People, History and Language

The crossroads of Empires – Taiwan’s people, history and language have been influenced by its many past visitors, creating a unique blend of regional and foreign cultures.

The first inhabitants of Taiwan arrived some 50,000 years ago, a group of people still thriving today, their culture and practices deeply embedded in the island’s history.

European influences in Taiwan are the legacy of several world powers, first the Dutch, who during the 17^th century significantly colonised the island. The Spanish were the next Europeans to establish a settlement on Taiwan, leaving their own unique influences and cultural legacy.

Regional influences came in the form of the Mainland Chinese and the Japanese. Loyalists to the fallen Ming dynasty in China, seeking to flee war and famine, set up a government on Taiwan which lasted over 200 years. Taiwan was ceded to Japan after the first Sino-Japanese War and Japan controlled the island for 50 years. During that time, Japan expended considerable effort in developing Taiwan's economy and raised the standard of living for most Taiwanese citizens to levels far higher than other places in Asia. Following World War II, Taiwan was handed back to China upon Japan’s surrender in 1945.

From the 1930s onward a civil war was underway in China between Chiang Kai-shek's Republic of China (ROC) government and the Communist Party of China. When the civil war ended in 1949, 2 million refugees, predominantly from the Chinese Nationalist Government, military, and business community, fled to Taiwan. In 1949 the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded on mainland China by the victorious communists. About the same time, Chiang Kai-shek established a provisional Republic of China capital in Taipei.

23 million people live on the island of Taiwan. About 85 percent of the population are considered native Taiwanese, and are primarily comprised of Chinese families who migrated to the island before World War II. A mere two-percent of the population is considered aboriginal. About 370,000 aborigines inhabit the mountainous central and eastern parts of the island.

The language of Taiwan consists of two different dialects of Chinese – Mandarin and Taiwanese.

While Mandarin is the official language and is widely used in the media, at least half of the population speaks the Taiwanese dialect. The traditional calligraphy form of written Chinese is used, not the simplified form used in mainland China. English and Japanese are also widely spoken.

Related Articles:

• Taipei days
• Five Reasons to visit Taiwan
• 36 Hours in Taipei, Taiwan
• A Young Taipei Finds Its Groove
• Tea and Treasure in Taipei’s National Palace Museum
• Hot-spring Kingdom
• Hakka Old Streets - In Search of Nostalgia in Old Miaoli Towns
• “Temple Mouth” Night Market - Visiting Keelung's Most Famous Tourist Draw
• A TACTILE Tour - Getting a Feel for Taiwan
• Foreigners Living in Taiwan : Shopping
• A Taipei Reinvention