The Early Development History of the Relationship between Taiwanese Nationalism and Chinese Nationalism

Abstract

This article aims to sort out the historical context of the first eighty years of the emergence and development of Taiwanese nationalism and explore the relationship between Taiwanese nationalism and Chinese nationalism. Taiwanese nationalism originated during the Japanese occupation. The unequal rule of the Japanese colonial government on the Taiwanese islanders united the Taiwanese people and formed an ideological community. At the same time, the Japanese government brought modern political concepts and environment to the island of Taiwan, providing fertile soil for the development of nationalism. During the Japanese occupation, Taiwan's nationalism was China's nationalism. The people of Taiwan identify with the cultural and ideological traditions of the Chinese nation and hope to return to the embrace of the motherland. However, the Kuomintang government's violent and corrupt rule over the Taiwanese people after liberation greatly disappointed the islanders. They gradually realized that the Kuomintang government was backward and that Taiwan could no longer become part of mainland China. After the February 28th Incident, Taiwanese nationalism further developed. Unlike Chinese nationalism, the Taiwanese formed a new nation of political and cultural self-determination.