Is Taiwan Ready for Unification Options

[Ngaw]

Hope China and Taiwan will be unified peacefully soon.

This post has been edited by Ngaw: Dec 9 2010, 12:19 AM

[chutzpah]

That's funny considering places like Taiwan, HK and Singapore all retain more original Han Chinese culture than the mainland after the brilliant cultural revolution by your precious Mao. Maybe if we do unify in the future we can teach you a thing or two about authentic Chinese culture.

What a stupid notion that authentic Chinese culture is anywhere but in China, what absolute crab... I mean crap!

This post has been edited by chutzpah: Dec 22 2010, 04:54 PM

[BurdenOfAges]

The claim of preserving the "authentic Chinese culture" was an old political refrain used by the KMT in its conflict against the CCP. It is interesting to see it brought up again in the context of the ROC's political ambitions today. I guess habits do preserve themselves. I'd warn against it, however. The existence of "authentic" culture implies the existence of "unauthentic" culture, which is simply one of those chauvinistic tools used to mislead the public. The cultures of China and Taiwan are both "authentic" in the sense that they are living cultures practiced by living people, and will go down in history as such. Value judgments beyond these are fundamentally subjective. I tend to see them as nonsense.

This post has been edited by BurdenOfAges: Dec 26 2010, 03:53 AM

[foi2]

What a stupid notion that authentic Chinese culture is anywhere but in China, what absolute crab... I mean crap!

uh. Remember what the whole point of the cultural revolution was? Yeah. To get rid of Chinese culture. Guess where it happened?

Good ole crazy Mao. The guy was a total nutcase, and ran China's economy into the ground.

[zombie]

What a stupid notion that authentic Chinese culture is anywhere but in China, what absolute crab... I mean crap!

Typical Mainlander attitude. It's funny seeing how mainlanders nowadays are clamouring to regain the traditional Chinese culture that was lost in the cultural revolution.

Call the culture in China today authentic if you must, but make no mistake about it, places like HK, Tw and Singapore all retain much more traditional Chinese culture than the Mainland. Sad but true.

[Suijen]

Wait, so Taiwan and Hong Kong are more Chinese because the cultural revolution happened in China?

The Taiwanese aren't even sure if they're Chinese or not.

Hong Kong does have a lot of traditional Chinese elements to it, but let's be realistic here. Before 1997, half of the people in HK considered themselves Chinese, the other half either straight HK or British. Taiwan was a Japanese colony, and HK was a British colony also.

The overwhelming bulk of early Chinese tradition (and China) is in Northern China. A lot of cultural relics were lost in the Cultural Revolution, but the overwhelming majority of everything culturally Chinese is still in mainland China. Do I really need to mention the Great Wall? The Forbidden Palace? The Terra Cotta soldiers? At the very least, everyone in mainland China can consider themselves Chinese.

Guys, where did the Three Kingdoms take place at? Taiwan? Hong Kong? The vast majority of everything Chinese is (believe it or not) in China. I can't believe that changing a writing system from traditional to simplified means you're not Chinese anymore. I take it anyone not wearing hanfu is a lao wai also. I take it anyone not speaking Cantonese is also less traditionally Chinese as well.

This post has been edited by Suijen: Dec 26 2010, 11:07 PM

[TMM]

Are people in Taiwan and Hongkong celebrating with Hanfu? are they proud of being at least...Chinese?? *pointing at Taiwan*. And what traditions in Taiwan that Fujian doesn't have? pupet show and santaizi? oh plz they got them in Min Nan area, there are variations of them all around Fujian.

However I do agree that southerner are more traditional than northerner

[Red Fox Ace]

Have not visited this forum for a long time.

What happened to the diehard TIers? Can I assume that they are all gone to hiding and ready to follow the eventual unification?

So you think that because 20 or 30 Internet users (who could be located anywhere in the world) do not show up on an Internet message board, that it means that the island of Taiwan is ready to unify with China?






That doesn't even make sense.

[progen]

So you think that because 20 or 30 Internet users (who could be located anywhere in the world) do not show up on an Internet message board, that it means that the island of Taiwan is ready to unify with China?






That doesn't even make sense.

So what do you think is the true reason why the diehard TIers don't show up here anymore?

Anyway, I know a teacher at a Tainan University who said that his school is going to enroll over 1000 mainland students.

Also, the cross-strait agreements are being signed left and right. Even the DDPs are taking a centralist line on this issue.

[Red Fox Ace]

So what do you think is the true reason why the diehard TIers don't show up here anymore?

There are many possible reasons - academic, family, personal and business related - that I can think of. Perhaps some of them even got banned. Or simply lost interest in AF. Or are too busy to post.


I've been busy with school, internships and jobs, so I have posted much less frequently, for instance.

[sewoth]

There are many possible reasons - academic, family, personal and business related - that I can think of. Perhaps some of them even got banned. Or simply lost interest in AF. Or are too busy to post.


I've been busy with school, internships and jobs, so I have posted much less frequently, for instance.

Whoa really. You are still in the school process. Somehow I got the strong impression that you are at least 30 or above.

[Shenzhou]

Hong Kong and Taiwan retain a lot more traditional Chinese culture than Mainland.

Communism and Cultural revolution destroyed a lot of ancient Chinese culture that was preserved in HK and Taiwan.

[Red Fox Ace]

Whoa really. You are still in the school process. Somehow I got the strong impression that you are at least 30 or above.

I just graduated and got a job. I'm transitioning into working life.

[KraterosHellas]

Typical Mainlander attitude. It's funny seeing how mainlanders nowadays are clamouring to regain the traditional Chinese culture that was lost in the cultural revolution.

Call the culture in China today authentic if you must, but make no mistake about it, places like HK, Tw and Singapore all retain much more traditional Chinese culture than the Mainland. Sad but true.

all they retained is the traditional script. that's about it. it's laughable to say that HK or singapore retained more traditional culture than say beijing which has far more traditional architecture.

[progen]

all they retained is the traditional script. that's about it. it's laughable to say that HK or singapore retained more traditional culture than say beijing which has far more traditional architecture.

You know, I seriously have problems with the way young Taiwanese talk.

I am glad that Taiwan is more opened to China, and there are small number of conscientious Taiwanese who talk good Chinese.

[mndeg]

How can Taiwan "reunite" with China? That's like the U.S. reuniting with Britain. What a silly notion.

[newties21]

How can Taiwan "reunite" with China? That's like the U.S. reuniting with Britain. What a silly notion.

Obviously it is not similar to that.
Maybe it is like East / West Germany.
But actually that is not really exactly the same either.
It is the only kind in the world, unique.

Anyways....

I believe some aspect of traditional Chinese culture is more preserved in TW such as Taoism (possibly), but other than that I dont see much difference.
I have some vague idea that TW and other places did not have cultural revolution so some cultural aspects were not destroyed or attacked.
But to be honest, I am not able to explain or understand what exactly was destroyed.
In my opinion the main difference probably is Taoism.
Maybe there are more Taoism followers in TW and other places.
But I think nowadays with modernization and globalization, more and more people are lax in their religion, so maybe some Taoists are just cultural Taoists who are not really religious, meanwhile in China there is a relaxation and even rejuvenation of traditional Chinese culture which may include Taoism revival, so I think the trend is somewhat moving in the direction of a confluence.

What do you think, anyways this is just my sense.

Other than Taoism or religiosity aspect, I am not able to understand the difference between traditional Chinese culture in China and outside.

This post has been edited by newties21: Feb 4 2011, 12:47 PM

[progen]

Culture is much more complicated than just one religion.

It has to do with how a people (in this case the Chinese people) as a whole look at themselves in terms of value, religion, language, concept, way of do things, beliefs, thnking in general, etc. Culture is a mental commonality and way of life of a people.

That is why the overseas Chinese people are less culturally Chinese because their Chinese culture is invariable compromised by other cultures. For example, the Chinese in San Francisco are less culturally Chinese even though they do the same lion dance celebration in Chinese New Year.

It is obvious that overseas Chinese living in countries closer to China are more culturally Chinese. Chinese people in Singapore and Malaysia are more culturally Chinese, but the differences are still there. Their Chinese culture is compromised by other cultures of the region.

Unless Taiwan becomes more closer to China, it will inevitably be less culturally Chinese. It does not matter if they all eat the same food, or have the same lions dance.

This post has been edited by progen: Feb 7 2011, 04:05 PM

[ClassicalMusic]

Taiwan can stop acting as a white man's puppet now. We want peace and unity in Asia.

[BHK Loyalist]

Never!!!!! Taiwan has already developed an independent identitfy and political system! Going backward to Chinla is a joke! You Chinese need to respect the will and ideals embraced by the current owners of Taiwan!