Jenna Cody :

Is Taiwan a real China?
No, and with the exception of a few intervening decades - here’s the part that’ll surprise you - it never has been.

This’ll blow your mind too: that it never has been doesn’t matter.

So let’s start with what doesn’t actually matter.

Until the 1600s, Taiwan was indigenous. Indigenous Taiwanese are not Chinese, they’re Austronesian. Then it was a Dutch colony (note: I do not say “it was Dutch”, I say it was a Dutch colony). Then it was taken over by Ming loyalists at the end of the Ming dynasty (the Ming loyalists were breakaways, not a part of the new Qing court. Any overlap in Ming rule and Ming loyalist conquest of Taiwan was so brief as to be inconsequential).

Only then, in the late 1600s, was it taken over by the Chinese (Qing). But here’s the thing, it was more like a colony of the Qing, treated as - to use Emma Teng’s wording in Taiwan’s Imagined Geography - a barrier or barricade keeping the ‘real’ Qing China safe. In fact, the Qing didn’t even want Taiwan at first, the emperor called it “a ball of mud beyond the pale of civilization”. Prior to that, and to a great extent at that time, there was no concept on the part of China that Taiwan was Chinese, even though Chinese immigrants began moving to Taiwan under Dutch colonial rule (mostly encouraged by the Dutch, to work as laborers). When the Spanish landed in the north of Taiwan, it was the Dutch, not the Chinese, who kicked them out.

Under Qing colonial rule - and yes, I am choosing my words carefully - China only controlled the Western half of Taiwan. They didn’t even have maps for the eastern half. That’s how uninterested in it they were. I can’t say that the Qing controlled “Taiwan”, they only had power over part of it.

Note that the Qing were Manchu, which at the time of their conquest had not been a part of China: China itself essentially became a Manchu imperial holding, and Taiwan did as well, once they were convinced it was not a “ball of mud” but actually worth taking. Taiwan was not treated the same way as the rest of “Qing China”, and was not administered as a province until (I believe) 1887. So that’s around 200 years of Taiwan being a colony of the Qing.

What happened in the late 19th century to change China’s mind? Japan. A Japanese ship was shipwrecked in eastern Taiwan in the 1870s, and the crew was killed by hostile indigenous people in what is known as the Mudan Incident. A Japanese emissary mission went to China to inquire about what could be done, only to be told that China had no control there and if they went to eastern Taiwan, they did so at their own peril. China had not intended to imply that Taiwan wasn’t theirs, but they did. Japan - and other foreign powers, as France also attempted an invasion - were showing an interest in Taiwan, so China decided to cement its claim, started mapping the entire island, and made it a province.

So, I suppose for a decade or so Taiwan was a part of China. A China that no longer exists.

It remained a province until 1895, when it was ceded to Japan after the (first) Sino-Japanese War. Before that could happen, Taiwan declared itself a Republic, although it was essentially a Qing puppet state (though the history here is interesting - correspondence at the time indicates that the leaders of this ‘Republic of Taiwan’ considered themselves Chinese, and the tiger flag hints at this as well. However, the constitution was a very republican document, not something you’d expect to see in Qing-era China.) That lasted for less than a year, when the Japanese took it by force.

This is important for two reasons - the first is that some interpretations of IR theory state that when a colonial holding is released, it should revert to the state it was in before it was taken as a colony. In this case, that would actually be The Republic of Taiwan, not Qing-era China. Secondly, it puts to rest all notions that there was no Taiwan autonomy movement prior to 1947.

In any case, it would be impossible to revert to its previous state, as the government that controlled it - the Qing empire - no longer exists. The current government of China - the PRC - has never controlled it.

After the Japanese colonial era, there is a whole web of treaties and agreements that do not satisfactorily settle the status of Taiwan. None of them actually do so - those which explicitly state that Taiwan is to be given to the Republic of China (such as the Cairo declaration) are non-binding. Those that are binding do not settle the status of Taiwan (neither the treaty of San Francisco nor the Treaty of Taipei definitively say that Taiwan is a part of China, or even which China it is - the Treaty of Taipei sets out what nationality the Taiwanese are to be considered, but that doesn’t determine territorial claims). Treaty-wise, the status of Taiwan is “undetermined”.

Under more modern interpretations, what a state needs to be a state is…lessee…a contiguous territory, a government, a military, a currency…maybe I’m forgetting something, but Taiwan has all of it. For all intents and purposes it is independent already.

In fact, in the time when all of these agreements were made, the Allied powers weren’t as sure as you might have learned about what to do with Taiwan. They weren’t a big fan of Chiang Kai-shek, didn’t want it to go Communist, and discussed an Allied trusteeship (which would have led to independence) or backing local autonomy movements (which did exist). That it became what it did - “the ROC” but not China - was an accident (as Hsiao-ting Lin lays out in Accidental State).

In fact, the KMT knew this, and at the time the foreign minister (George Yeh) stated something to the effect that they were aware they were ‘squatters’ in Taiwan.

Since then, it’s true that the ROC claims to be the rightful government of Taiwan, however, that hardly matters when considering the future of Taiwan simply because they have no choice. To divest themselves of all such claims (and, presumably, change their name) would be considered by the PRC to be a declaration of formal independence. So that they have not done so is not a sign that they wish to retain the claim, merely that they wish to avoid a war.

It’s also true that most Taiwanese are ethnically “Han” (alongside indigenous and Hakka, although Hakka are, according to many, technically Han…but I don’t think that’s relevant here). But biology is not destiny: what ethnicity someone is shouldn’t determine what government they must be ruled by.

Through all of this, the Taiwanese have evolved their own culture, identity and sense of history. They are diverse in a way unique to Taiwan, having been a part of Austronesian and later Hoklo trade routes through Southeast Asia for millenia. Now, one in five (I’ve heard one in four, actually) Taiwanese children has a foreign parent. The Taiwanese language (which is not Mandarin - that’s a KMT transplant language forced on Taiwanese) is gaining popularity as people discover their history. Visiting Taiwan and China, it is clear where the cultural differences are, not least in terms of civic engagement. This morning, a group of legislators were removed after a weekend-long pro-labor hunger strike in front of the presidential palace. They were not arrested and will not be. Right now, a group of pro-labor protesters is lying down on the tracks at Taipei Main Station to protest the new labor law amendments.

This would never be allowed in China, but Taiwanese take it as a fiercely-guarded basic right.

*

Now, as I said, none of this matters.

What matters is self-determination. If you believe in democracy, you believe that every state (and Taiwan does fit the definition of a state) that wants to be democratic - that already is democratic and wishes to remain that way - has the right to self-determination. In fact, every nation does. You cannot be pro-democracy and also believe that it is acceptable to deprive people of this right, especially if they already have it.

Taiwan is already a democracy. That means it has the right to determine its own future. Period.

Even under the ROC, Taiwan was not allowed to determine its future. The KMT just arrived from China and claimed it. The Taiwanese were never asked if they consented. What do we call it when a foreign government arrives in land they had not previously governed and declares itself the legitimate governing power of that land without the consent of the local people? We call that colonialism.

Under this definition, the ROC can also be said to be a colonial power in Taiwan. They forced Mandarin - previously not a language native to Taiwan - onto the people, taught Chinese history, geography and culture, and insisted that the Taiwanese learn they were Chinese - not Taiwanese (and certainly not Japanese). This was forced on them. It was not chosen. Some, for awhile, swallowed it. Many didn’t. The independence movement only grew, and truly blossomed after democratization - something the Taiwanese fought for and won, not something handed to them by the KMT.

So what matters is what the Taiwanese want, not what the ROC is forced to claim. I cannot stress this enough - if you do not believe Taiwan has the right to this, you do not believe in democracy.

And poll after poll shows it: Taiwanese identify more as Taiwanese than Chinese (those who identify as both primarily identify as Taiwanese, just as I identify as American and Armenian, but primarily as American. Armenian is merely my ethnicity). They overwhelmingly support not unifying with China. The vast majority who support the status quo support one that leads to eventual de jure independence, not unification. The status quo is not - and cannot be - an endgame (if only because China has declared so, but also because it is untenable). Less than 10% want unification. Only a small number (a very small minority) would countenance unification in the future…even if China were to democratize.

The issue isn’t the incompatibility of the systems - it’s that the Taiwanese fundamentally do not see themselves as Chinese.

A change in China’s system won’t change that. It’s not an ethnic nationalism - there is no ethnic argument for Taiwan (or any nation - didn’t we learn in the 20th century what ethnicity-based nation-building leads to? Nothing good). It’s not a jingoistic or xenophobic nationalism - Taiwanese know that to be dangerous. It’s a nationalism based on shared identity, culture, history and civics. The healthiest kind of nationalism there is. Taiwan exists because the Taiwanese identify with it. Period.

There are debates about how long the status quo should go on, and what we should risk to insist on formal recognition. However, the question of whether or not to be Taiwan, not China…

…well, that’s already settled.

The Taiwanese have spoken and they are not Chinese.

Whatever y’all think about that doesn’t matter. That’s what they want, and if you believe in self-determination you will respect it.

If you don’t, good luck with your authoritarian nonsense, but Taiwan wants nothing to do with it.

#mateendanMommy
Paling suka subjek matematik..
Tapi mateen lebih suka kira dalam inggeris, dia cepat tangkap. Kalau bahasa melayu dia agak lambat sikit.
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Sebab masa baby lagi dah dedahkan 3 language.. bahasa melayu, bahasa inggeris dan bahasa mandarin.
Sekarang dia akan guna mana yang dia paling ingat. Alhamdulillah sekarang juga dah minat bahasa arab dan jawi..
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Tak pernah paksa, tak pernah rotan semasa proses pembelajaran. Alhamdulillh mudan segala proses nya...
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Ingat mateen , mommy bukan nak berlumba dengan kepandaian mateen dengan anak anak yang lain . Mommy nak mateen pandai ikut potensi mateen sahaja.
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Semoga berguna untuk masa hadapan bila mommy takda nanti... #MaaflahMommyIkutCaraMommy hihihihi.

-（中文版本往下滑！）
Introducing three moisturizing toner sprays for today!

From left to right:
Mudan ginger lily water
It has a refreshing scent and is made in Taiwan. In winter times it’s not hydrating enough on its own, but for a sudden hydration after washing the face is fine. I put it in a spray bottle to use it!

Eau Thermale Avène雅漾 thermal spring water
I suppose most people known this product 😂 I love it while my skin is irritated. There’s no scent of this product, just water. Be sure not to shake before using it! The design wasn’t meant to be shaken!

Perth's King栢司金 Perth’s key rose therapeutic floral water
This is actually an empty, and this particular one is discontinuing on the website 😂 but the spray is quite good so I saved it for other toners! I still remember the thoughts while using it, and I do like it a lot! It’s for winter skincare, for it has oil in it ( which will be a bit heavy in summer). The scent is quite strong, I have to take a deep breath first, hold my breath, than spray it on. Once I’m familiar with it, it’s fine. It’s very moisturizing and leaves a tacky finish (need some time to get into the skin).

Do you guys use sprays? Which brand do you use?
I would love to know in the comments down below:)

Wish you all a lovely day!☺️
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今天來介紹三個我用過/正在使用的化妝噴霧！

一般來說即便不是噴霧裝的化妝水我也都會裝進噴瓶裡面哈哈哈哈😂（有夠懶惰）畢竟噴一噴比較快（？）除非有特別說是濕敷效果比較好的才會用濕敷，但使用頻率就會低很多（到底多懶）

由左到右是：
馨牡丹 野薑花植萃化妝水
有淡淡香味，保濕力尚可，別人送的，也不知道哪裡買哈哈哈，包裝上面是寫屏東縣牡丹鄉公所（？）

#雅漾 活泉水
眾所皆知大名鼎鼎的～肌膚敏感時最放心使用！好像不需要多做介紹，沒有特別的香味！記得不要搖就對了！這個噴瓶的設計是使用前不用搖的～搖了反而不容易噴或是可能有損壞（？）的機率喔！

栢司金 Perthskey系列玫瑰花水
玫瑰口味現在好像已經沒有賣了！是一個隱藏版空空賞哈哈！但因為噴頭很不錯所以把罐子留下來妝其他的化妝水噴😂還記得使用心得所以還是可以分享！是含有玫瑰精油的化妝水，玫瑰味道很強烈，第一次使用會不太習慣！對味道敏感的人可能需要注意一下～但習慣之後就OK了！有精油所以很保濕，適合冬天使用，臉上噴完是會有一層粘膩的感覺的，要等一陣子才會吸收（也因此很保濕）整體來說我很喜歡💕

大家都用哪個牌子的保濕噴霧呢？
歡迎跟我分享：）

祝大家有美好的一天～～💕

#skincare #spray #保養 #toner #beauty #beautyblogger #skincarejunkie #beautyjunkie #skincareproducts #skincarecommunity #discoverunder5k #discoverunder10k #skincareart #photography #discoverunder1k #moisturizing #hydration #hydratingskincare #뷰티 #스킨케어 #뷰티스타그램 #저자극화장품 #피부관리 #avène #化粧水

"丹吉尼基逆"是布農族語音譯，有極為孤獨的意思。原曲取自布農族經典民謠"Tancinicin mudan踽踽獨行"，出自南投信義鄉東埔的伍清光作詞與王拓南作曲，抒發在生命中那些孤寂與懊悔的惆悵感，成為在布農族之間廣為流傳、朗朗上口的神曲。本次翻唱版本選自後期由跋尼杜尔牧師微改編的"我的心很惶恐"，意境與原作相符，把對於家人的那份懊悔更深層的轉化為對天父的懺悔，並且喚醒那些離開部落到都市的年輕人，不要忘記自己回家的路、根源、你是誰。
　
這首歌被翻唱的版本很多，我這次翻唱是使用類藍調風格，帶有一些憂傷鬱悶，以一人分飾兩角的方式呈現心靈深處的一些矛盾與掙扎，最後在劇烈的思考中重新得到釋放與慰藉。
　
原作：http://languagesoftaiwan.blogspot.com/2012/09/blog-post_20.html

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