Bodies and Structures 2.0: Deep-Mapping Modern East Asian History

Pioneers

All of the actors--elites and non-elites, human and divine--were pioneers or at least came out of a pioneering tradition. The Southeastern Chinese who settled in Taiwan, especially those who moved into the northern part of the island during the 18th and 19th centuries, conceived of themselves as pioneers who opened new territories for settlement and economic exploitation. Those who came out of Fujian’s coastal regions, in particular, came out of a much longer tradition of seafaring and long-distance trade. Their principle deities—a god known for opening up parts of Fujian and a sort of patron saint for travelers—paralleled their mundane experiences. On the Japanese side, the settlers also saw themselves as pioneers, in the sense of opening Taiwan to modernity and civilization, and they carried with them deities that also had associations with clearing new lands and development. As a result of these historical and metaphysical experiences, both human and divine actors placed great emphasis on claiming and demarcating territory.
 

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