Taiwan Province is one of the most densely populated provinces in China. According to the statistics as of August 1998, it has reached more than 21.81 million, and the population of Jinmen and Mazu, the total is more than 21.86 million. The average annual population growth rate is about 7.31‰. With an average of 586.83 people per square kilometer. The population density of Taipei has reached 1, people per square kilometer. The population density exceeds that of Guangdong, Sichuan and other provinces.

Taiwan's population distribution is characterized by dense in the west and sparse in the east, and the population of the whole island is mostly concentrated in the western plain. There are 17 counties and cities in the western plain (7 cities in Taipei, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Taichung, Hsinchu, Chiayi and Tainan, and 1 counties in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung), covering an area of 18,71 square kilometers, accounting for 52% of the total island area. The population accounts for 86.1% of the total population of the island.

The central and eastern parts are mostly hilly and mountainous. * * There are five counties (Nantou, Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien and Yilan), covering an area of 17,63 square kilometers, accounting for about 48% of the island's area, and the population only accounts for 13.9% of the island's population.

Taiwan Province compatriots are mostly Han people. It accounts for about 98% of the province's population. Before 1946, about 8% of them were originally from Fujian, among which Zhangzhou and Quanzhou were the most. About 2% of them are from Guangdong, with Mei (county) and Chao (state) as the most people. Therefore, Minnan dialect is popular in the whole province. Around 1949, people from the mainland went to Taiwan Province in all provinces. Ethnic minorities account for 2% of the population, about 4, people.

Taiwan Province aborigines are divided into Pingpu and Gaoshan. Pingpu ethnic group is further divided into eight ethnic groups, namely, Gezainan, Ketagalan, Dakasi, Paizehai, Babapula, Babbusa, Hongya and Silaya. Distributed in the northern and western plains and coastal areas. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the mainland Han people moved to Taiwan Province, mostly living in the western plain and the eastern, northern and southern coastal plains, and living together with Pingpu people. Pingpu nationality has been integrated with Han nationality, and its life and culture are close to Han nationality. According to statistics, there were 62,119 Pingpu people in 1943 and about 1, in the 198s.

Taiwan Province's ethnic compatriots have been discriminated and oppressed by the ruling classes of past dynasties, and their economic and cultural development has been hindered for a long time. Up to now, Gaoshan compatriots in some areas still live a life of semi-farming and semi-hunting. Gaoshan compatriots are hardworking and bold, and can sing and dance well. The "Bangle Dance" with a unique national style has sonorous syllables and is beautiful and moving.

It is quite common for Taiwan Province residents to believe in religion, among which Buddhism and Taoism have the largest number of followers, accounting for about 1/3 of the province's population. Catholicism and Christianity take second place, accounting for about 3% of the province's population. In addition, some residents believe in Islam, Tientsin, Xuanyuan, Datong and rationalism. In the folk, there are also activities organized by various church doors, such as White Lotus Sect, Salvation Sect, One-way Sect and Vacuum Sect. Some primitive religions are still preserved among the Gaoshan people. There are many kinds of churches and temples in the province, with an average of one every 4.5 square kilometers, nearly double the total number of all kinds of schools.

Putonghua is very popular in Taiwan Province. It is not only an official language, but also a common language in society. But among the people, "Fulao dialect" is widely used, that is, Minnan dialect in Taiwan Province. Early mainland immigrants mainly came from southern Fujian, especially Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. After they lived together in Taiwan Province, Quanzhou dialect and Zhangzhou dialect gradually formed a kind of Minnan dialect, namely Fulao dialect. It absorbs some vocabulary and grammar of Gaoshan language and Japanese, so Fulao dialect is somewhat different from Minnan dialect in Fujian.

Hakka immigrants come from three regions in Guangdong province, and there are also three groups of Hakka dialects, namely "Four Counties" (Hakka dialects used in Xingning, Wuhua, Pingyuan and Jiaoling counties in old Jiaying Prefecture). "Raoping" (a Hakka dialect used in Raoping area of the old Chaozhou prefecture).

Gaoshan people have their own language, but there is no national script. Some ethnic groups have similar basic vocabulary, but they are not connected with each other. Their language belongs to austronesian family, also known as Indonesian family. It can be divided into three language groups, namely,

(1) Atayal language group: including Atayal language and Cedric language.

(2) Cao language group: including Cao language and Kanab language.

(3) Paiwan language group: including Paiwan language, Rukai language, Penan language, Ami language, Bunun language, Saixia language and Yamei language. The phonetic system of Gaoshan nationality has five vowels, I, U, E and O, with 2-23 consonants.

Taiwan Province Island's characteristic national skills

(I) Nanguan Opera and Nanguan Music

In a broad sense, "Nanguan" refers to the music of the southern language family in China. However, the Nanguan Opera preserved in Taiwan Province today refers to the "Liyuan Opera", the oldest opera in the Minnan language family. It is mainly popular in Quanzhou and Xiamen, and later spread to Taiwan Province and Nanyang where there are many overseas Chinese in southern Fujian, with a history of nearly 5 years. The roles are divided into seven lines: life, Dan, net, end, ugliness, paste and outside, so it is also called seven sub-classes, or seven colors and seven feet play. The actor played by an adult is called a big pear garden, and the actor played by a child is called a small pear garden. The basic tune is Nanguan music, which is melodious and melodious, and the names of qupai are mostly the same as those of Nanbei music, so it is considered as the legacy of Nanpu opera in Song and Yuan Dynasties. The instruments used for accompaniment can be divided into three parts: string, wind and percussion.

Nanguan Music, also known as Wuyin, Nanyin, Xianguan and Langjun Music, is divided into the following contents: (1) Finger-a divertimento that can be sung, with pipa fingering music attached to the lyrics. But now it is only for playing and not singing, and there are 48 sets of divertimento. (2) Qu-a song of Sanqu, with Nanguan Gongchi notation, with more than 1, existing songs. The singing method adopts the upper four pipes (namely, Dongxiao, Erxian, Sanxian and Pipa), with the singer in the middle, and the festival (clapper) retains the legacy of "Harmony Song" in Han Dynasty. (3) Music score-the clear part of instrumental music, with 16 sets. The way of playing is considered to retain the legacy of "Daqu" in the Tang Dynasty.

(II) Beiguan Opera and Beiguan Music

Beiguan Opera and Beiguan Music refer to the dramas of the northern language family in China, also known as "children's drama" (named after amateur drama groups of rural children), and also known as "random play" (from the "flower department" accent in Qianlong). Its singing is basically a "banqiang", and its lyrics are mostly seven-character or cross-sentence, but there are two schools of thought: "Fulu" (or Fulu) is the old school, which preserves the system of Bangzi, and the main musical instrument is Kezi String (Coconut Hu). "Xipi" is a new school, belonging to the Pi Huangqiang system, and the main musical instrument is Diaogui (Jinghu).

(3) Mountain Folk Songs

From the perspective of folk musicology, the folk songs of Taiwan Province Shan nationality are a treasure house, which not only provides concrete examples in the history of human singing, but also develops amazing polyphonic or harmonic chorus skills.

(4) Folao folk songs

The singing method belongs to monosyllabic tune singing. Due to the different regions, each has its own representative works, such as "the frog makes the chicken male" in the western plain, "the lost copper boy" in the Lanyin plain and "the thought rises" in Hengchun area.

(5) Hakka folk songs

refer to Han immigrant folk songs mainly in Guangdong and Jiaqing. Hakka residents are mostly distributed in the hilly areas of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Kaohsiung Pingtung, and they usually use folk songs or tea-picking songs, which are more beautiful than Fulao's minor.

(6) Shadow Play

Shadow Play was produced in the Song Dynasty about 1 years ago and circulated in Taiwan Province for 2 years. It originated in Kaohsiung County and prevailed in the early Qing Dynasty, commonly known as "Monkey Play". The performance time is mostly at night, and the stage is about ten feet high. The front desk is hung with white cloth as the curtain, and the shadow play is projected on the curtain with rear lighting. Leather figurines are about a foot to a foot and a half high. They are made by kneading animal skins into translucent shapes, then carving human figures, coloring them, coating them with tung oil to increase their transparency, and then grinding them flat. The head can be changed, the shadow man is finely crafted, and the portrait itself is a handicraft. The composition of the troupe is very capable, with one leading actor, one supporting actor and one singer, and about four musicians.

(7) puppet show

puppet show, also known as palm play, was also introduced from Fujian. Puppets are danced by the leading actors, and the stage is like a Buddhist shrine, which can be broken down for the convenience of shipment. The traditional stage is about 5 feet high and 1 foot deep, while the puppet is about 1 foot high, and the viewing range is about 2 feet in front of the stage. Later, the reform was carried out, and the puppet was three times larger than the traditional puppet show. According to legend, there are three schools of puppet show: (1) Southern tune-Quanzhou immigrants teach, emphasizing drama and elegance. (2) The Northern Management Tune-taught by Zhangzhou immigrants, emphasizing martial arts and magic. (3) Chaodiao —— Chaozhou immigrants taught it, singing high, and playing the same way as Nanguan.

(8) hanging silk puppet show

It is said that hanging silk puppet show originated in the Western Han Dynasty, and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty, and its influence also extended to the dramas played by people on the stage by future generations. It is not unrelated to its gestures. After this kind of drama spread to Taiwan Province, it was divided into two schools: (1) The northern school centered on Yilan and rarely crossed the south of Hsinchu. The performance time is mostly the completion of the temple, the opening of the village to worship the earth, the Purdue in July, or the worship of heaven and thank God after the disaster. (2) The Southern School is centered on Tainan and rarely crosses the north of Chiayi. Performance time, except for the "Heavenly Born" on the ninth day of the first lunar month and folk weddings or rewards, is rarely performed for entertainment. The puppet is about one foot seven inches long. A complete troupe should be equipped with 72 heads and 36 bodies, representing 72 demons and 36 plough days, and containing all the spirits in the universe. There are four play boxes, two for puppets, two for musical instruments and tools, and the empty boxes can be used as chairs. The "front stage" accounts for a quarter, which is the performance area and the "back stage" is the work area. Performers are also divided into front and back fields, and there must be at least 2 to 3 people in the front field to be responsible for moving and performing. The actors are all family members. The most important ceremony is to preside over the "evil spirit"; The main task of the backcourt is music, with about 4 to 5 people, mostly non-family members. This kind of play has many taboos and is full of mystery.

(9) Song Jiangzhen

Song Jiangzhen was originally a group performance of martial arts, accompanied by gongs and drums. Later, due to the poor local public security situation, there were many self-defense organizations in towns and villages, and local gentry were trainers of teachers, with 18 people, which was a metaphor for the 36-day plough and 72-day bandits. Now it has been reduced to a group of 36 people, performing at the God Meeting.

(1) Crafts

There are numerous kinds of crafts in Taiwan Province, and their characteristics are as follows: (1) Taking practicality as the goal, they show beauty in simplicity. (2) Or the work of an unknown craftsman was not recognized as a special knowledge at that time, but it was the product of rich experience and exquisite technology. (3) The shape is simple, but not monotonous. (4) Handicrafts, but the output of the same project is not small. (6) can reflect the natural environment and the background of the times.

traditional important folk festivals

(1) Spring Festival

The first day of the first lunar month is the Spring Festival, commonly known as "Kaizheng", which is the first day of the year. According to ancient legend, at the beginning of the 6th year of Jiazi, 12 kinds of animals were used to mark the beginning of the year. At the end of the year, the householders displayed incense offerings, paid homage to the heavens and the earth and worshipped their ancestors, opened the main entrance, commonly known as "opening the door of wealth", and set off firecrackers, which meant to get rid of the old cloth and make new ones, and then "congratulate the elders", commonly known as "Happy New Year", and the householders gave annual money, commonly known as "lucky money". And bring a candle gift to the temple to make incense, hoping for peace and happiness.

The eve of the Spring Festival is called New Year's Eve, and people also attach great importance to it. Family reunion * * * enjoys delicious food and wine, and has the habit of staying up all night, which is called "guarding the old age". At the same time, there are customs such as posting Spring Festival couplets, drinking spring wine, welcoming the spring and receiving blessings.

(2) Lantern Festival

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is Lantern Festival, commonly known as "Lantern Festival", and the slang says: "When the lights are lit on the thirteenth day, it will be on the fifteenth day." The first few days of the Lantern Festival are called "putting lights on", and the last day is called "Xie Deng", also known as "three lanterns". On this day, every family hangs lanterns, sets off fireworks, presents Yuanxiao fruits, sets up incense tables, and worships the whole family. The lantern festival is held at night, and the dragon and lion dance together, which is really lively. Over the past 3 years, many places in Taiwan Province have held lantern exhibitions in temples, making lanterns to compete for beauty, and there are even electric lanterns, with lifelike figures and especially beautiful faces.

(3) Qingming Festival

In ancient times, Tomb-Sweeping Day was called "cold food". Tomb-Sweeping Day originated in the Spring and Autumn Period (65 BC), to commemorate the death of Jietui, the hero of Jin Wengong, on March 5th. On that day, people missed the child and pushed the factor to death by fire, so they couldn't bear to light a fire. They ate cold food for one month and then gradually reduced it to three days. Up to now, 15 days after the winter solstice, the dry powder prepared in advance is cold food, which is called no fire, because the cold food day is designated as Tomb-Sweeping Day. The custom of sweeping graves in Qingming has been circulating for a long time. In 1927, the Nanking Kuomintang government designated Tomb-Sweeping Day as a national grave-sweeping festival to commemorate the ancestor of the nation, Huangdi Xuanyuan.

(4) Dragon Boat Festival

The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival, commonly known as the "May Festival", also known as the "Poet's Day", which originated on May 5, 229 BC and evokes the soul for the great poet Qu Yuan. At noon, the people offered zongzi wine to their ancestors, put wormwood and calamus in front of the door, or boiled water to bathe themselves, saying that they could ward off evil spirits and drive away the summer heat, and held a dragon boat race on the riverside. Elegant people hired boats to swim in the middle stream, read poems and drink wine, and watched the dragon boat, which is commonly called "swimming the river" to mourn Qu Yuan.

(5) Mid-Autumn Festival

The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the Mid-Autumn Festival, commonly known as the August Festival. Every family pays tribute to fruits and moon cakes in the courtyard and worships the sky, commonly known as "Moon Worshipping Mother". After the festival, the whole family shared moon cakes and enjoyed the cool moon. The theaters also perform plays such as "the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon". Elegant people get together, guess fans, shoot tigers, talk about art, knock poetry and drink for fun, which is called the "Moon Appreciation Meeting". Friends, relatives and neighbors give each other moon cakes, which is called a "send-off gift".

The Mid-Autumn Festival is called the Autumn Festival, because it belongs to Sanqiu, hence the name of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The name of the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Zhou Dynasty, and playing with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival began in the Tang Dynasty, while eating cakes and enjoying the moon began in the Song Dynasty.

(6) Double Ninth Festival

The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is the Double Ninth Festival, and there are ancient customs of eating cakes, drinking, climbing mountains and enjoying chrysanthemums. In 1966, Taiwan Province authorities announced that September 9th of the lunar calendar was the "Day for the Elderly" every year.

Taiwan Province's customs, clothing, food, housing and transportation

Taiwan Province has been gradually developed since the people of Fujian and Guangdong moved to cultivate land on a large scale in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Although the Japanese colonists tried their best to implement national assimilation, they were stubbornly resisted by Taiwan Province compatriots. After the Kuomintang moved to Taiwan, a large number of mainland people came to Taiwan Province, so many of the living habits and social customs of Taiwan Province Han compatriots are basically the same as those of the mainland, and generally maintain the characteristics of Fujian and Guangdong.

(1) basic necessities of life

1. clothing. In the past, rural men and women mostly wore Hanfu. Middle-aged and older women like long gowns or shorts; Old people like blue-black clothes or Xiangyun yarn; During the Japanese rule, suits and ties began to spread to the countryside and have been quite popular for decades. Some urban women wear national costumes such as cheongsam. At present, young people wear suits or Hong Kong shirts and trousers. Rural men and women often wear hats or towels to protect themselves from the wind.

2. Diet. Taiwan Province residents live on rice for three meals a day. When festivals are celebrated, guests are often entertained with rich dining tables such as chickens and ducks. Taiwan Province residents are addicted to alcohol, offering sacrifices to gods and entertaining guests. Good wine is essential. At the turn of spring and summer, in autumn and winter, animal foods are often stewed with traditional Chinese medicine to refresh themselves. Dishes are often seasoned with monosodium glutamate and sugar. Restaurant Restaurant deals in Sichuan, Guangdong, Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Fujian and other places. At present, the living standard of Gaoshan compatriots is still low, and some still live on taro and sweet potato.

3. Living. Taiwan Province's housing modeling can be roughly divided into three types: Chinese, Western and Japanese. Chinese style is bungalow, mostly Minnan style, with one dragon, pulley handle, three-way courtyard, quadrangle and so on. With the turbid water stream as the boundary, rural villages are scattered in the north and scattered in the south.