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An ‘East Asian hero’ born in Hirado, Nagasaki
During the Ming-Qing transition, the period of upheaval in China when the Ming dynasty declined and the Qing dynasty rose to power, Zheng Chenggong was actively fighting to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming to power.
His father was Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant, and his mother was Tagawa Matsu, a Japanese woman from Kawachicho, Hirado City, in Nagasaki. Legend has it that Matsu leaned against a large rock on Senrigahama beach while giving birth to Zheng Chenggong.
Because Zheng Chenggong was awarded a Ming Dynasty surname, he was called Koxinga, literally means Lord of the Imperial Surname. After the downfall of the Ming Dynasty, he liberated Taiwan from the Dutch and was a pioneer there, and he was honored as an “East Asian hero.” He is famous in Japan as the model for Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s puppet play “The Battles of Coxinga.”
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Zheng Chenggong Memorial Museum
This museum re-creates Zheng Chenggong’s parents’ home, where he spent his childhood. There is a nagi tree in the garden that Zheng Chenggong reportedly planted.
Note: The site is “The Site of Zheng Chenggong’s Home, a Prefecturally Designated Historical Landmark.”
Location: 1114-2 Kawachicho, Hirado-shi, Nagasaki
PH: 0950-24-2331 (Zheng Chenggong Memorial Museum)
Website: Zheng Chenggong Memorial Museum
https://www.hirado-net.com/teiseikou/en/
Closed: Wednesdays, Dec 31 to Jan 1
Admission: Free
Transportation: Get off at “Teiseiko Kinenkan-mae” bus stop
15 minutes from Hirado Bridge by car
Approx. 35 min from Nishi-Kyushu Expressway Matsuura Interchange
Parking: Available (1 min walk)
Zheng Chenggong Birth Stone
This is where Zheng Chenggong is thought to have been born.
Location: Senrigahama Beach, Kawachicho, Hirado-shi, Nagasaki
Website: Hirado Tourist Association (Japanese Only)
https://www.hirado-net.com/?post_type=tourism&p=325
Transportation: 10 min from Hidaro Bridge by car
Approx. 30 min from Nishi-Kyushu Expressway Matsuura Interchange
Parking: Unavailable