In 1895 the Qing government ceded Taiwan to Japan, but the Japanese decided that armed force was still needed to take over the island. This painting depicts the battle between the Imperial Guard (Konoe Shidan) and Taiwanese troops in Keelung. Although photography had already been invented, it was not widely used, and thus many paintings were made showing scenes from the First Sino-Japanese War. Since most of these paintings reflect the Japanese side of the story, the Taiwanese troops are portrayed as weak, apprehensive and easily defeated.