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.

#人口地理 #推拉理論 #遷移 #流動 #全球化

配合課程：高中地理第二冊－#人口遷移

遷移可能是短距離的（例如：同個縣市中的不同地點）或是中長距離的（例如：跨縣市、跨區域、甚至是跨國的），反應出不同的遷移意涵。例如：一個人從台北市大安區搬到中正區的意義，顯然不同於一個人從花蓮搬到台北，更不同於一個人從台灣搬到美國。過去的研究發現，短距離的遷移大多是因為住宅的轉換，因此這類遷移一般被稱為「#居住遷移」（residential mobility）；而另一種中長距離的遷移，由於涉及了多重且複雜的因素，更是行動者考量成本與報酬之後所做出的決定，因此，中長距離的遷移是研究者更為關注的遷移類型。

#移出地的因素（factors associated with the area of origin）、#移入地的因素（factors associated with the area of destination）、#遷移過程中的障礙性因素（intervening obstacles），以及 #個人因素 （personal factors）。

一個人的生命階段中，「教育」、「婚姻」與「退休」是影響他們遷移的三個重要因素。

人們為什麼要遷移？要去哪裡？有什麼目的？期待得到什麼樣的結果？看似簡單的問題，事實上，反映出一個人在不同的生命階段中所面臨的 #選擇。

The Department of Justice has thrown out a private prosecution against pro-Beijing lawmaker Kwok Wai-keung, who was accused of assaulting pro-democracy lawmaker Raymond Chan.

Prosecutor said the DoJ was intervening at the pre-trial stage and terminating the case as there was "insufficient evidence" to support a prosecution against Kwok.

Read more: https://bit.ly/35dZlnj

陳志全（慢必）於立法會會議上遭工聯會郭偉强拖行，事後提出私人檢控。律政司上周五正式介入，指證表面證供不成立，撤銷郭偉強控罪 。
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A Total War Saga: TROY
ซื้อเกมได้ที่ https://store.epicgames.com/legendauser/a-total-war-saga-troy

A Total War Saga: TROY is the first in the award-winning strategy series to focus on the Bronze-Age Mediterranean and the legendary twenty-year conflict between the kingdoms of Troy and Mycenaean Greece, known as the Trojan War.

Total War Saga: Troy is a strategy computer game developed by the Creative Assembly Sofia and published by Sega. It is part of the Total War Saga sub-series and will be released on August 13, 2020 on the Epic Games Store, then on Steam in Summer 2021. As part of the 12 month exclusivity promotional deal with Epic Games, Total War Saga: Troy will be free of charge for the first 24h of it's release.

The game is set during the Trojan War in the Bronze Age, taking place the furthest back in time the series has ever covered.

The Greek gods featured in Troy can influence the game in similar ways to their Homeric counterparts, with their influence spanning entire factions, rather than directly intervening on the battlefield. Gaining favour with the different gods requires players to invest time or sacrifice resources, but also provides various benefits as the game progresses.

Although there is little documentation of Bronze Age naval warfare, naval combat has been included in the form of island battles, inspired by that featured in Total War: Warhammer II – Curse of the Vampire Coast. The Greek god Poseidon will play a major role in these battles.


Hero versus hero combat has been implemented in Troy, wherein two fighting heroes will be given room by nearby units, creating a circular battle area and preventing other units from intervening. Some heroes have an active battle ability called Divine Challenge, which taunts opposing characters into one-on-one combat. Eight heroes are included in the game, such as the Greek champion- Achilles, and the Prince of Troy- Hector.

A Trojan horse mechanic plays a major role within the campaign, appearing in the campaign at specific moments, and providing significant bonuses to players should it be acted upon quickly enough.

Troy introduces a new multiple resource economy that reflects the advancing pre-monetary barter economy of the Bronze Age setting. The five different resources are food, wood, stone, bronze, and gold, which can be found within different regions to varying degrees of scarcity. Food and wood are used to recruit early game units and construct simple buildings, whereas more formidable structures will require stone, and higher tier units will require bronze. Gold is vital for trade due to its universal rarity.

The diplomacy system in Troy builds on that featured in Total War: Three Kingdoms, allowing you to appease allies, your enemies in their place, allowing the player to change the entire course of the Trojan war. Other new diplomatic features which are unique to Troy will also be introduced.

A Total War Saga: TROY
ซื้อเกมได้ที่ https://store.epicgames.com/legendauser/a-total-war-saga-troy

A Total War Saga: TROY is the first in the award-winning strategy series to focus on the Bronze-Age Mediterranean and the legendary twenty-year conflict between the kingdoms of Troy and Mycenaean Greece, known as the Trojan War.

Total War Saga: Troy is a strategy computer game developed by the Creative Assembly Sofia and published by Sega. It is part of the Total War Saga sub-series and will be released on August 13, 2020 on the Epic Games Store, then on Steam in Summer 2021. As part of the 12 month exclusivity promotional deal with Epic Games, Total War Saga: Troy will be free of charge for the first 24h of it's release.

The game is set during the Trojan War in the Bronze Age, taking place the furthest back in time the series has ever covered.

The Greek gods featured in Troy can influence the game in similar ways to their Homeric counterparts, with their influence spanning entire factions, rather than directly intervening on the battlefield. Gaining favour with the different gods requires players to invest time or sacrifice resources, but also provides various benefits as the game progresses.

Although there is little documentation of Bronze Age naval warfare, naval combat has been included in the form of island battles, inspired by that featured in Total War: Warhammer II – Curse of the Vampire Coast. The Greek god Poseidon will play a major role in these battles.


Hero versus hero combat has been implemented in Troy, wherein two fighting heroes will be given room by nearby units, creating a circular battle area and preventing other units from intervening. Some heroes have an active battle ability called Divine Challenge, which taunts opposing characters into one-on-one combat. Eight heroes are included in the game, such as the Greek champion- Achilles, and the Prince of Troy- Hector.

A Trojan horse mechanic plays a major role within the campaign, appearing in the campaign at specific moments, and providing significant bonuses to players should it be acted upon quickly enough.

Troy introduces a new multiple resource economy that reflects the advancing pre-monetary barter economy of the Bronze Age setting. The five different resources are food, wood, stone, bronze, and gold, which can be found within different regions to varying degrees of scarcity. Food and wood are used to recruit early game units and construct simple buildings, whereas more formidable structures will require stone, and higher tier units will require bronze. Gold is vital for trade due to its universal rarity.

The diplomacy system in Troy builds on that featured in Total War: Three Kingdoms, allowing you to appease allies, your enemies in their place, allowing the player to change the entire course of the Trojan war. Other new diplomatic features which are unique to Troy will also be introduced.

A Total War Saga: TROY
ซื้อเกมได้ที่ https://store.epicgames.com/legendauser/a-total-war-saga-troy

A Total War Saga: TROY is the first in the award-winning strategy series to focus on the Bronze-Age Mediterranean and the legendary twenty-year conflict between the kingdoms of Troy and Mycenaean Greece, known as the Trojan War.

Total War Saga: Troy is a strategy computer game developed by the Creative Assembly Sofia and published by Sega. It is part of the Total War Saga sub-series and will be released on August 13, 2020 on the Epic Games Store, then on Steam in Summer 2021. As part of the 12 month exclusivity promotional deal with Epic Games, Total War Saga: Troy will be free of charge for the first 24h of it's release.

The game is set during the Trojan War in the Bronze Age, taking place the furthest back in time the series has ever covered.

The Greek gods featured in Troy can influence the game in similar ways to their Homeric counterparts, with their influence spanning entire factions, rather than directly intervening on the battlefield. Gaining favour with the different gods requires players to invest time or sacrifice resources, but also provides various benefits as the game progresses.

Although there is little documentation of Bronze Age naval warfare, naval combat has been included in the form of island battles, inspired by that featured in Total War: Warhammer II – Curse of the Vampire Coast. The Greek god Poseidon will play a major role in these battles.


Hero versus hero combat has been implemented in Troy, wherein two fighting heroes will be given room by nearby units, creating a circular battle area and preventing other units from intervening. Some heroes have an active battle ability called Divine Challenge, which taunts opposing characters into one-on-one combat. Eight heroes are included in the game, such as the Greek champion- Achilles, and the Prince of Troy- Hector.

A Trojan horse mechanic plays a major role within the campaign, appearing in the campaign at specific moments, and providing significant bonuses to players should it be acted upon quickly enough.

Troy introduces a new multiple resource economy that reflects the advancing pre-monetary barter economy of the Bronze Age setting. The five different resources are food, wood, stone, bronze, and gold, which can be found within different regions to varying degrees of scarcity. Food and wood are used to recruit early game units and construct simple buildings, whereas more formidable structures will require stone, and higher tier units will require bronze. Gold is vital for trade due to its universal rarity.

The diplomacy system in Troy builds on that featured in Total War: Three Kingdoms, allowing you to appease allies, your enemies in their place, allowing the player to change the entire course of the Trojan war. Other new diplomatic features which are unique to Troy will also be introduced.