Taiwan history/Republic of Formosa
After China (Qing) lost the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, the Chinese government signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, forcing them to give up the territory of Taiwan and other parts of China.
The establishment of Republic of Formosa
[edit | edit source]Because the imperial Qing court could not openly violate the peace treaty, local gentry and Qing officials on the island devised a plan. By declaring an independent republic, they hoped to attract Western military intervention and build a proxy state that would eventually return to Chinese rule. The reign name of the republic, "Yongqing"(永清) means "forever Qing".
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The fall of Republic of Formosa
[edit | edit source]The republic was proclaimed on May 23, 1895, and collapsed on October 21, 1895, that existed for exactly 151 days in 1895. It collapsed when Japanese forces captured its final stronghold in Tainan.