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George Candidius (1597, Kuchardt, Palatinate – 30 April 1647, Batavia, Dutch East Indies [1]) (traditional Chinese: 干治士; pinyin: Gān Zhìshì) (also recorded as Georgius Candidius) was a Dutch Reformed Church missionary to Taiwan from 1627 to 1637.^[1] He was the first missionary to be stationed on the island. Sun-Moon Lake in central Taiwan was named Lake Candidius in his honour^[2] and is referred to thus in older English writings, although this name was not adopted by the local inhabitants and later fell into disuse.

After a year in residence in the region of Tayouan (present-day Tainan), Candidius commented regarding his missionary duties that:

"I have used great diligence to learn their language, and from the outset to instruct them in the Christian faith; and I have succeeded so far that a fortnight before Christmas of the year 1628 there were a hundred and twenty-eight persons who knew the prayers and were able to answer in the most satisfactory manner with regard to the principal articles of our Christian faith; but for certain reasons none of these have been baptized."^[3]

[edit] Published works

Georgius Candidus (in Dutch). Discours ende Cort verhaal, van't Eylant Formosa, ondersocht ende beschreven, door den Eerwaardingen (A Short Account of the Island of Formosa in the Indies).