Bruce

1. Reconsidering and Re-Framing
Taiwan and its History:
Aborigines, Colonial Rulers
and Democratization
Prof. J. Bruce Jacobs
Monash University
Melbourne, Australia
Global Taiwan Institute, Washington, DC, 19 April 2017
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2. Chinese False Histories of Taiwan
“In history and culture, Taiwan is an
integral part of continental China.”
(China Yearbook 1969-70, p. 94)
“Taiwan has belonged to China since
ancient times [original emphasis]”
(China White Paper, 1993)
Taiwan is “an inalienable part of China.”
(China White Paper, 2000)
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3. When Dutch arrived in Taiwan
No permanent Han Chinese community
in Taiwan. Only three temporary groups
of Han Chinese
1. Merchants came to trade
2. Fishermen came to fish
3. Pirates came to hide
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4. Taiwan’s Three Great Historical Stages
1. To 1624: Taiwan’s Austronesian
(Aboriginal) History
2. 1624-1988: Taiwan’s Colonial History
(6 colonial governments—see below)
3. 1988 to present: Taiwan’s
Democratization
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5. Old Taiwan and “China”
Taiwan separated physically from the Asian mainland
some 10,000 years ago.
Fujian area was the last place settled by Han Chinese
on the Chinese coast during Sui and Tang dynasties
(589-906 CE).
From about 4,000 BCE to 2,500/2,200 BCE, Early
Neolithic period, Taiwan one general culture, Ta-pen-
k’eng (Dabenkeng大坌坑) or TPK culture, distributed
along Taiwan’s coasts, rivers and lakeshores.
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6. Trade, Agriculture, Mountains
Late TPK culture clearly had a maritime trading
network connecting Taiwan and such islands as
the Pescadores (Penghu). For example, basalt
adzes found in Taiwan archaeological sites can
be traced to a quarry in Pescadores.
Clearly, by the Middle Neolithic period (c.2,500-
1,500 BCE), Taiwan had considerable agriculture
Taiwan’s peoples had spread up into Taiwan’s
higher mountains
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7. Middle Neolithic (c.2,500-1,500
BCE)
Middle Neolithic migrate to every island in the
Pacific.
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8. Metal Age
Unlike China and the countries of Mainland Southeast
Asia, the island regions like Taiwan and Philippines
no Bronze Age prior to the appearance of iron. Both
bronze and iron technologies arrived at the same
time imported from Southeast Asia.
Metal Age begins about 400 BCE
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9. Huge Trading Networks (1)
During the Early Metal Age, Taiwan’s peoples
involved in substantial trading networks as far as the
South China Sea including modern Philippines,
eastern Malaysia, central and southern Vietnam,
peninsular Thailand, and eastern Cambodia.
Eastern Taiwan near modern Hualien produced jade,
but contemporary spectroscopy proves that jade
found in these various Southeast Asian sites
originated in eastern Taiwan.
Radiocarbon dating suggests these trading networks
were active from 500 BCE to 500 CE.
Produced jade “blanks” so could suit local cultures.
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10. Huge Trading Networks (2)
Glass beads found in Taiwan originated modern
India around 400-300 BCE, later glass beads also
made in modern Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia,
Vietnam and Sumatra.
Some trade occurred throughout Taiwan. Glass
beads from India and Southeast Asia are found all
over Taiwan including the relatively high Alishan
area.
Although likely, we have no evidence at present of
trade between Taiwan and the Pacific islands.
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11. Metal Age Contacts with
Southeast Asia, NOT China
Much archaeological evidence demonstrates Metal
Age trading and technological contacts with
Southeast Asia, not with China.
The casting moulds for metal manufacture are made
from southern Taiwan sandstone, but the styles are
similar to those in Thailand and southern Vietnam.
Such styles do not appear in any Chinese sites.
The chemical composition of glass beads and color of
glass beads show they have come from Southeast
Asia and not from China. The distinctive bead spacers
made of bone come from Southeast Asia, not China.
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12. When Dutch Arrived, 1624
Taiwan, an island of Austronesians, the
ancestors of today’s Taiwan aborigines.
 The Austronesians were divided and no one
authority united Taiwan.
Austronesians did trade with others including
Japanese and Chinese.
 Austronesian products included deer skins
and meat as well as jade from the Hualien
area. Taiwan deer skins were an important
part of Japanese samurai armor.
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13. Dutch Imported Chinese to
Taiwan
Dutch believed Chinese brought wealth:
“The Chinese are the only bees on
Formosa that give honey.” (Dutch
governor Nicholas Verburg).
Chinese made money because of Dutch
military and administrative structure
(Andrade)
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14. Taiwan’s 6 colonial regimes: 1624-1988
1. the Dutch (1624-1662),
2. the Spanish (1626-1642), who ruled in north
Taiwan simultaneously with the Dutch,
3. the Zheng (Cheng) family (1662-1683),
4. the Manchu Qing (Ch’ing) empire (1683-
1895),
5. the Japanese (1895-1945), and
6. the authoritarian Chinese Nationalist regime
(1945-1988)
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15. Definition of “Colonial Regime”
“Rule by outsiders for the benefit of the
outsiders”
Su Beng (史明)
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16. The Zheng Regime as Colonialists
Zheng Chenggong 鄭成功, aka Koxinga 國姓爺
Father, Zheng Zhilong 鄭芝龍 aka Nicholas Iquan (一
官?)
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Southern Ming (rump to 1662)
Zheng Regime colonial: used Dutch institutions,
population less than aborigines
Status of independent, trading nation
The Zheng did not represent Ming state. Ming
prohibited foreign trade after Zheng He. Zhengs were
“pirate-merchants”
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17. The Manchus as Colonialists (1)
Before 1683, Taiwan never belonged to either China
or Manchus (Manchu emperors, Veritable Records 實
錄)
Kangxi Emperor in 1683: “Taiwan is a small pellet of
land. There is nothing to be gained by taking it, and
no losses in not taking it” (台灣是彈丸之地, 得之無所
加, 不得無所損)
Yongzheng Emperor in 1723: “From ancient times,
Taiwan has not been part of China. My holy and
invincible father brought it into the territory” （台灣
地方自古不屬於中國, 黃考生略神威, 取入版圖）
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18. The Manchus as Colonialists (2)
Manchu empire was Manchu, not Chinese
Manchus dominated Grand Council軍機處
China and Taiwan were separate colonies of
Manchu Empire (not ruled entirely the same)
Manchus did not control aborigines
1867: US Consul signed treaty with aboriginal
chief
Late 19th Century English translation of
“China” wrong. Original was Great Qing 大清
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19. Six Parallels : Japan and Kuomintang
Colonial Regimes
1. Systematic discrimination against Taiwanese
2. Killed lots of Taiwanese early
3. 25 years of strong oppression
4. Owing to domestic and international factors, some
liberalization
5. Renewed repression
6. Both pushed “National Language” (國語 Jap. kokugo,
Chi. guoyu), Japanese and Mandarin Chinese
respectively, as part of their larger cultural attempts to
make Taiwanese second-class Japanese and Chinese.
No democratization and no Taiwanization under both
regimes.
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20. Taiwanization (bentuhua本土化)
No colonial regime allowed Taiwanese
to push their Taiwan identity
Taiwanization ≠ Democratization
(though closely linked)
Being Taiwanese increasingly means “I
am not Chinese”
Taiwan NOT a sub-culture of China
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21. Manifestations of Taiwanization
Eat Taiwan foods (e.g. sweet potato
gruel) (hanji muai 番薯糜 in Hokkien)
Interest in Taiwan history, society,
literature and language (soaring
publications in these areas after 1988)
Taiwanization increasingly important in
politics after 1988
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22. 22

23. Definition of “Taiwanese”
Changes over time
A Taiwanese is anyone who lives in
Taiwan and identifies with Taiwan.
Thus, before Dutch was only
Austronesian (aboriginal) peoples.
As people migrated to Taiwan,
identified as Taiwanese. Start mid-19th
century.
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24. Taiwan’s Democratization
Asia: only India, Japan, South Korea,
Taiwan (though Indonesia and Mongolia
some steps)
Gives Taiwan widespread support
15-20% swing (mobile) voters so
elections swing back and forth.
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25. Reframing Taiwan
History demonstrates Unification (or falsely,
Reunification)/Independence is wrong framing
Taiwan is decolonizing (as it is democratizing).
Decolonization creates many more potential
allies in world
“One China” framework set under Chiang Kai-
shek and Chiang Ching-kuo when Taiwanese
had no say. Unification/Independence leftover
from colonial past.
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26. International Law: States
Convention on Rights and Duties of States
(signed Montevideo, 1933)
Article 1: A state has “a ) a permanent
population; b ) a defined territory; c )
government; and d) capacity to enter into
relations with the other states”.
Article 3: “The political existence of the state
is independent of recognition by the other
states”.
Taiwan is clearly a “state”.
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27. Taiwan is NOT “small” or “tiny”
Taiwan’s population is greater than 2/3rds of the
world’s nations, about the size of Australia
Taiwan’s area (territory) is greater than 2/5ths of
the world’s nations.
Taiwan has an advanced economy, a high
educated citizenry, a large and substantial
military.
Taiwan is a “middle power” and needs to be
considered in light of this.
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28. No “92 Consensus”
No consensus reached in 1992 other than to meet in
Singapore in 1993.
Su Chi invented the term 92 Consensus in 2000: “one
China, different interpretations” 一中各表
The KMT not push “92 Consensus” until December 2001
legislative elections when Lien Chan headed KMT.
The CCP mentioned “92 Consensus” in HK Communist
newspaper after CSB inaugurated in May 2000, but did not
push until April 2005 when Lien Chan visited China.
Saying the future of China-Taiwan relations depends upon
92 Consensus is pure nonsense. Tsai Ing-wen refuses to
accept this nonsense as the key phrase is “One China”
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29. De facto “one China, one Taiwan
policies
Although don’t publically admit it, all the
major democratic nations have de facto “one
China, one Taiwan” policies.
Offices in Taipei are staffed with senior
people. Taiwan too sends out senior people
to various posts.
Offices have many diplomatic privileges like
“diplomatic bag”, tax privileges
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30. Expansionist China; democratic
alliance
“Appeasement” doesn’t work
Democratic nations need draw own “red lines”
If China crosses our “red lines”, result could be
Communist Party loses power.
Trade is mutually beneficial; not one-way
advantages
We want peace, but not peace at any price. We
do not want so-called peace which would follow
surrender.
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31. Conclusions
Taiwan is clearly a democratic nation, a
democratic middle power.
The preservation of democratic rights are
much very important for our world.
We need to make certain that we do support
Taiwan.
One option available is to work more closely
with Taiwan and invite it into the democratic
coalition that is now developing in the world.
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