Chapter 7 : Population and Population Growth

 

Ethnic Composition

        Taiwan is blessed with beautiful mountains and rivers, a humid and mild climate, and fertile soil. It is on this island that we all live and learn. We speak Mandarin in school, but when we are at home with our families, we may speak other languages or dialects. Languages used in Taiwan include the Austronesian languages of the indigenous peoples and Chinese dialects like Hakka and Holo Taiwanese. Why are there so many languages spoken in Taiwan? For centuries, people of different ethnic groups have been attracted by the natural abundance of the island. Through history, the various groups have kept their traditional customs and languages and passed them to younger generations. We can catch a glimpse of this colorful cultural diversity from certain place names: “Sinwu” is from Hakka; “Sijhou” amd “Shamei” are from Holo Taiwanese; “Shalu” is from a language of the plains indigenes; “Tailuge” is from a language of the mountain indigenes. Taiwan’s natural diversity and its ethnic diversity go hand in hand.

 

Population Growth

        Figure 7-1 shows Taiwan’s population growth. During Dutch Rule and the Jheng Era, the population of Taiwan was between one and two million. The main ethnic groups included the Plains Indigenous People, the Mountain-dwelling tribes, and the Han people. In the Ching Dynasty, Fuchien and Guangdong provinces faced food shortages and famines; living conditions were harsh. Many heard about the fertility of the land of Taiwan, and the number of immigrants increased greatly. During the Jiacing reign period, the total population of Taiwan was around 1.9 million. During the Japanese Colonization, immigration from the mainland was forbidden, but the population in Taiwan continued to grow. At the end of this period, the population was 5.9 million. In the decades since the end of the Second World War, society has been stable and the economy has prospered. The rate of population growth has increased. Today, the population is over 21 million.

▲ Figure 7-1 Population Growth in Taiwan                 單位：萬人 Unit: 1=Ten Thousand People                 荷蘭：Dutch Rule                 明鄭：Jheng Era                 康熙：Kangsi Reign Period                 乾隆：Cianlong Reign Period                 嘉慶：Jiacing Reign Period                 光緒：Guangsyu Reign Period                 日治：Japanese Colonization         遷台：KMT Era

 

Causes of Population Growth

1. Natural Increase

        Figure 7-2 shows that family size increases with birth and decreases with death. The same principle applies to the population of a region. In 1996, 15 infants were born per thousand people, which means that birthrate for 1996 was 1.5%; in the same year, five people died per thousand persons, a death rate of 0.5%. In other words, Taiwan’s population grew by ten people per thousand in 1996. This increase is the “natural increase” of the population. Natural increase can be expressed as a rate: the rate of natural increase for 1996 was 1.0%. Given a total population of 21,400,000, an annual natural increase rate of 1.0% results in a population increase of 214,000 people per year! That is a large number of people!

Figure 7-2 Natural and Social Increase in a Single Family

 

2. Social Increase

        In Figure 7-2, a person moving into a family through marriage represents move-in population growth for a family. When a person moves to a different place, that person is part of the move-in population of the destination and also part of the move-out population of the origin. Population change caused by movement in and out is called “social increase.” Take Taichung County for example: in 1996, the total population was 1,427,378 persons. The move-in population for that year was 54,760 persons, while the move-out population was 47,875 persons. The social increase was thus 54,760 minus 47,875, or 6,885 persons. Social increase can be expressed as a rate. In the case of Taichung county, the rate of social increase per thousand was 0.48%. In some cities and counties, the move-out population is greater than the move-in population. These places will have negative social increase rates.

Figure 7-3 shows factors affecting populating growth. There are two types of population movement, domestic and overseas. During the late part of the twentieth century, many Taiwanese people chose to move to the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries. This is overseas movement: movement out is called emigration, and movement in is called immigration. This kind of movement is caused by the interactions of different factors. People are attracted to move to another place or country by the promise of better living conditions or educational and job opportunities.

Figure 7-3 Population Factors                 出生：Birth                 死亡：Death                 移入：Move-in (immigration)                 移出：Move-out (emigration)                 民主自由：Democracy                 就業機會多： Employment Opportunities                 生活富裕：High Standard of Living                 環境品質欠佳：Poor Living Conditions                 社會亂象：Social Disorder                 治安不好：Inadequate Law Enforcement                升學壓力：Entrance Examination Pressure (The high school and college entrance examinations put students under a great deal of pressure.)