I’m trying to write a timeline where Taiwanese society has a much heavier Austronesian influence where very intriguing practices like Siraya mortuary traditions* become an important part of the mainstream culture. As you may or may not know, Taiwan is inhabited by a number of Austronesian tribes that were in constant warfare with each other. They are roughly divided into plains and mountain/highland tribes. The plains tribes that will be most important in my timeline, the Siraya, Pazeh, Popora, Babuza, and Hoanya, today are almost entirely assimilated into Taiwanese/Chinese society with only a few things such as some loanwords in the Taiwanese dialect of Hokkien, a great deal of genes in the so-called “Han” gene pool, and some religious practices left behind.
The plains tribes were historically small-scale farmers that grew millet, taro, and bananas and kept pigs, dogs and chickens. They were skilled weavers, basket makers, and were capable of crude earthenware, so they only need a small addition in the way of agricultural technology and the bigger addition of metallurgy. Towards the middle of the 16th century, a number of tribes in the plains of central Taiwan formed the Kingdom of Middag, which survived European contact and maintained fairly good relations with the Dutch, and managed to hold off Koxinga’s forces only to succumb to Qing invaders in 1732.
I’ve thought of some of the possible ways this could happen:
1. The Kingdom of Middag becomes stronger and unites the plains tribes before the Dutch arrive. Better technology and a higher food production capability should help.
2. A higher number of Chinese immigrants settle in Taiwan earlier than in reality. It shouldn't affect the aboriginal societies too much (I hope) because, in OTL, the earliest Chinese in Taiwan were nearly all male and lived as full members of the aboriginal tribes. The later Chinese brought by the Dutch were also almost exclusively male, and infidelity was widely practiced and almost accepted in Siraya society, which allows for many mixed children. Children are brought up by the women, who live in separate quarters from the men, which means that half-Chinese children will grow up exposed to Austronesian languages and cultures.
3. The Chinese introduce writing, water buffalo, metallurgy, highly intensive and productive farming methods, silk, refined pottery techniques, brick making, and maybe rice (I’m not sure if the plains tribes had rice before Chinese contact) among other things.
4. The kingdom should survive Dutch contact intact (it did in our world until the Qing defeated it), and, with a greater population, the tribes could have a better chance at fight the Qing. There will also be more things to trade with the highland tribes, possibly allowing for alliances and hired soldiers. Taiwan, especially the mountainous parts, was feared by many travelers for good reason up until the 19th century. Men from the highland tribes were supposedly some of the best fighters in the Imperial Japanese Army during WWII.
5. The Dutch introduced writing OTL in a form that better suits the languages than Chinese characters, so there are plenty of ideas for a writing system.
6. A higher initial mixed Chinese/aboriginal population will absorb incoming Chinese immigrants with fewer losses in aboriginal practices.
But, I have a few problems.
1. First of all, how do I justify greater early contact with the mainland? OTL, the Chinese didn't have a strong presence on the island until the Dutch imported workers from the mainland.
2. How do the Dutch react to a unified kingdom that’s only kinda backward? They were able to manipulate rivalries between villages OTL in order to get the deer hides and meat they wanted. Even then, there were many uprisings and skirmishes among the Dutch, the tribes, and the Chinese.
3. How does Koxinga and his Ming loyalists react? They probably posses technology that’s only a little more advanced than the aborigines. If the Dutch trade weapons with the locals, the kingdom may even have an edge. I’m not too familiar with Dutch and Ming technology, so I can’t come up with a good answer to this.
4. What happens when the Qing come? OTL, they ignored Taiwan for a time until Koxinga’s kingdom of Tungning became a possible threat to the empire. Will the earlier presence of an advanced civilization prompt earlier action from China? The Qing again ignored Taiwan after they conquered it, so I don’t know if it would make a difference if they conquer it in this timeline or not.
I still haven’t thought about what will happen later with the Sino-Japanese War, WWII, Chinese Civil War and all that. Thanks for all you help and for reading this very long post. Please give me your feedback. It will be very much appreciated
*The Siraya smoked and dried their dead in front of a fire and the body is then kept in a special alcove in the house. Most of the tribes engaged in headhunting, and the heads were proudly displayed in the houses and in nooks in outer walls.