Early History
Archaeological revelations of Zuozhen people in the township of Zuozhen suggest that the Tainan region has been inhabited for at least 20,000 to 31,000 years. The Siraya tribe dominated the region around the time the first foreigners arrived. While the Sakam people of Sinkan sub-tribe inhabited in the present day city proper, other Sirayan sub-tribes including Soelangh, Mattauw and Baccloangh inhabited in the surrounding suburbs.
By late 16th century, Chinese tradesmen and fishermen had set up several bases along the west coast of Taiwan including a sandbar across the Taijiang inner sea off the bay of Sakam. "Tayouan", meaning "foreigners" in Sirayan, was adopted by the Chinese as the name of the sandbar and later become the name of entire island – Taiwan. Slightly north of Tayouan along the shoreline near Beixianwei were Japanese trades men’s territories. These settlements were the bases of underground Chinese-Japanese trade.
The early Chinese and Japanese traded with the Sirayan people. They used salt and food to trade for deer hides and dried deer meat. Due to Chinese and Japanese influences, Sirayan gradually changed their culture and lifestyle. They started to use Chinese words in their language, use Japanese tantō in ritual events, and also migrated inland due to the expansion of newcomers. By the time the Europeans arrived, the influence of Chinese and Japanese traders and fishermen had already changed this region of the once-wild coastline.
Dutch Colony
Early Dutch colonists had attempted but failed to control Macau and the Penghu islands. In July 1622, V.O.C. admiral Cornelis Reyersz set sailed for Taiwan in search of a suitable new location to build a trading post. They established a small fort named Orange on Tayouan two years later. The fort was then expanded and
