[hinckley buzzard]

All very interesting except that indigenous Taiwanese were negrito and austronesian, not mainland ethnic (Han)Chinese. Although Chinese fishermen and other sailors no doubt visited the island the Chinese didn't have much interest in Taiwan until the 17th century when they contested the Dutch presence there.

[tbw2]

Could it have been the catalyst for Asians sweeping out into the Pacific, becoming Pacific Islanders?

[Cold Heart]

Interesting. Looking at the bamboo rafts reminds me of the PVC rafts of very similar construction I have seen off Southern Taiwan. The local fishermen take those things well offshore and are difficult to see in the chop. I had to do some hard over evasive maneuvers on a large container ship at 24 knots to avoid hittiing one of them.

Memories just triggered. I had the same experience off N. Taiwan about 20 years earlier. Those were bamboo rafts and a bunch of them. That was hard right, hard left repeatedly at 22 knots on a passenger ship. We broke some of the dish settings the steward dept. had just set. Jr third mate then, senior chief mate on the PVC raft raft incident.

[Sherman Logan]

Linguistic and DNA evidence indicates all the Indonesian and Polynesian peoples originated from Taiwan. From Madagascar to Hawaii and Easter Island. Them boys got around!