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Examines the effects of the socio-economic post-war transformation on Taiwan's political system, environment, religious structures, the relationships between the sexes and the different ethnic populations. A complex revisionist portrait of the country emerges. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Good Introduction to Taiwan
Far too many authors of the English literature on Taiwan focus on the island through the narrow, arguably distorting, lens of the Cold War.Rubinstein is one of the few authors who have made an effort to addressthis vacuum by presenting an anthology of Taiwan from multiple angles,covering such issue as religion, the environmental movement, and thedemocratic struggle; as such I highly recommend this readable book as anintroduction to Taiwan.

Comprehensive discussion on Taiwan's development
This is one of the very rare systematic reviews on Taiwan's development in all aspects. It covers major issues in that island, including identities, social movements, civil society, political economy, gender, religion, andenvironmental protection. Not only those who are not familiar with Taiwanbefore can get very good overall introduction, those trying to do furtherresearch on Taiwan can also get much insigtful references. ... Read more

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In 1958, Communist China deployed artillery and MiG-17 aircrafts along the Chinese coast near Taiwan Straits. Battles were waged in the air, on the sea, on Jin Men and Ma Zu islands. Taiwan?s Air Force F-86 shot down many Chinese Jian-5 in dogfights. Later the U.S. introduced Sidewinder heat seeking air to air missiles to Taiwan. The missiles were first seen action in the sky over the Taiwan Straits. The age of missiles in air combat has arrived. Record numbers of shells landed on Jin Men islands. The U.S. came to the aid of Taiwan without being directly involved in the fighting. With the success of re-supplying the islands, the Nationalist army held on to their positions. An intense explosion occurred at Xia Men railroad station. The Communists decided to cease the artillery bombardment of Jin Men islands. These clashes were actually continuation from the civil war that started more than a decade earlier. After the cease fire, an unannounced truce was maintained till today. This book tells you the major battles in Chinese civil war. How the Nationalists eventually retreated to Taiwan. How the mainland China and Taiwan were separated politically. As the Communists celebrated the 60th anniversary of their success over the Nationalists in 1949, tales of the battles must be told without any political propaganda. This book outlines events on the battle fields from the perspective of a soldier and a general. It is of interests to anyone that likes to know the history and the actions of epic proportion. These were among the most important events of our time. ... Read more

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Chiang Ching-kuo, son and political heir of GeneralissimoChiang Kai-shek, was born in 1910, when Chinese women, nearly allilliterate, hobbled about on bound feet and men wore pigtails assymbols of subservience to the Manchu Dynasty.In his youth Ching-kuowas a Communist and a Trotskyite, and he lived twelve years inRussia.He died in 1988 as the leader of Taiwan, a Chinese societywith a flourishing consumer economy and a budding but already wild,woolly, and open democracy.He was an actor in many of the events ofthe last century that shaped the history of China's struggles andachievements in the modern era:the surge of nationalism among Chineseyouth, the grand appeal of Marxism-Leninism, the terrible battleagainst fascist Japan, and the long, destructive civil war between theNationalists and the Communists.In 1949, he fled to Taiwan with hisfather and two million Nationalists.He led the brutal suppression ofdissent on the island and was a major player in the cold, sometimeshot war between Communist China and America.By reacting to changingeconomic, social, and political dynamics on Taiwan, Sino-Americanrapprochement, Deng Xiaoping's sweeping reforms on the mainland,and other international events, he led Taiwan on a zigzag butultimately successful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Jay Taylor underscores the interaction of political developments onthe mainland and in Taiwan and concludes that if China ever makes asimilar transition, it will owe much to the Taiwan example and theGeneralissimo's son. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A good case of historian, not journalistic work.I actually read it all.
I enjoyed reading it.Given the busy schedule, I myself find it amazing actually having finished the whole book.
I like the matter-of-fact'ly attitude and the author's historical perspective, and that adds credibility to his research and work.
The personal encounters and rapports by those early makers and shakers were very facinating.Some documents, as the author put it, are still not released yet and we have to wait some more.The file on the last encounter between Stalin and CCK before CCK returned to China was one of them.What exactly was communicated and expressed,and what was truly in their minds?The only early ally of Chinese struggle against Japanese invasion was Russia?With real airplanes, pilots and so on?This part was never played out hard in KMT/Taiwan's history lessons.Don't know how the CCP/Mainland portrait that part of the history *today*.Obviously, Stalin has his reasons and he was not just charitable in heart.The Great Terror executed 800,000 in the USSR and is more than how many Russians killed in the first two years of WWII.What a contrast!
It makes you think how the turns of events gets to us here today as an individual and as communities.
Leave the rhetoric to people who cannot think and reflect and have preconceived notions and unshakable emotions, and read this book with the feel of a by-stander.

The Kannan Model is a fairy tale.
Taiwan is a hostage of CCP China and KMT mainlander. Taiwanese men were drafted to serve in the KMT military for two to three years. They were trained and told in preparation to recover the mainland for about thirty-five years. How many man-year of Taiwanese are at the mainlander's disposal, not to mention the casualty during the conflicts? The mainlanders shall appreciate Taiwanese's sacrifice instead of asking Taiwanese to thank the two Chiang's.

I am really enjoying reading this book not because of the young Chiang's romantic encounters. I learned a lot of facts that CCP and KMT do not want Taiwanese and Chinese to know. I am especially interested to know that United States considered a separate Taiwan(page 201) or Two Chinas was an option in 1950. Even Mao will accept that solution at that time. If Chiang accepted this offer, then there is no such messy issue across Taiwan Strait. As it is mentioned in the book Chiang had no will to attack mainland because he knew he will be defeated . But he kept pretending he will. Of course if he accepted two China's Chiang will not be able to lead the two million mainlanders and he lost the ground to be the "forever" leader of Taiwan. As a matter of fact Ching-Kuo was making an arrangement for his father's refugee in philippine if the communist came to Taiwan. What a great son he is!

The economy success of Taiwan shall attribute to the effort of the hard working people of Taiwan not the Chiang's. It is not until 1972 all resources of Taiwan was devoted for the military preparation for the fighting back to mainland. Ten Major Development Project is the first important thing happen to Taiwan's modernization. But as usual these projects also served as an opportunity to nourish KMT' and his friend's pockets. It also enabled Chiang to place his loyal followers such as retired military and party staffs so that to consolidate his power.

When I was in high school every classmate was told by the mainlander teacher that you would be appointed as a county supervisor in China if KMT recovered mainland. I was wondering why I would like to govern the place and people I do not know. KMT did not learn the lesson in Manchuria (Page 137).What CCK said to his mainlander senior officers at Sun-Moon lake retreat proves that he is one of the exception (page 282).

The greatest leader in the Chinese history
President Chiang Ching-Kuo was the greatest leader of China who started Taiwan miracle. If there was no President Chiang Ching-Kuo, we people in Taiwan could never have a life like today. I certainlly hope people can read the history fairly!!

Fascinating portrayal of a statesman
Jay Taylor's matter of fact approach, he tries not to cast judgement on all of the people portrayed here, provides a pretty interesting of CCK's fascinating life.What emerges is basically at first a rather impressionable young man who was caught up in one of the 20th Century's great power plays.The period of his Soviet activities is especially fascinating, especially his commitment to Bolshevism and apparent intention to remain in the USSR and seek candidacy in the CPSU.As an aside, the revelation that Lee Tung Hui was once a candidate member of the CCP is also interesting viewing his present activities.In the end CCK was obedient to his father's wishes and carried out his filial duties, never disrespecting his father or his legacy.The book is very fair to CCK, balancing his personal feelings with what his father's legacy saddle him with.Taylor's assessment that the best chance for rapproachment between the CCP and KMT was when CCK and Deng were at their twilight and that it was a shame that CCK left the scene much too early to finish his job is pretty much on the mark.I wonder how he would look upon the current developments on Taiwan and in China, but I think history will regard him very favorably as future generations realize what he accomplished.

He's a dictator , no doubt .
As a Taiwanese,I have to point out that this book is "NOT" a fair and accurate accounts of Chiang Ching-Kuo. He's a dictator , put a lot of dissidents into jails, many people died because of his harsh ruleing style. And as a president , he was never reallyelected by a democratic process,there's "No" democratic election until his death. All these things are ingored or downplayed in this book.As a taiwanese,I'm truely dispointted about this book. ... Read more

Product Description

Until 300 years ago, the Chinese considered Taiwan a "land beyond the seas," a "ball of mud" inhabited by "naked and tattooed savages." The incorporation of this island into the Qing empire in the seventeenth century and its evolution into a province by the late nineteenth century involved not only a reconsideration of imperial geography but also a reconceptualization of the Chinese domain. The annexation of Taiwan was only one incident in the much larger phenomenon of Qing expansionism into frontier areas that resulted in a doubling of the area controlled from Beijing and the creation of a multi-ethnic polity. The author argues that travelers' accounts and pictures of frontiers such as Taiwan led to a change in the imagined geography of the empire. In representing distant lands and ethnically diverse peoples of the frontiers to audiences in China proper, these works transformed places once considered non-Chinese into familiar parts of the empire and thereby helped to naturalize Qing expansionism.

By viewing Taiwan-China relations as a product of the history of Qing expansionism, the author contributes to our understanding of current political events in the region.

Product Description
This book describes and analyzes the demographic changes that took place in Taiwan between 1945 and 1995. It uses an interdisciplinary methodology so that different approaches to demographic change can be compared and contrasted. It attempts to evaluate Taiwan’s experience so that lessons for the Third World can be extracted. The content and presentation of the material are deliberately designed to replicate the 1954 work of Barclay, Demographic Change and Colonial Development in Taiwan. As such the book seeks to provide the reasons that economic development without demographic change took place under the Japanese while development with demographic change took place under the Chinese. The volume is richly illustrated with some 82 original maps and graphs. ... Read more

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This collection brings together a group of experts on Taiwan who attempt to analyze change on this dynamic island during the twentieth century. Thus, in contrast to many works on Taiwan, this collection reveals how important the Japanese colonial antecedents were to the formation of today's Taiwan and illuminates the complexity of the problems this island will face in the twenty-first century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

not bad
It's a good and informational collection of articles... but the book is very expensive, and some articles can be a little dull to read. ... Read more

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Following the recent success of Taiwanese film directors, such as Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, Ang Lee and Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwanese film is raising its profile in contemporary cinema. This collection presents an exciting and ambitious foray into the cultural politics of contemporary Taiwan film that goes beyond the auterist mode, the nation-state argument and vestiges of the New Cinema.

Cinema Taiwan considers the complex problems of popularity, conflicts between transnational capital and local practice, non-fiction and independent filmmaking as emerging modes of address, and new possibilities of forging vibrant film cultures embedded in national (identity) politics, gender/sexuality and community activism. Insightful and challenging, the essays in this collection will attract attention to a globally significant field of cultural production and will appeal to readers from the areas of film studies, cultural studies and Chinese culture and society.

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Naval War College Review, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2007. The length of the article is 534 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Cole, Bernard D. Taiwan's Security: History and Prospects.(Book review)
Author: Michael S. Chase
Publication: Naval War College Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 60Issue: 3Page: 135(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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Chapters: Pescadores Campaign, Ethnic Taiwanese Imperial Japan Serviceman, Hsiung Feng Iii, Uhrshawan Battery, Takasago Volunteers, Santissima Trinidad. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 32. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Pescadores Campaign in late March 1885 was one of the last campaigns of the Sino-French War (August 1884April 1885). It was fought to capture a strategically-important island group off the western coast of Taiwan. Admiral Amédée Courbet, with part of the French Far East Squadron, bombarded the Chinese coastal defences around the principal town of Makung () on P'eng-hu Island (P'eng-hu tao, ) and landed a battalion of marine infantry which routed the Chinese defenders and occupied Makung. The Pescadores were occupied by the French until July 1885 and Admiral Courbet, by then a national hero in France, died aboard his flagship Bayard in Makung harbour during the occupation. The Pescadores Islands, also known from their Chinese name as P'eng-hu (), were an important transit stop for reinforcements to the Chinese army under the command of Liu Ming-ch'uan () confronting the French in northern Taiwan around Keelung (), and their capture would prevent further reinforcements from reaching Taiwan. Courbet had wanted to mount an expedition to capture the Pescadores for several months, but the feasibility of the operation depended on the progress of the Keelung Campaign. Colonel Jacques Duchesne's defeat of Liu Ming-ch'uan's forces and capture of the key Chinese position of La Table on 7 March 1885 finally disengaged Keelung, allowing the French to detach troops from its garrison for a descent on the Pescadores. Courbet's flotilla consisted of the ironclads Bayard and Triomphante, the cruisers d'Estaing and Duchaffaut, the gunboat Vipère and the troopship Annamite. Hi...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=18018679 ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Republic of China, Names of China, History of the Republicof China, Taiwan after World War II, Political status ofTaiwan, Taiwan independence, Chinese reunification,Government of the Republic of China, Administrativedivisions of the Republic of China, Taiwan, Politics of theRepublic of China, Elections in the Republic of China,Human rights in Taiwan, Taiwanese identity, Foreignrelations of the Republic of China, Republic of China ArmedForces, Republic of China Army, Republic of China AirForce, Republic of China Navy, Republic of China MilitaryAcademy, Economy of Taiwan, Taiwan Miracle, Education inTaiwan, Demographics of Taiwan, Religion in Taiwan, List ofcities in the Republic of China, Healthcare in Taiwan,Minguo calendar, Chinese calendar, Holidays in Taiwan,Public holidays in the Republic of China ... Read more

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Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Taiwan," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Taiwan in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Taiwan when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Taiwan, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

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The Taiwanese culture is a hybrid blend of Confucianist HanChinese, Japanese, European, American, global, local andTaiwanese aborigines cultures, which are often perceived inboth traditional and modern understandings (Harrell/Huang1994:1?5). The common socio-political experience in Taiwangradually developed into a sense of Taiwanese culturalidentity and a feeling of Taiwanese cultural awareness,which has been widely debated domestically (Yip 2004:230- 248; Makeham 2005:2-8; Chang 2005:224). Reflecting thecontinuing controversy surrounding the political status ofTaiwan, politics continues to play a role in the conceptionand development of a Taiwanese cultural identity,especially in the prior dominant frame of a Taiwanese andChinese dualism. In recent years, the concept of Taiwanesemulticulturalism has been proposed as a relativelyapolitical alternative view, which has allowed for theinclusion of mainlanders and other minority groups into thecontinuing re-definition of Taiwanese culture ascollectively held systems of meaning and customary patternsof thought and behavior shared by the people of Taiwan(Hsiau 2005:125?129); (Winckler 1994:23?41). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Warning
Very poor value for money here.BIG price for Wikipedia downloads.If Kama exists, the three "editors" will be edited out of the earth's biosphere. Pleae do not fund evil.

Wikipedia is on the net for free.

How many "books" have these jokers "edited"? ... Read more

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Chapters: Sentinel Waggon Works. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 431. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Part of a series onHistory of Taiwan This article discusses the history of Taiwan (including Penghu). For history of the polity which currently governs Taiwan, see history of the Republic of China.Taiwan (excluding Penghu) was first populated by Austronesian people. It was colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century, followed by an influx of Han Chinese including Hakka immigrants from areas of Fujian and Guangdong of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. The Spanish also built a settlement in the north for a brief period, but were driven out by the Dutch in 1642. In 1662, Koxinga (Zheng Cheng-gong), a Ming Dynasty loyalist, defeated the Dutch and established a base of operations on the island. Zheng's forces were later defeated by the Qing Dynasty in 1683. From then, parts of Taiwan became increasingly integrated into the Qing Empire before it ceded the island to Japan in 1895 following the First Sino-Japanese War. Taiwan produced rice and sugar to be exported to Japan and also served as a base for the Japanese colonial expansion into Southeast Asia and the Pacific during World War II. Japanese imperial education was implemented in Taiwan and many Taiwanese also fought for Japan during the war. Following World War II, the Republic of China (ROC), under the Kuomintang (KMT) became the governing polity on Taiwan. In 1949, after losing control of mainland China following the Chinese civil war, the ROC government under the KMT withdrew to Taiwan and Chiang Kai-shek declared martial law. Japan formally renounced all territorial rights to Taiwan in 1952 in the San Francisco Peace Treaty. The KMT ruled Taiwan as a single-party state for forty years, until democratic reforms were manda...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=53393 ... Read more

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The book contains many color plates of graphic Chinese artworks many having to do with the Gods and figures in Chinese folklore. ... Read more