Spanish colony The
Spanish arrived in the area of Tamsui in the early 17th century. In the fall of 1629, the Spanish established the first major non-aboriginal settlement comprising the town and mission of
Santo Domingo. The Spanish occupied northern
Taiwan for the purpose of securing Spanish sea trade routes from coastal
Fujian to
Spanish Philippines against the
Dutch (who were already established in the South of Taiwan by then), the
British, and the
Portuguese, as well as for facilitating trade with China and Japan. In 1642, the Spanish were expelled from Taiwan by the Dutch. The Spanish had already abandoned their settlement in Tamsui in 1638 and the Dutch built a new fort over the ruins of
Fort Santo Domingo which they renamed Fort Antonio (after the Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company
Antonio van Diemen). It is today known as
Angmng Siaⁿ () and is the main building of the
Fort Santo Domingo museum complex. In addition to "pacifying" the aboriginal tribes in the area, the Dutch also encouraged the immigration and settlement of the area by
Han Chinese, as well as expanding the production and trade of
sulfur, animal skins, and other indigenous resources. The Dutch left Fort Zeelandia in Taiwan in 1662 following their defeat by
Koxinga at the
Siege of Fort Zeelandia, who continued the policy of increasing
Han Chinese immigration until the surrender of his grandson
Zheng Keshuang to the
Qing Dynasty in 1683. In 1668, the Dutch left
Keelung after getting harassed by aboriginals from Tamsui.
Qing dynasty Because of its proximity to
mainland China, as well as its location in a natural harbor, Tamsui quickly became a major fishing and trade port. The Qing naval patrol also established an outpost in Tamsui in 1808. In 1862, the
Qing government opened Tamsui to foreign trade under the terms of the
Treaty of Tientsin, exporting
tea,
camphor,
sulfur,
coal,
opium, and dyes. By the mid-19th century Tamsui had become the largest port in
Taiwan, boasting a sizable foreign population as well as a
British consulate at Fort Santo Domingo.
Canadian medical doctor and missionary
George Leslie Mackay arrived in Tamsui on 9 March 1872, proceeding to establish Taiwan's first hospitals in Western medicine and formal educational facilities, including Oxford College (now part of
Aletheia University), the oldest European-style higher-education institution in Taiwan by some measure. During the
Sino-French War the French attempted an invasion of Taiwan during the
Keelung Campaign.
Liu Mingchuan, who was leading the defence of Taiwan, recruited Aboriginals to serve alongside the Chinese soldiers in fighting against the French. The French were defeated at the
Battle of Tamsui, and the Qing forces pinned the French down at Keelung in an eight-month-long campaign before the French withdrew. In 1884, the harbour of Tamsui was blockaded by the
French Navy under the command of Admiral
Amédée Courbet, during the
Sino-French War. The French were defeated at the
Battle of Tamsui by the Chinese and, according to traditional accounts, with the divine assistance of the Goddess
Mazu.
Japanese rule By the time Taiwan was ceded to Japan following the end of the
Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Tamsui's position as a seaport was beginning to wane due to the accumulation of sediments in the
Tamsui River. By the 20th century, most of Tamsui's port operations had moved to
Keelung, and the local economy had switched primarily to
agriculture. However, public infrastructure construction projects by the Japanese led to Tamsui's rise as a local administrative and cultural center. In the early years of
Japanese rule (1895–1945), the population of the city was nearly 6,000. From 1920, under the prefecture system, Tamsui was called , and was governed under Tansui District of
Taihoku Prefecture.
Post-war Following the end of
World War II in 1945, Tamsui reverted to being a small fishing town as
township of
Taipei County. With the expansion of nearby
Taipei City, Tamsui slowly became a center for tourism along Taiwan's northwest coast. In the last ten years, the city has become popular as a suburb of Taipei in the local real estate market. Following the completion of the
Taipei Metro's
Tamsui Line in 1997, the town experienced a sharp increase in tourist traffic, reflected in the completion of several riverside parks, the growth of open-air markets specializing in traditional handicrafts and street-stall snacks, the construction of a
fisherman's wharf, and the increase in passenger ferries traversing across and along the river. == Administrative divisions ==