Global Media Journal

A Brief History of Taiwan –
A Sparrow Transformed into a Phoenix

Review by

Kuldip R. Rampal

Huang Fu-san. A Brief History of Taiwan – A Sparrow Transformed into a Phoenix. Taipei: Government Information Office, 2005. Online edition: http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/5-gp/history/tw01.html

For an excellent history of Taiwan covering a period of over two millennia leading up to the economic powerhouse and democracy that Taiwan is today, Professor Huang Fu-san offers a timely book, A Brief History of Taiwan – A Sparrow Transformed into a Phoenix. The book also offers a primer on how dissident publications can be instrumental in the development of political parties advocating democratic reforms in authoritarian states. A researcher with the Institute of Taiwan History at Academia Sinica, Professor Huang teaches history in the Department of History at National Taiwan University.

Professor Huang says that before 1624, Taiwan was essentially isolated and underdeveloped. In the next four hundred years, the island spent periods under what the author calls the “oppressive rule” of five alien regimes during which its inhabitants suffered numerous hardships and tragedies. Alien regimes included those of the Netherlands and Spain (1624-1662), Jheng Kingdom (1661-1683), Ching Dynasty (1683-1895), Japan (1895-1945), and the Republic of China (1945-). It is remarkable that Professor Huang has included the rule of the KMT party, which had established the Republic of China on mainland China in 1912, in Taiwan starting 1945 as one of the five “alien” regimes. The implication appears to be that Taiwan belonged to people indigenous to the island and all foreign rulers, including the mainland Chinese, were occupying powers. As a side note, it should be pointed out that the KMT fled to Taiwan and established its rule there after it lost the mainland to the Communists in civil war.

Indeed, the author says that in the history of Taiwan, Chinese control of the island lasted for a relatively short period. He says that the Manchus conquered Taiwan in 1683 and ruled it until the island was ceded to Japan after the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. “This was the first and almost the only period of time in which Taiwan was practically a part of China,” the author says. This fact is sure to provide strength to the cause of some in the Democratic Progressive Party who argue for Taiwan’s independence from China, which claims the island. The Chinese rule brought great numbers of Han Chinese immigrants to Taiwan, and the social impact of this migration was the eventual replacement of the aborigines by the Han Chinese, says the author.

The political turmoil was accompanied by economic benefits, however, according to the author. He says the Dutch introduced a mercantile policy, and marine trade became the pillar of Taiwan’s economy. This led to rapid developments, which gave rise to Taiwan’s tradition of trade and commerce in future generations, with the result that today Taiwan is one of the world’s most advanced nations.

There were sociological effects as well from Taiwan’s prolonged experience with foreign cultures. The author says that with such frequent changes of political regime, the attainment of accumulated higher-level development by Taiwanese was difficult as each regime imposed its culture and systems on the island. One result of this was confusion regarding national identity and stagnation of local culture. From another angle, however, it can be argued, he says, that it was this historical background that enabled Taiwan to absorb diverse and advanced cultures, and thus allowed it to progress rapidly. When each alien regime withdrew from the island, its culture remained and became a source of Taiwan’s heritage, enriching the local culture. “Taiwan today is a combination of aboriginal, Chinese, Japanese, and Western cultures, and can be regarded as a small but exquisite piece of art,” Professor Huang says. However, the issues of national identity and unification/independence continue to perplex Taiwan’s population even today, he says.

Professor Huang also rightfully discusses with a great pride that the island recently gave birth peacefully to the world’s first Chinese democracy, which, he says, “is an epochal achievement.” The democratization process, which began with the lifting of martial law in 1987, peaked in March 1996, when Lee Teng-hui won the first direct presidential election in Taiwan’s history, and again in March 2000, when DPP candidate Chen Shui-bian won the second direct presidential election. This marked the unprecedented change of governing party that ended the KMT’s five-decade hold on the office and thus made Taiwan a member of the world’s democracies. The peaceful democratization of Taiwan, which has been widely acclaimed as a “quiet revolution” was achieved via constant compromise and reconciliation between the state mechanism and societal forces, thereby making the ROC the first Chinese democracy. Key among the “societal forces” advocating political reforms were dissident publications that emerged in the 1970s. For example, anti-KMT dissidents grouped to establish the Formosa magazine to promote “the new generation’s political movements.” The rapid success of the magazine led it to establish 20 service centers in major cities and counties. Prof. Huang says that the rapid development of these centers was “akin to the development of a political party, which was Formosa magazine’s real goal.” The challenges and difficulties Formosa magazine faced from the KMT government in its pursuit of political reforms makes for fascinating reading in this book. A variety of other dissident publications followed, which all successfully campaigned for political reforms to eventually see the emergence of democracy in Taiwan.

This first democracy in the history of Chinese civilization is also serving as a source of tension for the Communists on the mainland. China, insisting that Taiwan is part of China, wants the island to reunite with the mainland, whereas Taiwan says that cannot happen until China becomes a democracy. Meanwhile, a Taiwan independence movement has emerged over the years, leading the Chinese government to pass legislation calling for use of force against Taiwan if such were to happen. How Taiwan deals with this political imbroglio has been touched on by the author, but needed a detailed discussion.

Nevertheless, this is a valuable book in true scholarly traditions. For readers interested in a well-researched and readable book on one of the world’s major economic players with dynamic democratic forces at work, Professor Huang’s book will serve as an excellent resource.