Black Devil Cave

Xiaoliuqiu, off the western coast of Taiwan, has become a popular site for eco-tourists thanks to the large population of sea turtles that swim the offshore reefs and lay their eggs on the island's beaches. However, few realize it was also the site of a horrific massacre of its Indigenous people by Dutch soldiers in the 17th century.

The island's Indigenous inhabitants had lived there for centuries by the time two Dutch ships wrecked off Xiaoliuqiu's coast in 1622 and 1631. In both cases, the shipwrecked sailors were killed by the islanders.

In response, the Dutch East India Company launched a punitive expedition in 1636. Soldiers drove the islanders into a cave and blocked up the entrances. For eight days, they placed burning pitch and sulphur through small holes to produce poisonous fumes, killing 300 men, women, and children. Those who managed to escape the slaughter were captured and enslaved. Subsequent attacks on the island would eventually completely wipe out the local Indigenous population.

When the island was later settled by Chinese migrants, legends and superstitions grew around the site of the massacre, which came to be known as "Black Devil Cave" in reference to the unquiet ghosts said to haunt it.

Many false accounts about the cave have emerged, one of which is still enshrined on a plaque outside its entrance. It tells the story of escaped black slaves who made the island their home, and later robbed and massacred a passing ship of British soldiers. A retaliatory British expedition allegedly pursued and trapped the former slaves in the cave, and when they refused to surrender, burned them to death with oil. The story, although false and containing offensive language, has yet to be replaced with an accurate account.

Today, visitors can explore the cave systems, some of which require flashlights, and walk along its trails, taking in the sweeping views of the ocean.