At the Qing Empire’s Taiwan Frontier: Identities of the Chinese Maritime Customs Commissioners during the Sino-French War and the First Sino-Japanese War

Taiwan, as a frontier territory of the Qing Empire, played a unique role in modern Chinese history. Within the Qing bureaucracy, special measures, including some relating to the appointment of personnel, were applied to Taiwan, principally due to its geographical location. From 1863, the Chinese Maritime Customs Service was established in Taiwan, operating in parallel with the island’s Qing administrators and representing Qing sovereignty through the collection of tariffs on foreign trade and other related affairs such as the building and running of lighthouses. Tensions between these two representatives of empire became fraught at times, notably during the Sino-French War and the First Sino-Japanese War.