I remember when during my freshman year, I asked a Taiwanese friend if I looked like a citizen. Without a moment's hesitation, a prompt "no" left his mouth. To be fair, I wasn't particularly surprised (for reasons I thought were important), since I hadn't been back in two years, didn't follow trends, and had no idea what the current look was. Now that I've been back recently, I understand how different I looked from everybody else back then, in the way I dressed, the way I did my hair, down to even my complexion. Although I wasn't surprised by my friend, his words stuck like gooey tar. Painful and forever clinging. I couldn't help but feel that the only culture I ever would feel a true sense of belonging would cast me as an outsider by my physical appearance alone. So the question that eventually developed was: just how Taiwanese am I really?
Let me give some background history of Taiwan. Taiwan's human history dates back (with evidence of settlements) approximately 30,000 years. Aborigines is a term used to describe Taiwanese indigenous people. Their ancestors supposedly inhabited Taiwan 4,000 years ago, and were related to Austronesian and Polynesians. Through interactions between the indigenous people and the later majority Chinese population, such as intermarriage, some Taiwanese physical characteristics came into existence. The rest came from foreign rule and inhabitation that altered, added, subtracted, or enhanced the then present gene pool. In the 1600s, it was the Dutch that made an establishment in Taiwan. Even the French had control of Keelung from 1884 to 1885, and held a campaign in Taiwan by fighting the Sino-French War in August 1884. Japan had complete control over Taiwan in 1895, after Japanese forces entered the capital at Tainan (at the time). Though not ideal, Japanese rule had a significant impact on Taiwanese culture and even its infrastructure. For example, education became mandatory for school age children. The Presidential Building was even built under Japan's watch. Until October 25, 1945, when the US Navy obtained the formal surrender of Japanese military in Taipei, Taiwan had not known much about self governing. It's culture and people had adapted over the centuries, with the original genetic code hidden deep within the growing and often foreign population.
As most Taiwanese know, the Cairo Conference declared the post-war Allies agreement, that all territories of China stolen by Japan would be returned. However, Taiwan was listed as one such Chinese territory (extremely debatable), effectively granting China total sovereignty over the island. Naturally, due to an unstable government, language, and cultural barriers, there resulted significant Taiwanese unrest. This of course led to the reign of White Terror in which thousands of Taiwanese were tortured and punished for their real or falsified resistance to the Republic of China government. After the Chinese Civil War, in which the Nationalist party lost power to the rising Communist party, the Kuomintang (KMT/nationalist) party relocated from Nanjing to Taipei, fortifying the Republic of China's presence in Taiwan (adding some 2 million people and soldiers). From 1948 to 1987, Taiwan was ruled by the KMT under martial law. As the Civil War continued without truce, KMT soldiers built the Central Cross-Island Highway in the 1950s, on the smaller Eastern Taiwanese islands, to have military clashes with Chinese Communist soldiers. Considering my dad's stories and age, I'm guessing this is where he completed his military draft service as a second-lieutenant. The next bit is from wikipedia:
"In 1986, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was formed and inaugurated as the first opposition party in Taiwan to counter the KMT. A year later Chiang Ching-kuo lifted martial law. After the death of Chiang Ching-Kuo in January 1988, Dr. Lee Teng-hui succeed as President and became the first ethnically Taiwanese president of the ROC. Lee continued to democratize the government and decrease the concentration of government authority in the hands of mainland Chinese. Under Lee, Taiwan underwent a process of localization in which Taiwanese culture and history were promoted over a pan-China viewpoint in contrast to earlier KMT policies which had promoted a Chinese identity"
So that mostly catches us up to modern times. The question remains until now, where does my family fit in? Most Taiwanese families extend three to maybe 5 generations maximum. This makes sense since Taiwan's population today is estimated at 23.2 million, with 98% being of Han Chinese ethnicity. 86% are descendants of early Han Chinese immigrants, clumped together by the term "native Taiwanese" with Taiwanese aborigines. Of this ~86%, 70% migrated from Southern Fujian, and 16% migrated from Guangdong 12% of the total population are 外省人, and they are immigrants post Chinese Civil War.
As most people who've attempted this know, tracing one's lineage beyond the times of computers and databases, hard files, and even DNA proof is difficult and subject to significant error. Fortunately for my father's side, there was one doctor in the family (in my great grandfather's generation) who went to 台大醫學院 (interesting sidenote), and accumulated a large fortune. For whatever reason, he had a great interest in his lineage, and supposedly spent a large percentage of his wealth in Chiayi, digging through old records, speaking with neighbors with a seemingly similar origin, and hiring employees to help with the legitimization process. My father was given part of the task of transcribing some of the findings from pen to paper. The results are something I really just learned more in detail yesterday.
So finally, the part you've been waiting for. You're probably asking, why did I talk so much about Taiwan's history when all I was questioning was the age of my family tree. But it's important, you'll see. Ultimately, this doctor discovered that my family extends further than ten generations Taiwanese and originated from Han China, like the large majority. But considering we are at the very least (since it was generally practiced within my family to marry at approximately 20 and have children), 200 years native. We saw the Sino-French war, and lived through the Japanese and KMT rule to tell this story today, coming around circle back to my question. I spent this time discussing Taiwanese history, because for the most part, it is MY history. America's history begins (not including the indigenous indians) 200+ years ago. A large majority of America's population immigrated several years after the Revolution, and thus, despite proposed ties to the country, or deep cultural connections, these people are not much more "American" than most Taiwanese are measurably Taiwanese. In contrast, my family has experienced Taiwan since its hallmark rise into the textbooks. Through thick and thin, through foreign and indigenous rule, my family somehow stayed intact long enough for me to type this today. I can think of few things i'm prouder of. So I think it goes without saying that one day, I would very much like to read the book of my relative's findings, and retrace his steps. Being a Born-Again Taiwanese and a inherent skeptic, I am drawn towards a rediscovery of my origins. Rather, my ethnicity demands it.
Overall, a lot of this is based on one man's findings, but it is tremendously encouraging to think my friend was wrong. Nowadays, I'm not bothered by his response, but instead use it as a nifty introduction to my history. I am no longer unsure of who I am, but instead am certain that I am a descendant of a proud people (and that quite frankly, is enough). Forgetting lineage and family trees for just a moment, I am Taiwanese ultimately because I choose to identify myself as such. Though next time when I hear a similar response to my question, i'll be sure to interject with a snarky comment that they are significantly less Taiwanese than me. Like a mudblood, or something (rude....).
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