Socio-Cultural Analysis Of Taiwan

Taiwan, otherwise known as the Republic of China (ROC), has a complicated political status on the world stage. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) lays territorial claims to Taiwan and most countries recognize China as the mainland as Taiwan as an autonomous region within it. However, Taiwan sees itself independent as the true government of China, but only a couple dozen countries recognize it as sovereign government and by technical definition of what constitutes as a sovereign state under the Montevideo Convention of 1933, Taiwan fits the criteria.1 Though before 1971, both countries laid

b. The emperor Kangxi led the conquest of the island of Taiwan , home to Chinese and Japanese pirates, in 1681. Struggles with a new rival to the north and northwest, manchurians , led to constant conflict and extensive territorial gains for China.

Today, Taiwan boasts an excellent infrastructure, convenient transportation system, and high-quality communication services. It also has accomplished, in the face of several international energy crises and economic downturns, a remarkable record of economic development and political democracy by the perseverance and unremitting efforts of its people.

Culture can be defined as the behaviours and belief characteristics of a particular social, ethnic,

The fact that the native Formosan were excluded in the early stage made it possible for the prime definition of the status of island to become a Chinese-centric one. But at the same time, it was the cultural capital China, as a country, already enjoyed that legitimated her interest being prioritised over that of

Singapore soon became a major stopping point for traffic going to or from China” (world history book). Other kingdoms continued to evolve in Southeast Asia such as the kingdom of Burma, Thailand, and the Philippines. The Philippines has more than seven thousand islands that contain a wide diversity of landscape. Singapore was a developed city-state. “Malaysia was a prosperous nation on the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on the mainland of Southeast Asia” (Marshall Cavendish 1156).

There is a thriving culture of Chinese on the island many came and are still coming as merchants. Jews and the Syrians also are a part of this cultural mix. All these different races have made the country what it is, hence the motto written on the Coat of Arms ‘Out

It would be in order to first examine the connotation and exact meaning of culture. Sociologists differ wide in their perceptions in explanting culture and its inter-related concepts. The best definition from the military view point is given by Leslie A. White, who quotes famous sociologists Frank Boas and Melville J. Herskovits. He writes “culture may be defined (as per Boas), as the totality of the mental and physical reactions and activities that characterise the behaviour of individuals composing a social group….”. He further quotes Herskovits and says, “When culture is closely analysed, we find but a series of patterned reactions that characterise the behaviour of the individuals who constitute a given group. Another writer Sapir quoted by Leslie white classified culture as the mass of typical reactions.’ Culture is best summarised as a way of life of the people. It is manmade part of environment. Cultures includes beliefs, ideas, religion, art, customs and other habits which the people acquire while living in a society. Another very important aspect of culture is that it is ever changing by learning and transmitting from one generation to other through a

Growing up in America with Taiwanese-American parents has shaped my life and my personality. In Georgia there are little to no areas with Taiwanese influences and culture. Therefore when we were younger, my sister and I went to school together in an area where there weren’t many Asian families residing.

Culture is described as the symbols that individuals, groups and societies use to make decision of daily life and to assure their values. Culture is a model of basic assumptions invented, discovered or developed by a given organization as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaption and internal combination, which has worked well enough to think correctly and, so to instruct to new comers as the valid way to observe, consider and feel in relation to these problems. Culture consists of manner, mind-set, values, rituals, religious belief, law (written and unwritten), arts, ideas, custom, belief, ceremonies, social institutions, myths and legends, individual identity and behavior. Cultural pattern classifies are used to describe the dominant beliefs and values. Culture has been called the way of life for an entire society. It is a group or community living together and sharing a set of norms. Culture and society are coexistent. One does not or cannot exist without the other. Culture and society may have some common elements but the two are not the same; they are not identical.

Along with Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers countries. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining

The concept of culture is something that defines many aspects of one’s life. From physical objects to different ways of thinking, culture adds significance to human life and makes groups of people distinct from one another. Culture is essentially a group of people who come together with similar interests and points of view. According to the Center for Advanced Language Acquisition of the University of Minnesota, “culture is defined as the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization.” From a more sociological perspective, culture is a way in which people come together in order to fulfill their needs. These shared patterns and ideas identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group.” Culture is one of the things that sets the United States apart from the rest of the world. Not that the rest of the world is not cultural, but the circumstance here is different. Many people of different cultural backroads come to this country in search of a better life. As a consequence, the United States has become a place where many cultures merge together like a colossal pot soup.

One must examine Taiwanese history in order to understand how their national identity was established during globalization. Since the 1500s, Taiwanese people experienced conflicts with many “outsiders” such as Portugal, Spanish, Japanese, and especially Mainlanders (Chinese). For instance, in 1652, Taiwanese farmers were mistreated by the Dutch, so the natives revolted. The Dutch silenced the rebellion, massacring 3,000 peasants. Then, in 1895, China lost Taiwan to Japan after the Sino-Japanese War. Taiwan felt abandoned by the Chinese government because it did not uphold its obligations to take care of Taiwan. After WWII, China established the Kuomintang (KMT) government in Taiwan once China regained the territory. The KMT government alienated Taiwan and acted like a conqueror and not a protector. Taiwan was a victim of China’s brutal aggression; as a result, 2-28 Uprising transpired. The 2-28 Incident symbolized the conflict between the native

Culture can be defined in many ways due to the fact that everyone can have their own distinct and traditional beliefs and values. “ Culture is fluid, it is not a static entity which one takes out of the box on occasion. It is with us daily” (Cultural Handout). Someone’s culture is set as the characteristics of the group practices in language, religion, types of food, social traits and habits, and the distinct arts and music. There are a variety of different cultures for example, Western Culture, Eastern Culture, Latin Culture, Middle Eastern Culture, and African Culture. All of these different cultures have their own ideas, values, and individualism, laws that are implied, civil rights, and even technology. In our, “ Culture Handout” culture is defined as the tool of the mind, “ it is an individual’s way seeing and interacting within the world. It encompasses one’s values systems, beliefs, and perceptions of the world around them. Race, socio-economic class gender, sexual orientation, ability, geographic location, age, religion language, etc. all impact the formation of culture, but these various context are not culture” (Cultural Handout).

Taiwan, Formerly called the Island of ‘Formosa' (Portuguese for 'beautiful'), Taiwan is relatively small country of over 23 million people, and there are several parts north, west, south and east. The capitol city, Taipei, is at the north; the crowd is always a charming part of the city. You can always see people. Taipei has established its reputation as a gourmet's paradise; it is also home to new boutique hotels and trendy bars. Also Taipei 101 was once the world's tallest building in 2004. Also, on roads the traffic is always safe, even though scooters drive alongside each other. Buses, taxis and MRT are used by people day by day. However, the city has some similarities to other big cities around the world, pressure and rush hours. On the other hand, Taipei is developing itself into a more technological and environmentally friendly city, with the architectures, buildings, city planning program to the tech world of Taiwan, they are constantly improving; the country has also brought together a diverse group of people, the sceneries and sporting activities and festivals are truly exciting and unique too. Also, the food in Taiwan is the most varied on earth. So a trip to Taiwan will be unforgettable.