During the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan defeated China due to the fact that the Japanese military was highly advanced and industrialized. The Chinese military did not stand a chance against the Japanese armed with superior technology and training. After China’s defeat, Japan and China signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The treaty was signed at a peace summit in which China agreed to cede Taiwan to Japan. The Japanese occupation of Taiwan is remembered today as something ominous and hostile by the locals, but the memories of the local people are not necessarily correct, therefore, the purpose of this essay is to gauge the accuracy of the historical memory of this period. Many of the locals that were interviewed expressed deeply about the way they felt that the Japanese had mistreated the Han Chinese that were living here at the time. But most of the interviewed people either ignored or briefly mentioned the benefits that Japanese Imperialism had brought to Taiwan, even though Japanese rule may have benefitted Taiwan more than the negatives. This essay will first talk about the events of the conflict and Japan's motives for the colonization of Taiwan, then it will mention the negatives and benefits of Japanese colonial rule. After that, it will go into detail on the analysis of the survey results and then state whether or not the historical memory of that period was accurate.
The Japanese occupation and colonization of Taiwan started with the Sino-Japanese war. During that period of time, central powers in Asia shifted dramatically. Due to China's isolation, it did not industrialize and imperialize like Western countries. China believed itself to be far too superior for the technological advances of the west. Eventually, however, the technological advances of European countries allowed its military to surpass China. Despite the fact that China had isolated itself and eventually got defeated, Japan saw its disadvantages against these more advanced countries and decided to imperialize and industrialize as well. Over time, Japan would surpass China in technology as well and become strong enough to defeat China. When the Sino-Japanese war finally ended, China lost and a treaty called the treaty of Shimonoseki. The treaty officially ceded Taiwan to Japan. The Japanese wanted to occupy Taiwan for a number of reasons. Japan was a powerful, newly industrializing country at the time, but it lacked natural resources. Japan's interest in Taiwan lies in Taiwan's huge abundance of natural resources, including sugar, so in 1908, the "Green Revolution" was launched and it turned Taiwan into a largely agricultural country. (The Japanese Colonial Era- (1895-1945), 1) Also, Japan wanted to have some degree of control over the eastern coast of China, due to its fear over where there are many important ports, in order to gain some degree of control over some Chinese harbors.
The local Han Chinese and Aboriginal Taiwanese were treated decently, with some exceptions. The citizens were given education until the end of elementary school. In fact, it was thanks to the Japanese that Taiwan became the second most literate country in Asia, behind Japan itself. However, the locals were obligated to choose Japanese names and everyone was forbidden to speak the Taiwanese tongue, known as Min Nan. Also, the freedom of speech was limited and people who spoke against the Japanese were often put into jails and prosecuted. Also, there was an aboriginal uprising known as the Wushe Incident. During this incident, the Aboriginals living in the mountains rose up against the Japanese but were massacred. (Chuang, 2000, 1) The effects of colonization in Taiwan varied. There were many benefits that happened during the occupation that improved the local lifestyle. Railroads, factories, telecommunication systems and many other industrial buildings and ideas bloomed in Taiwan. (The Japanese Colonial Era- (1895-1945), 1)
Despite of the many benefits that Japanese rule had brought to Taiwan, many people that were interviewed thought quite deeply about how Japanese rule was bad for Taiwan. The survey results from the interviews were mostly negatives. Despite the major benefits that the Japanese had given to the Taiwanese, people seemed to remember the dark parts of the occupation the most. Most of the people interviewed did not experience the Japanese occupation themselves, but have heard many stories and experiences from their relatives who did live during that time. These interviewees have mainly master degrees and are highly educated. The other type of interviewed people was people who did experience the occupation themselves but did not have the amount of education the other interviewees did. Although the people that were interviewed said that “Japan helped industrialize Taiwan and did make the technology better,” they talked more about how “equal rights were not given to Taiwanese” and that “the Japanese put innocent Taiwanese people into jail.” Some people even said that many of the things that Japan did, Taiwan could have done without them. The reason that these interviewee's responses may be different from other people's responses to this question because many of them come from families that were not part of the wealthier class. Many of the benefits of Japanese rule were only available to the wealthy, so perhaps that explains the difference in responses.
Therefore, the historical memory is not completely accurate. Many people only remembered that the Japanese were bad people and that they abused many of the Taiwanese. Not a lot of the people interviewed acknowledged the fact that Taiwan was more advanced technologically after the occupation. In reality, the Japanese did indeed put some innocent people in jail to suppress the locals and allow them to rule easily. However, the newly industrialized Taiwan, with better technology and a better economy, allowed for it to become more advanced than many Asian countries. The historical memory of Japanese colonial rule did not exactly match up to the reality of it, since most of the locals seem to only have remembered the bad things that the Japanese had brought to them.
Overall, Japan occupied Taiwan after winning the First Sino-Japanese war. Many good and bad things happened to the local Taiwanese people. The bad being unfair treatment and limited freedom. However, the good thing was that the technology advanced greatly and the economy boomed under the rule of Japanese Imperialism. Despite the good that had happened, the people of Taiwan mostly think that the occupation was not really beneficial and that it was bad for Taiwan. In conclusion, the historical memory of the local people were not necessarily correct or accurate since much of the darker parts of the occupation was remembered, but the benefits were not properly acknowledged.
The Japanese occupation and colonization of Taiwan started with the Sino-Japanese war. During that period of time, central powers in Asia shifted dramatically. Due to China's isolation, it did not industrialize and imperialize like Western countries. China believed itself to be far too superior for the technological advances of the west. Eventually, however, the technological advances of European countries allowed its military to surpass China. Despite the fact that China had isolated itself and eventually got defeated, Japan saw its disadvantages against these more advanced countries and decided to imperialize and industrialize as well. Over time, Japan would surpass China in technology as well and become strong enough to defeat China. When the Sino-Japanese war finally ended, China lost and a treaty called the treaty of Shimonoseki. The treaty officially ceded Taiwan to Japan. The Japanese wanted to occupy Taiwan for a number of reasons. Japan was a powerful, newly industrializing country at the time, but it lacked natural resources. Japan's interest in Taiwan lies in Taiwan's huge abundance of natural resources, including sugar, so in 1908, the "Green Revolution" was launched and it turned Taiwan into a largely agricultural country. (The Japanese Colonial Era- (1895-1945), 1) Also, Japan wanted to have some degree of control over the eastern coast of China, due to its fear over where there are many important ports, in order to gain some degree of control over some Chinese harbors.
The local Han Chinese and Aboriginal Taiwanese were treated decently, with some exceptions. The citizens were given education until the end of elementary school. In fact, it was thanks to the Japanese that Taiwan became the second most literate country in Asia, behind Japan itself. However, the locals were obligated to choose Japanese names and everyone was forbidden to speak the Taiwanese tongue, known as Min Nan. Also, the freedom of speech was limited and people who spoke against the Japanese were often put into jails and prosecuted. Also, there was an aboriginal uprising known as the Wushe Incident. During this incident, the Aboriginals living in the mountains rose up against the Japanese but were massacred. (Chuang, 2000, 1) The effects of colonization in Taiwan varied. There were many benefits that happened during the occupation that improved the local lifestyle. Railroads, factories, telecommunication systems and many other industrial buildings and ideas bloomed in Taiwan. (The Japanese Colonial Era- (1895-1945), 1)
Despite of the many benefits that Japanese rule had brought to Taiwan, many people that were interviewed thought quite deeply about how Japanese rule was bad for Taiwan. The survey results from the interviews were mostly negatives. Despite the major benefits that the Japanese had given to the Taiwanese, people seemed to remember the dark parts of the occupation the most. Most of the people interviewed did not experience the Japanese occupation themselves, but have heard many stories and experiences from their relatives who did live during that time. These interviewees have mainly master degrees and are highly educated. The other type of interviewed people was people who did experience the occupation themselves but did not have the amount of education the other interviewees did. Although the people that were interviewed said that “Japan helped industrialize Taiwan and did make the technology better,” they talked more about how “equal rights were not given to Taiwanese” and that “the Japanese put innocent Taiwanese people into jail.” Some people even said that many of the things that Japan did, Taiwan could have done without them. The reason that these interviewee's responses may be different from other people's responses to this question because many of them come from families that were not part of the wealthier class. Many of the benefits of Japanese rule were only available to the wealthy, so perhaps that explains the difference in responses.
Therefore, the historical memory is not completely accurate. Many people only remembered that the Japanese were bad people and that they abused many of the Taiwanese. Not a lot of the people interviewed acknowledged the fact that Taiwan was more advanced technologically after the occupation. In reality, the Japanese did indeed put some innocent people in jail to suppress the locals and allow them to rule easily. However, the newly industrialized Taiwan, with better technology and a better economy, allowed for it to become more advanced than many Asian countries. The historical memory of Japanese colonial rule did not exactly match up to the reality of it, since most of the locals seem to only have remembered the bad things that the Japanese had brought to them.
Overall, Japan occupied Taiwan after winning the First Sino-Japanese war. Many good and bad things happened to the local Taiwanese people. The bad being unfair treatment and limited freedom. However, the good thing was that the technology advanced greatly and the economy boomed under the rule of Japanese Imperialism. Despite the good that had happened, the people of Taiwan mostly think that the occupation was not really beneficial and that it was bad for Taiwan. In conclusion, the historical memory of the local people were not necessarily correct or accurate since much of the darker parts of the occupation was remembered, but the benefits were not properly acknowledged.
Chuang, Chi-Ting. "Wushe Uprising." Wushe Uprising. The Taipei Times, 27 Oct. 2000. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.
"Taiwan Provincial Government." Taiwan Provincial Government. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.
"Historical Background-The Japanese Colonial Era (1895 AD-1945 AD)." Historical Background-The Japanese Colonial Era (1895 AD-1945 AD). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
"Taiwan Under Japanese Colonial Rule, 1895-1945: History, Culture, Memory." Taiwan Embassy. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan), 26 Feb. 2008. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Ramírez, Susan Elizabeth., Peter Stearns, Sam Wineburg, and Steven A. Goldberg. World History: The Human Legacy: Modern Era. Orlando, FL: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2008. Print.