Taiwan
is the name of a large island off the south coast of Mainland China. The capital
is Taipei, situated on the island's northern tip. Though many a Westerner
couldn’t find Taiwan on a map, the island's population is larger than that of
Australia.
Taiwan’s
culture is in the main Chinese (both major languages spoken on the island are
dialects of Chinese) but still the island remains outside the sway of Mainland
Chinese rule. The government in Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its legitimate
territory, but Taiwan stubbornly resists unification with a still undemocratic
Mainland.
The island
has developed a democratically pluralistic society which deserves the support
of Western democracies. Taiwan--more than that authoritarian shopping mall
called Singapore--offers the world an example of Chinese culture developing
democratically. The Beijing government, unwilling to recognize anything like
democratic pluralism, understandably considers the continued political
existence of Taiwan as an ongoing slap in the face. A strained cooperation in
matters of trade is the most the two sides have yet accomplished in their
decades-long diplomatic wrangle.
A
short distance over the water from where I write, the Mainlanders are
stockpiling and upgrading their weapons in preparation for the day when they
may feel compelled to take the island by force. No one knows if this day will
come, or, if it does, what the outcome will be. Regardless of the steady
political unease, life here is vibrant and a little zany, especially in the
capital, Taipei.
The
writings below make for most of what I've accomplished since arriving here some
five years ago. I'm an American English teacher and writer from Madison,
Wisconsin. I'm also, starting recently, a student of Chinese.
Eric
Mader-Lin,
March, 2001
A
TAIPEI MUTT (a novel):
Striking
Reliability of the Press
INFERNO: The
William C. Allen Page
Email: inthemargins03@hotmail.com
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