Term Paper on "Taiwan Is an Island Located in East"

Term Paper 6 pages (1572 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Taiwan is an island located in East Asia off the coast of mainland China, south of Japan, and north of the Philippines (Taiwan pp). Known as Formosa, Portuguese for beautiful island, it is 245 miles long and 90 miles wide with steep mountains covered by tropical subtropical vegetation (Taiwan pp). The island is bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the west by the Taiwan Strait, the south by the South China Sea, and on the north by the East China Sea (Taiwan pp).

Politics is divided between those who want reunification with China and those who want independence (History pp). When Taiwan elected Chen Shui-bian from the Democratic Progressive Party as its president in March 2000, it ended fifty-five years of Nationalist rule (History pp). There has been a continuing tug-of-war between the People's Republic of China and the Democratic Progressive Party that advocates independence, yet, Taiwan has managed to balance between agreeing in principle to one China while practicing as an independent republic (Taiwan1 pp). Like the Untied States, Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing state involvement in investment and foreign trade, and moreover, many large government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized (Taiwan pp). Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization, and trade surplus is substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest (Taiwan pp). Taiwan's major industries are machinery, electrical equipment, textiles, iron, steel, and electronic and computer goods, and its major trading partners are the United States, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea (Taiwan1 pp).

In the United States, English is the unofficial language, however, roughly ten percent of the population speak Spanish (United pp). While the majority of the population are of European descent, Hispanics comprise 13.4%, 12.9% are African-Americans, 4.2% are Asian-American, and the aboriginal population of Native Americans make up about 1.5% of the population (United pp). According to the 2000 census, there are thirty-one ethnic groups with at least one million people living in the United States (United pp).

While in Taiwan, Han Chinese makes up roughly ninety-eight percent of the population, while most of the rest are Aborigines of Malay origins (People pp). The population density is 1,528 persons per square mile, making Taiwan one of the ten most densely populated countries in the world (People pp). The official language is Mandarin Chinese, however, the majority of the people also speak Taiwanese, the language of the first Chinese immigrants (People pp). Another Chinese dialect is Hakka, and some older people speak Japanese, and the Aborigines speak their own languages (People pp). English is generally a popular second or third language for students and is widely understood in urban areas (People pp).

As in the United States, freedom of religion is guaranteed in Taiwan (People pp). The majority of the United States is Christian, followed by 1.5% Jewish, Muslim at 0.5%, Buddhist at 0.5%, and Hindu at 0.4% (United pp). Ninety-three percent of the population in Taiwan practice a combination of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism (People pp). Confucianism does not proclaim loyalty to any specific deity, but rather emphasizes ancestor veneration, social patterns and relationships, thus, worship rituals and beliefs are rooted primarily in Buddhism, followed by various forms of Christianity which makes up about five percent (People pp). Moreover, traditional beliefs play an important role in Taiwan, such as the Chinese art of geomancy, called feng shui, which literally means "wind and water," and is still consulted when selecting sites and physical orientation of any business locations to ensure prosperity and well-being (People pp). As in the United States, education is free, however it is only compulsory for nine years, until the age of fifteen, yet, plans are being implemented to extend education to twelve years (People pp).

While people in the United States exercise by jogging or working out in gyms, the majority of the Taiwanese practice "taijiquan," a slow motion shadow boxing for exercise as well as an art form (Culture pp). Amid a growing western medicine system, Chinese medicine, acupuncture and faith healing, quigong, are still popular healing practices (Culture pp). Unlike Americans who are outspoken and demonstrative, Taiwanese rarely express their emotions or speak frankly, and are generally reserved and polite (Culture pp).

While American food is traditionally rooted in European cuisine, food in Taiwan is much the same as in China, "with dishes from Beijing-

Shandong, Sichuan-Hunan, Shanghaiese and Cantonese-Chaozhou cuisine," however, the Taiwanese have added a subtropical flavor with an abundance of seafood and the liberal use of sugar (Culture pp). Moreover, the Taiwanese use many ingredients that would be "unacceptable" to Americans, such as dog, snake, and bear organs, however, most of these are expensive and used mainly for medicinal purposes rather than in everyday dishes (Culture pp). While Americans enjoy turkey and yams at Thanksgiving, corned beef and cabbage on Saint Patrick's Day, and eggnog and mince pie at Christmas, the Taiwanese enjoy moon cakes during the Moon Festival in autumn, spring rolls and rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival, and red turtle cakes for birthdays and temple worship (Culture pp). While Americans generally eat potatoes with every meal, Taiwanese eat rice (Lifestyle pp). And while beef is part of a typical American diet, the Taiwanese diet consists mainly of soup, seafood, pork, chicken, and stir-fried vegetables with sauces (Lifestyle pp). While Americans serve coffee with meals, Taiwanese serve tea, and unlike Americans who generally drink some type of alcoholic beverage, most Taiwanese drink very little alcohol (Lifestyle pp). Today's American families often "eat on the go" or in shifts according to work and school activities and schedules, however, meals in Taiwan play an important role in family life and are seldom missed (Lifestyle pp).

Although families in Taiwan have traditionally been large, a government family-planning program now encourages couples to have no more than two children and as a result of the education campaign population growth and the size of the nuclear family has been reduced (Lifestyle pp). In contrast, the United States offers support for family planning through various organizations, however, there is no government doctrine concerning the number of births per couple (United pp). In Taiwan, it is quite common for elderly parents to live with their children and in rural areas, larger extended families often share the same house (Lifestyle pp). Affection is not openly displayed between Taiwanese family members as is common in the western manner, however, Taiwanese have a deep-rooted sense of unity and obligation to each other and family members will come to an agreement rather than cause disunity in the family (Lifestyle pp). Moreover, the family as a unit maintains control over the individual, and children generally yield to the counsel of their parents or to the advice of the oldest family member, much as the custom in American families (Lifestyle pp).

In American culture, it is considered proper manners to shake hands when introduced to strangers, however, in Taiwan, handshakes are reserved for close friends and acquaintances, and a mere nod of the head and smile are appropriate for meeting someone for the first time (Lifestyle pp). Rather than given name first followed by the family name as in western culture, Chinese names are arranged with the family name first, consisting of one or two syllables, followed by a one or two syllable given name (Lifestyle pp). While in western culture, people of usually addressed by their given names, in Taiwan, people are generally addressed by their full name, and only in rare cases are given names used alone (Lifestyle pp).

Unlike western culture, Taiwanese usually remove their shoes before entering a home and generally wear slippers inside (Lifestyle pp). However, forms of introduction as much the same, recognizing the elders first (Lifestyle pp). As in western culture, it is appropriate to bring a… READ MORE

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