House of Koxinga


The House of Koxinga, also known as the Zheng dynasty, was the ruling family of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan. They played a significant role in the history of East Asia and Southeast Asia, particularly during the seventeenth century.

Names

In Chinese, the dynasty is referred to as:
  • The Zheng clan.
  • The House of Zheng in Taiwan
  • The Family of Koxinga

    Overview

Following the Qing conquest of the Kingdom of Tungning in 1683, the territory's last ruler, Zheng Keshuang, Prince of Yanping and grandson of Koxinga, was taken to Beijing. The Kangxi Emperor granted Zheng the peerage title of Duke Hanjun and inducted him and his descendants into the Plain Red Banner. The family remained in Beijing until 1911, when the Xinhai Revolution broke out, leading to the fall of the Qing dynasty. Afterward, they moved back to Anhai and Nan'an in southern Fujian, where they reside to this day.
Koxinga's other descendants held the hereditary title of "Sia." They are found both on mainland China and in Taiwan, while the descendants of Koxinga's brother, Shichizaemon, reside in Japan.
His descendants through one of his sons, Zheng Kuan, live in Taiwan. One of Koxinga's descendants on mainland China, Zheng Xiaoxuan, the father of, fought against the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War., born in Shandong, mainland China, referred to himself as a "child of the resistance" against Japan. During the war, he became a refugee, moving across China to escape the Japanese forces.
In 1949, he relocated to Taiwan and focused on fostering stronger ties between Taiwan and mainland China. Although Zheng Chouyu was born in mainland China and identified as Chinese, he felt alienated when he was forced to move to Taiwan in 1949. Taiwan, which had previously been under Japanese rule, felt strange and foreign to him.

Rulers of the Kingdom of Tungning

The House of Koxinga produced five rulers of the Kingdom of Tungning: three reigning monarchs and two regents.

Genealogy