the Pseudo-Internationalization Paradox of Taiwan's de-Sinicization
A massive marketing poster for a new book was splashed across the gigantic display window of a bookstore on a busy street of Changhua City. "No Relation to China," the book title read, "only by taking China out of its psyche can Taiwan realize its possibilities." Great, finally someone is openly on the same page as the author when he spoke of the need for the Taiwanese to focus more on domestic politics, period. But for some reason, placed in context in this particular geographic location, this gigantic poster started to take on an additional nuance...
For one thing, the bookstore on the main street of the city is surrounded by a special kind of ethnic stores: remittance offices, telephone centers, cheap hotels, all with Vietnamese/Thai/Bahasa/Tagalog signs in front, advertising services for the many foreign workers living in this town. Not since Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei has the author seen such a high concentration of stores serving Southeast Asian migrant workers smack in the middle of downtown. Casual chats in these languages can be heard on the main streets, in buses, and all stores around the very much walk-able and compact city.
For some background info, it does make logical sense that many foreign workers are based in this town. The Greater Taichung area (which includes Changhua) has traditionally been the light industry center of Taiwan, and many of the low-tech factories producing everyday merchandises continue to be based in this metropolitan area. With the dwindling number of young Taiwanese willing to work in this factories for long hours and low wages, it is not at all surprising that large number of migrant labor, probably abused and oppressed as everywhere, take over these tasks.
The fact that the author sees a link between these foreigners and that book poster owes much to the underlying logic of many pro-independence elements here in Taiwan. Many of them argue that the existence of an independent Taiwanese identity is largely due to the fact that the Taiwanese is not merely Chinese, but integration of non-Chinese identities like the aborigines, the Dutch, the Japanese, and even the Spanish. These non-Chinese elements provided their bits to the Taiwanese identity because they all, at some point, made their permanent residence on the island.
The residence of foreigners, then, left cultural traits to the modern Taiwanese, who then can further expend and renovate upon these traits to solidify non-Chinese part of who they are. Well, given such need for foreign residency to the development of Taiwanese identity, a rather uncomfortable question ensues: given the inevitable continued evolution of the Taiwanese identity, and the low birth rates that force continued inflow of foreign residents, what would the pro-independence elements of the Taiwanese society make of these foreign laborers casually dwelling among them?
So far, they have been able to shove the whole question under a carpet. After all, at the moment, foreigners and people with some foreign blood living in Taiwan are still of a minuscule percentage of the total population and can be ignored by the political mainstream as temporary residents that live outside Taiwanese culture. But with their increasing presence over time, they certainly will begin to help shape Taiwanese society, culture, and even identity. When that day arrives, can these non-Chinese elements help propel the argument of the pro-independence movement?
The unhelpful answer is that "it depends how they are treated." But thankfully, the words on that book poster offers a clue. To be specific, it lies in the "need to take China out of its psyche." The very reason why the Taiwanese feel Thais/Indonesians/Filipinos are "more foreign" than say, people of East Asian decent is because these Southeast Asians, for them, have little commonality with the average Taiwanese in their customs, behaviors, and social norms. But com to think of it, that judgment arise because Taiwanese customs, behaviors, and social norms are so inherently Chinese-based!
The author does not mean to discredit those who do believe in the inherent differences of Taiwanese and Chinese cultures. Instead, the argument is that, at this moment at least, the Chinese element of Taiwanese culture is still much much greater than any non-Chinese element in influence. For a truly unique Taiwanese identity to gather force, this lopsided balance has to change. And for change to occur, the Taiwanese must become keen to accept cultural elements of these new foreign elements to the island, just as they have of the Japanese, the Dutch, and the Spanish of the past.
For one thing, the bookstore on the main street of the city is surrounded by a special kind of ethnic stores: remittance offices, telephone centers, cheap hotels, all with Vietnamese/Thai/Bahasa/Tagalog signs in front, advertising services for the many foreign workers living in this town. Not since Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei has the author seen such a high concentration of stores serving Southeast Asian migrant workers smack in the middle of downtown. Casual chats in these languages can be heard on the main streets, in buses, and all stores around the very much walk-able and compact city.
For some background info, it does make logical sense that many foreign workers are based in this town. The Greater Taichung area (which includes Changhua) has traditionally been the light industry center of Taiwan, and many of the low-tech factories producing everyday merchandises continue to be based in this metropolitan area. With the dwindling number of young Taiwanese willing to work in this factories for long hours and low wages, it is not at all surprising that large number of migrant labor, probably abused and oppressed as everywhere, take over these tasks.
The fact that the author sees a link between these foreigners and that book poster owes much to the underlying logic of many pro-independence elements here in Taiwan. Many of them argue that the existence of an independent Taiwanese identity is largely due to the fact that the Taiwanese is not merely Chinese, but integration of non-Chinese identities like the aborigines, the Dutch, the Japanese, and even the Spanish. These non-Chinese elements provided their bits to the Taiwanese identity because they all, at some point, made their permanent residence on the island.
The residence of foreigners, then, left cultural traits to the modern Taiwanese, who then can further expend and renovate upon these traits to solidify non-Chinese part of who they are. Well, given such need for foreign residency to the development of Taiwanese identity, a rather uncomfortable question ensues: given the inevitable continued evolution of the Taiwanese identity, and the low birth rates that force continued inflow of foreign residents, what would the pro-independence elements of the Taiwanese society make of these foreign laborers casually dwelling among them?
So far, they have been able to shove the whole question under a carpet. After all, at the moment, foreigners and people with some foreign blood living in Taiwan are still of a minuscule percentage of the total population and can be ignored by the political mainstream as temporary residents that live outside Taiwanese culture. But with their increasing presence over time, they certainly will begin to help shape Taiwanese society, culture, and even identity. When that day arrives, can these non-Chinese elements help propel the argument of the pro-independence movement?
The unhelpful answer is that "it depends how they are treated." But thankfully, the words on that book poster offers a clue. To be specific, it lies in the "need to take China out of its psyche." The very reason why the Taiwanese feel Thais/Indonesians/Filipinos are "more foreign" than say, people of East Asian decent is because these Southeast Asians, for them, have little commonality with the average Taiwanese in their customs, behaviors, and social norms. But com to think of it, that judgment arise because Taiwanese customs, behaviors, and social norms are so inherently Chinese-based!
The author does not mean to discredit those who do believe in the inherent differences of Taiwanese and Chinese cultures. Instead, the argument is that, at this moment at least, the Chinese element of Taiwanese culture is still much much greater than any non-Chinese element in influence. For a truly unique Taiwanese identity to gather force, this lopsided balance has to change. And for change to occur, the Taiwanese must become keen to accept cultural elements of these new foreign elements to the island, just as they have of the Japanese, the Dutch, and the Spanish of the past.
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