How Taiwanese People Perceive the World

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1. 

   cat  |  August 12th, 2008 at 9:53 pm #

   The original version of this map is “How the USA People Perceive the World” and I also saw another version as “How Korean People Perceive the World” as well as “How Shanghainese People Perceive the Country (China)” and “How Beijing People perceive the Country”. I am expecting someone to give a “How Israeli People Perceive the World”. It is interesting to note, in this map, the region that corresponds to the state of Mongolia is marked “Ours” :)

2. 

   fiLi  |  August 13th, 2008 at 8:15 am #

   cat – no too long ago, all of China was probably mentally marked as “ours” by Taiwan, very much in the same way “Taiwan” is now marked as “ours” by the Chinese. They call this the 1992 consensus. Ah, the irony. :P

   Let me know if you find that “how Israelis perceive the world” version. Couldn’t find it in a quick search.

3. 

   cat  |  August 14th, 2008 at 5:12 am #

   No, not “ago”, but still “now”. According to the Constitution of the Republic of China the territory of ROC includes Mongolia (both outer and inner Mongolias), and if you take a look at an official map of ROC you’ll find both mainland China (including “outer” Mongolia) and Taiwan are painted the same color.

   And I wonder if you understand the exact content of the 1992 consensus. Here I only cite the words from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_consensus
   for your reference: “The Consensus is that, on the subject of the “One China principle”, both sides recognise there is only one China – both mainland China and Taiwan belong to the same China, but agree to differ on the definition of that one China.”

4. 

   fiLi  |  August 14th, 2008 at 1:17 pm #

   cat – The current constitution of the ROC has never been accepted by the Taiwanese people themselves, but rather inflicted upon them by a foreign power who ruled them with force for over 30 years. No Taiwanese that I know of, even those extreme blue, sees Mongolia as their own. Very few, extremely few, see China as their own, but there are a few that see China as their home.

   As for the so called (1992) consensus, thanks for quoting Wikipedia for me. It’s exactly what I meant in my previous comment.
   But, since we’re discussing this consensus, it’s maybe relevant to note that it wasn’t really a consensus but rather a title for political discussions that resulted in little actual consensus. It’s one of those cases where the media reinvents history and is used as political maneuvers by parties with a certain political agenda. The “One China – two definitions” way still lives, especially in Taiwan’s struggle to keep the 20+ countries on their side at the UN and with the annual attempt to “rejoin” the UN rather than “apply to be accepted”, but even my KMT friends find that to be very outdated and somewhat irrelevant. I wonder how 4 years of more modern KMT rule would affect that.

5. 

   cat  |  August 19th, 2008 at 3:38 am #

   I wonder if there is any poll or survey on the acceptance of the ROC Constitution. On many occasions personal experience is misleading. I know you resided in Tainan, the hometown of former DPP president Chen Shui-bien and a stronghold of the Pan-Greens, so it is not strange.
   Opinions on whether taking the ROC regime as a foreign power, just like whether Taiwan should be independent legally, are greatly divided between the Blues and Greens. Debates on such topics, surely as you know, have been undertaken deeply and numerously and an unanimous conclusion has never, if ever, been reached inside Taiwan. I would just like to point out that however the Greens and their supporters do not like it the only fact that they have to face squarely is the current mainstream of the public opinion in Taiwan is to maintain the status quo and any action in abandoning ROC with claiming the legal independence of Taiwan is not dangerous, but disastrous for Taiwan itself. And this is rightly the significance of the 1992 consensus. By this meaning it is not outdate at all.

6. 

   fiLi  |  August 19th, 2008 at 3:57 am #

   cat – as Taiwan’s president often refers to the 1992 consensus as the basis for the Taiwan-China talks, it’s no longer outdated, but the title used is misleading.

   My personal experiences, though from both living in Taipei and Tainan, are irrelevant. There are endless polls reported by Taipei Times and China Post about the Taiwanese perception of self identity and relations with China, and I imagine that what you suggest regarding the status-quo is somewhat true, although the reasons might be a bit different – I think it has little to do with feeling Chinese or Taiwanese and more to do with fearing China.

   If the China threat for war and for possible economic isolation wouldn’t exist, I believe a big majority of Taiwanese would gladly advance beyond the status-quo towards independence. There are no polls to support such a claim, but I imagine all the Taiwanese I’ve talked politics with would agree, Green or Blue. This has also affected the two UN bids and the KMT boycotting those bids with the latest presidential elections. The fear of how China might react to a certain political move by the Taiwanese government directs public attitude towards that subject, and although China and the Chinese might see that as something positive in their Taiwan policy, I think it contributes to promoting exactly the opposite – the dislike for the Chinese and an enhanced reinvented national Taiwanese identity. I think the KMT being in power has to do more with DPP corruption and the Taiwanese economy than with Taiwanese attitudes towards independence, but that interpretation could easily be disputed.

7. 

   cat  |  August 19th, 2008 at 4:40 am #

   Taiwan, as a political body, has already been independent from the mainland. The problem is only about the name and international space. I wonder when the PRC were no more a threat and got much weaker and the ROC were the only legal representative of China would it pursue to change its name any more? Incidentally, by that time, if it would happen ever, I’m afraid not only Taiwan but many other provinces would also pursue independence, just like what have happened repeatedly in China’s long history.

8. 

   mike dunn  |  September 18th, 2008 at 3:37 am #

   Good one, Fili. But the US should be: $$$$$, not ‘Evil empire’ Best, Mike

9. 

   Spacecat  |  December 10th, 2009 at 9:47 am #

   I've been in Taiwan for 11 years now. This map is absolute bullshit. Whoever slapped it together doesn't have a teaspoon of understanding about the people or the culture here.

10. 

    Spacecat  |  December 10th, 2009 at 3:47 pm #

    I've been in Taiwan for 11 years now. This map is absolute bullshit. Whoever slapped it together doesn't have a teaspoon of understanding about the people or the culture here.

11. 

    J. Michael Dunn  |  February 27th, 2010 at 4:56 pm #

    Good, but USA should be $$$$ insead of Evil empire' click on map to enlarge!!!

12. 

    J. Michael Dunn  |  February 27th, 2010 at 4:59 pm #

    Good, but USA should be $$$$$ instead of Evil Empire. click on map to enlarge. Chairman mike