Taiwan's special cultural heritage is the result of unique historical factors, including its interaction with the outside world, the dynamics of internal change in Chinese society, and the special ethnic make-up of the island's residents. 

From a global perspective, the meeting of Eastern and Western cultures in the late 19th century produced both a discordant clash and a harmonious fusion. Like Hong Kong and Macau, Taiwan was one of the early outposts where Western culture was first able to enter East Asia and the Chinese mainland. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was subject to influence by Portuguese, Dutch, and English powers. When China chose to defend itself through study and application of Western technology during the Tung Chih Restoration in the late 19th century, it carried out its modernization experiment in Taiwan, the meeting place of East and West. Taiwan would be further changed when Japan, which had already adopted European ways during the Meiji Restoration, made the island a colony for a half-century as part of its plan to create a "Greater East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere." Thus, Taiwan's cultural diversity and development was strongly influenced by its special experience and position in the meeting of East and West.

A second major historical current that influenced Taiwan's cultural development was the social transformations taking place within China. The clash and fusion of Eastern and Western cultures that began in the 19th century coincided with China's social and cultural transition, when the centuries-old Han Chinese social system and values faced great challenges. China reacted in various ways, from the Hsin-hai Revolution of 1911, to the new culture movement and the tumultuous communist revolution. Taiwan also faced similar challenges with the departure of the Dutch in the 17th century and incorporation into the Chinese cultural system. 

A third trend affecting Taiwan's cultural development was the dynamics of the island's internal cultural integration. Over the centuries, the island has been influenced by its indigenous peoples, the Dutch presence, Han culture during the Ching dynasty, Japanese colonization, and European and American concepts of modernization. In time, these influences have gradually become intertwined in Taiwan's cultural diversity and richness.

During the past 50 years, the ROC government has worked to further develop Taiwan's culture by integrating its varied cultural background and fostering a new path for development in an environment where the traditional coexists with the modern.

Over the course of history, Taiwan experienced great conflict between East and West, traditional and modern, and among the island's many sub-cultures. These historical issues led to much pain and misunderstanding, making cultural integration difficult. Cultural controversy and corresponding political and economic disputes over the past half-century have contributed to the complexity of Taiwan's cultural environment. For this reason, Taiwan's cultural accomplishments have not equaled its economic miracle and impressive democratic reforms.

Nonetheless, with the course of historical development have come new rays of light. Gradual resolution of the conflict between traditional and modern has resulted in substantial improvements in the living and cultural environment. Analysis of the events of history has gradually produced greater understanding and reconciliation by different cultural groups. Such accomplishments do not come easily, but are a meaningful development worthy of contemplation by all who are concerned about how a nation's culture meets changing times.