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Taiwan in the Eyes of a Western Traveler--John Thomson’s Footprints in Formosa

Publication date: 2013
Author: Li Pin-huei |Staff member of the Archives of Institute of Taiwan History

John Thomson(1837-1921)is regarded as a pioneering photographer in the 19th century. He traveled to Far East, documenting the portraits, landscapes and eastern cultures profoundly through his lens and these photographs have become precious historical records. Although John Thomson only stayed in Taiwan for a few days, the images and notes he left are valuable historical materials for the research into Taiwan in the 1870s.His story could be comparable to Shen Bao-zhen, one of the figures in 「Traveling in Time」Exhibition. They were the travelers who came to Taiwan in the same time period. Through their stories, we can learn how they interpret Formosa in the 19th century.
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III. Lin’s Footsteps in Denmark

On October 27, Lin Xian-tang visited Copenhagen, Denmark. That day was a drizzling day. Lin and his sons toured all over the Langelinie Park. In the park, there is a bronze statue featuring a large-scale group of animal figures being driven by the Norse goddess Gefjon, which shows the importance of agriculture for Denmark. Because of the Gefjon Fountain, Lin Xian-tang figured out the reasons why the industrial development was not thriving in Denmark. That was because Denmark did not produce needed resources, which were coal and iron, for its industrial development. Many countries developing their manufacturing industry well had fewer agricultural resources; while Denmark’s agricultural exports were enough to support a country. Even though Denmark was a small country, people were able to be self-sufficient. As a result, people in Denmark did not have to join the competition in the international market. They were just happily being themselves. In addition, Lin also saw the famous little mermaid statue on the rock, which colored the beauty of the scenery by the seaside. (see Figure 5)

Figure 5: The Diary of Mr. Guan-yuan on October 27, 1927.
(Source: The Diary of Mr. Guan-yuan, the digital archives of the Archives of Institution of Taiwan History)


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