It is really a lonely place, and when I went to Southeast Asia, I learned that the world's earliest republic in the modern sense was not the United States, but the Lanfang Republic established by the Chinese.
Luo Fangbo was born in 1738 in Meizhou, Guangdong Province. He learned to learn martial arts since childhood, and was known as Guan Xiangli. Half a life of pursuit of fame, repeatedly failed. In 1772, the Guangdong disaster, forced by life, Luo Fangbo had no choice but to lead his people to the south coast to the west of Borneo (present-day Kalimantan Island). It is also said that Luo Yin plotted an uprising and fled, but there is no evidence. The indigenous people of Nanyang are not farmers and make a living by hunting and picking wild fruits. Very early on, Chinese people came here to settle down, planting grain, coffee and other crops, excavating mineral deposits, building ports and commercial ports, and gradually turning this barbaric land into a paradise on earth. However, different Chinese groups often fight with each other for their own interests and are torn apart. Luo Fangbo was born righteous and was a literary and martial all-rounder. After his arrival, he was good at communicating with the masses, and with his personal personality talent and strong control ability, he quickly united different Chinese groups, so that they gradually eliminated conflicts and divisions, and within a few years became the leader of the Chinese in West Borneo. In order to better resist the invasion of indigenous tribes and European colonists, Luo Fangbo gathered the Chinese to follow the model of the Dutch East India Company to establish the Lan Fang Company. The Dutch began invading and colonizing the Malay Islands at the end of the 16th century. Due to their strong indigenous and Chinese influence, the Dutch were still unstable in Borneo. The Dutch colonial plundering method has been seen by Luo Fangbo and other Chinese, and the purpose of forming Lan Fang Company is to unify the resource output of West Borneo and strengthen trade competitiveness.
After the establishment of Lanfang Company, the Chinese people united upwards, and it became a Chinese city. In order to appease the local indigenous people, establish good relations with them. Luo Fangbo made an appointment and allowed them to join Lan Fang's company. This not only stabilizes the society, but also adds vitality to the growth of Lanfang Company.
Luo Fangbo is very thoughtful and far-sighted. At that time, it faced the constant threat of intrusion from Western colonizers such as the Netherlands. If the long-term development of Borneo is to be guaranteed, the rights of the Chinese and local people must be guaranteed, so in 1777, at the initiative of Luo Fangbo, the Lanfang Republic was established. Although nominally becoming a state, Luo Fangbo did not call himself king and emperor like China's feudal dynasties, but still followed the form of corporate democracy in order to avoid suspicion. People embraced him as the head of the Lanfang Republic, known as the chief of the Tang Dynasty and the great ruler. This supreme position cannot be hereditary, but is elected by several major families and forces.
The Republic of Lanfang is actually a product of the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, the Chinese occupy a major political and economic position, based on the Chinese tradition of benevolence, righteousness, and faith, using the traditional Chinese dating method, determining 1777 as the first year of Lanfang. But the model of statecraft, profoundly influenced by the Dutch, was closer to that of the West. It is stipulated that all matters of the country can be made by the people to make suggestions and participate. After that, the Lanfang Republic grew in power and expanded its territory, reaching almost half of Borneo and ruling a population of more than one million.
Although the republic was established, it also organized a civil army to defend the country, but in the face of colonizers and external Turks, it was well aware of the weakness of power. Coupled with the tradition of the Chinese Shangzu Jingzong, they have not forgotten that they are still the people of the Qing Dynasty. After that, Luo Fangbo sent people to the liangguang governor's mansion to contact, and the result was like a stone sinking into the sea. Later, Luo Fangbo sent envoys to Beijing to meet the Qianlong Emperor and request naturalization, and to include Borneo in the territory of the Qing Dynasty in order to be protected by the Qing Dynasty. Or let the Lanfang Republic become a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, pay tribute to the Qing Dynasty, carry out trade, and so on. However, the Qing emperor did not realize the importance of the sea frontier, but believed that the Luo Fangbo had violated the edict of the prohibition of the sea and smuggled overseas, which was nothing more than a group of pirates. They are very contemptuous and despised, and categorically reject their unsaltered demands. In the end, China lost the opportunity to compete with the European powers for Southeast Asia.
Even so, Luo Fangbo still trumpeted the close relationship between Lan Fangguo and the Great Qing Kingdom and created an illusion. Especially blinded the Dutch. The Dutch had previously invaded Taiwan and the coastal islands, but were defeated and expelled by Zheng Chenggong and qing forces. Still afraid of the strong national strength of the Qing Dynasty at that time, and there was trade exchanges, they did not dare to rush to conquer Lanfang by force. It has to be said that Luo Fangbo is not only good at business, but also a political master, circling between the Qing Dynasty and the Netherlands, making Lan Fangguo have a peaceful existence for hundreds of years and becoming the richest region in Borneo. Even to this day, Lanfang's hometown is still one of the most developed areas in Indonesia.
The Republic of Lanfang implements a democratic electoral system. Fiscally, taxes are collected and money is minted. Economically, state-owned enterprises were formed to actively compete with the colonists for the market to create wealth and improve national treatment. The National Defence Force, with a small number of standing armies stationed in key coastal areas. Others practice reserve service, conduct regular military training in peacetime, and form an army in wartime. This minimizes expenditure at the national level and enriches the people. In terms of education, sinology is promoted, and Confucian classics are taught. In terms of armament, Western equipment and technicians have also been introduced, arsenals have been established, and foreign guns and cannons have been produced to enrich the defensive forces. But in the end, it is isolated overseas and weak. With the defeat of the two Opium Wars, the true face of the weakness and decline of the Heavenly Dynasty was ruthlessly peeled off, and the British and French forces captured the capital and burned the Yuanmingyuan. In 1884, the Sino-French War broke out, and the Fujian Nanyang Marine Division was completely destroyed. The Dutch finally saw the fragility of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. He was not able to protect himself, and he was even less able to send a navy to protect the domain. Although the Dutch were weakening at that time, no longer comparable to the new colonial powers of Britain and France, they still had a certain military strength in the Malay Archipelago, much stronger than the Lanfang State. In 1885, the Netherlands launched a war against the Republic of Lanfang. Although Lanfang Nationals stubbornly resisted, after all, there was a huge disparity in strength. Eventually the Dutch occupied the Republic of Lanfang. However, fearing that it would affect relations with the Great Qing Dynasty, he did not dare to destroy the country, and has been supporting puppets and maintaining superficial independence. In 1912, Emperor Xuantong abdicated and the Qing Dynasty collapsed. The Dutch tore off the last disguise and announced the abolition of the Republic of Lanfang and its incorporation into the Dutch colonies. This Overseas Chinese regime, which has existed for more than a hundred years, has completely come to an end. The Republic of Lanfang was short-lived. However, it successfully explored the more advanced system of ruling the state.
During the Lanfangguo period, Nanyang also had state power established by the Chinese in large and small sizes. For example, Wu Yuansheng, a Guangdong man, established the DaiYan Kingdom in northern Borneo, which was established for more than a hundred years. Zhang Jiexu, a native of Guangzhou, led the Chinese to establish himself as king on Natuna Island, and Wu Yang, a Fujianese, established an independent kingdom on the Malay Peninsula and so on. However, these countries were threatened and invaded by the Western colonial forces at that time, and their existence was very short, and they were all submerged in the long river of history. These territories were divided up by the newly independent Southeast Asian countries in the wave of overthrowing colonial rule and fighting for national independence. It has lost the historical opportunity for the Chinese to lead the establishment of a state or become a territory under Chinese rule.
More famous is Zheng Xin, a Guangdong Shantou native who emigrated to Thailand. He defeated the Burmese invasion and saved Siam (present-day Thailand) from danger. It also eliminated the forces of local division, unified the whole territory of Siam, and laid the territory of thailand to this day. In 1769, he became emperor and established the Thonburi Dynasty. Revered by Thai descendants as Marshing the Great, he is one of the most revered emperors in Thailand. For blood and political considerations, after zheng xin established the country, he immediately sent envoys to pay tribute to the Qing dynasty and requested canonization. The Qianlong Emperor initially dismissed him, replying to his letter and contemptuously calling him "the Yimu of the Siamese State.". Although Zheng Xin was extremely disappointed, he still did not give up his efforts to reconcile with China. Pay attention to the protection of Chinese interests. The Later Qianlong Emperor changed his attitude and was enfeoffed as the King of Siam, with the national name "Zheng Zhao". The oracle had not yet arrived, and Zheng Xin was killed by the rebels. Somewhat dramatically, the heir to the throne took over the qianlong emperor's canonization. After that, the Chinese surnames of the King of Thailand were all Surnamed Zheng, which continues to this day. The orthodox influence of the Chinese emperor's canonization is intriguing. In Thailand, Chinese tour guides will relish to introduce Chinese tourists to the exploits of Marshman Dasin. It is said that thailand's former heroes, Thaksin and Indira, are also descendants of the Zhengxin clan.
For two thousand years, China has continued to migrate to Southeast Asia. Zheng He's voyage to the West led to a large-scale increase in Chinese immigration. However, the Chinese went abroad to develop, unlike the Europeans, who brutally oppressed and slaughtered the natives, and were strongly supported and protected by the mother country. On the contrary, it was severely banned and cracked down. The Emperor of the Ming and Qing Dynasties regarded those who, in order to escape the famine and war, left their ancestral homeland and went to the barbarian Fan State, regarded them as traitors, hated them very much, and denounced them as pirates and traitors. As a result, overseas Chinese have become orphaned outcasts overseas. Originally, these Chinese people, who brought advanced civilization culture and agricultural technology, worked hard to establish their stable and well-off homelands, and they were able to get along harmoniously with the indigenous peoples and promote the barbarism toward civilization, which should be able to develop smoothly and harmoniously. However, since the sixteenth century, European colonists have invaded barbarically, and the Chinese, who are already in a dominant position, cannot bear their oppression and revolt. Many are slaughtered by extermination. The Ming and Qing court not only did not speak out to protect, but also hoped to borrow the hands of foreigners to eliminate the fleeing traitor pirates as soon as possible. From the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, Spanish colonists exterminated tens of thousands of Chinese people in the Philippines. The Dutch also massacred the Chinese on a number of occasions in Indonesia and the Malay Peninsula. Many overseas Chinese were enslaved or trafficked to the United States for hard labor. Reading history is tearful. The state's unwillingness or inability to protect the interests of overseas Chinese led to the brutal massacre of Chinese in Southeast Asia, which continued until the end of the last century.
Until recently, there was a violent chinese exclusion massacre in the Solomon Islands. In order to prevent the recurrence of such atrocities, China signed a security cooperation framework agreement with the Solomon Islands, which shows the state's determination to protect the rights and interests of overseas Chinese and its strong ability to influence actions, and sends a reassuring pill for overseas Chinese to live and work in peace and contentment. It is an epoch-making national initiative.
Throughout history, the economic development of the Ming Dynasty, silk tea porcelain and so on are all commodities that the world cannot seek. The large-scale production of these products has become socialized and cooperative, and the capitalist commodity economy has gradually emerged. During Zheng He's voyage to the West, after eliminating the pirate Chen Zuyi who refused to accept zhao'an, he strengthened his control over Nanyang and set up the Old Harbor Propaganda and Consolation Mission, which covered all of present-day Malaysia and Singapore, most of Indonesia, Thailand and part of the Philippines. It is the only administrative body set up in Nanyang in ancient China. Unfortunately, the powerful Ming Dynasty did not really send a strong military force, and only survived for 35 years, which was destroyed by Java.
If the ming dynasty was abolished in the middle and late period, coupled with the repeated violations of the sea frontier by the Wukou, the Ming Dynasty was forbidden to lock the country; If there are no full people entering the customs, it will lead to socio-economic regression. China's rulers, if they have lofty vision and ambitions, not only revel in the limitations of being partial to the wealth of the country, but also have less prejudice and hatred for overseas Chinese, and pay attention to protecting the rights and interests of overseas Chinese. Using the Chinese to expand and consolidate overseas territories and the political map of Nanyang may be a different situation. The South China Sea may become China's inland sea, and there are many territorial disputes in the South China Sea today!
Although Luo Fangbo and the lanfang state he founded had a short history, it had a far-reaching impact on future generations. As early as 1793, the front page of the British "Times" reported on the miraculous contribution of Luo Fangbo, the head of the Lanfang Grand Unified Republic, that is, the chief minister of the Tang Dynasty; In Liang Qichao's "Biography of the Eight Great Men of Chinese Colonialism", he gave Luo Lanfang a high evaluation: it can be said that he has great merit for the people; Singapore's founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, often likened himself to Lo Fong Pak; Former Indonesian President Wahid named Mr. Rofangbo one of the world's great men alongside Washington.
This Lanfang state, which has begun to take shape with a modern system, should be the world's earliest republic, which is even earlier than the founding of the United States. Although the United States claims to have been founded in 1776, in fact, the thirteen plots of land along the Atlantic coast where the United States was first established were all British colonies. In order to resist the oppression of the British colonial regime, the Battle of Lexington in 1775 opened the prelude to the armed resistance of the colonial people. In 1776, thomas was adopted. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, declaring the United States to strive for independence. Of course, this can only be regarded as a strategic goal of nation-building, or a fighting text against British colonialism. Through eight years of war, the British colonists were defeated. Britain was eventually forced to recognize the independence of the thirteen colonies. It was only in 1789 that an independent state with a federal system was truly formed. So the American chronicle, founded in 1776, is a joke. The establishment of the Lanfang state ran more than a decade later. The original thirteen states covered an area of only 800,000 square kilometers, about the same size as Kalimantan. It wasn't much bigger than Ukraine today. The aggressive nature of the Anglo-Saxon whites led the Americans to take advantage of the danger of others, threaten with force, directly annex, and instigate riots, and expand through centuries of plunder, forming a large country second only to China in terms of area:
In 1783, after the defeat of the British and the internal and external difficulties, they were forced to sign the Anglo-American Treaty of Paris, ceding the British colonies east of the Mississippi River to the United States; In 1803, taking advantage of the crisis of the Anglo-French War in Europe, Louisiana was captured from Napoleon's France; In 1819, the Spanish-American War was won and Florida was captured from Spain; After that, it began to infiltrate into northern Mexico, and from 1845 to 1853, through the Mexican-American War, it forcibly seized a large area of Mexican territory such as Texas, New Mexico, Oregon and California, so that the United States expanded from the Atlantic coast to the west of the Pacific Ocean; In 1867, after russia's defeat in the War with Britain, France, and the Crimean War, the United States took the opportunity to buy Alaska from Russia, thus facing the Arctic Ocean; In 1898, the United States used Christian missionaries to agitate for a revolt and send troops to overthrow the last queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii and annex the Hawaiian Islands into the United States. After the founding of the United States, the native Indians of the American continent were slaughtered for nearly a hundred years more brutally and barbarically than the original colonists. As a result, the original population of indians was more than 5 million, which was greatly reduced to extinction. At present, there are fewer than 200,000 American Indians according to accurate statistics. In the two world wars, the United States itself was detached from the situation, reaped all the profits, made great war gains, and became the first superpower. In order to curb China's rise, recently, the United States also called itself an Indo-Pacific country, pursued its Indo-Pacific strategy, and tightened its military containment and suppression of China, as if the Indian Ocean had also become its neighbor. Sima Zhao's heart was clearly revealed.
Speaking of Japan, people see the bright side of the Meiji Restoration (1868). Compared with China's vast land and rich products, Japan simply does not have the strong economic strength to support the reform of the restoration. For hundreds of years, Japan has used banditry to encourage ronin pirates to plunder the wealth of the rich coastal areas of Korea and China. From the Time of the Japanese Shogunate (before 1868) to the early showa years (1920), the Japanese government trafficked Japanese women to prostitution overseas as a disgraceful means of raising foreign exchange in order to accumulate capital and develop capitalism. In Siberia, Southeast Asia, Hawaii and other places, brothels were widely set up, and 100,000 young women were deceived and forced to go abroad as prostitutes, suffer humiliation, and earn foreign exchange for the country. The Japanese are so secretive about this national shame that they are reluctant to mention it. The Japanese film "Wangxiang", which swept the film industry in the early years, reflects the tragic experience of the Japanese girl Ah Qi who was tricked into going to Sandakan in Southeast Asia as a Nanyang sister (coming to Sandakan, Malaysia, it feels like coming to a city in southern China. The vast majority of residents are Chinese, Chinese Chinese and Cantonese are lingua franca. There are many Japanese cemeteries in Sandakan. It is said that in the early years, Japanese prostitutes, who sacrificed their lives for the country, were disliked and insulted by the relatives of the state. Therefore, he hated the Japanese motherland and was buried in Sandakan after death, and the tomb would turn his back on the direction of Japan. During the Japanese occupation of World War II, the tombs of prostitutes were mostly destroyed by the Japanese army). After the defeat of the Qing court in the Sino-Japanese War, the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Maguan was signed, and the Qing Dynasty was forced to cede Taiwan on the Liaodong Peninsula of Korea, and compensate Japan for 230 million taels of silver, equivalent to the financial revenue of the Qing Dynasty for three years. Huge ill-gotten gains prompted Japan to become a capitalist power.
Throughout the history of the rise and prosperity of the ancient empires of the West and the modern capitalist powers, one after another has started by relying on brutal wars, plundering colonies, and bullying weak countries to obtain ill-gotten gains. The Chinese nation has continued for seven thousand years, with the emergence of many powerful dynasties, and the accumulation of wealth has never relied on plundering other peoples. Rather, it comes from the hard work of the Chinese people, creating dedication. Through the land and sea Silk Road, friendly exchanges were carried out with foreign countries and the civilization of etiquette and righteousness was transmitted. Wherever the Chinese went, they worked hard, worked hard, harmonized with the local natives, and created a world of prosperity. However, they have been repeatedly bullied and oppressed, and it is difficult to settle down smoothly. Whether there is less anti-violence and bravery is worth reflecting. It is believed that in today's pursuit of world unity and conforming to the trend of the times of peace and development, Chinese civilization will gradually move toward recovery and strength, and challenge barbarism and hegemony, which will surely affect the whole world.