Or Li Xi, Li Xu, a native of Quanzhou during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. Together with Hai Chengyan Siqi and Nan'an Ishii Zheng Zhilong, they were the maritime merchants with the deepest ties to Taiwan in the early seventeenth century. Zheng Zhilong's rise has a lot to do with his support. (See
Quanzhou History Network.126 "List of Quanzhou People? Zheng Zhilong")
Li Dan was another Chinese who established a huge commercial power in Kyushu, Japan, after Wang Zhi from Huizhou. Wang Zhi was the first Chinese to settle in Hirado, Japan. He settled in the 21st year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1542).
When I arrived in Hirado, I was treated politely and favorably by the island owner (Matsuura clan) Michiko Takanobu.
Li Dan "made his business as a merchant ship" and engaged in overseas trade. When he was doing business in Manila, Philippines, from the late 16th to the early 17th century, he became the leader of the Chinese community. Because the Spanish were jealous of his wealth, they planned to arrest him and imprison him, and also confiscated him.
Around 1607 (the thirty-fifth year of Wanli), he escaped from Manila and moved to Japan to run his business. He lived in Hirado, Nagasaki most of the time.
In 1609 (the thirty-seventh year of Wanli), the Dutch came to Hirado to open a business store, creating opportunities for Li Dan. Since the Dutch needed capable Chinese to help them open trade with China, Li Dan became their main source of help.
Strength. Li Dan is also good at making friends with dignitaries in Nagasaki and Hirado, and has a relationship with the family of Nagasaki Governor (equivalent to the mayor of Nagasaki) Hasegawa Gonroku Tomasa, and Hirado Island Lord Hoin Jinnobu (eldest son of Michiko Takanobu).
They are all very good, so he gradually became a prominent figure in the local area, becoming another top Chinese legend in Japan after Wang Zhi.
When the first group of British arrived in Hirado in 1613 (the 41st year of Wanli), Li Dan had become the leader of the local Chinese community and had considerable influence in the local area. His merchant ships traveled between Taiwan, Xiamen, Macau and Cambodia.
During this period, he was called a "very rich Chinese" by foreigners. He had a personal friendship with the local powerful Matsuura daimyo who benefited from each other. When the Englishman John Sallis was ordered to establish a commercial office in Japan, he obtained permission and rented
Li Dan's house served as the headquarters of the British East India Company in Japan. In 1613, Li Dan was recuperating at home, and John Sallis and Matsuura Hoyin's son-in-law went to greet him. In the autumn of 1617 (the forty-fifth year of Wanli), Li Dan's house
On one daughter's birthday, more than 50 overseas Chinese came to congratulate her and gave her many rare gifts.
Several of Li Dan's brothers and sons are engaged in overseas trade. One of Li Dan's brothers is called Li Huayu, known locally as Kapitanhua, and serves as Li Dan's agent in Nagasaki. Another brother is in China, presiding over Li Dan.
Li Dan's third brother lived in Hirado and directly assisted Li Dan. Li Dan's son Li Guozhu followed his father and participated in all activities. From 1617 to 1618 and 1621 to 1624, the Tokugawa government promulgated shogun trade
The charter (Chu Seal) was given to Li Dan. From 1614 to 1618, Li Huayu obtained the Zhu Seal. From 1617 to 1618, Li Guozhu obtained the Zhu Seal and engaged in Taiwan trade, and used Taiwan to conduct re-export trade to Fujian.
Zheng Zhilong followed Li Dan to Japan, where he "lived under his family" and "served as his father." Li Dan "entrusted him with several ships and a large amount of wealth to supervise, and entrusted him with doing business in Cochin China and Cambodia." "Zheng Zhilong completed his outstanding work
mission, earning the master huge profits and gaining huge trust."
Before the Dutch occupied Taiwan, Li Dan, Yan Siqi, and Zheng Zhilong jointly used Hirado and Nagasaki in Japan and Yunlin and Chiayi in Taiwan as their bases to engage in trade with Japan and armed robbery at sea. In 1622, the Dutch reoccupied
Penghu, plundering the coast of Fujian, received a strong counterattack by the Ming Dynasty navy. After Li Dan and Yan Siqi discussed closely, they intervened, and the Dutch retreated to Taiwan in 1624.
In August 1625, Li Dan passed away. Another leader of Li Dan's group, Yan Siqi, also died a month later. Zheng Zhilong succeeded Li Dan and became the leader of Li Dan's group. He united the rest and stood out, becoming the most powerful group in the Taiwan Strait.
Share the Han maritime armed forces.
The debate over whether Li Dan and Yan Siqi are the same person
Japanese scholar Iwa Shoichi believes that Li Dan and Yan Siqi are two names used by the same person.
Dutch scholar Bao Leshi believes that Li Dan and Yan Siqi are both leaders of pirate groups, operating between Taiwan and Kyushu. Zheng Zhilong is a subordinate of these two men, and Yan Siqi is one of Li Dan's cronies.
Chinese scholar Fu Yiling is "deeply suspicious" that Yan Siqi and Li Dan are the same person.
However, Chen Bisheng stated that "the two people were almost identical in terms of their birthplaces, areas of activity, content and methods of activities, time of death, and the inheritance of their careers by Zheng Zhilong after their death. The evidence in various books records that either Yan is Li, or Li is Yan, and there are very few of them.
"An example of two people seeing each other at the same time", it was determined that Li Dan and Yan Siqi were the same person.
Zhang Zongqia believes that "Yan Siqi was fabricated by the cunning and wise Zheng Zhilong in order to clear up his reputation for swallowing up Li Dan's property and his reputation."
In fact, Li Dan and Yan Siqi were the two leaders of the pirate group at the same time.
Li Dan was from Quanzhou and was recorded in "Records of the Ming Dynasty". "Records of the Ming Dynasty? Volume 58" "Fujian Governor Nan Juyi wrote a memorial written by Xu Yin in April of the fifth year of Tianqi's reign (1625)": "Today's governor Yu Zi
Zeng Yan said that Li Dan, a native of Quanzhou, had been working with the Japanese for a long time.
Jiang Risheng's "Taiwan Foreign Records? Volume 1" records: Yan Siqi was "a native of Haicheng, Fujian, with a surname of Yan, a given name of Siqi, and a courtesy name of Zhenquan. He was thirty-six years old. He was physically strong and skilled in martial arts. Because of the eunuch's bullying, he killed his servant with his fists.
, fled to Japan, made a living as a tailor, lived there for a long time, had a lot of savings, was generous with his money, and was well-known far and wide." Yan Siqi, Zheng Zhilong and other 26 people planned a rebellion in Japan, but when the matter was revealed, they were arrested by officials, and each of them escaped by boat.
, Yan Siqi, Zheng Zhilong and others fled to Taiwan and later died in Taiwan.
According to Lian Heng's "General History of Taiwan": "Si Qi died and was buried in Pushan, Sanjie, southeast of Zhuluo, and his tomb still exists."