Ep. 324 | The History of Taiwan (Part 15)

Last episode we looked at the Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou years from 2000-2016. In Part 15 we'll take the narrative up to the present time. We'll examine the Tsai Ing-wen presidency and where she contrasts with her predecessors. Where cross-strait relations are concerned, differences are quite stark. Since the final years of the Obama presidency, the US-China relationship has been steadily deteriorating. And caught in the middle of this conflict is Taiwan. I hope this series has been helpful and useful to you. It ran a little long but it's a big story to tell.

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Terms in Episode

Pinyin/Term	Chinese	English/Meaning
Mǎ Yīngjiǔ	马英九	b. 1950, known as Ma Ying-jeou, President of the ROC 2008-2016, KMT Chairman 2009-2014
Fàn Lán Liánméng	泛滥联盟	The Pan-Blue Coalition led by the KMT
Fàn Lǜ Liánméng	泛绿联盟	The Pan Green Coalition led bvy the DPP
Xí Jìnpíng	习近平	b. June 15, 1953, current president of the PRC as well as General Secretary of the CCP
Ögedei Khan	太宗 / 英文皇帝	1186-1241, second khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire. Third son of Genghis Khan, he continued the expansion of the empire that his father had begun.
Chóngqìng	重庆	Once part of Sichuan province, Chongqing is now a municipality like Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai
Sōngshān Airport	松山机场	A regional airport located in Taipei that doubles as a military base
Mǎ Xiānshēng	马先生	Mr. Ma (Mr. Ma Ying-jeou)
Legislative Yuan	立法院	The unicameral legislature of the ROC (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by voters of the Taiwan Area through a parallel voting system. Along with the National Assembly and the Control Yuan (upper house),these three branches formed the tricameral parliament under the original 1947 Constitution.
Cài Yīngwén	蔡英文	b. 1956, known as Tsai Ing-wen, President of the ROC 2016-2024, DPP Chair from 2020-2022, also served in other positions in the Legislative Yuan and Mainland Affairs Council
Eric Chu (Zhū Lìlún)	朱立伦	b. June 7, 1961, current KMT chairman since October 2021.
James Soong	宋楚瑜	b. 1942, Taiwanese politician, founder of the People's First Party, Governor of Taiwan Province 1993-1998
Táiwān Gòngshí	台湾共识	The "Taiwan Consensus", Tsai Ing-wen's answer to the "1992 Consensus"
Páiwān	排湾	An indigenous people of Taiwan. In 2014, the Paiwan numbered 96,334. This was approximately 17.8% of Taiwan's total indigenous population, making them the second-largest indigenous group.
Executive Yuan	行政院	the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is premier, who is appointed by president of the Republic of China
Xīn Nánxiàng Zhèngcè	新南向政策	Tsai Ing-wen's New Southbound Policy involving relations with eighteen nations in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Australia/New Zealand
Táiwān Tóngzhì Yóuxíng	同志游行	The Taiwan Pride Parade, first held in 2003. Although joined by groups from all over the country, the primary location has always been the capital city of Taipei. The parade held in October 2019 attracted more than 200,000 participants, making it the largest gay pride event in East Asia.
Dèng Xiǎopíng	邓小平	1904-1997, revolutionary leader, military commander, statesman, reformer who served as parampount leader in China from December 1978-November 1989. He is revered by many as "The Architect of Modern China"
Zhèng Chénggóng	郑成功	Born Tagawa Fukumatsu and Zhang Sen, Also known as Koxinga 国姓爷 Lord of the Royal Surname. He known in popular Chinese history as Zheng Chenggong (actual name was Zhu Chenggong (the royal Ming Zhu 朱. He lived 1624-1662, and is remembered as a Ming loyalist general who founded the Dongning Kingdom that lasted 1661-1683
Dōngníng Kingdom	东宁王国	The Dongning Kingdom 1661-1683, led by the Zheng Family (first Zheng Chenggong, then Zheng Jing)
Kāngxī	康熙帝	Qing Emperor who ruled during the dynasty's early decades, from 1661-1722
Shī Láng	施琅	1621-1696, Chinese admiral who served under the Ming and Qing dynasties. He was the commander-in-chief of the Qing fleets which destroyed the power of Zheng's in southern Fujian and led the conquest of the Zheng family's Kingdom of Dongning (see above) in Taiwan in 1683. Shi Lang later governed part of Taiwan as a marquis.
Fújiàn	福建	Coastal province in southern China. Most Taiwanese can trace their ancestry to the southern Fujian coastal region
First Qin Emperor	秦始皇	259-210 BC, King of Qin State 247-221 BC. Founded the Qin Dyansty in 221 BC, ruling until his death eleven years later
Chén Shǔibiǎn	陈水扁	Born in 1950, Chen is a retired Taiwanese politician and lawyer who served as the president of the Republic of China from 2000 to 2008. He was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party followinf 55 years of continuous rule on Taiwan by the Kuomintang (KMT)
Yī Guó Liǎng Zhì	一国两制	One Country Two Systems
Lǐ Dēnghuī	李登辉	1923-2020, was a Taiwanese statesman and agriculturist who served as President of the ROC and chairman of the KMT from 1988 to 2000. He was the first president to be born in Taiwan, the last to be indirectly elected and the first to be directly elected. During his presidency, Lee oversaw the end of martial law and the full democratization of the ROC, advocated the Taiwanese localization movement, and led an ambitious foreign policy to gain allies around the world. Nicknamed "Mr. Democracy", Lee was credited as the president who completed Taiwan's transition to the democratic era.

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