History UsefulNotes / Taiwan

Mandarin is the standard spoken language these days. About 70% of residents also speak Taiwanese Hokkien, commonly known as Taiwanese. It is a Hokkien dialect of Min Nan, where most of the Taiwanese came from. Hakka or ''Ke Jia Hua'' is also spoken by a substantial minority. The Aboriginals' languages belong to an entirely different language family risen from the Polynesian languages. English is widely taught but proficiency is highly variable.

Mandarin is the standard spoken language these days, though the majority of residents also speak Taiwanese, which is closely related to Southern Min spoken across the strait in Fujian. Hakka or ''Ke Jia Hua'' is also spoken by a substantial minority. The native languages belong to an entirely different language family which gave rise to the Polynesian languages. English is widely taught but proficiency is highly variable.

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until they lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], the dictator Chiang Kai-shek and the other Nationalists fled to the island. Mao had plans to follow Chang and capture Taiwan in 1949, but the United States sent an aircraft carrier to dissuade that. Since then Taiwan maintained a quasi-sovereign status thanks to the protection of the United States. It was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1980s, when Chiang's son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, followed by the first actually 'Taiwanese' president, [[KatanasOfTheRisingSun Japanese Army veteran]] Lee Teung-Hui, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing most international recognition as the government of all of China (only apartheid [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica South Africa]] remained an ally), grew extremely rich and became one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

Starting in the late Eighties/early Nineties, the opposition parties gained more voice in the public arena, especially given the Nationalist party's rampant corruption issues. (The Nationalists were never all that popular in Taiwan outside of the party, since they were seen to be ignoring "native" Taiwanese interests... never mind that the actual native populations had been relegated to reservations long before the Nationalists got there). As pressure mounted, the Nationalist party began removing restrictions on free speech and free press, and Congress began the long, arduous process of amending the constitution to correct both real and perceived inequities.

In the Late Nineties, the left-leaning pan-Green coalition won the Presidency, launching Taiwan back into the realm of international politics as then-President Chen Shui-bian began proclaiming that Taiwan was seeking its independence from China; previous to this, both Taiwan and mainland China had laid claim to all of China despite neither having formal diplomatic or economic relations with each other until the early 2000s. Still, when no serious move towards independence materialized, combined with a general economic downturn linked to Japan's economic bubble burst and rumbles of even worse corruption began to surface, the pan-Green coalition fell out of favor and the pan-Blue (of which the Nationalists are the main party) made a comeback, winning a majority in the legislation and the presidency as well.

** She recently got a full strip in the fourth manga volume. In it she tries to read Japan's fortune, makes bets with HongKong and Macau about China (and loses), has LesYay with Vietnam as they take some photos, and tries to get Italy to buy souvenirs.

Mandarin is the standard spoken language these days, though the majority of residents also speak Taiwanese, which is closely related to Southern Min spoken across the strait in Fujian. Hakka or ''Ke Jia Hua'' is also spoken by a substantial minority. The native languages belong to an entirely different language family which gave rise to the Polynesian languages. English is widely taught, frequently under the name ''Mei Yu'' (literally, "Beautiful language;" really "American language,") but proficiency is highly variable.

Mandarin is the standard spoken language these days, though the majority of residents also speak Taiwanese, which is closely related to Southern Min spoken across the strait in Fujian. Hakka or ''Ke Jia Hua'' is also spoken by a substantial minority. The native languages belong to an entirely different language family and are more closely related to the Polynesian languages. English is widely taught, frequently under the name ''Mei Yu'' (literally, "Beautiful language;" really "American language,") but proficiency is highly variable.

Taiwan is an island off the coast of mainland China in the Pacific Ocean. Also known as Formosa and Peng Lai, it was first known to the outside world through a Portuguese ship spotting it and giving it the name of ''Ilha Formosa'' (Beautiful Island). It is believed that indigenous Taiwanese population first arrived there during the late Ice Ages, and the island has seen a steady stream of Chinese settlers ever since.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Binlang_5.jpg

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Binlang_5.jpg
[[quoteright:75:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/75x50q85_558.png]]
[[caption-width:333:A Taiwanese betelnut salesgirl, somewhat overdressed by the standards of her profession. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betel_nut_beauty]] [[http://www.michaelturton.com/Taiwan/betelgirls.html]] [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tobie_openshaw/sets/72157594581621891/]] ]]

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until they lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], the dictator Chiang Kai-shek and the other Nationalists fled to the island. It was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1980s, when Chiang's son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, followed by the first actually 'Taiwanese' president, [[KatanasOfTheRisingSun Japanese Army veteran]] Lee Teung-Hui, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing most international recognition (only apartheid [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica South Africa]] remained an ally), grew extremely rich and became one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until they lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], the dictator Chiang Kai-shek and the other Nationalists fled to the island. It was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1980s, when Chiang's son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing most international recognition (only apartheid [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica South Africa]] remained an ally), grew extremely rich and became one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

* Another film that deals with the betelnut beauty phenomenon is ''Help Me, Eros'' (幫幫我，愛神) by Lee Kang-sheng.

Unique among most of Japan's neighbors, the relationship between Japan and Taiwan has been generally positive and easy-going, with relatively few bitter grudges stemming from the Japanese occupation, especially considering that Taiwan was spared most of the horrors of the SecondSinoJapaneseWar. It saw no significant land battles (though hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese fought in the [[KatanasOfTheRisingSun Imperial Japanese Army]], and the island was devastated by American bombing which destroyed more than 90% of its industrial and electric output). The Japanese occupation of the island ended after [=WW2=] when the Allies handed over Taiwan to the Republic of China, but decades of corrupt rule and SecretPolice arrests and executions--called the "White Terror"--under the Chinese ended up creating a popular nostalgia for the time when Taiwan was a colony of the Japanese Empire. During the tyranny of Chiang Kai-shek, hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese were executed or "disappeared", usually for being accused of communist sympathies, in the longest period of martial law in modern history.

Unique among most of Japan's neighbors, the relationship between the societies of Japan and Taiwan has been generally positive and congenial, with relatively few bitter cultural grudges stemming from the Japanese occupation, especially considering that Taiwan was spared most of the horrors of both the SecondSinoJapaneseWar and WorldWarII and saw no significant land battles (though hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese fought in the Japanese Imperial Military, and the island was devastated by American Bombing raids, which destroyed more than 90% of its industrial, agricultural and electric output). The long Japanese occupation of the island ended after [=WW2=] when the Allies arranged its cession to the Republic of China, but decades of corrupt rule and thousands of state-sponsored arrests and executions--called the 'White Terror' of 1949 to 1987, under the Kuomintang ended up conjuring popular nostalgia for the time when Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire (even though it was never a perfect or equal arrangement). While the number is debated, tens or hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese were arrested, executed, or otherwise disappeared, usually for being accused of communist or anti-capitalist sympathies, in the longest period of martial law in modern history.

Taiwan is an island off the coast of mainland China in the Pacific Ocean. Also known as Formosa and Peng Lai, it was first known to the outside world through a Portuguese ship spotting it and giving it the name of Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Island). It is believed that indigenous Taiwanese population first arrived there during the Ice Ages, and the island has seen a steady stream of Chinese settlers ever since.

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until it lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], the dictator Chiang Kai-shek and the other Nationalists fled to the island. It was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1980s, when Chiang's son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing most international recognition (only apartheid [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica South Africa]] remained an ally), grew extremely rich and became one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until it lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], the dictator Chiang Kai-shek and the other Nationalists fled to the island. It was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1980s, when Chiang's son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing most international recognition (only the apartheid [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica SouthAfrica]] remained an ally), grew extremely rich and became one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until it lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], the dictator Chiang Kai-shek and the other Nationalists fled to the island. It was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1980s, when Chiang's son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing international recognition (only apartheid SouthAfrica remained an ally), grew extremely rich and became one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

Taiwan is an island near the coast of mainland China in the Pacific Ocean. Also known as Formosa and Peng Lai, it was first known to the outside world through a Portuguese ship spotting it and giving it the name of Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Island). It is believed that indigenous Taiwanese population first arrived there during the Ice Ages, and the island has seen a steady stream of Chinese settlers ever since.

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until it lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], the dictator Chiang Kai-Shek and the other Nationalists fled to the island. It was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1980s, when Chiang's son and successor, Chiang Ching-kuo, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing international recognition, grew greatly economically, becoming one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

Starting in the late Eighties/early Nineties, the opposition parties gained more voice in the public arena, especially given the Nationalist party's rampant corruption issues. (The Nationalists were never all that popular in Taiwan outside of the party, since they were seen to be ignoring "native" Taiwanese interests... never mind that the actual native populations had been relegated to reservations long before the Nationalists got there.) As pressure mounted, the Nationalist party began removing restrictions on free speech and free press, and Congress began the long, arduous process of amending the constitution to correct both real and perceived inequities.

Taiwan is an island near the coast of mainland China in the Pacific Ocean. Also known as Formosa and Peng Lai, it was first known to the outside world through a Portuguese ship spotting it and giving it the name of Ilha Formosa (Beautiful island). It is believed that indigenous populations first arrived there during the Ice Ages, and the island has seen a steady stream of visitors and colonists ever since.

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until it lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], Jiang and the other Nationalists fled to the island, and it was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1980s, when Jiang's son and successor, Jiang Jingguo, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing international recognition, grew greatly economically, becoming one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

[[caption-width:333:A Taiwanese betelnut salesgirl, somewhat overdressed by the standards of her profession. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betel_nut_beauty]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BetelNutBeauty.png]] [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tobie_openshaw/sets/72157594581621891/]] ]]

But in 1683, the new dynasty claimed the island, and ruled it until it lost the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese held Taiwan from 1895 until the end of WorldWarTwo, after which it fell into the hands of China's Nationalist government. When they lost the Chinese Civil War to [[RedChina the communists]], Jiang and the other Nationalists fled to the island, and it was placed under martial law from 1949 to the 1970s, when Jiang's son and successor, Jiang Jingguo, began to democratize the nation's political system, turning it from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy. Also around this time, the government-in-exile, while losing international recognition, grew greatly economically, becoming one of the Four Asian Tigers, economic giants in the Far East and beyond.

Unique among most of Japan's neighbors, the relationship between the societies of Japan and Taiwan has been generally positive and congenial, with relatively few bitter cultural grudges stemming from the Japanese occupation, especially considering that Taiwan was spared most of the horrors of both the SecondSinoJapaneseWar and WorldWarII and saw no significant land battles (though hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese fought in the Japanese Imperial Military, and the island was devastated by American Bombing raids, which destroyed more than 90% of its industrial, agricultural and electric output). The long Japanese occupation of the island ended after [=WW2=] when the Allies arranged its cession to the Republic of China, but decades of corrupt rule and thousands of state-sponsored arrests and executions--called the 'White Terror' of 1949 to 1987, under the Kuomintang ended up conjuring popular nostalgia for the time when Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire (even though it was never a perfect or equal arrangement). While the number is debated, tens or hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese were arrested, executed, or otherwise disappeared, usually for being accused of communist or anti-capitalist sympathizes, in the longest period of martial law in modern history.

Unique among most of Japan's neighbors, the relationship between the societies of Japan and Taiwan has been generally positive and congenial, with relatively few bitter cultural grudges stemming from the Japanese occupation, especially considering that Taiwan was spared most of the horrors of both the SecondSinoJapaneseWar and WorldWarII and saw no significant land battles (though hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese fought in the Japanese Imperial Military, and the island was devastated by American Bombing raids, which destroyed more than 90% of its industrial, agricultural and electric output). The long Japanese occupation of the island ended after [=WW2=] when the Allies arranged its cession to the Republic of China, but decades of corrupt rule under the Kuomintang ended up conjuring popular nostalgia for the time when Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire (even though it was never a perfect or equal arrangement).

Unique among most of Japan's neighbors, the relationship between the societies of Japan and Taiwan has been generally positive and congenial, with relatively few bitter cultural grudges stemming from the Japanese occupation, especially considering that Taiwan was spared most of the horrors of both the SecondSinoJapaneseWar and WorldWarII and saw no significant battles or air raids (though hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese fought in the Japanese Imperial Military). The long Japanese occupation of the island ended after [=WW2=] when the Allies arranged its cession to the Republic of China, but decades of corrupt rule under the Kuomintang ended up conjuring popular nostalgia for the time when Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire (even though it was never a perfect or equal arrangement).

[[quoteright:75:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/75x50q85_558.png]]

The long Japanese occupation of the island has left a few cultural marks. Among these are the integration of certain [[GratuitousJapanese Japanese phrases]] into the local vernacular, including ObaSan (strictly in the sense of "older woman"), and some Japanese foods. Japanese pop culture also has a strong presence, especially in the forms of music and manga, and a few Japanese television channels (including NHK) are available. The older generation will sometimes speak Japanese among themselves instead of [[ChineseLanguage Mandarin]] or [[ChineseDialectsAndAccents Taiwanese]].