"Cultural Taiwanese" and "Political Taiwanese": Two Sides of the Coin

"Cultural Taiwanese" and "Political Taiwanese":Two Sides of the Coin Hsin-I Cheng (bio) At the Asia-Pacific Forward Forum held in Taipei on September 11, 2023, former Singaporean foreign minister George Yong-boon Yeo proposed his (in)famous "Chinese commonwealth." In response to a young Taiwanese who claimed to be "Taiwanese, not Chinese," Yeo interpreted this person's statement as mistakenly mixing a "political feeling" with cultural connection.1 Presuming that the political and cultural aspects of identity can be cleanly separated from each other erases the complex processes of identity development and expression. On the contrary, the political and cultural realms of identification are intimately interconnected, layered with history, and accomplished through communication. Constructing the current and future identity of Taiwan is an ongoing journey of reconciling with the past, a process uniquely and unevenly felt by the diverse peoples who arrived there at various points in history. To separate cultural identity from political identity disregards the complex process of identity development among the Taiwanese and oversimplifies their long quest for the right to self-determination. This essay argues that cultural matters are political matters: Taiwanese identity has always been and will continue to be a multicultural one, imbued with local, regional, and global geopolitical power dynamics. Cultural Infusion through Trade Situated between the maritime routes of Europe, Asia, and Africa, Formosa/Taiwan has experienced vibrant trade as befits its strategic and cosmopolitan location since as early as the 1500s, with Chinese traders End Page 109 and fishers adeptly mixing Aboriginal languages and Chinese in trading activities. Because Taiwan was an unclaimed island at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, it became a sought-after prize among the European powers. Historically, Taiwan has been partially, and at times fully, occupied by both Eastern and Western powers. It was not until the 1990s that the Taiwanese were able to select their own leadership. People on Taiwan have long adapted to different political regimes while hybridizing their distinctive identity. From the Dutch, Spanish, Ming loyalists, and Japanese to the Chinese nationalists (Kuomintang, or KMT) who left China after the civil war, each foreign power left a cultural legacy on Taiwan's land and peoples. After the Dutch East India Company arrived in the early 1600s, it encouraged Chinese emigration to Taiwan to settle the land, which belonged to Aboriginal peoples. This strategy enabled the company to cultivate the land, maximize revenue through heavy taxes, and suppress the Taiwanese Aborigines, who resisted the company's exploitation.2 Tension arose between the Han settlers and the Taiwanese Indigenous peoples, primarily hunters whose living standards quickly deteriorated when Taiwan became a Han Chinese colony.3 Following the 1663 arrival of the formidable Chinese pirate and Ming loyalist Iquan (Zheng Zhilong) and his son Zheng Chenggong (also known as Koxinga), the Zheng family began building a strong navy and encouraged more Chinese immigration to Taiwan.4 Both the Dutch and Zheng regimes made concerted efforts to influence Taiwanese culture. Dutch missionaries accompanied the military-established schools to educate local men and women.5 They introduced the Bible to the Aborigines and created Xin Gang Wen, a hybrid language between Dutch and the local patois. Zheng Chenggong brought Sino-centered education and the "Chinese elite culture of Confucian values" to Taiwan,6 building schools that focused on "male cultural and End Page 110 political leadership."7 Concerned about foreign powers, the Qing court gained more control over Taiwan and implemented the examination system and literary Chinese learning with a limited number of Taiwanese.8 This small literate elite population seeded Taiwanese consciousness later as an independent nation.9 Starting in the mid-1800s, English Presbyterian missionaries, American merchants, and Spanish priests became active among the Taiwanese local population.10 Missionaries also set up schools and print shops, which influenced the local cultural practices. During this time, Taiwan remained culturally and politically distinct from China. After the Sino-Japan war in 1894–95, Taiwan was ceded to Japan for half a century. Communities of Taiwanese sekimin (Taiwanese who registered as Japanese citizens and engaged in commercial activities) became sizable in southern China and parts of Southeast Asia. The volume of interactions between Taiwan, Southeast...