By Jan Knikker

Is the Netherlands and Taiwan's 400-year-long relationship a cause for celebration? Present-day relations are exceedingly positive, but when the Dutch arrived in 1624 on what was then called Formosa in order for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) to obtain trade relations with China, they soon claimed the place as their own and gradually colonised the island. The sensitivity surrounding these events four centuries ago played a pivotal role in the creation of the Netherlands Pavilion at the Taipei International Book Exhibition, designed and curated not by a ministry or the diplomatic service, but, under the circumstances, by the Dutch architecture firm MVRDV.

The Netherlands indeed played a colonial role as an early European explorer and trading power, aided by innovations in sawmills and rapid ship construction. With these advantages, the small nation was able to expand its global reach during the 17th century to faraway places such as Japan, South Africa, Brazil, Tasmania, and New Zealand. In Western narratives, this period is often referred to as the Dutch Golden Age. In recent years, this period has inspired celebrations commemorating 400 years of trade relationships between the Netherlands and, among others, Japan and Turkey.

And so it is with Taiwan; 2024 marks exactly 400 years since the VOC first set foot on a Taiwanese sandbank. Shortly after arrival, the Dutch built a series of fortresses, a small town, and a colonial settlement located around Tayouan Bay, in what is today the city of Tainan. The small settlement became a safe station halfway between Batavia and Nagasaki and it served as a distant trading post to Ming China. Yet, while Japan and Turkey are examples of relationships between relatively equal trading partners, what perspective can we take on the anniversary of the VOC arriving on the shores of the island of “Formosa”? Is it appropriate to even commemorate this part of Dutch history, let alone celebrate it?

A 1640 map of "Formosa" by Johannes Vingboons.

A 17th-Century watercolour of Fort Zeelandia, taken from the Atlas Blaeu-Van der Hem.

Like many post-colonial societies, the Netherlands is reconciling with the impacts of its past exploits abroad. Discussions surrounding racial and social injustice, including the recognition of colonial history and effective social inclusion, are gaining ground. Immigration policies and the integration of diverse communities continue to be contentious topics. As such, discussions often centre around issues of cultural identity, social cohesion, and the impact of immigration on the labour market and public services.

So when MVRDV was invited to design and build the Netherlands Pavilion as the guest of honour at the annual Taipei International Book Exhibition, we found ourselves quite restricted in our approach by this moral dilemma. Christianne Matthijssen, Director General of Culture and Media at the Netherlands Ministry of Culture, opened the pavilion and, in her public address, directly referred to this balancing act:

"Taiwan and the Netherlands share important cultural heritage, of which the remains can still be seen today in Tainan and elsewhere. The Netherlands’ presence in Taiwan was part of my country’s colonial history. Increasingly, we acknowledge the dark sides of this period. Today, we want to come to terms with our historic responsibility."

The Netherlands Pavilion in use at the Taipei International Book Exhibition. Image © Shephotoerd

We designed the pavilion as a series of circular spaces representing Dutch horizons. The horizon of the sea symbolised the past and the seafaring history of the Netherlands; the horizon of reclaimed land, current affairs; and the horizon of the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of the dunes, the future, which naturally comprised the children's component of the exhibition. In the interior spaces we curated a series of related events, while the exterior featured an exhibition detailing the colonial past, the current Dutch cultural climate with respect to social inclusion and diversity, and the status of children in the Netherlands.  The pavilion’s exterior displayed the books and biographies of the nine prominent Dutch best-selling writers and illustrators who were invited to Taiwan to take part in the exhibition’s literary programme. To better cover the pavilion's many themes, we added translators, an agent, a DJ, and a journalist to the cultural delegation.

The exhibition on the colonial history of Taiwan was based in large part on the novel Lord of Formosa by writer Joyce Bergvelt, who dramatised the history of the Dutch colony based on a meticulous study of relevant Dutch sources such as the VOC archives. Founded in 1624, the Dutch colony lasted just 38 years, until the colonists were forced to leave in 1662 due to regional unrest connected to the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. The book portrays Formosa as a society comprising various indigenous tribes prior to Dutch arrival. However, the relatively brief colonial presence did not prevent the VOC from imposing a corrupt and unfair tax system, and from applying cruelty and suppression to both the island's indigenous as well as the – then minority – Han Chinese populations. As the Dutch colonial period concluded relatively quickly, it remained in an early stage of development and in that sense, Taiwan is fortunate that its population was largely spared from the continued cruelty and suppression that evolved in other European colonies. As nearly four centuries have passed since 1662, present-day Taiwanese are relatively forgiving of this epoch, but this did not exempt MVRDV from reflecting on this period from a modern Dutch perspective, applying necessary self-criticism to current discussions concerning the Dutch colonial period.

The first European encounter with the island now known as Taiwan had far-reaching consequences, shaping the course of its history as it has since become a focal point for international trade, cultural exchange, and geopolitical manoeuvring. Over the centuries, Taiwan's identity evolved through interactions with various foreign powers, not only having been colonised by the Netherlands, but also by Japan, leaving a lasting impact on its cultural landscape and global connections. Herein lies one of the many complexities of colonialism: as brutal and unsavoury as we consider this period today, it put into place the structures of cultural exchange which today are fundamental to people’s identity centuries later. Therefore, in the attempt to decolonise a 400-year relationship, we should be careful not to invalidate people’s positive sense of self.

Image © Shephotoerd

Today, people in Taiwan share the Netherlands’ open and tolerant perspective on many issues. While improving in many aspects, diversity and inclusion in the Netherlands still face challenges that underscore the complexities of fostering a truly inclusive society. Some key challenges include the integration of immigrant communities, systemic discrimination and racism, equal representation in positions of power, LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance, gender inequality, accessibility, and age discrimination. Instances of discrimination and racism persist in Dutch society. People of colour, individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds, particularly immigrant communities and those with diverse religious beliefs, may face discrimination in various areas, including employment, housing, and social interactions. This results in an ongoing struggle for increased representation of minority groups in positions of power and influence. Regarding LGBTQ+ rights, issues such as acceptance in certain communities, mental health disparities, and incidents of discrimination highlight areas where progress is still needed.

All these issues were reflected in both the exhibition and the lecture programme. Being a pavilion at a book fair open to all, there was also, of course, light entertainment such as “Poffertjes night”, in which Taiwanese visitors were treated to delicious tiny puffed pancakes made in the Dutch traditional way, as well as fabulous music performed by Dutch DJ Monica Electronica and a number of lectures given by MVRDV on architecture. There were children’s writing workshops with illustrator Charlotte Demantons, children’s author Bibi Dumon Tak, and horror author Thomas Olde Heuvel. In this sense, yes, the pavilion was a celebration, continuing 400 years of cultural exchange which, in spite of its origins, we now believe to be of great benefit.

There were also more serious panel discussions and lectures about current trends in Dutch society. For example, a talk about mass tourism by novelist and columnist Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, a talk about gender flexibility by writer-philosopher Maxim Februari, and a talk by Carolijn Visser about Selma, a Jewish Dutch woman who managed to escape Nazi-occupied Holland only to fall victim to the Chinese cultural revolution. Finally, there was an almost dystopian panel discussion with Maxim Februari, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, and Bibi Dumon Tak in which the correlation between Dutch teenagers’ weak literacy skills and rising populism in Dutch politics was examined.

Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer in discussion on the topic of mass tourism in Europe © Shephotoerd

One particularly moving example of cross-cultural empathy came in relation to language. In addition to trade activities, the VOC also employed missionaries to spread their Calvinist evangelism among the local populace. To achieve this, a school system was established in which the indigenous people were taught the scriptures in both Dutch and their native language. As a result, several scriptures were translated into Siraya and Babuza. A positive and unexpected side-effect was that the written, romanised recordings of indigenous Formosan languages by 17th century missionaries ultimately led to a revival of these languages. The revival of the Siraya language in Taiwan is the result of a significant effort to reclaim and preserve the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Siraya people, an integrated group of various indigenous tribes that shared a common language and traditionally inhabited the southwestern plains of Taiwan, near what is now Tainan.

By the mid-20th century, the Siraya language was near extinction, with only a handful of village elders keeping it alive. However, through a surprising twist of fate, materials translated from the documentation of 17th-century Dutch missionaries had been sent to the Philippines where they were preserved for several hundred years. The discovery of these documents, as well as the enormous efforts of community members, linguists, and cultural activists, has been instrumental in reviving the Siraya language. Efforts resulted in the development of teaching materials, dictionaries, and language courses. Additionally, community events, cultural festivals, and multigenerational activities have created an immersive learning environment pairing pride in language and culture. The revival of the language is a testament to the resilience of indigenous cultures and their commitment to reclaiming and celebrating their heritage. A next step would be the recognition of these local languages as official languages, but this struggle still continues. For some Siraya, the fact that one of the spaces of the pavilion was devoted entirely to their language was heartening and a first-time experience.

In deference to this language revival, there was a very emotional event at the Netherlands pavilion with poet Radna Fabias (born on Curaçao, then Dutch Antilles) sharing the pain of not being able to use her mother tongue Papiamento when she was a child. People in the audience started to cry, relating to Fabias through their experiences of not being able to use their own, indigenous languages when they were young. As this oppression lasted until only recently, it is clear that its effects still persist today.

© Shephotoerd

All these self-reflective events and themes were appreciated by the Taiwanese, and we received kind words not only on the pavilion’s design, but also on the event schedule that we put together. This was a great compliment to us, given that curating such an event is not normally part of the expertise of an architecture practice. One critic in particular, Wei-Yun Lin-Górecka, mentioned that last year’s Guest of Honour Poland – then led by a right-wing populist government – had organised what amounted to a Polish propaganda exhibit, while the Dutch approach was nuanced, open to self-critique, and indicative of its being self-aware and confident in its use of “soft power”.

Guido Tielman, representative of the Netherlands Office Taipei, which co-organised the Netherlands Pavilion, summed it up thusly:

“Through the work of the Dutch authors, illustrators, and publishers present at TIBE, we hope to share with a Taiwanese audience of book lovers some of the values that we so cherish in the Netherlands: the right to free speech, and the right for writers to express themselves freely.”

© Shephotoerd

These enduring issues, in the context of a largely celebratory 400-year Taiwanese retrospective, inevitably intertwine with a colonial past that still casts its shadow today. This is deserving of a nuanced and open dialogue, not unusual among friends. As the Netherlands pavilion at the Taiwan International Book Exhibition has demonstrated, this dialogue must not shy away from sensitive issues. On the contrary: not only should it not shy away from admitting guilt and offering apologies, it should be obliged to provide an honest review of current Dutch society with both its strong and its weak points. This will help transform a once-aggressive, exploitative, one-sided relationship into an informal, yet equal relationship based on shared values and democratic principles. Nevertheless, we remain open to the few surprising positive side-effects of this specific colonialism: namely cultural exchange. We believe that the dialogue must include space for sharing experiences, whether they be profound and heart-wrenching personal stories or light-hearted encounters with unfamiliar ‘puffy’ pancakes. This relational approach strengthens the image of the Netherlands in Taiwan and it represents, in the best way, the values the Netherlands and the Dutch are so proud of: their openness and direct communication.

This article was written with the generous help and editing of Joyce Bergvelt, Guido Tielman, Hui Hsin Liao, Jessica Cullen, and Rory Stott.