China Never Short of Talents

Xiong Dazhen, 1913-1939, joined the Communism military to defend motherland against Japan after the war broke out. He was named the Equipment Chief of the Central-North District. Xiong recruited over 100 students and faculty of Qinghua University to design and build weapons and ammunitions. One year later, all of them were charged as spies. Xiong was sentenced to death. To save a bullet, a piece stone was used repeatedly to crack open Xiong's head.

Xiong took an infrared panorama picture (of the city of Beijing) when he was a student at Qinghua University. It was the first infrared picture of China. After graduated in 1935, he stayed at Qinghua University to continue his research in infrared photography. He was awarded a scholarship to pursue graduate degree in Germany in 1937, when Beijing fell to Japanese military. Xiong canceled his trip to Europe to fight the Japs.

The CCP never hesitated in killing talents, regardless talents in science, literature, military, or, Communism.

In contrary, the KMT often put talents above ideology. Many known Communism believers work in the central of KMT regime. Many top KMT officials were later revealed as CCP spies. Most of them were let go (abroad) even after their true identities had been discovered. In the end, KMT lost the mainland, and fled to the Island of Taiwan.

As a side note, almost all Chinese Nobel Laureates were educated under the KMT system; none of them came out of the mainland education system. But does it matter? Mainland is a mighty power in Eastern Asia. Taiwan is only to keep its independent status due to the US's military support.

Universities in Taiwan to recruit students from the mainland

Vice Education Minister Lin Chung-ming announced 40 mainland universities from the mainland were put on a list that students of which can apply to Taiwan Universities.

The effectives of the measure will be yet to see. Usually in mainland, students with highest grades go to the US; second tiers go to the other western countries such as Canada and England; third tier students go to Hong Kong and Japan; fourth tiers go to south eastern Asian countries and Pacific countries. Taiwan universities will have a hard time competing with counterparts in Hong Kong, a prosperous and energetic city connected to the mainland by land.

To easy local concerns of political influence and employment pressure, the Education Ministry of Taiwan set strict limits on the project. Only students from 40 pre-approved mainland universities are allowed to apply, and the total annual inflow is set to 2,000. These students will not be allowed to stay after their graduation.

Some locals have expectation for the mainland students to shake up the Taiwan college education system, "you only hae to put a few students from Beijing or Qinghua University in classrooms to deter local students from dozing off or snacking," said a local writer Kao Hsi-chun.

The Taiwan Education Ministry is also considering recognizing diplomas from the above 40 (some sources use the number of 41) mainland universities. While more Taiwan students go to college in mainland, they have been placing higher pressure on the Taiwan government to recognize their degrees obtained from mainland universities. The number '41' is set by including 39 '985 project' universities, with the only exception of the National University of Defense Technology, plus Beijing Sports University, Central Conservatory of Music and China Central Academy of Fine Arts. It is not clear about the composition of '40'.

A Changing Landscape in Taiwan Residents' Self Identity

According to a recent survey conducted in Taiwan, comparing to 12 years ago, more people in Taiwan consider themselves Taiwanese, rather than Chinese.

The items in the chart are, from top to bottom:

You consider yourself a Taiwanese;

You consider yourself a Taiwanese and a Chinese;

You consider yourself a Chinese;

A Taiwanese is a Chinese

The orange bar represents numbers in 1997 while the blue bars represents numbers in 2009. Taiwan calendar starts in 1911, when the Republic of China (ROC) was founded in Nanjing. It is noted that 'Chinese' as quoted is not the same as citizen of the People's Republic of China.

The rapid changing self identity landscape can be read as a result of political wrangling between two parties. The KMD who historically rely on people originally from the mainland, while the PPD who make itself known by pushing towards an independent country detached from the mainland. Taiwan is one of few places in the world that in very recent years to create an ethic group purely by residency. Both parties count on votes of people who do not agree on the other party's ethnic policy. During the ruling of PPD from 2000 to 2008, more Taiwan people are steered by the politics towards labeling themselves mainstream, Taiwanese.

On the other hand, for many years since the overturn of ROC in 1949 in mainland, people in Taiwan has been fed of the idea that people in the mainland are suffering from the communist ruling, and that people in Taiwan had the moral obligation to rescue folks in mainland. Taiwan had been actively pursuing military assault of mainland until it's obviously that the mainland gained upper hand. Subsequently Taiwan has been worried about being invaded by the mainland, and increasingly sees the mainland a threat. Declaring independence leaves the mainland with one less reason to pursue the unification by force.

The population composition is changing too. Many people originally from mainland before 1949 are dying. In general people from mainland have better education as well as means and ways. Their offspring are more likely to have left Taiwan to US or Japan.

Those Mainlandness

A Youtube video clip of how TV hosts portrait mainland travellers on Taiwan TV.