Book excerpt: This book studies the dynamic encounter between Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples (the Formosans), the Dutch VOC and Chinese settlers between 1624 and 1662. From the viewpoint of indigenous agency, the author offers a comprehensive picture of the Taiwanese colonial 'civilizing process' under Dutch rule. Using so far unexplored source materials from the VOC archives, the author shows how Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples shaped their own colonial reality while retreating from 'the Age of Aboriginal Taiwan'.