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While Taiwan may be described as a predominantly Chinese or Han society, its heritage is much more complex than such a generalization implies. The succeeding waves of Han immigrants belonged to a variety of subgroups with mutually unintelligible languages and different customs. In today’s Taiwan, however, distinctions between them have become blurred as a result of extensive intermarriage and universal use of the Mandarin Chinese language. Further, Taiwan proper has been a melting pot not only of diverse Han subgroups but of its indigenous Austronesian peoples and people from all over the world. Recent years, for example, have seen a large influx of immigrants from Southeast Asia.
Society-wide, there is a growing appreciation of the cultural legacies of the dozen or so distinguishable Austronesian subgroups, which constitute approximately 2 percent of the population. Both public and private organizations are making efforts to vitalize their languages and cultures, as illustrated by the launching of an indigenous television station, ITV, in July 2005. Significant progress in protecting indigenous peoples’ rights was made with the passage of the
Indigenous Peoples Basic Act in 2005, which requires that all laws and regulations regarding Taiwan’s indigenous peoples be revised within three years.
This convergence and interplay of currents of humanity in Taiwan have helped transform it into
an open-hearted, forward-looking society that has incorporated diverse elements of civilization from around the world in a distinctive and harmonious manner. The Taiwanese people’s adaptability to changing circumstances has been a key factor behind their success in promoting the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law, as well as in developing the entrepreneurial spirit that has made Taiwan into one of the world’s major economies.
The Republic of China is one of the world’s freest countries. For several years, it has shared, or even monopolized, the top score among Asian countries in the annual
Freedom in the World survey conducted by US-based Freedom House.
These days, hardly anyone in the younger generation is without a full line of electronic gadgetry. (Photo by Tsai Wen-hsyang)
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