Chapter 1 : Our People, Our Land

 

Location and Geography

Taiwan is surrounded by ocean. The Pacific Ocean is to the east. The Philippines is situated to the south, with the Bashi Channel in between. To the west, across the Taiwan Strait, is Fuchien Province, China. To the north is the East China Sea and the Japanese island of Okinawa. “Taiwan” commonly refers to the island of Taiwan, Penghu (the Pescadores) and other offshore islands.

The island of Taiwan is long north-south and narrow east-west. It is shaped like a sweet potato. Some native Taiwanese call themselves “sweet potatoes.” They also use the sweet potato to symbolize the Taiwanese spirit in the old saying, “Sweet potatoes are happy to rot in the field for the survival of their seedlings.” Just like hardy sweet potatoes, which can survive in just about any soil, the pioneers who settled Taiwan were a tough lot.

Taiwan is mostly mountainous. The Central Mountain Range runs north-south and divides Taiwan into two asymmetrical parts: the east, which has narrow plains, and the west, which has broader plains. The development of Taiwan started in the southwest, moving north and east later on. People settled the plains, then the hills, and finally the mountains. The most fertile areas are the plains and basins. The productive Jian’an Plain in the southwest is the biggest plain and the most important agricultural area in Taiwan.

 

Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu: A Single Political Entity

The territory of Taiwan includes the island of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. There are three levels of government: central, provincial/municipal, and county/city. There are two municipalities under the central government: Taipei city and Kaohsiung city. There are sixteen counties and five cities under the jurisdiction of Taiwan Province. There are two counties under Fuchien Province: Kinmen county and Lienchiang county, where Matsu is located.

From 1949, the territory effectively under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China has included the island of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. Since the ROC withdrew from the United Nations in 1971, the government has employed substantive diplomacy and joined many international economic organizations. Together, Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu are effectively a single political entity. They are commonly referred to as Taiwan in the international community.

 

A Society of Immigrants

Taiwan is a society of immigrants. The indigenous people came to Taiwan many thousands of years ago. The Han Chinese came several hundred years ago. The Han people speak dialects of Chinese, while the indigenous people speak Austronesian languages. Taiwan’s indigenous peoples are Austronesian. This means they belong to a group of cultures and languages that inhabits islands in South East Asia and the Pacific.

Since the Paleolithic Period, people have come to Taiwan in waves from different places. Before the great influx of Han immigrants around four hundred years ago, indigenous peoples inhabited the island. The indigenes are divided into plains tribes and the mountain tribes.

The plains indigenes inhabited the plains and coastal areas. They were gradually Sinicized after the Han arrived. After a long period of interaction and intermarriage with the Han people, many descendents of plains indigenes have come to regard themselves as Han. So far, archeologists have only been able to identify several plains tribes, including the Ketagalan, the Kavalan and the Siraya. The mountain indigenes inhabited the Central Mountain Range and the East Rift Valley. Based on linguistic and ethnic differences, we now distinguish nine mountain tribes: the Atayal, the Saisiyat, the Bunun, the Tsou, the Rukai, the Paiwan, the Pinuyumayan, the Amis, and the Yami. Some indigenes now live in urban areas.

Since the seventeenth century, a large number of Han people have immigrated to Taiwan from China, mainly from the coastal provinces of Fuchien and Guangdong.

 

A History of Ethnic Assimilation

After the Second World War, control of Taiwan was transferred to the Republic of China. In 1949, the central government relocated to Taiwan. About a million Chinese soldiers and citizens from all parts of China followed the government and immigrated to Taiwan at this time. The Hoklo, who were mainly from south Fuchien, and the Hakka, who were mainly from eastern Guangdong, had lived in Taiwan for centuries by 1949, so they regarded themselves as “Taiwanese.” The new immigrants from the mainland were considered “mainlanders.” Most mainlanders were ethnically Han, but some were minorities from the frontier areas of China. There were also some Muslims. The indigenes, the Hoklo, the Hakka and the mainlanders are the four major ethnic groups in Taiwan society today.

 

Ethnic origins and cultures

Due to intermarriage, most people in Taiwan now belong to several ethnic groups at the same time. It is difficult and inappropriate to claim a single ethnicity for any individual.

It is clear that we now regard “ethnicity” in a different light. Taiwan is a multicultural society. The different languages, cultures, customs, and historical memories of the different groups in Taiwan society constitute a collective cultural heritage, which should be preserved, studied, and appreciated by all people in Taiwan.

 

We are all Taiwanese

Although Taiwan society is made up of different ethnic groups, these groups have been living together in a single cultural and political environment. From this environment, a unique Taiwanese identity has emerged.

Currently, the most important goal of the Taiwanese people is to ensure equal opportunity for all ethnic groups. Democracy and rule of law will help in achieving this goal. We must hear different voices, learn mutual respect, and establish an equitable social welfare system. Politically, we should value democracy; economically, our objective is a healthy free market; culturally, we respect diversity. Only when each and every ethnic group enjoys equal respect will we truly be able to declare: We are all Taiwanese.