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] festival in ], Taiwan]] | ] festival in ], Taiwan]] | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}} | ||
⚫ | The '''culture of Taiwan''' is a blend of ] and ] cultures.{{sfnp|Huang|1994|pp=1–5}} ] has significantly influenced Taiwanese culture as well.<ref>黃文儀,《士大夫與羅漢腳》,《文教台灣》第092期</ref> The common socio-political experience in ] gradually developed into a sense of Taiwanese ] and a feeling of Taiwanese cultural awareness, which has been widely debated domestically.{{sfnp|Yip|2004|pp=230–248}}{{sfnp|Makeham|2005|pp=2–8}}{{sfnp|Chang|2005|p=224}} | ||
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|s=台湾文化 | |||
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|l=Taiwanese culture | |||
|p=Táiwān wénhuà | |||
|w= | |||
|poj=Tâi-oân bûn-hoà | |||
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}} | |||
⚫ | The '''culture of Taiwan''' is a blend of ] ] and ] cultures.{{sfnp|Huang|1994|pp=1–5}} |
||
Reflecting the continuing controversy surrounding the ], politics continues to play a role in the conception and development of a Taiwanese cultural identity |
Reflecting the continuing controversy surrounding the ], politics continues to play a role in the conception and development of a Taiwanese cultural identity. In recent years, the concept of Taiwanese ] has been proposed as a relatively apolitical alternative view, which has allowed for the inclusion of mainlanders and other minority groups into the continuing re-definition of Taiwanese culture as collectively held systems of meaning and customary patterns of thought and behavior shared by the ].{{sfnp|Hsiau|2005|pp=125–129}}{{sfnp|Winckler|1994|pp=23–41}} | ||
==State cultural policy overview== | ==State cultural policy overview== | ||
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] dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989)]] | ] dancer in traditional aboriginal dress (1989)]] | ||
Before the ] ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895, Taiwan's culture was characterized by Qing frontier societies of |
Before the ] ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895, Taiwan's culture was characterized by Qing frontier societies of farmers and highland ]. Due to Taiwan's strategic location along East Asian trade routes, the Taiwanese were also exposed to cosmopolitan influences and the effects of European commerce. By the middle of the Japanese era (1895–1945), Taiwan had begun to shift from local to contemporary global culture, under the guidance of Japanese style "westernization". Beginning during Japan's build-up for war,{{sfnp|Wachman|1994|pp=6–7}} Japan invigorated its policies to Japanize Taiwan for mobilization against the Allies. Japan's effort taught Taiwan's elite Japanese culture and language but did not largely interfere in religious organizations. When Japan's suppressive wartime policies were lifted following ], the Taiwanese were eager to continue with their prewar ] activities.{{sfnp|Mendel|1970|pp=13–14}} Japan's colonial legacy has shaped many of the customs and mannerisms of the Taiwanese. Japan's colonial legacy is still visible, due to Japan's massive effort in constructing Taiwan's economic infrastructure and industrial base, which is often cited as a major factor in Taiwan's rapid ].{{sfnp|Gold|1986|pp=21–32}} | ||
==KMT era cultural policy== | ==KMT era cultural policy== | ||
{{Main article|History of KMT cultural policy}} | {{Main article|History of KMT cultural policy}} | ||
During the early postwar period the ] (KMT) suppressed Taiwanese cultural expression and barred Taiwanese from cosmopolitan life except in the spheres of science and technology.{{sfnp|Winckler|1994|p=29}} The authoritarian KMT dominated public cultural space and |
During the early postwar period the ] (KMT) suppressed Taiwanese cultural expression and barred Taiwanese from cosmopolitan life except in the spheres of science and technology.{{sfnp|Winckler|1994|p=29}} The authoritarian KMT dominated public cultural space and nationalist networks became a part of cultural institutions, leaving little resource for cultural autonomy to grow.{{sfnp|Phillips|2003|pp=10–15}} | ||
Under the early KMT, Taiwan was realigned from a Japanese imperial center to a |
Under the early KMT, Taiwan was realigned from a Japanese imperial center to a nationalist center, under the influence of KMT and American ] interests.{{CN|date=December 2022}} Although American cultural activities were modest, they played a significant role in Taiwan's developing cultural scene. The KMT claimed a loss of morale led to "losing China" and thus the state issued a series of ideological reforms aimed to "retake" China, which became the major state cultural program of the time. The immediate preoccupation with losing China diverted long-term investment in the humanities and social sciences. On another level, the state's main objective was to "]" the Taiwanese by teaching them ] and Nationalist ideology through compulsory primary education.{{sfnp|Wachman|1994|pp=82–88}} | ||
By the late 1940s the KMT had ] for its cultural policies. When the Taiwanese had resumed the cultural activities, which were outlawed by the Japanese in 1937, the Nationalist attitude was that the local Taiwanese had been Japanese "slaves" and would therefore have to complete a period of moral and ideological tutelage before they could enjoy their full rights as citizens of the ].{{sfnp|Kerr|1965|pp=72;266}} The ] destroyed Taiwan's urban elite and the arrival of the mainlander elite ensured Nationalist domination of urban cultural centers.{{sfnp|Gates|1981|pp=266–269}} | By the late 1940s the KMT had ] for its cultural policies. When the Taiwanese had resumed the cultural activities, which were outlawed by the Japanese in 1937, the Nationalist attitude was that the local Taiwanese had been Japanese "slaves" and would therefore have to complete a period of moral and ideological tutelage before they could enjoy their full rights as citizens of the ].{{sfnp|Kerr|1965|pp=72;266}} The ] destroyed Taiwan's urban elite and the arrival of the mainlander elite ensured Nationalist domination of urban cultural centers.{{sfnp|Gates|1981|pp=266–269}} | ||
In 1953, Generalissimo ] issued his first major opinion on culture to complete ]'s ], which included prescribing Nationalist curriculum for education, building facilities for intellectual and physical recreation and the major state cultural program of promoting anti-communist propaganda.{{sfnp|Winckler|1994|p=30}} In regard to Taiwanese cultural life, the major thrust was for "universalization" of education in Mandarin, which was enforced by law. Despite the hard-line |
In 1953, Generalissimo ] issued his first major opinion on culture to complete ]'s ], which included prescribing Nationalist curriculum for education, building facilities for intellectual and physical recreation and the major state cultural program of promoting anti-communist propaganda.{{sfnp|Winckler|1994|p=30}} In regard to Taiwanese cultural life, the major thrust was for "universalization" of education in Mandarin, which was enforced by law. Despite the hard-line control over culture, the Soviet advances in technology led to a new Nationalist focus on building closer cooperation with American universities and developing engineering programs.{{sfnp|Wilson|1970|}} The American presence in Taiwan also encouraged Taiwanese to resume some politically, ethnically neutral cultural activities, which was expressed in a flourishing Taiwanese-language media market.{{sfnp|Winckler|1994|p=32}} | ||
Between the 1960s and the 1980s Taiwan's culture was described by its media as the contrast between Taiwan (Free China) and China (Communist China), often drawing from the official tropes of Taiwan as a bastion of traditional Chinese culture, which had preserved "true" Chinese values against the "false" Chinese values of post Communist China. At the same time, Taiwanese cultural expressions were brutally suppressed by Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT. In response to the ] of China, the government of Taiwan began promoting the ]" (中華文化復興運動), with a myriad of programs designed to promote traditional Chinese culture to counter the communist movement on the mainland which aimed at uprooting the "]". These programs involved subsidized publication of ], the symbolic functions of the ], promoting famous prewar scholars to prominent positions in government and academic institutions, textbook and curriculum design with a focus on the official view of "traditional" Chinese culture and involvement in social and community events and the exemplification of Confucian ideology intertwined with ] thought.{{cn|date=November 2021}} | |||
==Taiwanization== | ==Taiwanization== | ||
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Apart from the syncretic form of traditional Chinese folk religion, ] is the major distinguishing trait of modern Taiwanese Buddhism. Humanistic Buddhism traces its roots to Chinese monk ] (1890–1947), who promoted more direct contributions to society through the Buddhist community and was a significant influence for ], who is generally considered to be the key figure who brought Humanistic Buddhism to Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masterlee.url.tw/talk/interview/1-2-0.htm|title=解嚴後台灣佛教新興教派之研究|work=url.tw|access-date=14 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103031356/http://www.masterlee.url.tw/talk/interview/1-2-0.htm|archive-date=3 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> | Apart from the syncretic form of traditional Chinese folk religion, ] is the major distinguishing trait of modern Taiwanese Buddhism. Humanistic Buddhism traces its roots to Chinese monk ] (1890–1947), who promoted more direct contributions to society through the Buddhist community and was a significant influence for ], who is generally considered to be the key figure who brought Humanistic Buddhism to Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masterlee.url.tw/talk/interview/1-2-0.htm|title=解嚴後台灣佛教新興教派之研究|work=url.tw|access-date=14 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103031356/http://www.masterlee.url.tw/talk/interview/1-2-0.htm|archive-date=3 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Christian churches have been active in Taiwan for many years, a majority of which are Protestant (with 2.6% of the population identifying themselves as Protestant)<ref name="taipei times"/> with Presbyterians playing a particularly significant role. The ] has been active in promoting human rights and the use of the spoken and written ] (see ]), both during Japanese rule, as well as the martial law period of the Republic of China, during which the exclusive use of ] was legally mandated. As such, the church has been associated with the ] and the ] coalition.{{cn|date=November 2021}} | |||
Several Taiwanese religious organizations have extended their operations beyond the country. Several organizations, especially ] (]), ], ] and ], have set up branch temples (or centres) and extended their humanitarian or missionary works around the world.{{cn|date=November 2021}} | Several Taiwanese religious organizations have extended their operations beyond the country. Several organizations, especially ] (]), ], ] and ], have set up branch temples (or centres) and extended their humanitarian or missionary works around the world.{{cn|date=November 2021}} | ||
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==Food== | ==Food== | ||
] | ] | ||
{{Main article|Chinese cuisine}} | |||
{{Main article|Taiwanese cuisine}} | {{Main article|Taiwanese cuisine}} | ||
] (also known as ] or boba) is a popular tea drink available in many parts of the world. A notable Japanese influence exists due to the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. Taiwanese cuisine itself is often associated with influences from mid to southern provinces of China, most notably from the province of ], but influences from all of China can easily be found due to the large number of Chinese who immigrated to Taiwan at end of the ] and when Taiwan was under Chinese rule (ROC). In the process, Taiwan developed a distinct style of cuisine.{{cn|date=November 2021}} | |||
==Languages== | ==Languages== | ||
{{Unreferenced|section|date=November 2021}} | {{Unreferenced|section|date=November 2021}} | ||
{{Main article|Languages of Taiwan}} | {{Main article|Languages of Taiwan}} | ||
The language with the most native speakers in Taiwan is ], or "Taiwanese" for short, spoken by about 70% of the population |
The language with the most native speakers in Taiwan is ], or "Taiwanese" for short, spoken by about 70% of the population. The ] are the ethnic languages of the ], comprising about 2.3% of the island's population.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 January 2022 |title=Languages of Taiwan |url=https://zinglanguages.com/languages-of-taiwan/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 January 2022 |website=zinglanguages.com}}</ref> | ||
] is the official language and is almost universally spoken and understood. English is taught universally, starting in elementary school. | |||
], derived from Standard Chinese, is spoken at different levels according to the social class and situation of the speakers. | |||
Some terms have different meanings in Taiwan and mainland China, such as: 土豆 (''tǔdòu''), which means peanut in Taiwan, but potato in China. There also exist differences in official<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huang |first=Angel |date=2018-04-11 |title=Mainland Mandarin vs. Taiwanese Mandarin: Pronunciation Differences |url=https://mandarinhq.com/2018/04/mainland-mandarin-taiwanese-mandarin-pronunciation/ |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Mandarin HQ |language=en-US}}</ref> pronunciations of a few words such as 垃圾, which is pronounced ''lèsè'' in Taiwan but ''lājī'' in China, with the former being derived from ]. | Some terms have different meanings in Taiwan and mainland China, such as: 土豆 (''tǔdòu''), which means peanut in Taiwan, but potato in China. There also exist differences in official<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huang |first=Angel |date=2018-04-11 |title=Mainland Mandarin vs. Taiwanese Mandarin: Pronunciation Differences |url=https://mandarinhq.com/2018/04/mainland-mandarin-taiwanese-mandarin-pronunciation/ |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Mandarin HQ |language=en-US}}</ref> pronunciations of a few words such as 垃圾, which is pronounced ''lèsè'' in Taiwan but ''lājī'' in China, with the former being derived from ]. | ||
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==Art== | ==Art== | ||
{{Main article|Taiwanese art}} | {{Main article|Taiwanese art}} | ||
The artistic heritage of Taiwan is extremely diverse. Stonecutters of the ] began to make art on Taiwan at least 30,000 years ago. Around 5,000 years ago jade and earthenware works started to appear. Art was first institutionalized in Taiwan during the Japanese Colonial period and the establishment of public schools dedicated to the fine arts. The Japanese introduced oil and watercolor paintings to Taiwan and Taiwanese artists were heavily influenced by their Japanese counterparts. As was typical of colonel rulers Japanese did not establish tertiary institutions for art education in Taiwan, all students wishing to pursue an advanced degree in the arts had to travel to Japan to do so. When the Nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 they brought many of China's most prestigious artists with them. The Nationalists also established the first art colleges and universities in Taiwan. Along with |
The artistic heritage of Taiwan is extremely diverse. Stonecutters of the ] began to make art on Taiwan at least 30,000 years ago. Around 5,000 years ago jade and earthenware works started to appear. Art was first institutionalized in Taiwan during the Japanese Colonial period and the establishment of public schools dedicated to the fine arts. The Japanese introduced oil and watercolor paintings to Taiwan and Taiwanese artists were heavily influenced by their Japanese counterparts. As was typical of colonel rulers Japanese did not establish tertiary institutions for art education in Taiwan, all students wishing to pursue an advanced degree in the arts had to travel to Japan to do so. When the Nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 they brought many of China's most prestigious artists with them. The Nationalists also established the first art colleges and universities in Taiwan. Along with influences the Nationalists also allowed the United States to establish a series of military bases in Taiwan, American ] and artistic ideas such as ] were introduced to Taiwan by the Americans. Democratization in the late 1980s and the lifting of martial law granted Taiwanese artists freedom of expression for the first time in history. The economic boom of the '80s and '90s also saw the financial resources of Taiwanese museums and patrons increase significantly.<ref name="Taiwan Today" >{{cite web |last1=Chung |first1=Oscar |title=Beauty in Diversity |url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?post=168600&unit=20,35&unitname=Taiwan-Review&postname=Beauty-in-Diversity |website=taiwantoday.tw |date=January 2020 |publisher=Taiwan Today |access-date=27 January 2020}}</ref> By 1990 Taiwan was Asia's biggest art market.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chow |first1=Vivienne |title=Taipei Was Asia's Biggest Market Hub 30 Years Ago. Can a Coterie of Art-World Insiders Return It to Its Former Glory? |url=https://news.artnet.com/market/taipei-dangdai-taiwan-art-market-1762140 |website=news.artnet.com |publisher=Artnet |access-date=27 January 2020}}</ref> As Taiwan's art scene matured there began to be a greater specialization in exhibit spaces with dedicated museums for things like photography and ceramics opening. In the 21st century Taiwan's artistic community embraced new technologies and new mediums.<ref name="Taiwan Today" /> While no longer the largest art market in Asia the tastes of Taiwan's collectors have matured and Taiwan remains the most cutting-edge art market in Asia.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Goldstein |first1=Andrew |title=Where Is Asia's Art Market Headed? Taiwan's New Taipei Dangdai Fair Shows a Region on the Verge of Massive Change |url=https://news.artnet.com/market/taipei-dangdai-and-what-comes-next-1449517 |website=news.artnet.com |publisher=Artnet |access-date=27 January 2020}}</ref> | ||
==Media== | ==Media== | ||
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*Tennis | *Tennis | ||
*Volleyball | *Volleyball | ||
Athletes from Taiwan compete in international sporting events, often under the banner of "]" due to PRC's opposition to the use of "Taiwan" or "ROC" under such circumstances. | |||
==Tea== | ==Tea== | ||
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] is incredibly popular in Taiwan, where it is termed KTV (karaoke television). This is an example of something the Taiwanese have drawn, on scale, from contemporary ]. ] is another example. During typhoons, many young Taiwanese will spend the day singing karaoke or playing ]. Many people enjoy watching ] collectively called ]. | ] is incredibly popular in Taiwan, where it is termed KTV (karaoke television). This is an example of something the Taiwanese have drawn, on scale, from contemporary ]. ] is another example. During typhoons, many young Taiwanese will spend the day singing karaoke or playing ]. Many people enjoy watching ] collectively called ]. | ||
Since 1999, ], known as ''wēnquán'' in |
Since 1999, ], known as ''wēnquán'' in and '']'' in Japanese, have been making a comeback thanks to efforts by the government. Over 100 hot springs have been discovered since the Japanese introduced their rich ] culture to Taiwan, with the largest concentration on the northernmost part of Taiwan island. | ||
] and ] are very popular in Taiwan. Comics, including manga, are called '']'' in Taiwan. It is common to see a manga rental shop or a manga store every couple of streets in larger cities. | ] and ] are very popular in Taiwan. Comics, including manga, are called '']'' in Taiwan. It is common to see a manga rental shop or a manga store every couple of streets in larger cities. | ||
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] from the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan also flourished in Taiwan. ], ] and ] are also very popular as well. In this process, Taiwan produced several hip-hop artists, including ], ], ], and ]. | ] from the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan also flourished in Taiwan. ], ] and ] are also very popular as well. In this process, Taiwan produced several hip-hop artists, including ], ], ], and ]. | ||
] of the culture of Taiwan has been a trend since democratisation in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, after half a century of |
] of the culture of Taiwan has been a trend since democratisation in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, after half a century of ] (KMT) party rule, the first ever democratic change of ruling parties in Taiwan occurred with the election of Chen Shui-bian and his Taiwan-centric ] (DPP), marking an important step towards Taiwanization. While generally the KMT, the other major political party, is also more open to promoting Taiwan's cultural autonomy than in the past, the DPP made Taiwanization a key plank in its political platform. The Chen administration's policies included measures designed to focus on Taiwan while de-emphasizing cultural and historical ties to China. These policies included changes such as revising textbooks and changing school curricula to focus more on Taiwan's own history to the exclusion of China, and changing the names of institutions that contain "China" to "Taiwan". This sometimes led to incongruities such as ] being treated as both a "foreign" historical figure and as the "Father of the Country" (Republic of China). These policies are called ] but have been attacked by detractors as "]", which explains why these policies are generally applauded by most ethnic Taiwanese and opposed by the KMT. | ||
One phenomenon that has resulted from the Taiwanization movement is the advent of ''Taike'' subculture, in which people consciously adopt the wardrobe, language and cuisine to emphasize the uniqueness of popular, groundroots Taiwanese culture, which in previous times had often been seen as provincial and brutally suppressed by ]. | One phenomenon that has resulted from the Taiwanization movement is the advent of ''Taike'' subculture, in which people consciously adopt the wardrobe, language and cuisine to emphasize the uniqueness of popular, groundroots Taiwanese culture, which in previous times had often been seen as provincial and brutally suppressed by ]. | ||
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] Symphony Orchestra on stage in the ] in ] and Play ]'s ]]] | ] Symphony Orchestra on stage in the ] in ] and Play ]'s ]]] | ||
Since 1949, Taiwan had managed to develop itself into the center of Chinese pop culture (also known as "]" or 中文流行文化). Today, the commercial Chinese music industry in the world (especially ] and ]) is still largely dominated by Taiwanese pop artists. Successful Chinese pop artists from other countries (e.g. ], ] from Singapore) are also trained, groomed and ] in Taiwan. Chinese pop artists from other countries who wish to become successful usually have to go to Taiwan to develop their music career. Mandopop and Taiwanese (Hokkien) genre music continue to flourish in Taiwan today. | |||
Ever since the 1990s, Taiwanese variety shows (綜藝節目) had grown from its home base in Taiwan to other parts of the world. Today, it is widely watched and enjoyed by the ] communities in countries such as ], ], ], and the ]. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== |
Revision as of 13:41, 3 June 2023
Culture of a regionThe culture of Taiwan is a blend of Confucian and indigenous Taiwanese cultures. Japanese culture has significantly influenced Taiwanese culture as well. The common socio-political experience in Taiwan gradually developed into a sense of Taiwanese cultural identity and a feeling of Taiwanese cultural awareness, which has been widely debated domestically.
Reflecting the continuing controversy surrounding the political status of Taiwan, politics continues to play a role in the conception and development of a Taiwanese cultural identity. In recent years, the concept of Taiwanese multiculturalism has been proposed as a relatively apolitical alternative view, which has allowed for the inclusion of mainlanders and other minority groups into the continuing re-definition of Taiwanese culture as collectively held systems of meaning and customary patterns of thought and behavior shared by the people of Taiwan.
State cultural policy overview
Main articles: Taiwanese Aborigines and History of TaiwanHistorical context
Main article: Taiwan under Japanese ruleTaiwan's culture and cultural legacy has been largely shaped by the processes of imperialism and colonization as the structural and psychological effects of successive colonial projects have been integral to developing Taiwan's self-image and the evolution of both official and unofficial Taiwanese culture. For most of its colonized existence, Taiwan remained on the cultural margins, far from the centers of civil and cultural life of each regime, and with every regime change, Taiwan's cultural center shifted. At various times Taiwan's cultural center has been indigenous Taiwan, Amsterdam, Amoy (Xiamen), Qing-era Peking, Imperial Japan, postwar China and even, arguably, the United States.
Before the Qing Empire ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895, Taiwan's culture was characterized by Qing frontier societies of farmers and highland Aborigines. Due to Taiwan's strategic location along East Asian trade routes, the Taiwanese were also exposed to cosmopolitan influences and the effects of European commerce. By the middle of the Japanese era (1895–1945), Taiwan had begun to shift from local to contemporary global culture, under the guidance of Japanese style "westernization". Beginning during Japan's build-up for war, Japan invigorated its policies to Japanize Taiwan for mobilization against the Allies. Japan's effort taught Taiwan's elite Japanese culture and language but did not largely interfere in religious organizations. When Japan's suppressive wartime policies were lifted following World War II, the Taiwanese were eager to continue with their prewar cosmopolitan activities. Japan's colonial legacy has shaped many of the customs and mannerisms of the Taiwanese. Japan's colonial legacy is still visible, due to Japan's massive effort in constructing Taiwan's economic infrastructure and industrial base, which is often cited as a major factor in Taiwan's rapid economic development.
KMT era cultural policy
Main article: History of KMT cultural policyDuring the early postwar period the Kuomintang (KMT) suppressed Taiwanese cultural expression and barred Taiwanese from cosmopolitan life except in the spheres of science and technology. The authoritarian KMT dominated public cultural space and nationalist networks became a part of cultural institutions, leaving little resource for cultural autonomy to grow.
Under the early KMT, Taiwan was realigned from a Japanese imperial center to a nationalist center, under the influence of KMT and American geo-political interests. Although American cultural activities were modest, they played a significant role in Taiwan's developing cultural scene. The KMT claimed a loss of morale led to "losing China" and thus the state issued a series of ideological reforms aimed to "retake" China, which became the major state cultural program of the time. The immediate preoccupation with losing China diverted long-term investment in the humanities and social sciences. On another level, the state's main objective was to "sinicize" the Taiwanese by teaching them Mandarin and Nationalist ideology through compulsory primary education.
By the late 1940s the KMT had eliminated dissent for its cultural policies. When the Taiwanese had resumed the cultural activities, which were outlawed by the Japanese in 1937, the Nationalist attitude was that the local Taiwanese had been Japanese "slaves" and would therefore have to complete a period of moral and ideological tutelage before they could enjoy their full rights as citizens of the Republic of China. The February 28 Incident destroyed Taiwan's urban elite and the arrival of the mainlander elite ensured Nationalist domination of urban cultural centers.
In 1953, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek issued his first major opinion on culture to complete Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People, which included prescribing Nationalist curriculum for education, building facilities for intellectual and physical recreation and the major state cultural program of promoting anti-communist propaganda. In regard to Taiwanese cultural life, the major thrust was for "universalization" of education in Mandarin, which was enforced by law. Despite the hard-line control over culture, the Soviet advances in technology led to a new Nationalist focus on building closer cooperation with American universities and developing engineering programs. The American presence in Taiwan also encouraged Taiwanese to resume some politically, ethnically neutral cultural activities, which was expressed in a flourishing Taiwanese-language media market.
Taiwanization
Main article: TaiwanizationAfter 1975
Bentuhua or Taiwanization/Taiwanese localization has become, arguably, the most important symbol of cultural change over the past twenty years. Bentuhua describes the social and cultural movement by the people of Taiwan to identify with Taiwan's unique mixed historical and cultural legacy. Bentuhua has often been associated with Taiwan Name Rectification Campaign, Taiwan Independence, and Taiwanese nationalism.
Religion
Main article: Religion in TaiwanThe prevalent form of religious belief in Taiwan is a blend of Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion, including Chinese ancestral worship, Mazu worship, Wang Ye worship and Zhai Jiao Traditions. However, there are also large numbers of devotees to each of these belief systems.
Apart from the syncretic form of traditional Chinese folk religion, Humanistic Buddhism is the major distinguishing trait of modern Taiwanese Buddhism. Humanistic Buddhism traces its roots to Chinese monk Venerable Taixu (1890–1947), who promoted more direct contributions to society through the Buddhist community and was a significant influence for Venerable Yin Shun, who is generally considered to be the key figure who brought Humanistic Buddhism to Taiwan.
Several Taiwanese religious organizations have extended their operations beyond the country. Several organizations, especially Buddha's Light International Association (Fo Guang Shan), Tzu Chi Foundation, Dharma Drum Mountain and Chung Tai Shan, have set up branch temples (or centres) and extended their humanitarian or missionary works around the world.
Buddhist-Taoist religious belief makes up 93%, Christian 4.5%, and others 2.5%.
Food
Main article: Taiwanese cuisineLanguages
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The language with the most native speakers in Taiwan is Taiwanese Hokkien, or "Taiwanese" for short, spoken by about 70% of the population. The Formosan languages are the ethnic languages of the Taiwanese Aborigines, comprising about 2.3% of the island's population.
Some terms have different meanings in Taiwan and mainland China, such as: 土豆 (tǔdòu), which means peanut in Taiwan, but potato in China. There also exist differences in official pronunciations of a few words such as 垃圾, which is pronounced lèsè in Taiwan but lājī in China, with the former being derived from Shanghainese.
Art
Main article: Taiwanese artThe artistic heritage of Taiwan is extremely diverse. Stonecutters of the Changbin culture began to make art on Taiwan at least 30,000 years ago. Around 5,000 years ago jade and earthenware works started to appear. Art was first institutionalized in Taiwan during the Japanese Colonial period and the establishment of public schools dedicated to the fine arts. The Japanese introduced oil and watercolor paintings to Taiwan and Taiwanese artists were heavily influenced by their Japanese counterparts. As was typical of colonel rulers Japanese did not establish tertiary institutions for art education in Taiwan, all students wishing to pursue an advanced degree in the arts had to travel to Japan to do so. When the Nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 they brought many of China's most prestigious artists with them. The Nationalists also established the first art colleges and universities in Taiwan. Along with influences the Nationalists also allowed the United States to establish a series of military bases in Taiwan, American pop culture and artistic ideas such as abstract expressionism were introduced to Taiwan by the Americans. Democratization in the late 1980s and the lifting of martial law granted Taiwanese artists freedom of expression for the first time in history. The economic boom of the '80s and '90s also saw the financial resources of Taiwanese museums and patrons increase significantly. By 1990 Taiwan was Asia's biggest art market. As Taiwan's art scene matured there began to be a greater specialization in exhibit spaces with dedicated museums for things like photography and ceramics opening. In the 21st century Taiwan's artistic community embraced new technologies and new mediums. While no longer the largest art market in Asia the tastes of Taiwan's collectors have matured and Taiwan remains the most cutting-edge art market in Asia.
Media
Main article: Media of TaiwanTaiwan's freedom of press is guaranteed by the Constitution and its worldwide press freedom index ranks at 32 among 169 nations, as of 2007. Taiwan had been under martial law, with strict restrictions on the press and broadcasting, before political liberalization loosened restrictions in the 1980s.
Sports
Main article: Sport in TaiwanPopular sports in Taiwan include:
- Badminton
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Golf
- Martial arts
- Pool
- Swimming
- Table tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
Tea
Main articles: Taiwanese tea and Taiwanese tea cultureTaiwanese tea culture, include tea arts, tea ceremony, and a very social way of enjoying tea. While the most common teas are oolongs, especially Taiwanese oolongs such as Iron Goddess and Alpine Oolong. However, black teas and green teas are also popular. Many of the classical arts can be seen in the tea culture, examples: calligraphy, flower arts, incense arts, and such.
Recreation
Karaoke is incredibly popular in Taiwan, where it is termed KTV (karaoke television). This is an example of something the Taiwanese have drawn, on scale, from contemporary Japanese culture. Pachinko is another example. During typhoons, many young Taiwanese will spend the day singing karaoke or playing mahjong. Many people enjoy watching miniseries collectively called Taiwanese drama.
Since 1999, hot springs, known as wēnquán in and onsen in Japanese, have been making a comeback thanks to efforts by the government. Over 100 hot springs have been discovered since the Japanese introduced their rich onsen culture to Taiwan, with the largest concentration on the northernmost part of Taiwan island.
Anime and manga are very popular in Taiwan. Comics, including manga, are called manhua in Taiwan. It is common to see a manga rental shop or a manga store every couple of streets in larger cities.
Convenience store culture
Boasting over 9,200 convenience stores in an area of 35,980 km and a population of 22.9 million, Taiwan has the Asia Pacific's and perhaps the world's highest density of convenience stores per person: one store per 2,500 people or .0004 stores per person. As of 1 January 2009, Taiwan also has 4,800 7-Eleven stores, and thus the world's highest density of 7-Elevens per person: one store per 4,786 people or .000210 stores per person. In Taipei, it is not unusual to see two 7-Elevens across the street from or several of them within a few hundred meters of each other.
Because they are found nearly everywhere, convenience stores in Taiwan provide services on behalf of financial institutions or government agencies such as collection of the city parking fee, utility bills, traffic violation fines, and credit card payments. Eighty-one percent of urban household shoppers in Taiwan visit a convenience store each week. The idea of being able to purchase food items, drink, fast food, magazines, videos, computer games, and so on 24 hours a day and at any corner of a street makes life easier for Taiwan's extremely busy and rushed population.
Convenience stores include:
- OK (affiliated with Circle K until 2005)
- FamilyMart
- Hi-Life
- 7-Eleven
Cram school culture
Main article: Education in Taiwan See also: Gaokao and SuneungTaiwan, like its neighbors in East Asia, is well known for its buxiban (補習班), often translated as cram school, and literally meaning "make-up class" or "catch-up class" or to learn more advanced classes. Nearly all students attend some sort of buxiban, whether for mathematics, computer skills, English, other foreign languages, or exam preparation (college, graduate school, TOEFL, GRE, SAT, etc.). This is perpetuated by a meritocratic culture that measures merit through testing, with entrance into college, graduate school, and government service decided entirely on testing. This has also led to a remarkable respect for degrees, including PhDs and overseas Western degrees (US and Great Britain).
English teaching is a big business in Taiwan, with Taiwan, as part of its project to reinvigorate the Taiwan Miracle, aiming to become a trilingual country—fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese, and English.
Popular culture
Main article: Taiwanese WaveCell phones are very popular in Taiwan. Mobile penetration rate stands at just over 120%. Because of their high use, phones in Taiwan have many functions and are becoming cheaper.
Internet cafes are very popular with teenagers. They often sell food. Many gamers eat while using the internet. Many parents and teachers are concerned with the amount of time youth spend in the internet cafes.
One of the best known figures in Taiwanese cinema is director Ang Lee, who has also made movies in the West and has won an Academy Award. Some popular pop artists in Taiwan include Leehom Wang, Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai, and David Tao. Some of them have gained international fame and toured Asian countries like Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. Since Taiwan is well known for its entertainment scene, some of its TV stations have organised talent search to find new and young talents to join the big family of pop culture here. Some successful bands like S.H.E were formed in the talent search.
Hip-hop culture from the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan also flourished in Taiwan. J-pop, G-Unit and Eminem are also very popular as well. In this process, Taiwan produced several hip-hop artists, including Dog G, MC HotDog, Machi, and L.A. Boyz.
Taiwanization of the culture of Taiwan has been a trend since democratisation in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, after half a century of Kuomintang (KMT) party rule, the first ever democratic change of ruling parties in Taiwan occurred with the election of Chen Shui-bian and his Taiwan-centric Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), marking an important step towards Taiwanization. While generally the KMT, the other major political party, is also more open to promoting Taiwan's cultural autonomy than in the past, the DPP made Taiwanization a key plank in its political platform. The Chen administration's policies included measures designed to focus on Taiwan while de-emphasizing cultural and historical ties to China. These policies included changes such as revising textbooks and changing school curricula to focus more on Taiwan's own history to the exclusion of China, and changing the names of institutions that contain "China" to "Taiwan". This sometimes led to incongruities such as Sun Yat-sen being treated as both a "foreign" historical figure and as the "Father of the Country" (Republic of China). These policies are called Taiwanization but have been attacked by detractors as "desinicization", which explains why these policies are generally applauded by most ethnic Taiwanese and opposed by the KMT.
One phenomenon that has resulted from the Taiwanization movement is the advent of Taike subculture, in which people consciously adopt the wardrobe, language and cuisine to emphasize the uniqueness of popular, groundroots Taiwanese culture, which in previous times had often been seen as provincial and brutally suppressed by Chiang Kai-shek.
The Kuomintang took power in 2008 with the election of Ma Ying-jeou to the presidency. The new KMT administration has controversially sought to reverse some of the desinicizing policies of the Chen administration, to various degrees of public support. The restoration of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to its former state has been generally supported. By contrast, a directive by the administration to foreign missions to henceforth refer to visits by foreign dignitaries as "visiting (cultural) China" has been rescinded after criticism from DPP legislators.
See also
- Architecture of Taiwan
- Cinema of Taiwan
- Han Taiwanese
- Languages of Taiwan
- List of Taiwanese authors
- List of ethnic groups in Taiwan
- List of museums in Taiwan
- Media in Taiwan
- Music of Taiwan
- Photography of Taiwan
- Religion in Taiwan
- Sports in Taiwan
- Taiwanese literature
- Taiwanese drama
- Taiwanese opera
- Glove puppetry
- Night markets in Taiwan
- Taipei Community Services Center (offers support services to the international community)
- Hokkien culture
References
Citations
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- Hsiau, A-Chin (2005). "Chapter 4 : The Indigenization of Taiwanese Literature: Historical Narrative, Strategic Essentialism, and State Violence". In Makeham, John; Hsiau, A-chin (eds.). Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua (1 ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781403970206.
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- Kerr, George H (1965). Formosa Betrayed. Cambridge: The Riverside Press.
- Makeham, John (2005). "Chapter 6 : Indigenization Discourse in Taiwanese Confucian Revivalism". In Makeham, John; Hsiau, A-chin (eds.). Cultural, Ethnic, and Political Nationalism in Contemporary Taiwan: Bentuhua (1 ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1057/9781403980618. ISBN 9781403970206.
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- Winckler, Edwin (1994). Harrell, Stevan; Huang, Chun-chieh (eds.). Cultural Policy in Postwar Taiwan. Cultural Change in Postwar Taiwan (April 10–14, 1991; Seattle). Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press. ISBN 9780813386324.
- Yip, June (2004). Envisioning Taiwan: Fiction, Cinema and the Nation in the Cultural Imaginary. Durham, N.C. and London: Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822333579.
- The Republic of China Yearbook 2014 (PDF). Executive Yuan, R.O.C. 2014. ISBN 9789860423020. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
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