time developing agriculture in Formosa. the practice of the Dutch to play one side against the other to Farmland belonging to the Dutch East India Company was maintain power,would become a practice among each incoming established and immigration encouraged.Immigrants had to pay regime. anywhere from 5 to 10 percent of the profit they made in renting Koxinga and the Ming Flight land from the company.The Dutch successfully improved the spice crop and introduced several new crops to the island such as In 1628,the Ming dynasty found itself with far greater matters of