Chinese name: Taiwan
Foreign language name: Taiwan
Alias: Liuqiu
Administrative category: province
Region: China
Subordinate areas: Taipei County, Taoyuan County, Hsinchu
Government: Taipei City
Geographic location: Southeast of the mainland China
Sea area
Taiwan is the largest island in China. Sea area
Area: 36,000 square kilometers
Population: 18,834,593 (July 2009)
Famous attractions: Alishan, Sun Moon Lake
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Basic informationAdministrative divisions
Origin of the name
Historical overview
Tourist attractionsTourist resources
Cuisine
Local Literature
Geography and HumanitiesGeographic Location
Demographics
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Climate Types
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HistoryFar back in time ~ 16th Century
Holocene Colonization
The Period of Jung's Ruling Zheng's reign
Qing Dynasty
Japanese rule
Return of sovereignty
Basic information Administrative district
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History
Tourist attractions Tourism resources
Cuisine
Local culture
Geography and humanities Geographic location
Demographics
Landscape features
Climate types
Natural resources
Economic development
History Ancient times to the 16th century
Holocaust colonial period
Jung's reign
Ching's rule
Japanese rule
Return of Sovereignty
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Administrative divisions
Taiwan is located on the continental shelf along the southeast coast of mainland China, between longitude 119°18′03〃 and 124°34′30〃, and latitude 20°45′ north, and between 25°25〃 and 25°56′30〃 of the Treasure Island Taiwan
. It covers an area of 36,000 square kilometers, including the island of Taiwan (an area of 35,800 square kilometers), the Penghu Islands, the Green Islands, the Diaoyu Islands, Orchid Island, Pangkia Island, and Chiwei Island. In terms of administrative division, the province of Taiwan Province originally **** governed five provincial municipalities, Keelung, Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi and Tainan, and 16 counties, Taipei, Yilan, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien and Penghu. Later, in 1967, the Taiwan authorities designated Taipei City as a "municipality under the Executive Yuan". Later, in 1979, Kaohsiung was designated as a municipality under the Executive Yuan. In addition, there is the so-called "Fujian Provincial Government", which governs two counties, Kinmen and Lianjiang (Matsu).
Origin of the name
The name "Taiwan" has been in existence for just over 300 years in recorded history. However, history books prove that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have long been called Taiwan's treasure island, and there are nearly ten names for Taiwan in history, but the different names reflect the Chinese people's concern and expectation for Taiwan's treasure island. When the state apparatus appeared in ancient China, China was divided into nine states for administration, and one of the earliest historical books in China, "Shangshu - Yugong Chapters", recorded this historical fact. Yangzhou, one of the nine states, had jurisdiction from the Huai River in the north to the sea in the east. In the book, the phrase "island barbarians" refers to Taiwan. In 1642, Gao Gongqian's "Records of Taiwan Province" indicated that Yangzhou in the Xia and Shang Dynasties included Taiwan. The Japanese scholar Ozaki Hidemoto also believes that "Shimayi" is the earliest name of Taiwan. "Shimanyi" was the first name of Taiwan. People's knowledge of the sea gradually increased, and those who came out of the water began to use the sea for their own purposes. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, offshore transportation was developed, which led to the emergence of many legends about the sea, including the legend of Xu Fu, a magician, who sought the elixir of immortality for Emperor Qin Shi Huang, which has been passed down to the present day. In the "History of Qin Shi Huang" (《史纪-秦始皇本纪》) Xu Fu wrote a letter saying that there were three sacred mountains in the sea: Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou. Later generations believed that "Yingzhou" was Taiwan. Xu Fu did not return, but cross-strait exchanges increased in the years to come. Taiwan was recorded in the Book of the Former Han Dynasty (前漢书), which is a specialized book on history and geography. In the Han Dynasty, more records about Taiwan began to be written. In the Book of the Former Han Dynasty (前汉书-地理志), there was a record that there were "Dongjian people" in the overseas of Huiji, divided into more than 20 countries, who "came to Taiwan to present themselves at times of the year". Later, many scholars believed that the "Eastern barbarian" should refer to Taiwan. In the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty - East Barbarians", Taiwan is even divided into three parts, "East Barbarians" is the northern Taiwan, "Yizhou" is the central Taiwan, "Still State" is the southern Taiwan. In the map of Taiwan drawn by the Dutchman Linschoten 300 years ago, Taiwan was also divided into three islands. The division of Taiwan into three parts indicates a deepening understanding of Taiwan. A direct description of Taiwan was made during the Three Kingdoms period. During the Three Kingdoms period, Dongwu was located in Jiangnan and its jurisdiction included Huiji and the southeastern coastal area. Dong Wu had a closer relationship with overseas. The Records of the Three Kingdoms (《三国志》) talks about an expedition to Yizhou (夷洲) in the 2nd year of Sun Quan's Huanglong reign (230). Many scholars believe that "Yizhou" was Taiwan. Shen Ying, the governor of Linhai County in the Three Kingdoms of the Eastern Wu Dynasty, can be called the earliest Taiwan scholar, and in his Linhai Shui Tu Zhi, there is a special record of the situation of Taiwan, which was called "Yizhou" at that time, only that this book has been lost, and the main content is recorded in Taiping Yuban. From the content of the record, this is the most complete written information about Taiwan at that time. Of course, some people say that at this time, "Yizhou" is Guangdong or Hainan somewhere, but from the orientation, climate, topography, monuments, products, customs and other aspects of the evidence, should be referred to Taiwan. Through the "Linhai water and soil records", so far from the Taiwan Strait, many mainlanders, know that although it is limited, but extremely rare Taiwan's specifics. Quite a great ambition of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, the administration does not have much to boast about the record, but the external and internal conquests have a special preference, of course, also on the Taiwan that has long been the concern of the previous dynasty before the war. According to "Sui Shu - East Barbarians Biography", Emperor Yang launched an expedition to Ryukyu in the 6th year of Daye (610). Where is "Ryukyu"? It has always been controversial. However, most scholars believe that "Ryukyu" is Taiwan, not Ryukyu in Japan. In any case, the Sui Dynasty was already quite familiar with Taiwan. In the "Song history - foreign biographies" in the clear record, the Ryukyu country in the east of Quanzhou, there is an island called "Penghu", smoke and fire look at each other. Zhao Ru Shi's "all Fan Zhi" also has a similar record, of course, the content of the record is not detailed. Many people have studied the name of Taiwan. Taiwan's political celebrity Lien Chan was born into a local family, and his grandfather was the famous historian Lien Heng. In his masterpiece, A General History of Taiwan, Lian Heng said, "Taiwan was originally named 'Burying Grievances' for the people of Zhangquan." Because after the Minnan people arrived in Taiwan in the Ming Dynasty, many of them died of illnesses due to the lack of acclimatization and labor, and even their bones could not be transported back to their hometowns after their deaths, "so they were called 'Burying Grievances'." Because "Burying Grievances" is inauspicious, and the Minnan language "Burying Grievances" and "Taiwan" homophonic, so the name was changed to "Taiwan "This analysis is not unreasonable. This analysis is not unreasonable because immigrants do have unforgettable and painful experiences. However, Mr Lian Heng's conclusion is also far-fetched because there are many homophones, so why did he use "Taiwan" instead of "埋冤"? Why use "Taiwan" instead of "埋冤"? What is so auspicious about "Taiwan"? This is not the origin of the name "Taiwan". Tainan was the first area to be developed in Taiwan, so the name "Taiwan" originally came from the name of the Tainan area. The Raya, who first lived in the Tainan area, introduced Taiwan as "Tayan" or "Tai-An", which was spelled "Taioan" by the Dutch. The Dutch spell it "Taioan", while immigrants from the mainland pronounce it "Tai-Oan". Therefore, due to the difference in pronunciation, the area around Tainan is called "Tai-Man", "Tai-Man", "Tai-Yuan", "Tai-Wan", "Tai-Wan", "Tai-An", "Tai-An", "Tai-An", "Tai-An", "Tai-Oan". "and "Big Grievance" in Tainan. Later on, the Minnan dialect of "Taimian" was pronounced as "Taiwan", and the area referred to was expanded from Tainan to the whole Taiwan area. Since the Ming Dynasty, the name "Taiwan" has been officially popular. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhou Ying, a native of Fujian Province, referred to Taiwan as "Tainan" in his book, "The Journey to Dongfan" (远游篇-东蕃记). During the Wanli period (1573-1619) of the Ming Dynasty, the name "Taiwan" appeared in official documents of the imperial court. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Mei's book Ying Moo Hundred Chants pointed out that Zhou Ying referred to Taiwan as "Taimian", which "was a mistake caused by the Minnan language, and from then on, the name of Taiwan began to enter the Middle Kingdom." The name "Taiwan" is derived from this, should be more objective. [1]
Historical summary
After the feudal society flourished, there were many exchanges between the dynasties of the Middle Kingdom and Taiwan. The invention of papermaking by the Chinese greatly contributed to the spread of human culture, and of course, the hard work and sacrifices of the Chinese sons and daughters*** who pioneered, built and defended Taiwan, as well as the historical facts of the cross-strait exchanges, are also recorded. The first expedition to Taiwan took place in 230 AD. During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Quan, the monarch of the state of Wu, sent his generals Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi with 10,000 sailors to Taiwan, which they called "Yizhou", and this was the first time in history that a Chinese dynasty had contact with Taiwan as evidenced by books. Their trip to Taiwan lasted a year, and in the end they returned to the mainland with thousands of Taiwanese inhabitants after nine out of ten of their soldiers were killed or wounded due to the disease epidemic and the lack of soil to which they were accustomed. In fact, these types of military expeditions were not murderous, but were a common means for feudal dynasties to establish and consolidate the scope of their rule. The Taiwanese brought back with them described many of the conditions in Taiwan. A few decades later, Shen Ying, the governor of Linhai County in the state of Wu, wrote the book Linhai Shui Tu Zhi (see Taiping Yuban, vol. 780) between 264 and 280 A.D., based on the information introduced by the officers and soldiers of the state of Wu who had returned from Taiwan and the Taiwanese residents who had been brought back with them. He called this land on the sea "Yizhou is in the southeast of Linhai, 2,000 kilometers away from the county, the land is free from snow and frost, the grass and trees do not die, and there are mountains on all sides, which are inhabited by many mountain barbarians. On the top of the mountain, there is a white stone shot by the king of Yue, which is also a stone. The barbarians were each called a king, and the land and people were divided into different groups." "The land is fertile, producing both grains and fish." The book also introduces the local products, people, customs, tools, and monuments, etc. Among them, "On the top of the mountain, there is a white stone shot by the king of Yue, which is a stone" proves that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Taiwan was a part of the territory of the Yue State. The description in the book gives people an image of Taiwan at that time: Yizhou is 2,000 miles to the southeast of Linhai County, with a hot climate, no frost or snow, evergreen grass and trees, mountains on all sides, fertile land, cultivation of grains and cereals, fish and meat, weaving of fine cloth and smelting of copper and iron. In order to preserve food in the hot climate, residents brined fish in large clay pots, which were not only used as delicacies for themselves, but also for entertaining guests. The marriage of a man and a woman is decided by their parents, and girls have to have their front teeth knocked out when they get married. The inhabitants are divided into different tribes, each with its own land and chief. When the chief called the people, he used a wooden stick to strike the hollowed out wood in the center, and the sound could be heard for four or five miles, and the inhabitants rushed to the place when they heard it. When they fought, they cut off the heads of their enemies and hung them on a large wooden pestle in the courtyard, not removing them for several years, to show off their achievements in battle. This was the world's first more complete record of Taiwan's flavor, and the people of the Central Plains had a definite and clear understanding of Taiwan. To the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty in Daye 3 years (607 years) has sent the feather cavalry officer Zhu Kuan, the sea division of the He Barbarians and other people twice to the then known as "flow of Taiwan", because of language barriers, the first brought back a Taiwanese, the second brought back some cloth armor. In the 6th year of Daye (610), Emperor Yang of Sui sent Wubenlang Chen Riao and Zhang Zhenzhou, who led more than 10,000 soldiers, to Taiwan from Yi'an (Chaozhou) in Guangdong Province, which was thought to be a merchant ship of the Central Plains by the local people, which indicated that the mainland merchants often went to do business at that time, and also indicated that the Taiwanese were familiar with the business and trade. However, Chen Li's negotiations with the local chiefs did not go well, and he exchanged swords and guns and returned to the mainland with thousands of local residents. In Changhua City in central Taiwan, there is a street called "Chen Li Street" in honor of this general of the Sui Dynasty. After a long period of evolution from the Three Kingdoms to the Sui and Tang dynasties, the immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong to Taiwan also gradually increased, and by the time of the Song Dynasty, there were already more exchanges and economic activities, and in order to facilitate the management, they began to set up management organizations in the Taipeng area, and Penghu was included in the map of Jinjiang County, Fujian, which was the first time in the history of Taiwan's development. Taiwan and Penghu area was formally included in the map of Song Dynasty, although in the subsequent thousand years, the dynasty changed, the emperor changed, but Taiwan belonged to never changed. The first time a Chinese minority controlled the Central Plains was during the Yuan Dynasty. After controlling the Central Plains, the Yuan Dynasty, in accordance with the customary need to march into territories that had not been reached, so in October of the 28th year of the Yuan Dynasty (1291), Yang Xiang, the deputy ten-thousand-dollar man of the Sea Ship, was sent as a minister of pacification, and with Wu Zhidou, a member of the Ministry of Ceremonies, and Ruan Jian, a member of the Ministry of the Army, he led a force of more than 6,000 men to march into Taiwan. Due to the language barrier and lack of knowledge of navigation, they returned without success. In 1335 AD, the Yuan Dynasty formally set up the "Inspection Department" in Penghu. Inspection Department, the level is not high, belongs to the ninth rank. "Job patrol, specializing in capture", capture criminals, and also run the salt tax, but this is the central government sent to the first administrative law enforcement agencies in Taiwan and Penghu area. Since then, the central dynasty began to send officers to manage the Taipeng area. There was a traveler named Wang Dayuan in the Yuan Dynasty, who traveled to many places and took a merchant ship to Taiwan and Penghu during the reign of Emperor Zhizheng, and then wrote the book "The Island of the Yi Zhiliu". The book said Taiwan: "the terrain disk dome, forests and trees embrace, the soil is moist and fertile, suitable for harvesting. The climate is gradually warming, real estate sand gold, millet, sulfur, yellow wax, deer leopard ...... overseas countries, cover began here." From the people can travel to Taiwan and cross-strait commercial activities, it can be seen that at that time, Taiwan and the mainland has been a lot of comings and goings, has become complementary economic activities and daily social exchanges. Zheng Chenggong
The Ming Dynasty's sea ban policy led to the prevalence of pirates along the southeastern coast, and in order to defend the coastal areas from pirates, the Ming Dynasty court stationed troops in Keelung and Danshui harbors to prevent pirates from using the Taiwan-Pescadores region as a base for scratching the southeastern coast, which was the first time that the central government had stationed troops on the island to defend the sea defense. Kaohsiung Fengshan has a specialty, "Sanbao Ginger", which was left behind by Zheng He when he arrived in Taiwan on his voyage to the West Ocean in the Ming Dynasty, which was the first large-scale merchant fleet from the Central Plains to arrive in Taiwan. In order to defend Taiwan, in the years to come, there were major military activities such as Zheng Chenggong's recapture of Taiwan and Emperor Kangxi's unification of Taiwan. In 1683, after the unification of Taiwan, the Qing government formally established the Taiwan Prefecture within Taiwan proper, with three counties under the jurisdiction of Taiwan, Fengshan and Zhuluo. Taiwan Province was under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province, which was later changed to 2 prefectures, 8 counties and 4 halls. The Qing government had already established a complete ruling institution and system for effective management of the Taiwan area. Since the eastward invasion by western colonizers, the United States, Japan, France and other powers have carried out military provocations in Taiwan, exacerbating the territorial crisis of China's borders. In this case, the attitude and way of the upper echelon of the Qing government in how to govern Taiwan began to change, from "prevention of internal change as the main" to "defense against foreign invasion as the main", the Qing dynasty supervised the Nanyang coastal defense affairs of the Fujian Minister of Shipbuilding, Shen Baozhen, the later Minister of Qinzhi, Ding Richang, governor of Fujian, and others. Ding Richang, governor of Fujian, etc., called Taiwan "seven provinces fence", "the key to the North and South Oceans", "China's first gateway", and repeatedly emphasized the importance of Taiwan's position. They have also repeatedly submitted a proposal for the establishment of a province in Taiwan to strengthen the government, effectively manage the isolated overseas Taiwan and Penghu area, and consolidate the sea defense. The proposal of establishing a province in Taiwan was realized under the border crisis at that time. This proposal was firstly put forward by Ding Richang during 1874. In November of the second year, Shen Baozhen proposed to set up "Fujian Governor" under the name of Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, "stationed in Taiwan in winter and spring, and in Fuzhou in summer and fall" In the spring of 1876, Ding Richang, the new governor, was unable to be stationed in Taiwan on schedule, and requested the court to send another important official to be stationed in Taiwan, and set up the "Taiwan Governor" instead. "Taiwan governor", so that the implementation of three years of "winter and spring in Taiwan" to Taiwan single governor. Liu Mingchuan
Until June 1884, the Qing Dynasty sent directly under the Governor Liu Mingchuan additional title of governor, supervise Taiwan's political affairs and defense. Regardless of what movie and television productions made him out to be, Liu Mingchuan was indeed an official who had his work cut out for him. Liu Mingchuan arrived soon, coinciding with the outbreak of the Sino-French War, from a general point of view of the military did not fail China, in politics again failed miserably, in the face of the crisis, strengthening the defense of Taiwan is particularly necessary. Fujian and Zhejiang Governor Yang Changjun, Minister of Fujian military affairs, Zuo Zongtang, in July again submitted a letter requesting the two places in Fujian and Taiwan, "governor stationed separately", "build a province to divide and rule". Guangxu 11 years (1885) on October 12, the curtain of the Empress Dowager Cixi, in the order to create the Navy at the same time, the decree agreed to the imperial edict of Zuo Zongtang's petition, Fujian government by the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, will be changed to the Governor of Fujian, Taiwan Governor, formally issued an edict to build a province in Taiwan. To 1888 the formal realization of the partition of Fujian and Taiwan, Taiwan set up a separate province, from the original 2 Fu 8 counties and 4 halls increased to 3 Fu 11 counties and 4 halls 1 Zhili state, and later added Nanya Hall. The first governor of Fujian and Taiwan for Liu Mingchuan. It was this governor that opened the door to Taiwan's modern economic development. History has followed its proper course to the present, and after 550 years of the establishment of the "Inspection Department", filled with storms, Taiwan became the 20th province of the Qing Dynasty. The establishment of Taiwan Province was mainly for the purpose of consolidating the southeastern sea defense, defending against the aggression of foreign powers, and strengthening military defense; internally, it began the process of modern industrialization, with the development of mining, postal service, transportation, land reclamation, and educational undertakings. From then on, Taiwan society entered a period of large-scale development. It is the historical cross-strait exchanges that have linked the hearts and minds of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan and the mainland are inseparable. The sea tells us that so many "firsts" of the mainland in Taiwan are not only the significance of the sequence of time, but also contain the courage of the pioneers, the hardships of the pioneers, and the sacrifices of the fighters; and how much Taiwan's yearning for the Central Plains hinterland and how much the mainland people care about their compatriots in Taiwan. The same also tells us that it is in this millennium-long interaction that Chinese culture has saturated Taiwan; and that Taiwan compatriots, in the environment of continuous and lasting Chinese culture, have also become one of the creative groups of this Chinese culture that amazes the world, and is even a bit unbelievable. Therefore, the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland has a deep historical origin and cultural precipitation. [2]
Tourist Attractions
Tourist Resources
Its geomorphology is complex, being on the Pacific volcanic seismic zone, and there are karstic landforms and sea-eroded landforms, so there are many mountainous and scenic spots, volcanic clusters and hot springs. The west coast has gentle beaches and many sea bathing beaches, while the east coast has steep cliffs and strange rocks. Dense forests, rich flora and fauna resources, but also known as the 'Kingdom of Butterflies'. In the Qing Dynasty, there were 'Eight Scenic Spots and Twelve Sights', including: Alishan Cloud Sea, Shuangtan Autumn Moon, Yushan Cumulus, Qingshui Cliffs, Penghu Fishing Fires, Datun Spring Colors, Lugu Gorge, Anping Sunset, and CaoShan, Xindian, Daxi, WuFingShan, BaguaShan, HutouPi, ShihtouShan, TaipingShan, DaliDong, QiShan, and Wushe. Cultural relics are rich in resources, either related to the resistance against the Dutch and Japanese invaders, or as historical witnesses to the relationship between Taiwan and the mainland. For example, the Red Embedded Building, Anping Ancient Fortress, Ming Yanping County King Ancestral Hall, Lingxiao Pavilion of Zhinan Palace, A-Ma Temple of Beigang in Yunlin, and Confucius Temples in Taipei and Tainan. The Gaoshan ethnic group has a population of more than 300,000 and is divided into nine ethnic groups: Amis, Taiya, Paiwan, Saisiat, Bunun, Cao, Rukai, Peinan, and Yamei. The Yamei's hair-swinging dance and boat-carving skills, the Ami's counterpoint singing and colorful dances, the Paiwan's embroidery and carving, the Bunun's 'ear-beating festival' and 'coming-of-age festival' ceremonies, and the Saisiyat's 'short-spirit festival' and pebble-dangling bells, are some of the most popular activities of the Gaoshan. ' and the dance of jingling bells of the Saisiyat, the embroidered clothes and sowing festival of the Atayal, and the 'Shako Monkey Festival' and 'Hunting Festival' of the Peinan, are so colorful. In order to develop tourism, some measures have been taken, such as the construction of the 'Lilliputian Kingdom' in Taoyuan County, which has enriched the tourism resources even more.
Style dishes
similar to Fujian and Guangdong, but to change and have the characteristics of Taiwan: condiments commonly used sacha, curry, peanut butter, etc., sweeter, and more stewed in clear soup. There are many varieties of flavorful snacks. Taipei Xindian Bixitan Fragrant Fish, Keelung Bean Stick Soup, 'Sweet and Spicy', Taoyuan Shimen Shabu Fish Head, Taichung Vegetable Roots Fragrant Beef in Original Sauce, Hsinchu 'Tribute Balls', Chiayi 'Four Ministers' Soup' and Shitake Mushroom Shark's fin soup', Tainan 'coffin board' (deep-fried stuffed pasta), Kaohsiung Liouhe night market shellfish and 'Shanhe meat' (rat meat from the Great Mountain), all of which are mouth-watering.
Local Literature and Art
In Fujian, there are praise songs and tea-collecting songs, while in Cantonese, there are Hakka songs, which are more popular. The southern pipes, on the other hand, are more 'elegant'. The theater is mostly inherited from Fujian and Guangdong, there are Liyuan Opera, Gaojia Opera, Cantonese Opera and Shadow Show. The arts and culture of the Gaoshan people are very colorful. [3]
Geography and Humanities
Geographic Location
The Taiwan Strait is oriented from northeast to southwest, connecting the East China Sea in the north and the South China Sea in the south, and is about 200 nautical miles in length and 70 to 221 nautical miles in width, with an average width of about 108 nautical miles, making it a major maritime transportation route, as well as a major international maritime transportation route. It borders the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Ryukyu Islands to the northeast, separated by about 600 kilometers; the Bashi Channel to the south, separated by about 300 kilometers from the Philippines; and the Taiwan Strait to the west, separated from Fujian, with 130 kilometers at its narrowest point. Taiwan Island
Because Taiwan is at the center of the Western Pacific shipping lanes, it is an important transportation hub for the maritime connection of countries in the Pacific region. Not only do ships traveling between the East China Sea and the South China Sea pass through here, but ships from Europe, Africa, South Asia and Oceania to the eastern coast of China also pass through here. Ships from the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean to the Sea of Japan generally pass through here as well.
Demographics
According to Taiwan's statistics, as of August 1998, the population of Taiwan Province was more than 21.81 million, and with the addition of the Kinmen and Matsu populations, it totaled more than 21.86 million; the annual population growth rate was about 7.31%. The population is mainly concentrated in the western plains, with the eastern part accounting for only 4% of the total population. Population density averages 568.83 people per square kilometer, and the population density of Taipei City, the political, economic, and cultural center and the first major city, has reached 10,000 people per square kilometer. Among Taiwan's residents, Han Chinese account for about 98% of the total population; ethnic minorities account for 2%, or about 380,000 people. According to different languages and customs, Taiwan's ethnic minorities are divided into nine groups, including Amis, Taiya, Paiwan, Bunun, Peinan, Rukai, Tsao, Yamei, and Saisia, which live in different parts of the province.
Landscape Features
Taiwan Island is mountainous, with high mountains and hills covering more than two-thirds of the entire area. The mountain system of Taiwan is parallel to the northeast-southwest direction of the island, lying in the east central part of the island, forming the topographic features of the island with many mountain ranges in the east, hills in the center, and plains in the west. Taiwan Island has five major mountain ranges, four major plains, and three major basins, namely the Central Mountain Range, the Snowy Mountain Range, the Jade Mountain Range, the Alishan Mountain Range, and the Taitung Mountain Range; the Yilan Plain, the Ji'anan Plain, the Pingtung Plain, and the Taitung Longitudinal Valley Plain; and the Taipei Basin, the Taichung Basin, and the Puli Basin. The Central Mountain Range runs north-south, and Jade Mountain, at 3,952 meters, is the highest peak in the eastern part of the country. The island of Taiwan is located in the Pacific Rim seismic and volcanic belts, with an unstable earth's crust.
Climate Type
Taiwan's climate is warm in winter and hot in summer, with abundant rainfall and many typhoons and rainstorms in summer and fall. As the Tropic of Cancer passes through the center of the island, the northern part of Taiwan has a subtropical climate, while the southern part has a tropical climate, with an average annual temperature (except in the high mountains) of 22°C and an annual precipitation of more than 2,000 millimeters.
Natural Resources
Although Taiwan has only a small amount of self-produced energy in the form of coal and natural gas, as well as a relatively small amount of metallic minerals, such as gold, silver, copper, and iron, which are mainly stored in the northern volcanic areas and the Central Mountain Range, Taiwan is rich in water power, forests, and fisheries. Freshwater Resources Abundant rainfall has created favorable conditions for the development of rivers on the island, with 608 large and small rivers that flow uniquely into the sea, and with fast water and many waterfalls, the island is extremely rich in hydropower resources. Among them, the rivers over 100 kilometers in length are Turbid Water Creek (186.4 kilometers), Gaoping Creek (170.9 kilometers), Danshui River (158.7 kilometers), Dajia Creek (140.3 kilometers), Tsengwen Creek (138.5 kilometers), and Wuxi Creek (116.8 kilometers). Arable land resources Taiwan's farming area accounts for about one-fourth of its land area, producing rice in abundance, with two to three ripenings a year, good rice quality and high yields Sun and Moon Lake
; the main cash crops are sugar cane and tea. There are more than 90 varieties of vegetables, second only to rice in terms of cultivation area. Taiwan is known as the "Kingdom of Fruits", with a wide variety of fruits. The production value of flowers is also considerable. Forest Resources Taiwan's forest area accounts for about 52% of the territory, Taipei's Taiping Mountain, Taichung's Baxian Mountain and Chiayi's Alishan is the famous three major forested areas, timber reserves of up to 326 million cubic meters, nearly 4,000 kinds of trees, especially Taiwan fir, red juniper, camphor, nan and other valuable timber is known throughout the world, camphor extracts more than the world's first camphor, camphor and camphor oil production accounts for 70% of the world's total. Fishery resources Taiwan is surrounded by sea, with a total coastline of 1,600 kilometers, and is rich in fishery resources because it is located at the junction of cold and warm currents. The eastern coast is steep and deep, and the fishing season lasts all year round; the western seabed is an extension of the continental shelf, which is relatively flat and rich in benthic fish and shellfish, and the offshore fishery and aquaculture industry are relatively developed. Pelagic fisheries are also more developed.
History
The Ancient Times ~ 16th Century
In ancient times, Taiwan was connected to the mainland, but later, due to crustal movement, the connected part sank into the sea, forming a strait and the island of Taiwan appeared. The king of Wu, Sun Quan, sent 10,000 soldiers to Taiwan
Most of the early inhabitants of Taiwan migrated directly or indirectly from mainland China, and in 1971 and 1974, the earliest human fossils in Taiwan were found in Zuozhen Township, Tainan County, and named "Zuozhen Man". Archaeologists believe that "Zuozhen Man" came to Taiwan from mainland China 30,000 years ago, and belongs to the same group of late Paleolithic Homo sapiens in the southern region of China as "Qingliu Man" and "Dongshan Man" found in Fujian. The late Homo sapiens in the southern Paleolithic region of China, with the "Qingliu Man" and "Dongshan Man" found in Fujian, share the same origin and have inherited some of the characteristics of the Chinese Homo erectus. Among the early aborigines of Taiwan, there were also a small number of Dwarf Blacks belonging to the Negrito race and the highest peak of the Luang Peak people belonging to the Ryukyu race. The above mentioned early aborigines of Taiwan are the ancestors of the present-day ethnic minorities in Taiwan. The written history of Taiwan can be traced back to 230 AD. At that time, Sun Quan, King of the Three Kingdoms of Wu, sent 10,000 troops to "Yizhou" (Taiwan), and Shen Ying, a native of Wu, left the world's earliest account of Taiwan in his Linhai Shui Tu Zhi (Records of Water and Land in Linhai). During the Sui and Tang dynasties (589-618 A.D.), Taiwan was called "Liuqiu". The Sui dynasty made three trips to Taiwan. According to historical records, the Han Chinese people began to migrate to the Penghu area in 610 (the sixth year of the Sui Dynasty). By the time of Song and Yuan Dynasties (960-1368 AD), the Han Chinese people already had a considerable number in Penghu area. After the Han people explored Penghu, they began to develop to Taiwan and brought the advanced production technology at that time. In the middle of the 12th century A.D., the Song Dynasty assigned Penghu to the jurisdiction of Jinjiang County, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, and sent soldiers to guard the area. The Yuan Dynasty also sent troops to Taiwan. The governments of Yuan and Ming dynasties set up inspection departments in Penghu, responsible for patrolling, investigating and arresting criminals, as well as organizing salt courses. In the late Ming Dynasty, the scale of exploration became larger and larger. In times of war and famine, the Fujian authorities of the Ming government and Zheng Zhilong's group used to emigrate to Taiwan in an organized manner.
The period of Dutch-Spanish colonization
In the 16th century, Western colonial powers such as Spain and the Netherlands grew rapidly and began to extend their tentacles to the East. in the early 17th century, the Dutch colonizers Zheng Chenggong recaptured Taiwan
Taking advantage of the peasant revolts of the late Ming Dynasty and the growing power of Manchus in the Northeast, which made the Ming government in a difficult position, they invaded Taiwan. Soon after, the Spaniards invaded some areas in the north and east of Taiwan, and were later driven out by the Dutch in 1642, making Taiwan a Dutch colony. The Dutch colonizers practiced coercive rule, appropriated the land, forced the people to pay all kinds of rents and taxes, plundered Taiwan's rice and sugar, and re-exported the Chinese raw silk, sugar and porcelain they had acquired to various countries through Taiwan for high profits. The rule of the Dutch colonizers provoked the people of Taiwan to revolt, and in September 1652, Kuo Hwai-yi, a peasant leader, led a large-scale armed uprising. Although this armed revolt was suppressed, it showed that the Dutch colonial rule was in crisis.
Jung's reign
In 1644, the Qing army entered the country and established the Qing regime in Beijing, and in April 1661, Zheng Chenggong, in the name of the Recruiting General of the Southern Ming Dynasty, led 25,000 generals and hundreds of warships to march from Kinmen to Taiwan. During his advance, Zheng Chenggong told the Dutch colonizers that Taiwan "has always belonged to China" and that the inhabitants of the two "islands, Taiwan and Penghu, are all Chinese, who have occupied and cultivated this land since ancient times" and that the Dutch "should return it to its original owners. should have returned it to its original owners." After fierce fighting and siege, in February 1662, Zheng Chenggong forced the Dutch governor, Kui Yi, to sign a surrender. Zheng Chenggong recovered the Chinese territory of Taiwan from the Dutch colonizers and became a great national hero, admired by the general public.
The period of the Qing government
In 1684, the Qing government set up a sub-patrol of the Taichia Military Preparatory Road and the Taiwan Prefecture, which was subordinate to Fujian Province. By 1811, Taiwan's population had reached 1.9 million, most of whom were immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong. The immigrants reclaimed a large amount of wasteland, making Taiwan an emerging agricultural region, and supplied the mainland with large quantities of rice and sugar, as well as daily consumer goods and construction materials imported from the mainland, which led to considerable economic development in Taiwan. During this period, Taiwan's exchanges with Fujian and Guangdong were very close, and Chinese culture was more fully introduced to Taiwan. During the Sino-French War of 1884-1885, the French army attacked Taiwan and was heavily defeated by Liu Mingchuan's army, which was forced to withdraw from Taiwan in June 1885 after the signing of the Sino-French New Treaty. After the Sino-French War, the Qing government designated Taiwan as a single province in 1885 in order to strengthen its naval defense, making Taiwan the 20th province in China.
Japanese rule
In 1894, Japan launched the Sino-Japanese War, and in the following year, the Qing government was defeated, and on April 17, it was forced to sign the humiliating Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ceded Taiwan to Japan. After the news was released, the whole country was angry and opposed to the cession of Taiwan; the whole province of Taiwan "cried to the heavens", sounding a gong strike. Associate Taiwan military affairs of the Qing army general Liu Yongfu rate of military and civilian resistance to the Japanese occupation, insisted on more than five months of fighting, after the size of more than a hundred battles, so that the Japanese invaders paid a heavy price, but ultimately suffered defeat. Since then, Taiwan has been a Japanese colony for 50 years. The people of Taiwan never succumbed to Japanese colonial rule, and in the early days of the Japanese occupation, the anti-Japanese armed forces, mainly peasants, fought for 20 years. Later, the Cultural Association, the People's Party, and the ****production party also organized and led national resistance movements against Japanese colonial rule. Celebrating Taiwan's Restoration
July 1937 saw the "July 7th Incident", and the Chinese people began a national war of resistance against Japan. During the war of resistance against Japan, many Taiwanese compatriots returned to their homeland to participate in the war of resistance, contributing to the victory of the war of resistance against Japan and the restoration of Taiwan.After the outbreak of the Pacific War in December 1941, the Chinese government issued the "Announcement of China's Declaration of War Against Japan" on Dec. 9, which explicitly notified the Chinese and foreign countries that: "All treaties, agreements, and contracts, which have a bearing on the relationship between China and Japan, will be abolished. abrogated."
Return of sovereignty
In August 1945, Japan was defeated in World War II and on Aug. 15 announced its unconditional surrender. The Chinese people finally recovered Taiwan after eight years of heroic war against Japan. Taiwan compatriots rejoiced and celebrated the return of Taiwan to the motherland. on October 25th, the surrender ceremony of Taiwan Province of the Allied Chinese Theater of Operations was held in Taipei, where the surrendering officer declared on behalf of the Chinese government that: from this day forward, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands have been formally reintegrated into China, and that all the land, people, and political affairs have been placed under China's sovereignty. Thus, Taiwan and Penghu were returned to the sovereignty of China.