The Study On The Relationship Between China And The Netherlands In The Late Ming Dynasty

In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, there had been huge changes in Europe, which started the modernization process. At the same time, China was in the late period of Ming dynasty, and the political situation was very corrupt. The westerners' coming had a fierce impact on the governance of the Ming dynasty. The contact between China and Holland played an important part in the contact between Ming dynasty and foreign countries. This article is intending to make a comprehensive and systematical discussion about the relation between the Ming dynasty and Holland.After the Dutch came to the east, their primary goal was to establish an official trade relation, but because of Ming Government's traditional tribute policy and the resistance from the Portuguese, the plan of the Dutch failed. In the later ten years, the Dutch tried all kinds of channels to establish the trade relation with Ming Government, but all the efforts failed. In 1622, the Dutch occupied China's Penghu Islands, which led to the outbreak of 'the Crisis of Penghu Islands'. After two years' negotiations, Ming Government forced the Dutch to leave the Penghu Islands. The contradictions between the two sides continued in this period, but the trade between the two sides had a certain degree of development.The Dutch occupied the southern region of Taiwan in 1624, then gradually occupied the entire Taiwan region. The intercourse of China and Holland entered a new period of development. In this period, the Dutch took Taiwan as a base to trade with China. They continued to attempt to obtain the coastal areas in China as a trading position. Since restrictions of the Ming government, the Dutch didn't have the right of trade in China. The Dutch took all kinds of channels to force Chinese to Taiwan and Badaweie for business. But with the rise of Zheng Zhilong Group, they began to dominatiate foreign trades in the southeastern coastal area. The Dutch had to receive Chinese goods by Zheng Zhilong Group. Although the Dutch wasn't satisfied with this situation, they didn't get out of this situation in the whole Ming dynasty. The Dutch occupied Jakarta of Indonesia in 1619, as the base for the Dutch East India Company's headquarters. Dutch East India Company lured the Chinese to Badaweie, their aim was to develop Badaweie and safeguard the rule of the Dutch. But as the forces of Chinese had been continuously strengthened, the Dutch thought that they were threatened, so they have adopted various measures to limit the development of Chinese forces.The intercourse between China and Holland is important component of the relation between China and the west. However, due to the Ming Government's blind arrogance and the wrong policy of the Dutch East India Company, these two big countries didn't have formal diplomatic relations in the whole Ming dynasty.