'A lesson for Taiwan's coastal defence': How France's ill-fated 1884 invasion is remembered

Artwork at a tram station in Tamsui shows hundreds of French marines landing on Shalun beach on October 8, 1884, during the Sino-French or "Tonkin" war, which was caused by imperialistic rivalry over Vietnam. The ill-fated invasion was quickly repelled by the Qing administration that ruled Taiwan at the time. © Mehdi Chebil, FRANCE 24

from our special correspondent in Taiwan – The Taiwanese military regularly holds drills on what it calls "red beaches" – coastal areas deemed vulnerable to large enemy landings. As Beijing threatens to seize the island by force, Taiwanese historians and military planners are looking at past invasion attempts. Some say that a daring French amphibious attack on Tamsui, north of Taiwan, still has valuable lessons for the country's defence planners despite taking place 140 years ago.

The sound of crashing surf almost covers the noise of airplanes landing and taking off every few minutes from Taoyuan international airport, the main transport hub to get into Taiwan. Fishermen on the Zhuwei beach throw their lines, staring at the horizon under thick, dark clouds. This stretch of sand on Taiwan's northern coast looks deceptively normal, but it's at the centre of sophisticated war games by Beijing and Washington.