Pacification of Taiwan (IX) - Battle of Fangliao

"Pacification of Taiwan" is a record of the Lin Shuangwen and the Heaven and Earth Society Incident (1787-1789), an anti-Qing uprising that spread through central and southern Taiwan. The Qing court sent General Fukangan and forces to quell the rebellion. Sketches were made major engagements and battlefield geography and submitted to the Qing Qianlong emperor. The emperor subsequently ordered seven official court painters—Yao Wenhan, Miao Bingtai, Yang Dazhang, Jia Quan, Xie Sui, Zhuang Yude, and Li Ming—to create 12 paintings based on the sketches, including poetry written by the emperor himself. The scenes were engraved in copper, and after inspection by the emperor, were opened to public viewing in 1793. The engravings document the outcomes of battles and the terrain on which they t The engravings document the outcomes of battles and the terrain on which they took place, but also carried political implications, an implicit declaration of Qing sovereignty over Taiwan. Each work in the "Pacification of Taiwawn" series vividly depicts Taiwan's topography, architecture, flora, people, and battlefield action, conveying dimensionality and a sense of actually being present at the scenes. The emperor's poetry fills the upper part of the engraving. Giuseppe Castiglione (Ch. Lang Shining), an Italian Jesuit priest who served as Qing court painter, introduced the copper engraving technology and directed the Chinese artists who carried out the work. Thus, the engraving blends traditional Chinese and Western styles of depiction. Following rebel leader Lin Shuangwen's capture, Qing forces turned southward in pursuit of Zhuang Damu, another insurgent leader, attacking Fangliao by land and setting up a naval blockade to prevent rebels from escaping by sea. This engraving depicts the battle of Langjiao Mountain at Waichaicheng (today's Checheng Township in Pingdong County). On the left, Qing cavalry detachments unleash a three-pronged attack on rebel forces. The insurgents shown in the far distance offer feeble resistance, while two columns of rebels run retreat in diarray. On the right, battleships shell rebel fortifications, forcing the remaining insurgents to flee southward. The engraving realistically depicts the topography of southern Taiwan's Hengchun peninsula, from plains to hills.