History of Taiwan

By wangpei
  • Jan 1, 1400

    Prehistoric Settlement

    Around 3,000 BC, the Neolithic Dapenkeng culture abruptly appeared and quickly spread around the coast of the island. Early Chinese histories refer to visits to eastern islands that some historians identify with Taiwan.
  • Period: Jan 1, 1400 to

    Taiwan History

  • Jan 1, 1500

    Portuguese Formosa

    Portuguese established forts in Taiwan as part of its trading routes. They named Taiwan "Ilha Formosa", meaning beautiful island.

  • Dutch Formosa

    The Dutch established Fort Zeelandia, Spanish established Fort Santa Domingo. Eventaully, Dutch become the sole ruling power; Spanish and Portuguese surrendered.

  • Kingdom of Tungning

    Zheng Cheng Gong in Ming Dynasty, established the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan, expelling the Dutch and capturing Fort Zeelandia. Taiwan was no longer under colonial rule. The Chinese did not really cared about Taiwan for being a lonely island in the middle of the sea.

  • Taiwan under Chinese Empire (First period, 1683–1721)

    The Qing Dynasty invaded Taiwan; the Ming rulers surrendered and were expelled.

  • Taiwan under Chinese Empire (Second period, 1721–1895)

    Qing rule was reestablished after a month-long revolt.

  • Japanese Rule

    Qing Empire signed Treaty of Shimonoseki ceding Taiwan to Japan after being defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War. Japan ruled Taiwan. After establishing control over the island, the Japanese used the French Empire model of an occupying force and were instrumental in the industrialization of the island; they built railroads, a sanitation system and a public school system, among other things.

  • The Establishment of Republic of China

    Dr. Sun Yat-sen led the Xinhai Revolution, the last emporer, Puyi, abdicated his throne. Monarchy was abolished, Republic of China was established by KMT, Kuomingtang (Nationalist Party).

  • Communist Party Founded

    The Communist Party of China was founded by Mao Zedong and others after the May Fourth Movement in 1919.

  • Civil War

    After Japan was defeated, conflicts soon rose between Mao's Communist Party and Chiang's KMT. Both seeked to be the sole ruler of China, resulted in the outbreak of civil war once.

  • Republic of China Rule (1945-Present)

    Following the end of World War II in 1945, under the terms of the Instrument of Surrender of Japan, Japan provisionally accepted the Potsdam Declaration, under which the island was to be transferred to the Republic of China. Following KMT's defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949, ROC Government relocated to Taiwan where it exist today.

  • The Establishment of People's Republic of China

    KMT was defeated and retreated to Taiwan. Mao's Communist Party established People's Republic of China.

  • UN Security Council

    The seat for "China" at the United Nations Security Council assumed ROC as part of the PRC.

  • Democratic Progressive Party Established

    The Democratic Progressive Party was founded in 1986, DPP is the first meaningful opposition party in Taiwan.

  • Lee Teng-hui Administration

    Lee Teng-hui was known as the "father of Taiwan's democracy".

  • 1992 Consensus

    The "1992 Consensus" refers to the outcome of a meeting in 1992 between the semi-official representatives of PRC and ROC. The KMT of the ROC says that the consensus exists, while the DPP of ROC and the President of ROC in 1992, Lee Teng-hui, deny the existence of the 1992 consensus. The Consensus is on the subject of the "One China principle", both sides recognise there is only one "China" - both mainland China and Taiwan belong to the same China.

  • Chen Shui-bian Administration

    Chen Shui-bian, the opposition candidate from the DPP, elected as the president of Taiwan. His policy towards mainland China was "Taiwan is independent", which intensified the Cross-Strait relations.

  • Anti-Succession Law

    Chinese government passed the Anti-Succession Law which emphasized that Taiwan is part of China and threatened the use of force against Taiwan if the government declared independence. In response, 1.6 million people marched in Taipei against China's "anti-secession law". Similar marches occur across the world by Taiwanese nationalists.

  • UN Rejection

    Taiwan applied for membership in the United Nations under the name "Taiwan", and was rejected by the General Assembly.

  • Ma Ying-jeou Administration

    President Ma Ying-jeou elected as the president of Taiwan, KMT gained its popularity after former President Chen was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for corruption, KMT becomes the dominant party once again. His policy towards China is to promote the Cross-Strait relations without China's political control over Taiwan.