1.
Taiwan
–
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is a state in East Asia. Neighbours include China to the west, Japan to the northeast, Taiwan is the most populous state that is not a member of the United Nations, and the one with the largest economy. The island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, was inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before the 17th century. After a brief rule by the Kingdom of Tungning, the island was annexed by the Qing dynasty, the Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 after the Sino-Japanese War. While Taiwan was under Japanese rule, the Republic of China was established on the mainland in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty, following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945, the ROC took control of Taiwan. However, the resumption of the Chinese Civil War led to the ROCs loss of the mainland to the Communists, and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949. As a founding member of the United Nations, the ROC continued to represent China at the United Nations until 1971, in the early 1960s, Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization, creating a stable industrial economy. In the 1980s and early 1990s, it changed from a one-party military dictatorship dominated by the Kuomintang to a multi-party democracy with universal suffrage, Taiwan is the 22nd-largest economy in the world, and its high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy. It is ranked highly in terms of freedom of the press, health care, public education, economic freedom, the PRC has consistently claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and asserted the ROC is no longer in legitimate existence. Under its One-China Policy the PRC refused diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes the ROC, the PRC has threatened the use of military force in response to any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan or if PRC leaders decide that peaceful unification is no longer possible. There are various names for the island of Taiwan in use today, the former name Formosa dates from 1542, when Portuguese sailors sighted the main island of Taiwan and named it Ilha Formosa, which means beautiful island. The name Formosa eventually replaced all others in European literature and was in use in English in the early 20th century. This name was adopted into the Chinese vernacular as the name of the sandbar. The modern word Taiwan is derived from this usage, which is seen in forms in Chinese historical records. Use of the current Chinese name was formalized as early as 1684 with the establishment of Taiwan Prefecture, through its rapid development, the entire Formosan mainland eventually became known as Taiwan. The official name of the state is the Republic of China and it was a member of the United Nations representing China until 1971, when it lost its seat to the Peoples Republic of China. Over subsequent decades, the Republic of China has become known as Taiwan. In some contexts, especially ones from the ROC government
2.
Taiwan Province
–
Taiwan Province is one of the two administrative divisions of the Republic of China that are officially referred to as provinces. The province covers approximately 69% of the territory of the ROC. It also does not include the counties of Kinmen and Lienchiang, originally Taiwan Province covered the entire island of Taiwan and all its associated islands. All the special municipalities were split off from the province between 1967 and 2014, since 1997 most of the Taiwan provincial governments functions have been transferred to the central government of the Republic of China following a constitutional amendment. The Taiwan Provincial Government has effectively become an institution under the Executive Yuans administration. The Peoples Republic of China regards itself as the state of the Republic of China. The PRC asserts itself to be the legitimate government of China. The ROC disputes this position, maintaining that it still legitimately exists, in 1683, Zheng Keshuang, surrendered to the Qing following a naval engagement with Admiral Shi Lang. The Qing then ruled the Taiwanese archipelago as Taiwan Prefecture of Fujian Province, in 1875, Taipeh Prefecture was separated from Taiwan Prefecture. In 1885, work commenced under the auspices of Liu Ming-chuan to develop Taiwan into a province, in 1887, the island was declared an independent Taiwan Province, with Liu as the first governor. The province was reorganized into four prefectures, eleven districts. The provincial capital, or Taiwan-fu, was intended to be moved from the south to the central area of Toatun in the revamped Taiwan Prefecture. As the new central Taiwan-fu was still under construction, the capital was moved north to Taipeh. In 1895, the entire Taiwan Province, including Penghu, was ceded to Japan following the First Sino-Japanese War through the Treaty of Shimonoseki, under Japanese rule, the province was abolished in favour of Japanese-style divisions. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Taiwan was handed over to the Republic of China, the way that the ROC obtained Taiwan is a subject of controversy that gave root to the complex unresolved political status of Taiwan and the Taiwan independence movement. The ROC government immediately established the Taiwan Provincial Government under first Chief Executive, Chen was extremely unpopular and his rule led to an uprising - the February 28 Incident. Chen was recalled in May 1947 and the position was abolished. The seat of the government was moved from Taipei to Zhongxing New Village in 1956
3.
Kuomintang
–
The Kuomintang of China is a major political party in the Republic of China. It is currently the second-largest in the country, the predecessor of the KMT, the Revolutionary Alliance, was one of the major advocates of the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the establishment of a republic. The KMT was founded by Song Jiaoren and Sun Yat-sen shortly after the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, Sun was the provisional president but he did not have military power and ceded the first presidency to the military leader Yuan Shikai. After Yuans death, China was divided by warlords, while the KMT was able to only part of the south. Later led by Chiang Kai-shek, the KMT formed the National Revolutionary Army and it was the ruling party in mainland China from 1928 until its retreat to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated by the Communist Party of China during the Chinese Civil War. In Taiwan, the KMT continued as the ruling party until the reforms in the late 1970s through the 1990s loosened its grip on power. Since 1987, the Republic of China is no longer a single-party state, however, the KMT is currently the main opposition party in the Legislative Yuan. The guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, advocated by Sun Yat-sen and its party headquarters are located in Taipei. The KMT is a member of the International Democrat Union, the previous president, Ma Ying-jeou, elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2012, was the seventh KMT member to hold the office of the presidency. Together with the People First Party and New Party, the KMT forms what is known as the Taiwanese Pan-Blue Coalition, however, the KMT has been forced to moderate its stance by advocating the political and legal status quo of modern Taiwan. However, since 2008, in order to ease tensions with the PRC, the group planned and supported the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the founding of the Republic of China on 1 January 1912. However, Sun did not have power and ceded the provisional presidency of the republic to Yuan Shikai. On 25 August 1912, the Nationalist Party was established at the Huguang Guild Hall in Peking, Sun, the then-President of the ROC, was chosen as the party chairman with Huang Xing as his deputy. The party opposed constitutional monarchists and sought to check the power of Yuan, the Nationalists won an overwhelming majority of the first National Assembly election in December 1912. But Yuan soon began to ignore the parliament in making presidential decisions, Song Jiaoren was assassinated in Shanghai in 1913. Yuan, claiming subversiveness and betrayal, expelled adherents of the KMT from the parliament, Yuan dissolved the Nationalists in November and dismissed the parliament early in 1914. Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself emperor in December 1915, in order tonary Party, members must take an oath of personal loyalty to Sun, which many old revolutionaries regarded as undemocratic and contrary to the spirit of the revolution. Thus, many old revolutionaries did not join Suns new organisation, Sun returned to China in 1917 to establish a military junta at Canton, in order to against the Beiyang government, but was soon forced out of office and exiled to Shanghai
4.
Prunus mume
–
Prunus mume is an Asian tree species classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus subgenus Prunus. Its common names include Chinese plum and Japanese apricot, the flower is usually called plum blossom. This distinct tree species is related to both the plum and apricot trees, although generally referred to as a plum in English, it is more closely related to the apricot. In Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking, the fruit of the tree is used in juices, as a flavouring for alcohol, as a pickle and it is also used in traditional medicine. The trees flowering in winter and early spring is highly regarded as a seasonal symbol. Prunus mume originated in the south of mainland China around the Yangtze River and was introduced to Japan, Korea, Taiwan. It can be found in forests, stream sides, forested slopes along trails and mountains, sometimes at altitudes up to 1, 700–3,100 metres. Prunus mume is a tree that starts to flower in mid-winter. It can grow to 4–10 metres tall, the flowers are 2–2.5 centimetres in diameter and have a strong fragrant scent. They have colors in varying shades of white, pink, the leaves appear shortly after the petals fall, are oval-shaped with a pointed tip, and are 4–8 cm long and 2. 5–5 cm wide. The fruit ripens in summer, around June and July in East Asia, and coincides with the rainy season of East Asia. The drupe is 2–3 centimetres in diameter with a running from the stalk to the tip. The skin turns yellow, sometimes with a red blush, as it ripens, the tree is cultivated for its fruit and flowers. The plant is known by a number of different names in English, including Chinese plum, an alternative name is ume, from Japanese, or mume, from the scientific name. Another alternative name is mei, from the Chinese name, the flower is known as the meihua in Chinese, which came to be translated as plum blossom or sometimes as flowering plum. The term winter plum may be used too, specifically with regard to the depiction of the flower with its early blooming in Chinese painting, in Chinese it is called méi and the fruit is called méizi. The Japanese name is ume, while the Korean name is maesil, the Japanese and Korean terms derive from Middle Chinese, in which the pronunciation is thought to have been muəi. The Vietnamese name is mai or mơ, ornamental tree varieties and cultivars of P. mume have been cultivated for planting in various gardens throughout East Asia, and for cut blossoming branches used in flower arrangements
5.
Cinnamomum camphora
–
Cinnamomum camphora is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 20–30 m tall. The leaves have a glossy, waxy appearance and smell of camphor when crushed, in spring, it produces bright green foliage with masses of small white flowers. It produces clusters of black, berry-like fruit around 1 cm in diameter and its pale bark is very rough and fissured vertically. Cinnamomum camphora is native to China south of the Yangtze River, Taiwan, southern Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, and has been introduced to many other countries. In Japan, where the tree is called kusunoki, five camphor trees are known with a circumference above 20 m, with the largest individual, Kamō no Ōkusu. Camphor laurel contains volatile compounds in all plant parts. Camphor laurel has six different chemical variants called chemotypes, which are camphor, linalool,1, 8-cineole, nerolidol, safrole, in China, field workers avoid mixing chemotypes when harvesting by their odour. The cineole fraction of camphor laurel is used in China to manufacture fake Eucalyptus oil, the chemical variants seem dependent upon the country of origin of the tree. The tree is native to China, Japan, and Taiwan and it has been introduced to the other countries where it has been found, and the chemical variants are identifiable by country. E. g. C. camphora grown in Taiwan and Japan is normally high in linalool. In India and Sri Lanka, the high camphor variety/chemotype remains dominant, C. camphora grown in Madagascar, though, is high in 1,8 cineole. The essential oil from the Madagascar trees is known as ravintsara. Camphor is a crystalline substance, obtained from the tree C. camphora. Camphor has been used for centuries as a culinary spice, a component of incense. It is also an insect repellent and a flea-killing substance, C. camphora is native to Jeju off the coast of Korea, Taiwan, southern Japan, southeast China, and Indochina, where it is also cultivated for camphor and timber production. The production and shipment of camphor, in a solid, waxy form, was an industry in Taiwan prior to. It was used medicinally and was also an important ingredient in the production of smokeless gunpowder, primitive stills were set up in the mountainous areas in which the tree is usually found. The wood was chipped, these chips were steamed in a retort, allowing the camphor to crystallize on the inside of a crystallization box and it was then scraped off and packed out to government-run factories for processing and sale
6.
Taiwanese aborigines
–
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, who number more than 530,000 and constitute nearly 2. 3% of the islands population. Recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on Taiwan for approximately 8,000 years in isolation before a major Han immigration began in the 17th century. The issue of an ethnic identity unconnected to the Asian mainland has become one thread in the discourse regarding the status of Taiwan. For centuries, Taiwans aboriginal inhabitants experienced economic competition and military conflict with a series of colonizing newcomers, for example, of the approximately 26 known languages of the Taiwanese aborigines, at least ten are now extinct, five are moribund, and several are to some degree endangered. These languages are of historical significance, since most historical linguists consider Taiwan to be the original homeland of the Austronesian language family. Taiwans Austronesian speakers were distributed over much of the islands rugged central mountain range and were concentrated in villages along the alluvial plains. The bulk of contemporary Taiwanese aborigines now live in the mountains, the indigenous peoples of Taiwan face economic and social barriers, including a high unemployment rate and substandard education. Since the early 1980s, many groups have been actively seeking a higher degree of political self-determination. The revival of pride is expressed in many ways by aborigines. Efforts are under way in indigenous communities to revive traditional cultural practices, the Austronesian Cultural Festival in Taitung City is one means by which tribe members promote aboriginal culture. For most of their history, Taiwanese aborigines have been defined by the agents of different Confucian, Christian. Taxonomies imposed by colonizing forces divided the aborigines into named subgroups and these divisions did not always correspond to distinctions drawn by the aborigines themselves. This designation reflected the idea that anyone could be civilized/tamed by adopting Confucian social norms. During Japanese rule, anthropologists from Japan maintained the binary classification, the Musha incident of 1930 led to many changes in aboriginal policy, and the Japanese government began referring to them as Takasago-zoku. The latter group included the Atayal, Bunun, Tsou, Saisiat, Paiwan, Puyuma, the Yami and Rukai were added later, for a total of nine recognized tribes. The KMT later adopted the use of all the earlier Japanese groupings except Peipo, the current recognized aborigines are all regarded as Gaoshan, though the divisions are not and have never been based strictly on geographical location. The Amis, Saisiat, Tao and Kavalan are all traditionally Eastern Plains cultures, the distinction between Pingpu and Gaoshan people continues to affect Taiwans policies regarding indigenous peoples, and their ability to participate effectively in government. The earliest detailed records, dating from the Dutch arrival in 1624, between these villages there was frequent trade, intermarriage, warfare and alliances against common enemies
7.
Sun Moon Lake
–
Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of water in Taiwan as well as a tourist attraction. Located in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, the area around the Sun Moon Lake is home to the Thao tribe, Sun Moon Lake surrounds a tiny island called Lalu. The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, Sun Moon Lake is located 748 m above sea level. It is 27 m deep and has an area of approximately 7.93 km2. The area surrounding the lake has many trails for hiking, while swimming in Sun Moon Lake is usually not permitted, there is an annual 3-km race called the Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake held around the Mid-Autumn Festival each year. In recent years the participants have numbered in the tens of thousands, other festivities held at the same time include fireworks, laser shows, and concerts. The lake and its surrounding countryside have been designated one of thirteen national scenic areas in Taiwan, wen Wu Temple was built after rising water levels from building a dam forced several smaller temples to be removed. Ci En Pagoda was built by late President Chiang Kai-shek in 1971 in memory of his mother, other temples of note include Jianjing Temple, Syuentzang Temple and Syuanguang Temple. In older English literature it was referred to as Lake Candidius. In the middle of the lake is the Lalu Island, which is the ground for the Thao tribe. In legend, Thao hunters discovered Sun Moon Lake while chasing a deer through the surrounding mountains. The deer eventually led them to the lake, which found to be not only beautiful. Today, the deer of legends is immortalized as a marble statue on Lalu Island. Under Japanese rule, the island was renamed Jade Island, after Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalist Government moved to Taiwan, the island was renamed Kuang-hua Island and in 1978 the local government built a pavilion where annual weddings took place. In 1999, the 921 earthquake destroyed the pavilion and sank most of the island, in recent years, due to increasing social and political awareness, more deference and recognition are being given to Taiwanese aborigines. As a result, after the 921 earthquake, the island was renamed in the Thao language as Lalu, several hydroelectric power plants have been built in the Sun Moon Lake since 1919, including Mingtan Pumped Storage Hydro Power Plant and Minhu Pumped Storage Hydro Power Station. When the first hydroelectric plant was finished in 1934, it was considered to be one of the most important infrastructure constructions of the time, wujie Dam, also completed in 1934, diverts water from the Zhuoshui River to increase hydroelectric generation at the lake. The Jiji Line railroad was built to facilitate the construction, the depiction of Sun Moon Lake is featured in the newly issued Peoples Republic of China passport in 2012, a move that has triggered protest from Taipei to Beijing
8.
Oolong
–
Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea produced through a process including withering the plant under strong sun and oxidation before curling and twisting. Most oolong teas, especially those of fine quality, involve unique tea plant cultivars that are used for particular varieties. The degree of oxidation can range from 8 to 85%, depending on the variety, Oolong is especially popular with tea connoisseurs of south China and Chinese expatriates in Southeast Asia, as is the Fujian preparation process known as the Gongfu tea ceremony. Different styles of tea can vary widely in flavor. They can be sweet and fruity with honey aromas, or woody and thick with roasted aromas, or green and fresh with bouquet aromas, all depending on the horticulture and style of production. Several types of tea, including those produced in the Wuyi Mountains of northern Fujian. Different varieties of oolong are processed differently, but the leaves are formed into one of two distinct styles. Some are rolled into long curly leaves, while others are wrap-curled into small beads, the former style is the more traditional of the two in China. The name oolong tea came into the English language from the Chinese name, in Chinese, oolong teas are also known as qingcha or dark green teas. The manufacture of tea is intricate because some of the basic steps involved in its making are repeated many times before the desired amount of bruising and browning of the leaves is achieved. Withering, rolling, shaping, and firing are similar to black tea, one last step, baking or roasting, is exclusive to oolong tea and is referred to as the real art in making this tea. There are three widely accepted explanations of the origin of the Chinese name, according to the tribute tea theory, oolong tea came directly from Dragon-Phoenix Tea Cake tribute tea. The term oolong tea replaced the old term when loose tea came into fashion, since it was dark, long, and curly, it was called Black Dragon tea. According to the Wuyi theory, oolong tea first existed in the Wuyi Mountains region and this is evidenced by Qing dynasty poems such as Wuyi Tea Song and Tea Tale. It was said that tea was named after the part of the Wuyi Mountain where it was originally produced. According to the Anxi theory, oolong tea had its origin in the Anxi oolong tea plant, Tea production in Fujian is concentrated in two regions, the Wuyi Mountains and Anxi County. Both are major centers of oolong tea production in China. The most famous and expensive oolong teas are made here, some of the better known cliff teas are, Da Hong Pao, a highly prized tea and a Si Da Ming Cong tea
9.
Han Chinese
–
The Han Chinese, Han people or simply Han are an ethnic group native to East Asia. They constitute approximately 92% of the population of China, 95% of Taiwan, 76% of Singapore, 23% of Malaysia, Han Chinese are the worlds largest ethnic group with over 1.3 billion people. Similarly, the Chinese language also came to be named the Han language ever since, in the Oxford Dictionary, the Han are defined as The dominant ethnic group in China. In the Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania, the Han are called the dominant population in China, as well as in Taiwan, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the Han are the Chinese peoples especially as distinguished from non-Chinese elements in the population. The name Hanzhong, in turn, was derived from the Han River, which flows through the regions plains. The river, in turn, derives its name from such as Tianhan, Yinhan, Xinghan or Yunhan, all ancient Chinese poetic nicknames for the Milky Way. This gave rise to a commonly used nowadays by overseas Chinese for ethnic identity – Huaren. The term is used in conversation and is also an element in the Cantonese word for Chinatown. The vast majority of Han Chinese – over 1.2 billion of them – live in areas under the jurisdiction of the Peoples Republic of China, where they constitute about 92% of its population. Han Chinese also constitute the majority in both of the administrative regions of the PRC—about 95% and 96% of the population of Hong Kong and Macau. There are over 22 million Han Chinese in Taiwan, they began migrating from the coastal provinces of mainland China to Taiwan during the 13th to 17th century. At first, these migrants chose to settle in locations that bore a resemblance to the areas they had left behind in mainland China, hoklo immigrants from Quanzhou settled in coastal regions, and those from Zhangzhou tended to gather on inland plains, while the Hakka inhabited hilly areas. Clashes between these groups over land, water, and cultural differences led to the relocation of some communities, of about 40 million overseas Chinese worldwide, nearly 30 million live in Southeast Asia. They are collectively called Nanyang Chinese, according to a population genetic study, Singapore is the country with the biggest proportion of Hans in Southeast Asia. Up until the past few decades, overseas Han communities originated predominantly from areas in southern China, christmas Island has a Chinese majority at 70%, large Chinese populations also live in Malaysia and Thailand. Prior to the 1965 split, Malaysia and Singapore used to have the largest overseas Chinese population in the world and this position has since been taken by Thailand. The prehistory of the Han ethnic group is closely intertwined with both records and mythology. Han Chinese trace their ancestry from a confederation of late neolithic/early bronze-age agricultural tribes that lived along the Guanzhong, the Yellow Emperor is traditionally credited to have united with the neighbouring Shennong tribes after defeating their leader, Flame Emperor, at the Battle of Banquan
10.
Bunun people
–
The Bunun, also historically known as the Vonum, are a tribe of Taiwanese aborigines and are best known for their sophisticated polyphonic vocal music. Unlike other aboriginal tribes in Taiwan, the Bunun are widely dispersed across the central mountain ranges. In the year 2000, the Bunun numbered 41,038 and this was approximately 10% of Taiwans total indigenous population, making them the fourth-largest tribal group. They have five distinct sub-tribes, the Takbunuaz, the Takituduh, the Takibaka, the Takivatan, according to a study published in 2014, the Y-DNA of the Bunun people belongs mainly to haplogroup O1a2-M50 or haplogroup O2a1a-M88, with a single representative of haplogroup P*-M45. Until the coming of the Christian missionaries in the beginning of the 20th century and their staple foods were millet, yam, and game. During the Japanese rule, the Bunun were among the last tribes to be pacified by the Japanese government in residence. After an initial period of resistance, they were forced to move down from the mountains. As a result, the unit became less important and life centred on individual village units. The Japanese government restricted hunting practices and introduced wet rice cultivation, the Bunun Aboriginals under Chief Raho Ari engaged in guerilla warfare against the Japanese for twenty years. The Dafen Incident began at Dafen when a platoon was slaughtered by Raho Aris clan in 1915. A settlement holding 266 people called Tamaho was created by Raho Ari and his followers near the source of the Laonong River, many Bunun were recruited as local policemen and during WWII, the Japanese army had Bunun regiments. Throughout the 20th century, several waves of missionaries of various denominations spread across Taiwan, today, most Bunun either belong to the Catholic Church or to the local Presbyterian Church. After the arrival of the Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang in October 1945, Bunun culture was eroded by the joint pressure of their new faith as well as the governments sinification policies. The situation improved only recently after two decades of democratic reforms, according to Bunun legend, in times long past, two suns shone down upon the earth and made it unbearably hot. A father and a son endured numerous hardships and finally shot down one of the suns, in its wrath, the moon demanded that father and son would return to their own people to tell them that they henceforth had to obey three commandments or face annihilation. The first was that they had to observe the waxing and waning of the moon and conduct all rituals. The second commandment stated that all Bunun had to conduct rituals throughout their lives to honor the spirits of heaven, the third commandment told them of forbidden behaviours, and forced them to become an orderly and peaceful tribe. A variant of the story tells that long, long ago, while working, they put the child in a basket at the side of the field, and for a whole day he lay in the unbearable heat of the two suns
.jpg)
