Zheng Keshuang (1670–1707) was the third and last ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning, the Zheng family’s regime in Taiwan. The second son of Zheng Jing and grandson of Zheng Chenggong, better known as Koxinga, he succeeded his father in 1681 while still a child. His surrender to the Qing dynasty in 1683 ended Zheng rule in Taiwan. He subsequently lived in Beijing as a Qing nobleman. (en.wikipedia.org)
Family and political background
Zheng Keshuang was born in Taiwan in 1670. His family’s government had developed from the maritime military organization of Zheng Chenggong, who expelled the Dutch from their principal Taiwanese stronghold in 1662. Under Zheng Jing, Taiwan remained a base for resistance to the Qing and for overseas commerce. Zheng Jing’s mainland campaigns ended in defeat, and he withdrew to Taiwan in 1680. (en.wikipedia.org)
Keshuang married a daughter of Feng Xifan, an influential official in his father’s service. This marriage connected him to the minister who would play a decisive role in his accession. (tm.ncl.edu.tw)
Accession and government
After Zheng Jing died in 1681, a succession struggle displaced his elder son, Zheng Kezang, who had previously supervised the government. Feng Xifan helped arrange Kezang’s killing and installed Keshuang as ruler with the title Prince of Yanping. Keshuang was approximately ten years old by modern age reckoning; traditional accounts describe him as twelve using Chinese nominal age. (tm.ncl.edu.tw)
The young ruler depended heavily on senior officials, particularly his father-in-law. Feng exercised substantial political authority, while Liu Guoxuan commanded the regime’s principal naval forces. Keshuang’s short reign therefore unfolded under the dominance of the officials and commanders who had supported his succession. (tm.ncl.edu.tw)
Defeat and surrender
In 1683, the Qing admiral Shi Lang attacked the Zheng position in the Penghu archipelago. Liu Guoxuan’s defeat there deprived the regime of its main defensive fleet and exposed Taiwan to further attack. Keshuang’s government submitted to the Qing later that year, bringing the Zheng family’s rule to an end. (tm.ncl.edu.tw)
The surrender followed disagreement within the Zheng leadership over whether to continue resistance. Feng Xifan and Liu Guoxuan supported submission, and Keshuang accepted their position. The capitulation ended the family’s role as an independent military opponent of the Qing. (en.wikipedia.org)
Life under the Qing
After the surrender, Keshuang and his family were transferred to Beijing. He received a ducal title, commonly rendered Duke of Hanjun, and was enrolled in the Han Chinese division of the Plain Yellow Banner within the Eight Banners organization. His relatives and descendants subsequently remained in Beijing. (tm.ncl.edu.tw)
Keshuang also composed an epitaph associated with the reburial of his grandfather and father in their ancestral region of Nan’an, Fujian, in 1699. He died in Beijing in 1707. (tm.ncl.edu.tw)
References
- Zheng Keshuangen.wikipedia.org
- 鄭克塽 — 臺灣記憶 Taiwan Memorytm.ncl.edu.tw
- 鄭經 — 台灣文學辭典資料庫db.nmtl.gov.tw
- Representations — Key Actorsproject.zo.uni-heidelberg.de