Beipu Incident (北埔事件)

The Beipu Incident was an anti-Japanese incident in Taiwan that occurred during the period of Japanese rule (in Taiwan) and that was instigated by Tsai Ching-Lin, one of the Hakka people.

Summary

Tsai Ching-Lin, who was the leader of the incident was originally a police officer but resigned due to a conflict with his ideology.
Tsai Ching-Lin lied to the Han living in the mountains of Beipu, Hsinchu County and the Saisiyat of the indigenous people of Taiwan in November 1907, that the 'great army of Qing will soon land in Hsinchu', while himself 'the president of the restoration of Yonhap.'
He also induced 大打祿 (his Chinese name was 趙明政), who was the chief of 大隘社 of the Saisiyat, and cleverly gathered people by showing the big reward for assassination (for example, 'twenty yuans in compensation for stealing Japanese patrol officer's sword').

On November 14, Tsai Ching-Lin raised a riot by instigating the assembled crowd and attacked the Beipu district to kill 57 people such as Japanese police officers and citizens. However, Tsai Ching-Lin did nothing in response. He was later killed by people of the Sai si yat supporting him when they knew that they were deceived.

The police officers of the Governor General of Taiwan headed to assist Beipu after the incident and arrested about 100 people. The outcome of the trial resulted in the execution of nine ringleaders of the affair by the Governor General of Taiwan, and more than 97 people were sentenced to imprisonment for a definite term or an administrative punishment. Furthermore, there were a lot of Hakka people who were sentenced to death in secret. However, only guns were seized from the Saisiyat in accordance with the conciliatory policy on the indigenous people at that time. 趙明政 was able to retire by making others believe that he had died, thus avoiding this punishment.

The Impact of the Incident

Many of the people who uprose in this anti-Japanese incident were the Han soldiers stationed at Ai-Yun Line (Guardsmen Line) or the indigenous people residing outside the line. Governor General of Taiwan reorganized these organizations due to this incident. They also enforced and realigned the Riban policy (the policy of subjugating and forcibly assimilating the aborigines). As a result, it was revised to a policy of managing the indigenous people directly without the Han. However, the bigger Wushe Incident later occurred as the anti-Japanese movement by the Taiwanese indigenous people.

[Original Japanese]