It’s interesting that I’ve been asked about China vs. Taiwan constantly since I was in the U.S. I can understand when people ask me about this political issue when I was in high school, but, middle school? I can barely speak English, and people already want to hear my opinion on my own country? I’ve always believed that some of the Americans that I’ve met, they think my family and I are political refugess because of our government.
In order to make my point clear and understand where I came from, it is important for me to introduce a piece of history of China. （Trust me, I hate history and geography for a reason — don’t like to memorize the specific time and place.)
Just a little over a 100 years ago, like many other countries in the world, China has two main political parties, Communists and Nationalists. And they all hold different beliefs about what’s best for the country of China.
When the Japan invaded China, Nationalists hadthe most perfect elite military denfense, and they were sent to fight off the intruders. While the Nationalists were busy defending for China against aliens, Communists were also busy developing the consparicy of taking over the great land, China. The Nationalists fought hard to protect the country for over 8 years, and of course, the Communists already has turn the whole country to the way they’ve always wanted and believed. When the Nationalists finally defeated the international intruder, Japan, and wanted to come home and do what’s best for the country, that’s when they realized it was too late. The country has already been ruled by the Communists for 8 years, and the Communists wanted to fight the Nationalists and destroy them. The Nationalists had fought for too long, in order to keep the peace in between the two parties, the Nationalists had agreed to retreat to Taiwan, a small island that just got taken over by the Japanese.
Many Chinese citizens thought this is just a civil war between the two brothers, it couldn’t take more than 10 years for them to fight. Some of the citizens thought this would be a great opportunity to visit Taiwan along with the Nationalists to protect them. What they didn’t know is this fight between the two brothers continues for more than 100 years to today. Obviously the Nationalists and the Communists will never make up, but will China and Taiwan though?
My great-grandpa was one of the citizens that brought two of his sons to Taiwan to visit with the Nationalists. Great-grandma thought it was just another trip that my great-grandpa took for a year or so, and he would definitely return not too long after. She never expected that her husband returned as in an urn.
Great-grandpa did not know when “we” will return home, so he specifically asked his two sons, my grandpa and my grand-uncle, not to bury him in Taiwan. China is where home is, Taiwan is just a place that we visit. Twenty years ago, when the communications between China and Taiwan has finally re-opened, my grand-uncle took my great-grandfather home, and saw his mother, my great-grandma, and his siblings for the first time in several decades.
My dad and I, along with many family members were born in Taiwan. We consider ourselves as Taiwanese. We hold Taiwanese passport, we grew up in Taiwan, and we definitely communicate in Taiwanese, somewhat. But what we can’t get rid off is our ancestors, they are true Chinese, they were born in China, and visited Taiwan and hence we have become Taiwanese. We are Chinese immigrants from another provice. We speak the same language (Chinese：Manarin, Taiwanese/Fukanese, Cantonese, Ningbo Hua), we share the same culture, we all come from the same race.
I agree with what my dad has told me: Taiwan is the small older brother, and China is the big younger brother. Although they still disagree with each other politically, but they would never hurt each other, they might poke each other occassionally, just to remind their own existence to each other. They will never hurt one or another, like a family, they help each other out sometimes.
When I asked my Chinese-immigrant Chinese Language teacher back in Taiwan on how he viewed the relationships between China and Taiwan. He said that China will never hurt Taiwan, and he supports whatever is best for the citizens of China and Taiwan.
As much as many Taiwanese hate to relate themselves with China or Chinese, they can’t deny the similarity that we shared in our DNAs. They can’t deny that their ancestors were probably came from China in one time or another. It is stupid to differenciate ourselves culturally, but politically. I see that Taiwan and China are like S. Korea vs. N. Korea, but I never see Taiwan and China like Singapore and Malaysia.
In the next 20 years, China might have change the relationship with Taiwan to something like China and Macau / Hong Kong. Taiwan will eventually return to China, just like back to the Chinese history. Taiwan will always be part of China, whether we like it or not.
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