Taiwan has a rich and often times confusing history. Here are a couple of major events listed in chronological order where we hope can diffuse the confusion.
Taiwan History
Japanese Colonization
From the Sino-Japanese War ending in 1895 to World War 2 ending in 1945, Taiwan was a Japanese colony. The reason many Taiwanese elders are able to speak Japanese is due to the colonization is due to this Japanese influence.
Republic of China
The Republic of China (ROC) and Taiwan are practically synonymous today, since the ROC is currently the official name for the government of Taiwan. However, this was not always the case. As the name suggests, the ROC used to be the ruling government of China, based in Nanjing. Here’s an example for the difference in…
White Terror
White Terror is perhaps the darkest period of time for Taiwan. Starting with the 228 Massacre in 1947 until the end of the martial law in July 15, 1987, the White Terror had wiped out an entire generation, culturally and historically. The Republic of China, under the aim of taking back all of China, targeted…
OFTaiwan 