Abstract：
Aquaculture is an important traditional industry in East Asia. Both brackish water ponds and freshwater ponds were introduced to Taiwan in the second half of the 17th century. Through comparing and analyzing the development of brackish water and freshwater aquaculture in Qing Taiwan, this essay highlights the significance of aquaculture, particularly milkfish aquaculture, in the economic and social development of Taiwan. While freshwater aquaculture had been very popular and highly commercialized in southern China, its initial development in Taiwan was hampered by the need to import fish fry from China. Moreover, reliance on rainwater for pond replenishment also restricted independent growth of freshwater aquaculture, causing it to be attached to the ecosystem of paddy rice cultivation. Hence, freshwater aquaculture could only remain an income-earning sideline of Taiwanese farmers and could hardly be commercialized throughout Qing dynasty. By contrast, brackish water aquaculture, though restricted to the southwest coastal area of Taiwan, was the best land-use practice in the tough environment of salty soil. In addition to sufficient provision of fish fry, its product, milkfish, was deeply embedded in the daily consumption of local inhabitants, fitting the needs of Tainan, the then largest consumption market in Taiwan. In this context, brackish water aquaculture developed as the most important industry in western Taiwan. More importantly, the high cost, great risk, and huge commercial interests involved made brackish water aquaculture a highly capitalized and professionalized business. In particular, during the early 19th century, with the formation of new lands around the western coastal area of Taiwan, many local Tainan entrepreneurs invested in the exploitation of brackish water ponds in these new lands, strengthening the capitalization and professionalization in this business. This essay suggests that these two characteristics of brackish water aquaculture led not only to rapid expansion of brackish water aquaculture after mid-Qing dynasty, but also brought significant impact on the economic and social development of western coastal Taiwan.

Keywords：Brackish Water Ponds, Freshwater Ponds, Aquaculture, Milkfish (Chanos chanos), Milkfish industry, Capitalization, Professionalization

Abstract：
This paper explores the interaction between the traditional gentry and popular belief. In doing so, it focuses on the successful career of the pioneering Taiwanese Chin Shih Cheng Yung-hsi (1788-1858) and his association with Feng-shui (geomancy) in the Chu-ch’ien area (modern day Hsinchu) since the late Ch’ing Dynasty and on Cheng’s attitude towards the Feng-shui method of determining residences of deaths and living persons as well as his attitude towards practicing geomancers. Ever since 1825, when word spread that Cheng Yung-hsi’s success in the imperial examination was allegedly due to the fact of protection by the favourable Feng-shui of the official Confucian school in Tamsui T’ing that he had attended, Cheng Yung-hsis life became inexorably intertwined with the culture of "Feng-shui". The stories passed on within the populace regarding his merits in geomancy gradually evolved to a generally shared historical memory among the people of Chu-ch’ien. By contrast, Cheng Yung-hsi himself proved to be doubtful and critical of the theory of Feng-shui, which stood in discrepancy with the social climate that attributed his success to the favourable effects of Feng-shui. From the results of this case study, we can gain an understanding of how the gentry class established links with local society through the traditional culture of Feng-shui and thus shaped a collective identity of a certain community of interest. Furthermore, it also allows us to gain a deeper insight into the relationship between the traditional gentry and popular culture and to understand that there exists a complex though indeed traceable relation of divergence and convergence between the two.

Keywords：Feng-shui (Geomancy), Popular Belief, Collective Identity, Cheng Family of Hsinchu, Gentry Class

Abstract：
First published in Shanghai during the late Qing dynasty, the Dianshizhai Pictorial has been regarded as a pivotal visual shift in Chinese press history. This study aims to analyze the paper’s depictions of Southern Chinese ethnic “others” from over four thousand illustrations during its decade-long publication. The release of the Dianshizhai Pictorial established Shanghai as a fast-changing metropolitan with a newfound demand for news efficiency and visual effectiveness. Under such circumstances, the understanding of Southern ethnic “others” transformed from oral traditions, historical records, and Miao-Man portraits to easily accessible illustrations that fostered a common perception amongst its readers. The first purpose of this study is to investigate how the Southern Chinese ethnic “others” came to be assigned negative stereotypes such as being animal-like and uncivilized, while the second goal is to investigate the impact of Dianshizhai Pictorial on public perception regarding the conquest and pacification of the Yao of Guangdong and Taiwanese aborigines. From detailed analysis of both texts and pictures, this study shows how late 19th-century mass media visual representations affected traditionally timeless views of Southern Chinese ethnic “others” amidst a rapidly changing society during an era of state conquest and Sino-Japanese empire conflicts.

Keywords：Dianshizhai Pictorial, Pictorial News, Ethnic Others of Southern China, Yao People of Guangdong, Taiwanese Aborigines

Abstract：
Robert K.S. Lim, a famous physiologist, contributed greatly to the teaching and research on physiology and played a key role in the development of military medical system during the Sino-Japanese War. Founded under his inspiration and design, the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica and the National Defense Medical Center are dazzling monuments for Taiwan’s advance in biomedical sciences and modern medical education, respectively. However, compared with his international eminent status in physiology in the early 20th century, Robert Lim’s name was soon forgotten after the above two institutes were established, and he was only mentioned by medical historians in the narratives of medical development in Taiwan. By accessing archives at various locations such as Rockefeller Archive Center (New York, US), Shanghai Municipal Archive, and Archive Room at National Defense Medical Center (Taiwan), the authors explored comprehensively Robert Lim’s contribution and historical roles. This article aims to portray Robert Lim’s career within the context of history of China and modern medicine as well as the multiple roles he played. Moreover, this study supplements the missing facets of contemporary studies on Robert Lim, and contributes to unveil the establishment of modern public health and medical care system in post-WWII Taiwan by a group of mainlanders who came to Taiwan during the 1949 retreat.

Keywords：Robert K.S. Lim, Military Medicine, Modern China, Public Health, Physiology