| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 台灣史研究所 === 101 === This study examines the causes and development of the establishment of the Gemalan (噶瑪蘭) subprefecture, during Emperor Jia Qing’s reign, and the subsequent changes. Different from existing research, it underscores the agency of local community and individual officials, as compared to that of the Imperial Court, highlighting their impact in history.
On the one hand, the founding of the Gemalan subprefecture can be traced back to the origin and course of Han people’s immigration into the area. Recurrent conflict between ethnic groups in Taipei area since the Lin, Shuang Wen Incident (林爽文事件) in the final years of Emperor Qian Long’s (乾隆) rule; the disadvantaged position of the people from Zhang Zhou (漳州), compared to that of those from Quan Zhou (泉州); the control over San Diao (三貂), the main artery to Gemalan, under Zhang Zhou leader Wu, Sha (吳沙); the connivance at the transgression of Wu and his likes of the officials in charge of Taiwan, and their reliance on local militia (鄉勇) -- all these factors combined led to Zhang Zhou people’s migration to Gemalan when Emperor Jia Qing came to the throne. On the other hand, the invasions of Cai, Qian (蔡牽) and Zhu, Fen (朱濆) into Gemalan also contributed to the institution of the subprefecture. Some immigrant populations as well as officials such as Yang, Ting Li (楊廷理) and Xie, Jin Luan (謝金鑾) made the pirates’ raids their persuasion for Qing’s imperial expansion to Gemalan. Underlining strategic values and security concerns, Yang and Xie appealed to the Emperor, bypassing oppositional provincial authorities, and eventually brought about the establishment.
As a marked feature of the Gemalan local community at the start of Jia Qing’s sovereignty, immigrants became Wu, Sha’s tenants through Jie Shou System (結首制). Such characteristics of Jie Shou System as detachment between tenants and landlords profoundly affected the operation of local community as well as the official policies after the founding of the subprefercture.
Yang, Ting Li’s example reflects the process of a nation’s involvement in local community. For instance, Yang executed Pan, Xian Wen (潘賢文), leader of the aborigines to assert government authority and denied the landlords of their ownership to increase revenues. Young’s success in revenue growth, thanks to the support of Jie Shoues, reveals the power of the System. It also proves that Yang could not impose his or the nation’s will and that he must cooperate with the local community. This also applies to Yang’s land policy. Yang enforced his ethnic-group-based policy only in the areas south of Lan Yang River while in those north of the river the immigrants’ ownership was recognized. By contrast, he deprived the weaker aborigines much of their land ownership, setting aside as compensation small pieces of reservations. Later on the land policy was modified in response to social circumstances, and those aborigines affected by the rules also took advantage of the reservation policy to protect their own rights. Thus, the interactions among the Court, officials, immigrants and aborigines influenced the course of the nation’s involvement in local community.
The founding of the Gemalan subprefecture on the one hand entailed changes in the local community. To illustrate, due to the positive relation with the authorities, the newly-cultivated Wu Wei (五圍) gradually dominated over Si Wei (四圍), where Wu, Sha’s family ruled. On the other hand, continuation was also witnessed in the local community. For example, the limitation in budget and technology resulted in the coupling of irrigation with Jie Shou System instead of direct official intervention into the local community. Consequently, the officials were ineffective in preventing local unrest, like in the other areas in Taiwan; at the same time, the local community managed to keep its agency.
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