Abstract：
This article traces the development of the fan (aboriginal) classification system established by Emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng. During early Qing rule, fan tribes were recognized and classified according to their tax payment under the Village Franchise System. Fengshan eight tribes and Tufan thirty-four tribes were all part of this system during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. Instead of being levied at rates that varied from year to year, tribal tax payment became fixed and was thus taken as one of criteria for naturalization of aborigines. What triggered the subsequent wave of mass naturalization of fan tribes was neither their loyalty to nor their being enlightened by the empire. Rather, it was a move ‘pushed’ or promoted by sheshang (tribal businessmen) and tungshih (interpreter) to keep up with the Qing policy and to curry favor from the local officials. Commercial interests rather than patriotic sentiments were what motivated the aborigines to become naturalized. In face of the mass naturalization trend, the Qing Empire refined the classification system for aborigines. Toward the end of Kangxi reign, the initial dichotomous categories of ‘tufan’ (tax-paying aborigines) and ‘yefan’ (literally, wild/untamed aborigines) adopted from the classification under the Zheng regime were changed into ‘shufan’ (literally, cooked aborigines) and ‘shengfan’ (literally, raw aborigines), respectively. Nevertheless, the distinction between the two categories was neither well defined nor standardized. Further changes were introduced by Emperor Yongzheng. Upon termination of the naturalization policy, the third category ‘huafan’ (naturalized aborigines) was added to denote those naturalized shengfan who lived beyond the Qing boundary but paid tax to the empire. Again, there existed no clear differentiation for the three groups, especially between ‘huafan’ and ‘shufan’. It was during the reign of Emperor Qianlong that aboriginal boundary was demarcated and distinction among aborigines was drawn according to whether they lived within or beyond the boundary and whether they paid tax to the Qing government or not. Through examining the evolution of the fan classification system, this article points out that people classification under Qing rule was more than a culturo-political product of celestial imperialism but closely related to the state policy and governance.

Keywords：Naturalized Sheng Fan, Sheng Fan, Shu Fan, Wave of Mass Naturalization, Fan Classification System, Gboro Mambo

Abstract：
In Six Observations upon Reading Notes on Modern Chinese Naval History (2008), Emeritus Professor Y. W. Ma of the University of Hawaii casts his doubts on the famous portrait of Shen Baozhen (also known as Shen, Paochen). The subject of the customary portrait, sitting sideways in full regalia, is not Shen, Ma argues, but a “Third-Ranking General Hsü Jun-chih.” The real Shen is found in another painting titled Portrait of the Elder Wenshu, Shen Baozhen. The present study challenges Professor Ma’s findings via a careful examination of some major existing portraits of Shen. It turns out that Ma’s so-called ‘real’ Shen portrait, currently housed in the Zheng Cheng-Gong Museum in Tainan, Taiwan, is actually a more recent creation, and is not a true copy of the real Shen. The controversial portrait showing Shen sitting sideways first appeared in The Far East: A Monthly Journal (1876) and later in L’ile Formose: Histoire et description (1885). This study examines the historical background of both editions and concludes that the Far East portrait was inadvertently labeled Portrait of Third-Ranking General Hsü Jun-chih. The L’ile Formose portrait was endorsed by sinologists Henri Cordier and Camille Imbault-Huart, and was supported by archived materials of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and an early photograph of Shen’s fourth son. Hence the L’ile Formose portrait is the undisputed portrait of the real Shen. The portrait was taken by British photographer William T. Saunders. The present study also examines the provenance of Portraits of Meritorious Statesmen in the Tower of Violet Light (National Palace Museum, Taipei), an album commissioned by Empress Dowager Cixi in 1886. Another Shen portrait from the Petite Portraits of Meritorious Statesmen in the Tower of Violet Light was found to be the work of Wu Youru, famous artist and illustrator of the Tian-shi-zhai Pictorial. Both portraits were created posthumously and therefore not a truthful rendition of the historical Shen, despite their imperial status.

Keywords：Shen Baozhen (Shen, Paochen), Portrait, The Far East: A Monthly Journal, L’ile Formose: Histoire et description, Portraits of Meritorious Statesmen in the Tower of Violet Light

Abstract：
Past research on sekimin focused mainly on government diplomacy; there has been little discussion on the commercial objectives behind nationality choices, and scarce attention has been paid to the trade network behind commercial disputes. Using the case of a Taiwanese sekimin Lin Mou-chang, this paper reviews the nationality choices and commercial disputes between Taiwanese and Fujianese merchants in early 20th century. In 1906, Lin, who ran a firm called “Yen Quan Hao”, was arrested in Amoy because of a commercial dispute with a French firm “Wan Bao Yuan”. The dispute broke out because both firms expanded their scale of business under booming trade activities at Amoy that became a treaty port in late Qing era. The two firms sued each other under the Qing legal system. Following diplomatic mediations of both China and Japan, Lin was finally released. His case involved commercial interests of both Japanese and French governments, as well as the local politics in Fujian. In such complicated commercial setting, sekimin running businesses in East Asia (Japan, China, and Taiwan) had to choose or change their nationality so as to reap commercial benefits and avoid political disputes.

Keywords：Overseas Chinese, Sekimin, Chinese Merchant, International Trade, Commercial Disputes

Abstract：
Modern art in Taiwan which burgeoned during the Japanese colonial era and further developed after World War II has been heavily influenced by Western art. In such a historical context, Taiwanese modern art world on the one hand has been eager to gain recognition from the West, particularly Europe and North America; while on the other hand, has been apprehensive about being assimilated or fading into oblivion. The development of Taiwanese modern art has been the result of power relations between Western culture, local politics and institutions. With reference to related archives, newspapers, magazines, diaries and oral histories, this study uses the method of discourse analysis to examine the impact of Western art and culture on Taiwanese modern art through the perspective of cultural politics.

Keywords：Taiwanese Modern Art, United States Foreign Aid, United States Information Service, São Paulo Biennial, Westernization

Abstract：
This article contains a comprehensive analysis of the papers presented at the conference “2014-2015 Taiwan History Research: Retrospect and Prospect” (December 9 to 10, 2016) co-organized by the Institute of Taiwan History, Academia Sinica; Graduate Institute of Taiwan History, National Cheng-Chi University; Graduate Institute of Taiwan History, National Taiwan Normal University; and National Museum of Taiwan History. These papers cover Public history, Industrial history, Environmental history, Literary history, Medical culture history, and historical materials of Taiwan. The analysis also includes a review of Annual Bibliography of Taiwan History 2014-2015, focusing on recent developments and future prospects of research on Taiwan history. Overall, research results of 2014-2015 revealed that publication of important historical materials has significant influence on certain research topics, such as the 228 Incident and Chiang Kai-shek, with new historical materials unearthed offering fresh insight and novel perspectives. This further corroborates the material-based characteristic of historical research. Moreover, some research results such as those on Chiang Kai-shek, the 228 Incident, Post-war history, and Public health history were published collectively, thus consolidating dialogues on the related topics. The recent emergence of public history and popular life history as research trends merits attention. These trends point out the many possibilities between historical research and the public, and serve to remind the research community of Taiwan history on the relationship and importance of dialogue between the academia and society.

Keywords：Taiwan History, Research Review, Research Trends, Historical Data

Abstract：
This essay introduces the archives related to Taiwan collected by National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of the United States, The National Archives of Australia (NAA), and United Nations Archives and Records Management Section (UNARMS). Experience of visits to these archives is also presented with comments and suggestions made for future collections.

Keywords：United States, Australia, United Nations, Taiwan, Archive