The Portrait of Koxinga

• National Treasure Intro
• National Treasure Appreciation
• Edition Comparison
• The great transformation of Koxinga
• References
• Collection
• Recommended objects

The Portrait of Koxinga was designated as a national treasure in 2010. It is in National Taiwan Museum’s collection; it is said that Koxinga (Zheng Cheng-gong) ordered someone to paint his portrait when he was in Tainan. When Koxinga’s grandson Zheng Keshuang surrendered to the Qing dynasty, he entrusted Zheng Chang, a member of the Koxinga clan, to send this painting back to his hometown in Quanzhou. However, Zheng Chang never returned home, instead he kept it with him when he moved from Hōo-bé (Tamsui) to Āu-suann-pi (Nangang), and the painting stayed within his family for many years.

In 1898, when the Governor of Taipei Prefecture Murakami Yoshio was inspecting Āu-suann-pi, he visited Zheng Weilong, the fifth generation of the prominent Koxinga clan, and Zheng Weilong brought out the Portrait of Koxinga. Murakami Yoshio showed great admiration once he saw the portrait, which showed Koxinga’s sternness, spirit and dedication. He praised the painting so much that Zheng Weilong presented it as a gift to the governor, who in returned gave him a sum of money as a reward. Afterwards, the governor took a picture of the painting and sent it to a friend; the photograph was once published in the Account of Taiwanese Customs. As a result, people started to know more about the Portrait of Koxinga.

In addition to the original Portrait of Koxinga, the National Taiwan Museum also has a photograph of the Portrait of Koxinga, In the photograph of the Portrait of Koxinga, the appearance of Koxinga, his clothing, and the animal skin on the seat all look very exquisite, whereas the national treasure Portrait of Koxinga shows the full signs of ageing. The National Museum of Taiwan History in Tainan also has in its collection a painting which is exactly the same as the national treasure Portrait of Koxinga.

When Governor Murakami Yoshio returned to Japan, he brought the national treasure Portrait of Koxinga with him back to his home country. However, a few years later, the family of Zheng Weilong said that the painting was not presented to Murakami Yoshio, but rather it was taken by deception, so they asked for its return. In the end, Murakami Yoshio brought the painting back to Taipei, and gave it to the Governor-General Sakuma Samata. After viewing the painting, Governor Sakuma Samata consulted with Yamaguchi Tōru, the chief priest at the Taiwan Grand Shrine. After listening to his opinion, Sakuma Samata concluded that a private collection would not be a suitable place to preserve such a valuable painting like the Portrait of Koxinga. Thus, the painting should be treated as a national treasure in the collection of the Taiwan Grand Shrine. The Zheng family had no choice but to agree.

In 1910, the Japanese painter Nasu Hōkei, who was good at copying calligraphy and painting, came to Taiwan. He had heard from Suzumura Yuzuru, the Director of the Imperial Relics Office in Tainan, that he had seen a Portrait of Koxinga when he visited the Koxinga Temple in Quanzhou, and that portrait and the one kept at the governor’s residence were equally good. Therefore, when Nasu Hōkei visited Quanzhou, he copied the portrait during his journey. Previously, he had dedicated a painting to the Taiwan Grand Shrine, so this time he wanted to dedicate it to the Koxinga Shrine (the present-day Koxinga Museum), so he went directly to the Governor’s residence when he arrived in northern Taiwan to express his wish and request a view of the painting hidden in the Governor’s residence. Deeply moved, Governor Sakuma instructed Nasu Hōkei to paint two paintings, one to be dedicated to the Koxinga Shrine as a memento of his tenure in Taiwan, and the other to be kept at his residence.

On July 15, 1911, the original Portrait of Koxinga was enshrined at the Taiwan Grand Shrine, and Sakuma Samata gave a copy of the portrait done by Nasu Hōkei to the Zheng family as a memorial, but it is now lost and only a photograph in the collection of the National Taiwan Museum exists.

Comparison between the original national treasure Portrait of Koxinga and the facsimile

Nasu Hōkei’s meticulous observation and superb copying techniques have truly preserved the original appearance of the Portrait of Koxinga, even the parts on the original that have been damaged have also been depicted, so the facsimile can serve as a basis for restoration work to the original in the future.

Comparison between the original national treasure Portrait of Koxinga and the Zheng Weilong edition

After Nasu Hōkei finished his second copy of the Portrait of Koxinga, the Governor-General of Taiwan presented it to Zheng Weilong’s family.

The Zheng Weilong edition not only clearly depicts the dragons and auspicious cloud patterns on Koxinga’s robe and the tiger animal skin on his seat, but also some parts are painted differently from the previous two paintings. One example is Koxinga’s right hand that is hanging on his knee. In the Zheng Weilong edition, the right hand is less exposed on the cuff, and the little finger is not so obvious. Unlike the original, in which the long nails are clearly visible on the fingers of the right hand, and the wrist is completely exposed; moreover, on the original and the Nasu Hōkei facsimile, the claws of the four-fingered dragon, drawn on the left side of the robe, are tilting upwards, whereas on the Zheng Weilong edition, there is a three-fingered dragon whose claw faces downwards.

Through a comparison of the original with the Nasu Hōkei facsimile and the Zheng Weilong edition, there are subtle differences that can be observed.

Koxinga is no longer the stern upright figure like that seen in his portrait. Sometimes his cheeks are red and he is holding wheat in one hand and beer in the other; sometimes he makes the gesture for “love” with his hands as if he is a hipster living in the 21^st century. Sometimes he even holds the ear of a corn in one hand and a bucket of popcorn in the other.

These images of Koxinga are all the result of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Tainan City Government using the Nasu Hōkei facsimile of the Portrait of Koxinga in its collection to collaborate with other industries. The solemn figure of Koxinga is made to look more like something that young people nowadays would like, making this stern historical figure became a part of everyday life.

These products are sold exclusively at the historical sites in Tainan, in the hopes of enhancing the visibility of these monuments. There has been a positive reaction to these efforts.