A brief account of Taiwan’s contentious History curriculum
A little history
Taiwan is an island in the Western Pacific with a complex history of colonial governance and foreign regimes.
The earliest inhabitants came from the Western Pacific islands but their descendants now make up only a small minority of the population. The largest proportion of the population are descendants of migrants from mainland China under the Qing dynasty in the late-1600s, mostly ethnically Han Chinese. In Taiwan today, descendants of this early wave of ethnically Chinese migrants are referred to (both by themselves and others) as “benshengren” (from within the province).
Following the first Sino-Japanese war, Taiwan became a colony of Japan between 1895 and 1945. Then after the end of the second world war in 1945, control was transferred to the KMT-led Republic of China (at this time including mainland China).
When the KMT started losing the civil war, there was another wave of migration of ethnically Chinese which included political refugees and wealthy families fleeing persecution, military personnel, as well as KMT government officials. In Taiwan today, descendants of this more recent wave of ethnically Chinese migrants are referred to as “waishengren” (from outside the province).
At the time, the KMT’s plan was to use Taiwan as a base for preparing to retake the mainland from the Communist party (the international community also treated the KMT as the legitimate government of both the mainland and Taiwan up until the 1970s, with the the Taiwan-based KMT-led Republic of China taking the Chinese seat on the United Nations Security Council).
When the prospect of retaking the mainland became less and less likely, the KMT turned its attention to developing the island’s industrial capabilities and economy.
In the late 1980s, Chiang Ching-kuo (Chiang Kai-shek’s son) started to liberalise the political system, terminating martial law and permitting the opposition DPP (pre-independence) party to form. In 1996, the first democratic presidential election took place.
A timeline of history curricula
From the adoption of the China-centric curriculum brought in by the KMT to today’s curriculum which treats Taiwan’s history separately from Chinese history, there have been a number of reforms and reform reversals.
- 1950s to 1980s: China-centric view focusing on China’s past (often with glorified accounts to instil national pride and loyalty to the Republic of China). The history of Taiwan is treated as a minor topic.
- 1997 (under Lee Tung-hui’s presidency; KMT): Introduction of a new set of secondary school textbooks entitled “Getting to know Taiwan”, which portrayed Taiwan as a distinctive multicultural community with its own history dating back over four hundred years. Most significantly, these textbooks treated the KMT retreat to Taiwan as an occupation, equivalent to the Dutch or Japanese colonial periods. Another important aspect was the inclusion of previously forbidden topics relating to the KMT’s severe rule, such as the February 28 incident and White Terror.
- 2004 (under Chen Shui-bian’s presidency; DPP): Ministry of Education proposes that Taiwanese history and Chinese history before 1949 be taught in separate semesters.
- 2006 (under Chen Shui-bian’s presidency; DPP): The history of Taiwan is published in a single volume that will be taught separately from Chinese history.
- 2007 (under Chen Shui-bian’s presidency; DPP): The Ministry of Education authorises the Taiwan Historical Association to review the language used in history textbooks and identify expressions that downplayed Taiwan’s sovereignty. Approximately 5000 expressions were identified and edited, e.g. “both sides of the Taiwan strait” became “both countries”.
- 2008 (under Ma Ying-jeou, KMT): History curriculum guidelines suspended and revised textbooks are introduced, which re-emphasise the links between Taiwan and mainland China. Topics relating to the KMT’s severe rule, such as the February 28 incident or White Terror, are given a more diluted treatment.
- 2016 (under Tsai Ing-wen, DPP): History textbook changes under Ma Ying-jeou rescinded and Taiwan and China are again treated as separate entities.
History and Identity
The multiple reforms and reform reversals of Taiwan’s history curriculum and textbooks with political change suggest that history education is deemed to be of great importance by the respective governments. One reason for this is the recognition that historical narrative plays a pivotal role in building a people’s self-identity and determining their political aspirations. In the case of Taiwan, the historical narratives under DPP governance provide emotive vindication of calls for independence, while those under KMT governance promote a feeling of kinship with the mainland (which might still be compatible with independence but with a more amicable spirit). Either way, the complexity of Taiwan’s relationship with mainland China, both past and present, can not and should not be ignored.
This article is part of the World School History project, which studies the content and underlying principles driving history education in different populations over time, with a view to better understanding different narratives and perspectives. Readers are warmly invited to comment on this article, point out mistakes and omissions (I’m sure there are many), and engage in a respectful conversation with other readers. For those who would like to give deeper feedback or have a more extensive dialogue, please use the World School History Project participation form.
