Book Launch of the Complete Chinese Translation of “Eine kurtze Ost-Indianische Reiß-Beschreibung” (1669)
Introduction to the Collections of the National Taiwan Library
In cooperation with the Faculty of East Asian Studies at Ruhr University Bochum the National Taiwan Library will introduce its newly published Chinese translation of the book “Eine kurtze Ost-Indianische Reiß-Beschreibung” (1669) by the Swiss painter and traveler Albrecht Herport (1641-1730).
Guests at RUB will include: Director Luo, Director of the Taipei Representative Office in Germany (Frankfurt), and his deputy, Consul Zhang, as well as the Director of the National Taiwan Library, Prof. Chang, and four of her colleagues.
Date & Time: Friday, 12 December 2025, 2 pm – 4.30 pm
Location: Bochum University Library, Floor 1, Room 09, and online via Zoom.
An early modern view of Taiwan – complete Chinese translation for the first time
The travelogue offers insights into Herport’s service as a soldier in Dutch East India Company between 1659 and 1667 and records pivotal episodes in Taiwan’s early modern history — most notably Zheng Chenggong’s (Koxinga’s) recapture of Fort Zeelandia. Furthermore, Herport sketches environments and peoples from the Cape of Good Hope and Batavia to Sri Lanka and the Malabar coast, thereby illuminating seventeenth-century maritime rivalries and one of Taiwan’s historical turning points.
Drawing on its possession of the 1669 first edition, the National Taiwan Library, in collaboration with Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, has published the first complete Chinese translation together with scholarly annotations and a full-color facsimile of the original.
The edition serves research on early Taiwan history and East Asia-Europe exchanges, as well as broader public readerships.
Panel discussion and insights into the special collections of the National Taiwan Library
The event will be held in German, English, and Chinese. It feature:
- a panel discussion of the newly published book
- an introduction to the special collections and programs of the National Taiwan Library
- a case study on the conservation of the Lotus Sutra
- an overview of the Library’s digital repositories
- Information on the scholarship program for international visiting researchers
Information about the event schedule can be found in the programm.
The event will take place in a hybrid format. For more information about the Zoom link and password, please refer to the poster.
All scholars, students, and the general public interested in Taiwan‘s history, global history, and cultural heritage preservation are warmly invited.