The island 100 miles off the southwest coast of China, where the Spaniards and the Dutch had established bases in 1526. Dutch ejected Spain in 1646, but were themselves expelled in 1661, the Chinese fleeing the conquest, the Manchus, who invaded the island in the year 1683. Nationalist (Guomindang), the Government of China fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war in 1949 year.