CultureGramsTM World Edition 2014 Taiwan (Republic of China) between mainland China and Taiwan began as early as the BACKGROUND T'ang Dynasty (AD 618–907). In 1624, the Dutch established a presence on the island. In 1683, the Manchus of mainland Land and Climate China conquered it and made it a province of China, which Area (sq. mi.): 13,892 resulted in a significant increase of immigration from Area (sq. km.): 35,980 mainland China. Revolution and Civil War Taiwan is a partially tropical island about the size of Belgium The island was ceded to Japan following the Sino-Japanese or the U.S. state of Maryland. It is located about 100 miles War (1895) and remained under Japanese control until 1945. (160 kilometers) east of mainland China. The government of During that period, forces on mainland China battled for Taiwan also controls the Penghu Islands (off Taiwan's west control of China's government. A successful revolution coast) and islands near China's coast (Chinmen, Matsu, and inspired by Sun Yat-sen founded the Republic of China Wuchiu). A north-south mountain range forms the backbone (ROC) in 1912, but the new government was overshadowed of the island. The highest peak is Yushan, with an elevation by the activities of contending warlords. Sun's Nationalist, or of 13,110 feet (3,996 meters). To the west of the central Kuomingtang (KMT), political movement was led by General mountain range is a fertile plain, which contains the majority Chiang Kai-shek after Sun died (1925). Chiang battled the of the population and most of the agricultural activity. Communist forces of Mao Zedong, but they both fought Taiwan's north has warm, humid summers and cold, rainy against the Japanese (1937–45). After Japan was defeated, the winters; some snow falls at higher elevations. Southern civil war continued. Mao's growing army forced Chiang's Taiwan is warmer, and rain falls mostly in the summer. troops and the ROC government to flee to Taiwan in 1949, Typhoons are possible from June to October. Average where Nationalists expected to regroup before returning to the summer highs range from 89 to 100°F (32–38°C); average mainland. winter lows are between 54 and 64°F (12–18°C). The island When a return proved impossible, Chiang declared the is subject to numerous small earthquakes every year and KMT the legitimate government of all of China. Plans by the larger quakes on a less frequent basis. mainland People's Republic of China (PRC) to invade the island were blocked in 1950 by the United States. In 1954, the History United States signed an agreement to protect Taiwan in case Origins and Immigration of attack from the mainland. Much of the world recognized Taiwan has been inhabited for thousands of years, and the ROC as China's, and thus Taiwan's, legitimate Taiwan's indigenous peoples successfully maintained their government. autonomy until well into the 17th century. Regular contact KMT Rule 1 TM CultureGrams Taiwan The KMT ruled Taiwan as a one-party state under martial law Recent Events and Trends beginning in 1949. The National Assembly members who •Female presidential candidate: Tsai Ing-wen became took office before the ROC government moved to Taiwan Taiwan's first female presidential candidate when she held power until the late 1980s, when lifetime legislators were unsuccessfully challenged Ma Ying-jeou in the 2012 replaced with elected local representatives. After Chiang presidential election. Kai-shek died in 1975, his son Chiang Ching-kuo succeeded •Protests against China trade deal: In June 2013, Taiwan him as president. Taiwan directed its greatest efforts at signed a trade deal with China that many students and modernization and developed a thriving economy. After activists oppose, claiming it will give China more influence in martial law was lifted in 1987, a multiparty democracy began Taiwan and weaken democracy. As the legislature prepared to to emerge. The KMT's Lee Teng-hui, elected president by the ratify the deal in March 2014, hundreds of protesters stormed National Assembly in 1990, became the first native the Taiwanese parliament building to oppose the deal, while Taiwanese to lead the country. In 1996, Lee became Taiwan's thousands more demonstrated on Taipei’s streets. In 2013, first directly elected president. In 2000, Chen Shui-bian of the China allowed Taiwan to sign trade agreements with other Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected president, countries for the first time in Taiwan’s history. ending 50 years of KMT rule. Chen narrowly won reelection • Flight crash: In July 2014, a TransAsia Airways flight in 2004 but resigned as party leader when the DPP suffered a crashed in the city of Magong in northwest Taiwan. The major defeat in January 2008 parliamentary elections. In crash, which killed nearly 50 people and damaged several March 2009, he went on trial for corruption charges. homes, was likely caused by stormy weather. The KMT returned to power in 2008 with the election of Ma Ying-jeou as president. The KMT faced criticism in September 2009, after Typhoon Morakot triggered floods and THE PEOPLE mudslides that left hundreds dead. Outcry over the government's poor response prompted the resignation of Population Premier Liu Chao-shiuan. Despite this setback, the KMT Population: 23,359,928 remains in power, and Ma was reelected as president in 2012. Population Growth Rate: 0.25% PRC-ROC Relations Urban Population: NA Both the ROC and the PRC have committed to the "One China Policy," under which there is only one legitimate The three largest cities in Taiwan are New Taipei, the government over all of China, though they naturally disagree southern commercial city of Kaohsiung, and Taichung, in the as to whether the ROC or the PRC is that government. Many west. Indigenous Taiwanese constitute only 2 percent of the countries now officially recognize the PRC over the ROC. In population. They are divided among several ethnic groups, 1971, the PRC was admitted to the United Nations in some of which maintain their native languages and traditions. Taiwan's place. In 1979, the United States normalized The rest of the population is comprised of Taiwanese (84 diplomatic relations with the PRC and broke them with the percent) and mainland Chinese (14 percent). The latter ROC. However, Taiwan-U.S. relations continue on an migrated to the island after World War II. As the mainland unofficial basis, which has been a source of conflict between Chinese who came after 1947 pass away, their children (with China and the United States. no memory of the mainland) feel that Taiwan is their real The PRC also upholds the "One China Principle," which home. states that there is only one "China," of which Taiwan is a part. Many Taiwanese oppose the "One China Principle" and Language see the island as having a separate identity. On the strength of Taiwan's official language is Mandarin Chinese. However, Taiwan's booming economy and new democracy, voices most residents also speak Taiwanese, the language of the first calling for the island's independence grew louder in the late Chinese immigrants. Mandarin is spoken in formal situations 1980s and 1990s. China clearly opposes this view and has and in school instruction. In everyday conversation, young warned Taiwan not to declare independence. Warnings have people generally use Mandarin, while older people often included military movement and threats of invasion. In 1997, speak Taiwanese. In southern Taiwan, Taiwanese is more many pro-independence politicians won local offices, and common. Both Taiwanese and Mandarin are tonal languages. Taiwan dismantled its provincial government—a symbol of Each one-syllable word can have many different meanings, Taiwan's status as a province in greater China. depending on the tone (voice inflection) with which it is In the late 2000s, cross-strait relations (a term used to spoken. Mandarin contains four different tones, and describe relations between mainland China and Taiwan) Taiwanese has eight. For instance, the Mandarin word ma can began to show signs of improvement. In 2009, China and mean “horse” or “mother” and can even function as a Taiwan entered into direct dialogue for the first time in 60 question mark. Hakka, another Chinese dialect, is also spoken years. Though tensions still exist, Taiwanese leaders have on the island. Some older people know Japanese, and the chosen dialogue communication over confrontation. Some are aboriginal peoples speak their own native languages. English even beginning to more openly advocate complete unification is a popular second or third language for students and is with the PRC. During his 2012 reelection campaign, Ma widely understood in urban areas. Ying-jeou said that strengthening ties with China is a priority Although the official language of Taiwan and mainland for his presidency. China is the same (Mandarin Chinese), vocabulary and 2 TM CultureGrams Taiwan idiomatic differences exist. In Taiwan, schoolchildren use a businessmen. Businesswomen wear skirts or pantsuits. For simplified character system that helps them “sound out” a everyday wear, women usually wear jeans or other casual word—something impossible to do with the standard clothing. Most women reserve dresses for special occasions. characters, which must be memorized. Westerners have developed various systems of romanization (representing Chinese characters and words in roman letters) that have been CUSTOMS AND COURTESIES adopted by the government to help foreigners sound out names, read signs, and follow maps. The average Chinese Greetings would not understand or use romanization. Romanization Asking others if they have eaten (Chyr bau le meiyou?) is a systems differ; for example, the character for “please” can be common Chinese greeting that stems from the tradition to written Qingor Ching.