De Eylanden van Pehou, met alle derselver gelegentheeden, sanden, klippen, dieptens en ankergronden, nauwkeurig geteekent

The Van Keulen publishing house, In de Gekroonde Lootsman (“In the Crowned Pilot”), was founded in Amsterdam by Johannes van Keulen I in 1678 and became one of the leading Dutch firms producing maps, sea charts, atlases, and pilot books. After Johannes I and his son Gerard developed the business, it passed to Gerard’s son, Johannes van Keulen II. Johannes II is especially known for issuing the sixth and final volume of De nieuwe groote lichtende Zee-fakkel in 1753, devoted to Asian and Indian Ocean navigation. The volume brought into print closely guarded VOC hydrographic knowledge, including information derived from manuscript charts and sailing directions that had previously been restricted because of their commercial and strategic value.

The Zee-fakkel included this sea chart of the Pescadores, now the Penghu Islands, lying between the coast of Fujian and Taiwan. The chart is oriented with north to the left and gives detailed attention to islands, reefs, sands, depths, and anchorages. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the island group, reinforcing its position within the navigational geography of the China coast. The Pescadores were strategically important because of their location between mainland China and Taiwan. The chart provides depth soundings in fathoms, identifies safe anchorages, and records the island group as a practical maritime stepping stone between the South China Sea, Fujian coast, Taiwan, and the wider East Indies trade network.

The chart also points to earlier VOC activity in the region. In 1622 the Dutch East India Company established a fort in the Pescadores to support trade with China. Under pressure from Ming authorities, the Dutch withdrew in 1624 and transferred their position to Taiwan, where they built Fort Zeelandia. This history made the Pescadores an important place in Dutch efforts to gain access to China trade.

This chart is closely connected with Van Keulen’s Amoy/Xiamen and Quemoy chart (316) and the Zhoushan/Ningbo coast chart (387). Together, these China-coast charts show the navigational and commercial importance of the maritime corridor linking Fujian, Taiwan, the Pescadores, and the VOC’s wider Asian trading network.