Taiwan

There is a most intriguing article in the December( 2004) issue of The Atlantic that focuses in on the current tension that has been brewing in Taiwan. The article, named "Strait-jacket" discusses the unstable relationship between the Peoples Republic of China (Mainland China) and their "renegade province," Republic of China (Taiwan). The argument over Taiwan's status dates back to 1949, when the Chinese Communist emerged victorious in China's bloody civil war and the conquered Nationalists fled to the island (Corson, 54). For years both sides believed that Taiwan was still part of a larger China. The Communist still hoped to seize the island while the Nationalists hoped to use it as a base from which to eventually take the mainland (55). The article goes on to explain how the majority of present day Taiwanese no longer look to China for their national identity. But on the mainland a very different attitude has developed. Although China's leaders have not hinted that they want to occupy Taiwan, they are still are hopeful about a proposed "one country, two system" solution, that was first offered in 1979 (56). Taiwan seems to be leaning toward claiming their Independence while China is set on unification. In order for one to comprehend and appreciate the needed sovereignty of the Taiwanese people and their country, there should be an educated understanding of their oppressed history. Should they announce their independence and choose a new name such as the Republic of Taiwan, this will be a bold act of vindication that is long overdue.

The first Chinese imperial claim on the Taiwan area could be dated back to the thirteenth century, when the Mongols' Yuan dynasty took control of the island of Penghu. The mainland rulers of the Ming dynasty considered China to be economically self-sufficient and thus refused European trade. This did not stop other countries from showing interest in Taiwan. One country that was very aggressive was the Dutch as they eventually settled in Taiwan and built Fort Zeelandia, a location that would become known to the Chinese as Anping (57). For 40 years, starting in 1624 the Dutch would exercise colonial rule on the island. This was done with no resistance from the Ming. During the Ming Dynasty government officials often arrested any southern Chinese who attempted to leave the mainland and venture to Penghu (Davison, 5). Those who crossed over did so as outlaws. The government of China became increasingly concerned as Penghu became a gathering place for pirates and immigrants who threw in their lot with the "dwarf bandits" (Japanese). In time, the Chinese government would close the office in Penghu and order all citizens back to the mainland. This order was ignored by many immigrants who merely bribed officials so they could stay. Immigrants from the mainland also made their way to Taiwan mainly due to the Manchu invaders in China (6).

Even before the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty had begun, Chinese government officials denounced people who emigrated from the mainland. Officially, they saw those who departed China and thus left the Confucian "Way of the Enlightened Ruler" as having moved outside the borders of civilization (Davison, 7). In 1603, when Spanish authorities on Luzon killed 23,000 Han Chinese who had settled in the Philippines, the Chinese imperial administration stated: "those who reside in foreign lands have all abandoned their native places in pursuit of monetary gain. Accordingly, they are a debased form of humanity for whom our protection is unnecessary"(7). So when thousands of Han Chinese exited to Taiwan to live under Dutch rule, mainland China was not at all overjoyed.

Under the Dutch, Han Chinese immigrants gradually adapted to the environment of Taiwan. Most Han Chinese became friendly with aboriginal people, learned their languages, and intermarried with them. The coexistence of aborigine and Han Chinese people became an enduring feature of Taiwanese society, a part of what is meant to be Taiwanese (9). Many Taiwanese started to become educated in economic production, concepts pertinent to Mercantilism and to commercialized, rather then self-sufficient agriculture (Davison, 11). Slowly, families began to leave their farms and start port communities along the western coast of Taiwan. As Taiwan's economy became associated with international trade, entrepreneurs and traders would gather in these port towns, giving the economy a mercantile sector to compliment the primary sector of agriculture. This orientation toward the sea, along with economic opportunities afforded by international trade, also became one of the key features that would define the Taiwanese people (Davison, 12).

It is almost impossible to discuss the history of Taiwan without mentioning one of their principal forefathers. In 1661 a half-Japanese, half Chinese, merchant named Cheng Ch'engkung, (Zheng Chenggong in Pinyin) led an overthrow of the Dutch authorities (Roy, 16). Cheng's father was a wealthy trader and pirate and had fought against the Manchu regime in an attempt to reestablish the Ming Dynasty. Cheng carried on this campaign but was defeated in an attempt to conquer the city of Nanjing. Cheng had a plan that might seem familiar to China's 20th century history, as it was duplicated three centuries later. The plan was to make Taiwan a base of operations then eventually build a strong enough military force to reestablish the Ming dynasty on the mainland (17). That's correct, Chiang Kai-shek orchestrated the same plan in 1949 after being defeated by the Communist.

After Cheng's army of twenty-five thousand troops defeated the Dutch, he preceded to encourage many more mainland Chinese to emigrate over to Taiwan (19). The newly formed Cheng government took advantage of an unfair Qing policy which stated that settlements on the southern coast of China had to be dismantled. Cheng awarded his supporters with land and also established a system of military farms on which soldiers labored part-time to support themselves. Unfortunately, Cheng's regime was extremely ambivalent in their attitude toward the mainland. A large part of the military defected to the Qing government, including Shih Lang, a naval commander who would later lead the Qing's conquest of Taiwan (Roy, 21). Cheng lightened up on his rebellious attitude as he was willing to accept the status of an autonomous tributary state. From Beijing's standpoint, all Chinese were still subjects of the emperor, even the ones living in Taiwan. So, we can see that even as far back as 1678, there is a denial from the mainland regarding a "one empire, two system" conjecture.

The Qing dynasty of the Manchus would officially replace the Cheng government on August 22, 1683 ending 23 years of Cheng (Zheng)