Taiwan

TL;DR. Taiwan is an island off the southeast coast of mainland Asia with a long indigenous past and many layers of newcomers: Austronesian peoples, Dutch and Spanish traders, a Ming loyalist named Koxinga, the Qing dynasty, the Japanese empire, and finally the Republic of China. Since 1949 it has been governed separately from the mainland People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China (PRC) says Taiwan is part of "one China" and should one day be reunified. Many people in Taiwan see the place they live as a self-governing democracy with its own elections, free press, and way of life, and opinion there ranges from keeping things as they are to seeking formal independence to favoring unification. Most countries in the world have formal diplomatic ties with the PRC and not with Taiwan, while the United States keeps a deliberately unclear security stance. Taiwan is also a global technology powerhouse, especially in advanced computer chips. This chapter explains how all of that came to be, fairly and without taking a side on who is right about sovereignty.

Key takeaways

• Taiwan's first peoples were Austronesian, and scholars who study language consider the island a likely starting point of the great Austronesian spread across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
• Wave after wave of outside rule (Dutch, Spanish, the Zheng family, the Qing, Japan, and the Republic of China) layered new cultures on top of the indigenous base.
• The Chinese Civil War split the mainland from Taiwan in 1949, creating a divide that is still unresolved and is one of the world's most watched flashpoints.
• Taiwan moved from decades of one-party authoritarian rule and martial law to a vibrant democracy, holding its first direct presidential election in 1996.
• The status of Taiwan is genuinely disputed: this chapter lays out the PRC view, the views found in Taiwan, and the international situation, and does not decide between them.
• Taiwan today is a dense, modern, democratic society famous for its night markets, its food, and its world-leading semiconductor industry.

Main events at a glance

The land and the deep past

Taiwan is a mountainous island in the western Pacific Ocean, separated from the southeastern coast of the Asian mainland by a stretch of water called the Taiwan Strait. The strait is roughly 130 kilometers (about 80 miles) wide at its narrowest. The island has a tall central mountain range, green forests, a warm and often humid climate, and crowded coastal plains where most people live.

Long before any of the empires you will read about later, Taiwan was home to Austronesian peoples. "Austronesian" is a family of related languages and the peoples who speak them. This family stretches across an astonishing distance, from Madagascar off the coast of Africa, across Southeast Asia, and out to the islands of the Pacific, including places like Hawaii and New Zealand. Many linguists, the scholars who study how languages are related, consider Taiwan to be a likely origin point of this expansion. In other words, the ancestors of peoples spread across thousands of miles of ocean may trace back, in part, to this one island.

The indigenous peoples of Taiwan are not one single group. They include many distinct peoples with their own languages and customs, such as the Amis, Atayal, Paiwan, Bunun, and others. The key point to hold onto is this: these peoples were here first, thousands of years before large numbers of Han Chinese settlers arrived from the mainland.

Don't be confused: "China," the PRC, and the ROC are not the same label. "China" can mean the land and civilization in general, but as a state it usually means the People's Republic of China (PRC), founded in 1949 and governing the mainland. The Republic of China (ROC) is the state founded in 1912 that once governed the mainland and, since 1949, governs Taiwan and some small nearby islands. So when news reports say "China and Taiwan," they usually mean the PRC (mainland) on one side and the ROC (Taiwan) on the other. Both governments have, at different times, claimed to be the legitimate government of all of China, which is a big part of why the dispute is so tangled.

How modern Taiwan was formed

Modern Taiwan was built up in layers, each one leaving traces you can still see today.

The Dutch and Spanish (1600s). In the early 1600s, European trading companies were sailing across Asia looking for profit. The Dutch East India Company set up a trading colony in the south of Taiwan starting in 1624. For a time the Spanish held parts of the north (1626 to 1642) before the Dutch pushed them out. These were small commercial outposts, not full settlement of the island, but they brought Taiwan into a wider web of global trade.

Koxinga and the Zheng family (1662). On the mainland, the Ming dynasty was collapsing and the Qing dynasty was rising. A Ming loyalist commander named Zheng Chenggong, known in the West as Koxinga, refused to accept the new Qing rulers. In 1662 he attacked and drove out the Dutch, taking Taiwan as a base from which he hoped to fight on for the Ming cause. His family ruled the island for about two decades.

The Qing dynasty (from 1683). In 1683 the Qing dynasty defeated the Zheng regime and brought Taiwan under its control. Over the following two centuries, large numbers of Han Chinese migrants crossed from the mainland, mostly from the southeastern coast. The two biggest groups were the Hokkien (also called Hoklo, from Fujian province) and the Hakka, another distinct group with its own dialect and customs. These settlers cleared land for farming and pushed indigenous communities, especially those on the plains, off much of their territory. This migration is why the majority of Taiwan's population today traces its roots to those mainland regions.

Japanese colonial rule (1895 to 1945). In 1895 the Qing dynasty lost a war with Japan and, in the peace treaty, ceded Taiwan to the Japanese empire. For the next fifty years Taiwan was a Japanese colony. Japan invested heavily in roads, railways, ports, schools, sugar and rice production, and public health, modernizing the island in ways that left a lasting mark. Colonial rule could also be harsh and was aimed at serving Japan's interests, and toward the end it pressed Japanese language and culture on the population. Even so, many older Taiwanese grew up speaking Japanese, and Japanese influence remains visible in architecture, food, and daily habits.

Handover to the Republic of China (1945). Japan was defeated in World War II in 1945. As part of the postwar arrangements, control of Taiwan was handed to the Republic of China, which at that time governed the mainland under the Nationalist Party, known as the Kuomintang or KMT, led by Chiang Kai-shek. This handover set the stage for the dramatic events of the next few years.

Big events and conflicts

This section traces the conflicts that shaped Taiwan, with attention to who was allied with whom and to the cross-strait dispute that defines Taiwan's situation today.

The 228 Incident (1947). When the KMT-led Republic of China took over in 1945, many Taiwanese at first welcomed the end of Japanese rule. But tension grew quickly over corruption, economic trouble, and the gap between the newly arrived mainland officials and the local population. In February 1947 a confrontation between officials and ordinary people sparked island-wide protests. The government responded with a violent crackdown, and large numbers of people were killed, including many local elites and intellectuals. This event, known by its date as the 228 Incident (February 28), left deep scars. For decades it could not be openly discussed, and it remains central to how many Taiwanese understand their own history.

The Chinese Civil War and the KMT retreat (1949). On the mainland, the KMT (Nationalists) under Chiang Kai-shek were fighting a civil war against the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong. The Communists won. In 1949 they founded the People's Republic of China on the mainland, while Chiang Kai-shek and the defeated Nationalist government, along with around a million soldiers, officials, and refugees, retreated across the strait to Taiwan. Both sides claimed to be the rightful government of all China. This is the origin of the divide that still exists: the PRC on the mainland and the ROC on Taiwan.

Don't be confused: "mainlanders" and "benshengren." In Taiwan, benshengren (literally "people of this province") usually refers to the Han Chinese families who had settled the island during Qing and earlier times, often Hokkien or Hakka speakers. Waishengren, often translated as "mainlanders," refers to the people who came over with the KMT around 1949 and their descendants. Indigenous peoples are a separate group again, predating both. These distinctions shaped politics and identity for decades, though intermarriage and a shared "Taiwanese" identity have softened them over time.

Martial law and the White Terror (1949 to 1987). After retreating to Taiwan, the KMT ruled as a one-party authoritarian state and declared martial law, which is rule by military authority that suspends normal civil rights. During the period known as the "White Terror," the government imprisoned, and in many cases executed, people suspected of opposing it or of sympathizing with communism. Free political opposition was banned, and fear was widespread. Martial law lasted until 1987, one of the longest such periods in modern history.

The Taiwan Strait crises. Across the strait, the PRC and the ROC remained hostile. In the 1950s there were military confrontations over small ROC-held islands close to the mainland, and the United States, allied with the ROC during the Cold War, backed Taiwan's defense. Decades later, in 1995 to 1996, tensions flared again when the PRC conducted missile tests and military exercises near Taiwan around the time of Taiwan's first direct presidential election, and the United States sent naval forces to the area. These crises showed how quickly the situation could escalate.

The cross-strait dispute today. This is the heart of the matter, and it must be stated carefully because it is genuinely contested.

• The PRC position is that there is only "one China," that Taiwan is a part of it, and that the two should eventually be reunified. The PRC says it prefers peaceful unification but has not renounced the possible use of force, particularly if Taiwan were to declare formal independence.
• The perspective in Taiwan is varied. Taiwan governs itself with its own elected government, military, currency, and laws. Public opinion spans a range: many people favor keeping the status quo (the current self-governing arrangement without a formal declaration either way), some favor formal independence as a separate country, and some favor eventual unification with the mainland. These views are debated openly in Taiwan's democracy.
• The international situation is that most of the world's governments maintain official diplomatic relations with the PRC and not with the ROC, and only a small number of states formally recognize the ROC. The United States follows what is often called "strategic ambiguity": under the Taiwan Relations Act, a US law passed in 1979, the US sells defensive arms to Taiwan and maintains unofficial ties, but it deliberately does not state exactly what it would do if a conflict broke out. The aim of this ambiguity is to discourage both an attack by the PRC and a provocative move toward formal independence by Taiwan.

Because of all this, the Taiwan Strait is widely described as one of the most dangerous potential flashpoints in the world. A neutral telling does not predict the outcome or judge who is right; it simply lays out the positions.

How people lived: daily life and lifestyle

Daily life in Taiwan today is urban, fast, and modern. Most people live in dense cities along the western coastal plain, in apartments and busy neighborhoods served by efficient public transport, including high-speed rail and clean metro systems. It is a highly educated society with a strong work culture and a large, advanced technology industry.

A signature feature of everyday life is the night market, an evening street fair packed with food stalls, games, and shopping. Night markets are where friends and families gather, and they are one of the best windows into ordinary Taiwanese life. Scooters fill the streets, convenience stores are open around the clock and offer far more than snacks, and tea shops are everywhere.

Culture in Taiwan blends several influences: a Han Chinese base (mostly Hokkien and Hakka), strong leftover Japanese habits from the colonial period, indigenous traditions, and global pop culture. People commonly speak Mandarin Chinese, and many also speak Taiwanese Hokkien or Hakka, while indigenous languages survive among their communities. Family ties, festivals, and food sit at the center of social life.

Politically, Taiwan is one of Asia's most open societies. Elections are competitive, the press is free and lively, civil society is active, and protest and debate are normal parts of public life. This openness is fairly recent, dating mainly from the late 1980s, which makes it all the more striking.

Music and the arts

Taiwan has an outsized creative footprint for an island its size. In popular music, it is a heartland of Mandopop, Mandarin-language pop music that is loved across the Chinese-speaking world. Taiwanese singers and songwriters have long shaped the tastes of audiences far beyond the island.

In film, Taiwan produced directors of global stature. Ang Lee won international acclaim and major awards for films ranging from Mandarin-language works to Hollywood productions. Hou Hsiao-hsien is celebrated by critics worldwide for quiet, deeply observed films, including works that look back at Taiwan's own difficult modern history. Taiwanese cinema is often praised for its honesty and artistry.

The wider arts scene benefits from Taiwan's free environment: literature, theater, visual art, and indigenous cultural revival all flourish without the political restrictions found in some neighboring places. This creative freedom is itself a point of pride for many in Taiwan.

Notable people

• Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong): the Ming loyalist who drove out the Dutch in 1662 and established family rule over Taiwan. He is remembered in different ways by different groups and is honored at temples on the island.
• Chiang Kai-shek: leader of the KMT (Nationalists) who lost the Chinese Civil War on the mainland and led the Republic of China government in its retreat to Taiwan in 1949, then ruled as an authoritarian leader until his death.
• Chiang Ching-kuo: son of Chiang Kai-shek and later leader of Taiwan. He is associated with major economic development and, importantly, with steps near the end of his life that opened the door to ending martial law and to political reform.
• Lee Teng-hui: the first Taiwan-born president and a central figure in democratization. Under him Taiwan held its first direct presidential election in 1996, and he is often called the "father of Taiwan's democracy."
• Tsai Ing-wen: elected president in 2016, the first woman to hold the office. Her time in office featured careful handling of cross-strait tensions and emphasis on Taiwan's democratic identity.
• Ang Lee: the internationally celebrated film director, one of Taiwan's most famous cultural figures worldwide.

Religion, coexistence, and minorities

Taiwan is known for a rich and tolerant religious life. Many people follow a blend of Chinese folk religion, Taoism, and Buddhism, often without drawing sharp lines between them. Temples are everywhere, from grand complexes to small neighborhood shrines, and they are centers of community life as much as worship. Colorful festivals, processions honoring local deities, and the burning of incense and offerings are common sights.

Christianity is a minority faith overall but is notably strong among the indigenous Austronesian peoples, where missionary work in the past reached many communities. Other faiths are present as well, and religious freedom is broadly respected.

On minorities: the indigenous Austronesian peoples make up roughly 2 percent of the population today. For much of history they were marginalized, pushed off land, and pressured to assimilate, first under various Han Chinese settlers and later under Japanese and then KMT rule. In recent decades there has been growing recognition of their rights, languages, and cultures, including official acknowledgment of distinct indigenous peoples and efforts to preserve their heritage. The Hakka are another important group with their own language and traditions, and they too have seen renewed cultural recognition. Alongside the larger Hokkien-descended majority and the post-1949 mainlander community, these groups make up the human mosaic of modern Taiwan.

Food: Taiwan's own table

Taiwanese food is one of the island's great pleasures, and it is very much its own cuisine, shaped by Hokkien and Hakka roots, Japanese influence, indigenous ingredients, and local invention.

A national favorite is beef noodle soup, a hearty bowl of braised beef, broth, and noodles that many consider a signature dish. The true heart of Taiwanese eating, though, is xiaochi, which means "small eats," the snack-sized street foods sold at night markets. These include the famous oyster omelette, savory pancakes, stinky tofu, braised pork rice, pepper buns, and countless skewers and fried treats.

Taiwan is also the birthplace of bubble tea, also known as boba or pearl milk tea, the now globally popular drink of sweet milky tea with chewy tapioca pearls. From Taiwan it has spread to cities around the world. Tea culture more broadly is strong, with high-mountain oolong teas prized by drinkers. The overall style of Taiwanese cooking tends to be fresh, varied, and built around sharing and snacking, perfectly suited to the bustle of the night market.

Everyday life: relationships, family, and home

Family is at the center of social life in Taiwan, and so is a long tradition of filial piety, the value of caring for and respecting one's parents and elders. That tradition continues today, but with a modern twist: adult children may live apart from parents and build their own careers while still staying closely involved, visiting often, and helping support aging relatives. Grandparents frequently play a large role in raising children and in holding the wider family together.

Dating and marriage are largely modern and personal choices. People meet through friends, work, school, and online apps, and couples decide for themselves when and whom to marry. Taiwan's society is relatively liberal on these matters. In 2019 Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, a notable milestone in the region.

Raising children is taken seriously, with a strong emphasis on education (more on that below). Respect for elders shows up in small daily ways, such as letting older people speak first or offering them a seat. Taiwan is also very pet-friendly: dogs and cats are common companions, and pet shops, cafes, and parks welcome them.

Homes follow some customs worth knowing. It is normal to remove your shoes when entering a home, and often slippers are offered for indoor use. Cleanliness and tidiness are valued. Urban life is safe, convenient, and friendly to night owls: convenience stores, eateries, and transport make it easy to get things done late, and streets in cities are generally calm and well used into the evening.

School, work, and the economy

Education in Taiwan is demanding and highly valued. Students face a serious exam culture, with important tests shaping which schools and universities they can enter. To prepare, students of many ages attend cram schools, known as buxiban, which are private after-hours classes for extra study in subjects like math, English, and science. This adds up to long study days for students.

Work culture can also be intense, with long working hours common in some industries. Taiwan has a strong technology sector, and its tech and manufacturing firms are known for hard-driving, detail-focused workplaces.

The economy is advanced and high-income. It is led by electronics and semiconductors, the tiny chips that run modern devices. Taiwan is home to TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), one of the most important chip makers in the world, central to the global supply of advanced chips. Alongside this high-tech core, Taiwan has machinery, petrochemicals, and a busy network of small and medium-sized businesses, plus a large services sector. Trade is a major part of the economy.

Language, idioms, and words to know

The main language is Mandarin Chinese, used in schools, government, and media. One feature stands out: Taiwan writes Mandarin in traditional Chinese characters, the older, fuller character forms, rather than the simplified characters used on the mainland. So the same spoken language can look different in writing.

Beyond Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien (often just called Taiwanese) is widely spoken, especially in homes and informal settings. Hakka is spoken by the Hakka community, and the indigenous Austronesian peoples have their own distinct languages, which are being revived and taught.

A few useful phrases:

• Ni hao means "hello."
• Xiexie means "thank you."
• Zaijian means "goodbye."

A few real and well-known Chinese proverbs (chengyu and common sayings) and their meanings:

• Ru yu de shui ("like a fish getting water"): to be in your perfect element, in a situation that suits you well.
• Hua she tian zu ("draw a snake and add feet"): to ruin something by overdoing it or adding what is not needed.
• Yi jian shuang diao ("one arrow, two hawks"): to achieve two goals with a single action, much like the English "two birds with one stone."

When in doubt about written Chinese, remember the traditional-character difference: text aimed at Taiwan generally uses traditional forms.

Famous places to know

• Taipei: the capital and largest city in the north, home to the Taipei 101 skyscraper, lively night markets, and the National Palace Museum, which holds one of the world's great collections of Chinese art and artifacts.
• Sun Moon Lake: a scenic mountain lake in central Taiwan, popular for its calm water, views, and nearby temples.
• Taroko Gorge: a dramatic marble-walled canyon on the east side, known for its cliffs, rivers, and hiking trails.
• Tainan: the island's old capital in the south, rich in historic temples, forts, and traditional food.
• Alishan: a mountain area famous for sunrises above a "sea of clouds," forest railways, and high-mountain tea.

Fitting in: visiting, impressing people, and being a good citizen

Taiwan is widely considered very visitor-friendly, and a little courtesy goes a long way. Politeness and patience are appreciated. The idea of "face", meaning a person's dignity and reputation, matters, so avoid embarrassing others in public and stay calm in disagreements.

A few practical customs:

• Queuing is orderly; wait your turn, including for the metro and at popular food stalls.
• Tipping is not expected in most places, and prices generally include service.
• When exchanging business cards or gifts, use two hands as a sign of respect, and accept items the same way.
• Night-market and food culture is central to social life; trying local dishes and sharing food is a friendly thing to do.

On a sensitive point: how to refer to Taiwan and China can be a delicate matter, and people hold a range of views. The respectful approach is to use care, avoid assuming a conclusion about the sovereignty question, and let people describe their own identity rather than labeling it for them. Listening more than pronouncing is a good rule.

To make a good impression, be friendly, curious, and humble, show interest in the food and culture, and treat people and places with respect. Being a good citizen or guest mostly comes down to ordinary good conduct: follow local rules, keep public spaces clean, and be considerate of others.

Taiwan generally welcomes visitors, but entry rules such as visas and any health requirements can change. Always check the current, official requirements before you travel. This is general information, not legal advice.

Suggested reading, news, and links

Books. For history and context, look for a reputable general history of Taiwan or a balanced analysis of the cross-strait relationship. If you are not sure a specific title is reliable, prefer well-reviewed academic or journalistic works and check the author's background and the publisher rather than relying on any single book.

News. For international coverage, the BBC and Reuters are widely used and reputable. For coverage based in Taiwan, Focus Taiwan (the English service of the Central News Agency, CNA) and the Taipei Times are commonly read English-language sources.

Useful links.

• The official Taiwan tourism site (search for "Taiwan Tourism Administration" or "Taiwan tourism official site").
• A country profile from the BBC (search "BBC Taiwan profile").
• An encyclopedia overview from Britannica (britannica.com).

When in doubt about any source, cross-check facts across more than one reputable outlet.

Today, and how to talk about it

Today Taiwan is a prosperous, democratic society of around 23 million people and a heavyweight in the global economy. It is most famous internationally for its semiconductor industry, the making of the advanced computer chips that power phones, cars, and data centers worldwide. The company TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is a world leader, and its importance gives Taiwan a unique weight in the global economy and in international politics. This is sometimes called Taiwan's "silicon shield," the idea that its central role in the chip supply chain affects how the wider world views its security.

Identity in Taiwan has shifted over time. Surveys over recent decades show a growing number of people identifying primarily as "Taiwanese," sometimes alongside and sometimes in place of a "Chinese" identity. This evolving sense of self is a major theme in Taiwan's politics and in the cross-strait debate.

How should a careful reader talk about all this? A few principles help:

• Use precise labels. "PRC" or "mainland China" for the People's Republic; "Taiwan" or "ROC" for the island's government. Avoid sloppy shorthand that assumes the conclusion.
• Present the positions, not a verdict. The PRC view, the range of views in Taiwan, and the international stance can all be stated plainly without declaring which is correct.
• Recognize the stakes. Real people live with this uncertainty, and the issue carries serious risk, so it deserves to be discussed with care rather than slogans.

The honest summary is that Taiwan's status is unresolved and disputed. What is not in dispute is that Taiwan has a deep indigenous past, a layered history of outside rule, a hard road from authoritarianism to democracy, a beloved food and arts culture, and a place near the center of one of the most important and delicate questions in the world today.

Next, we turn from this island to a whole continent: How Europe was shaped (How Europe was shaped). 👉