republic · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Republic of Formosa

1895 CE – 1895 CE · capital Taipei, Tainan

A short-lived republic proclaimed on Taiwan in 1895 to resist the island's cession to Japan, among the first republics declared in East Asia.

Origins

The Treaty of Shimonoseki of April 1895 forced the Qing Empire to cede Taiwan to Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War. Local gentry and officials, hoping for foreign intervention, proclaimed the Republic of Formosa on 25 May 1895 with the Qing governor Tang Jingsong as president and a tiger flag.

Rule and society

The republic was essentially a resistance government. It had a president, a parliament of gentry and its own stamps and banknotes, but it professed loyalty to the Qing and relied on Chinese garrison troops, local militias and the Black Flag Army of Liu Yongfu in the south.

Decline and legacy

Japanese troops landed at the end of May; Tang Jingsong fled to the mainland and Taipei fell in early June. Liu Yongfu continued resistance from Tainan as leader, but the city fell in October 1895 and he escaped. Taiwan under Japanese rule followed.

Lineage

Qing Empire 1644 CE – 1912 CERepublic of Formosa

Connections (1)

More states of China, Tibet and Mongolia →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Republic of Formosa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-formosa
MLA
“Republic of Formosa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-formosa. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Republic of Formosa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-formosa.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Republic of Formosa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/republic-of-formosa (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻