十九世紀末，二十世紀初時，世界電學尚處發展階段，「電氣」亦隨之而成為發展中的觀念，依當時出版的電業史料，將包括電報、電話、電燈、電力等以「電」為基礎陸續發展出來的新事務，均視為「電氣」項目，故本文所探討的電氣建設亦含括以上的項目，1877年清廷在臺灣建立了第一條電報線，這也是中國的第一條電報線。1919年，臺灣電力株式會社成立，其目標為建立發量十萬瓩的日月潭水力發電所，該發電所成立後，為臺灣的工業化奠立了動力基礎，使臺灣經濟邁向另一個里程碑，故本文以1877年至1919年為斷限，視為臺灣電氣建設之早期。電氣建設係為源於西方的新事物，在臺灣以1895年為分界，之前有滿清政府的電報建設，之後則有日本政府擴增電報線路、電話和發電所等的建設，不同的政權，皆為臺灣留下了基礎建設。在政權轉換中，電氣建設仍有其不分割的連續性，也產生了變遷。清末劉銘傳在臺灣所從事的電報建設，日治初期的日本人稱其有遠見：殖民時期日本在臺灣所從事的電氣建設，也為人民的生活帶來了便利性。但是在電氣建設帶來便利的同時，日本也藉此媒介增強其對臺灣的控制，這是吾人肯定日本對臺灣的物質建設之功時不可忽視之處。

This paper," The Early Electro-establishment in Taiwan (1877-1919)", stresses the conjunction and transition between Ching Dynasty and the Japan governed period in Taiwan in infrastructure construction endeavor. During this period, there were two regimes in Formosa. One is Ching Dynasty (1877-1895), the other is the Japan's Taiwan government-general (1895-1919). The field of electro-establishment included telegram, telephone, fire and water power stations hydroelectric plant. For military purposes, Ching Dynasty paved the first cable wire in Taiwan, which was also the first cable wire in China. Then in 1888, the officer of Ching Dynasty connected the cable lines between Formosa and Mainland China. Before1895, the total mileage of telegram cable in Taiwan was about 1,400 miles. Taiwan became Japan's first colony in 1895, the cable line in Taiwan was taken over by Japan's Taiwan government-general. After1895, the newcomer had finished many electro-establishment, including increasing the miles of cable line, constructing telephone lines, setting up many fire and water power stations hydroelectric plant. The officers of Ching Dynasty initiated and started establishing cable lines in Taiwan, Japan's Taiwan government-general developed further, however its purpose was to reinforced control. If we ask who is the establisher of Taiwan infrastructure modernization, we will say, the Ching Dynasty started first and Japan's Taiwan government-general continued and expanded it.