Ts'ao Yung-ho
Ts'ao Yung-ho 曹永和 | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 October 1920 |
| Died | 12 September 2014 (aged 93) |
| Nationality | Taiwan |
| Awards | Order of Orange-Nassau |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Taiwanese history |
| Institutions | Academia Sinica[1] |
Ts'ao Yung-ho (Chinese: 曹永和; pinyin: Cáo Yǒnghé; Wade–Giles: Ts'ao2 Yung3-ho2; 1920 – 12 September 2014) was a Taiwanese historian known for his work on the early history of Taiwan.[1] An autodidact and polyglot who failed his university entrance examinations, Ts'ao went on to become the preeminent Taiwanese expert on the Dutch and Spanish colonial eras in Taiwan.[1]
Early life
Ts'ao was born in modern-day Taipei City's Shilin District in 1920. In 1939 he graduated from Taihoku Prefecture Second Junior High School, but failed his university entrance exams.[2] Undaunted, he sought out Professor Iwao Seiichi of Taihoku Imperial University, who had spent time in England and the Netherlands learning the languages. Iwao taught Ts'ao Dutch, which was essential for Ts'ao to read the archived material from the Dutch Formosa era.[2] Ts'ao obtained a job as a librarian at the university, which gave him access to a huge range of materials he would otherwise have been unable to see.[3]
Academic career
Ts'ao studied a number of languages in pursuit of his understanding of early Taiwanese history, meaning he could make use of ten languages: Taiwanese, Japanese, English, German, Mandarin Chinese, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin.[4] The long-running historical journal, the Taiwan Bank Periodical (Chinese: 台灣銀行季刊; pinyin: Táiwān Yínháng Jìkān) was masterminded by Ts'ao, while he was also heavily involved in the monumental series of Chinese source material on Taiwan and Fujian history, the Taiwan Documents Collection (Chinese: 台灣文獻叢刊; pinyin: Táiwān Wénxiàn Cóngkān).[3] Over the course of his life, Ts'ao assembled a 20,000 volume library, classed as one of the finest collections on the Dutch East India Company in the world.[2] In 2002 Ts'ao was made an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau for his contributions in documenting the history of Dutch Formosa.[2]
Works
- Ts'ao, Yung-ho (1979). Taiwan zaoqi lishi yanjiu (Research into Early Taiwan History) (in Chinese). Taipei: Lianjing. ISBN 978-957-08-0698-4.
- Ts'ao, Yung-ho (2000). Taiwan zaoqi lishi yanjiu xuji (Research into Early Taiwan History: Continued) (in Chinese). Taipei: Lianjing. ISBN 957-08-2153-1.
References
- ^ a b c Rachel Lin, Tang Chia-ling and Jake Chung (14 September 2014). "Taiwan history expert Tsao dies". Taipei Times. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d Tull, Erwin (2006-12-05). "Nederland vormde geschiedenis Taiwan" (in Dutch). Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ^ a b Blussé, Leonard, ed. (2003). Around and About Dutch Formosa. Taipei: Southern Materials Center. p. 2. ISBN 986-7602-00-5.
- ^ Huang, Yuan-quan. 自學典範：台灣史研究先驅曹永和 (in Chinese).