Taiwan, also known as Republic of China (ROC) is an island located in East Asia off the coast of mainland China, south of Japan and north of the Philippines. The island is 245 miles long and 89 miles wide, consisting of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation1).

• 7000bc: Settled by ancestors of present-day Taiwanese aborigines
• 300: Earliest record of Taiwan in Chinese writing

• 1624: Ming China opens trade with the Dutch provided they move to Taiwan island. The Dutch establish a trading base for commerce with Japan and coastal China. Dutch official Maarten Sonk takes up his new post at Tayuan beginning the Dutch rule of Taiwan.
• 1628: Spanish establish a settlement at Tamsui and build Fort Santo Domingo in an attempt to attract Chinese merchants.
• 1642: With the Dutch in southern Taiwan and the Spanish in northern Taiwan, confrontation between the two adversaries were inevitable and eventually the Dutch drive the Spanish out of Taiwan, becoming the sole ruling power on Taiwan.
• 1653: Taiwan becomes the second most profitable trading house in Asia behind Japan due to its ideal central location between Japan, China and Southeast Asia.

• 1683: Qing China annexes Taiwan and rules it as a prefecture.

• 1871: An Okinawan vessel shipwrecks on the southern tip of Taiwan resulting in the beheading of 54 crew members by the island's Paiwan tribe. Qing China denies compensation to Japan on the grounds that parts of Taiwan where aborigines reside were not under Qing jurisdiction.
• 1874: Japan sends an expedition force of 3,600 soldiers to Taiwan to test the situation for colonizing the island.
• 1895: Qing China signs the Treaty of Shimonoseki ceding Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan after being defeated repeatedly by the Japanese Navy in the First Sino-Japanese War.
• 1899: Bank of Taiwan established to encourage Japanese investment into Taiwan.
• 1899: Taiwan yen is issued by the Bank of Taiwan with an exchange ratio on par with the Japanese yen.
• 1937: Sun Moon Lake Hydroelectric Power Plant completed.
• 1939: Industrial production surpasses agricultural production.
• 1941: Taiwan Revolutionary League formed to coordinate anti-Japan resistance.
• 1941: Segregation of primary schools between Japanese and Taiwanese children ends.
• 1943: Compulsory primary education begins. Enrollment rates reached 71.3% for Taiwanese children (including 86.4% for aborigine children) and 99.6% for Japanese children in Taiwan making Taiwan's enrollment rate the second highest in Asia after Japan
• 1945: Japan and (Japanese) Taiwan defeated in World War II by United States military forces, United States delegates the military occupation of Taiwan to the KMT (Kuomintang or Chinese Nationalist Party) which appoints Chen Yi to be Chief Executive of Taiwan Province under ROC.

• 1947: 228 Incident; “White Terror” begins (visit http://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm for more information)
• 1947: US consulate in Taipei proposed “status of Taiwan is undetermined” and “Taiwan Under UN trustee” program in March.
• 1949: The New Taiwan dollar is issued, exchanged at 1:40,000 old Taiwan dollars.
• 1949: The capital of the Republic of China (ROC) relocated from Nanjing to Taipei.
• 1951: Treaty of San Francisco; Japan officially renounced claims to Taiwan (thus superseding Treaty of Shimonoseki), but without designating a recipient; Taiwan remains under the administrative control of the principal occupying power (the United States).
• 1971: ROC is expelled from the UN
• 1975: President Chiang Kai-Shek dies.
• 1996: The first direct presidential election; Lee Teng-hui elected.
• 2000: Chen Shui-bian elected president by a lead of 2.5% of votes marking the end of the KMT status as the ruling party. Voter turnout was 82.69%; first peaceful transfer of power.

• 2002: Entry into the World Trade Organization as an “independent customs territory” (not a “country”).
• 2003: SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreaks (Visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no2/03-0515.htm for more information)
• 2004: Chen Shui-bian is re-elected by a margin of 0.22% votes after being shot the day before.
• 2004: Taipei 101 becomes World's Tallest Building.
• 2005: The first direct commercial airplane flights from Beijing to Taipei for the Chinese New Year
• 2005: The People's Republic of China passes an “anti-secession law” authorizing the use of force against Taiwan and the ROC government should it declare independence.
• 2005: 1.6 million people marched in Taipei against China's “anti-secession law”. Similar marches occur across the world by Taiwanese nationalists. Protests against the PRC were held worldwide, including, but not limited to: Chicago, New York City, Washington DC, Paris, and Sydney.
  

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Taiwanese_history

In July 2006, the estimated population of Taiwan was recorded as 23,036,087 spread across a total land area of 35,980 km² making it the twelfth most densely populated country in the world with a population density of 640 people per km²2).

Taiwan's population is made up of 84% Taiwanese, 14% mainland Chinese and 2% aborigine. There are currently 12 major indigenous peoples in Taiwan: the Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Kavalan, Paiwan, Pinuyumayan or Punuyumayan, Rukai, Saisiyat, Thao, Truku, Tsou, and Yami. As of 2002, the total number of indigenous people in Taiwan was 433,689. The Amis account for over one third of the indigenous population, followed by the Atayal and Paiwan 3) .

Despite the large population density, Taiwan is suffering a decline in birth rates with a population growth of just 0.61% for the year 2006. In 1992, a new population policy was approved that encouraged a moderate increase in the birth rate to counter an aging society and potential labor shortage. This new family program promotes the concept that “two are just right” to reduce the number of single-child families. In addition, measures have been taken to strengthen welfare and medical care for senior citizens, and to encourage them to participate in community service. To raise the quality of life, genetic health care measures have been implemented and development plans designed to maintain balanced population distribution 4).

Taiwan's culture is a blend of its distinctive Chinese heritage with Western and Japanese influences. There is a strong emphasis on fine arts, folk traditions and popular culture 5).

The three major religions in Taiwan are Buddhism and Taoism with much of the population practicing a combination of both. Buddhism is the most commonly practiced religion in Taiwan, with approximately 3.67 million individuals identifying themselves as Buddhists. There are nearly 4,010 Buddhist temples in the Taiwan area. Taoism borrows strongly from folk traditions and is viewed as an indigenous religion. Today, Taoism has about 4.55 million followers in Taiwan.

Christianity has long been influential in Taiwan, and efforts by Christian missionaries in Taiwan continue today. At present, some 593,000 residents of Taiwan are Protestant while another 298,000 are Catholic. There are also five mosques serving 54,000 Muslims in Taiwan.

Many people have religious altars in their homes, and shopkeepers can be seen making offerings in front of their shops during certain days each month 6).

Confucianism is a philosophy rather than a religion, and Confucian temples are halls to honor Confucius, rather than places of worship. Regardless of their religious affiliations, most people in Taiwan base their moral conduct on Confucian principles7). For more information on Confucian principles, please visit: http://www.religion-cults.com/Eastern/Confucianism/confuci.htm

Most Taiwanese live in urban areas, particularly modern apartments. They tend to wear western clothing, saving their traditional clothing for certain festivals. Women enjoy a higher social status since industrialization along with more freedom 8). A main tenet of Confucian thought is that “moral cultivation of the individual leads to an orderly family, and consequently, to a harmonious society” therefore, social and familial roles and obligations are strongly emphasized9).

Traditional values in Taiwan are maintaining relationships (familial and social), keeping “face,” faithfulness to parents and ancestor worship, having a strong work ethic and proper conduct. These values come from Confucian ethics which are highly regarded and strongly emphasized10).

Popular activities include traveling to other parts of the world, singing with family and friends, watching TV, and mountain climbing/hiking. Mornings bring about t'ai chi ch'uan advocates who perform these and other exercises in city parks. Young professionals like to frequent bars, restaurants and discos at night11).

The predominant form of healthcare in Taiwan is Western medicine, with its emphasis on diagnosis and treatment. For some, however, traditional Chinese medicine is the preferred form of healthcare, with its emphasis on herbal medicines, acupuncture and related treatments.

Hospitals in Taiwan appear similar to those in the United States, in that they are modern with high tech equipment,however, expectations of patient and family members differ. Because of Taiwan's nationalized health insurance system, health care is generally much less expensive than in the United States. However, due to the large population, hospitals and clinics are often crowded and people expect to wait a long time to be seen. In many hospitals, family members are expected to help provide routine personal care for the patient, which is usually taken care of by nursing staff in American hospitals. It is also expected that at least one family member will sleep in the patient's room and, therefore, hospitals provide accomodations for them. Additionally, some hospitals require patients to bring their own bath towels, toilet tissue, soap and other toiletries12).

The official language spoken in Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese, which has been the medium of instruction in the schools for more than five decades. Although Mandarin is widely used, several other languages are commonplace. A large majority of people speak Taiwanese, one of the Southern Fujianese dialects, and many older generations also speak Japanese, as a result of the half-century of Japanese rule. There are several indigenous tribes, each with their own language and the Hakka (Han Chinese) who are concentrated in several counties throughout Taiwan, have their own distinct dialect 13).

The method of Chinese romanization most commonly used in Taiwan is the Wade-Giles system. In 2002, Taiwan authorities announced adoption of the pinyin system also used in mainland China to replace the Wade-Giles system, but its use is not consistent throughout society, often resulting in two or more romanizations for the same place or person14).

For more information on Pinyin, please visit: http://www.pinyin.info/

Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in the world, with nearly a billion native speakers, covering a large area. As a result, there are pronounced regional variations in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. These regional differences are as varied as the differences in the varieties of English found in England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the United States15). The following description of Mandarin phonology will focus on a standard Mandarin dialect.

All words in Mandarin are mono-syllabic and divided into three parts: an initial (onset), a final (rime), and a tone. There are twenty-one initial consonants in Mandarin:

The second part of a syllable, the rime, consists of three parts: a main vowel, medial vowel and ending. A medial vowel starts with the sounds i-, u- or iu- followed by the endings, -n, -ng or -r. The following is a list of the main vowels and examples of how the vowel is used in a syllable ending:

Mandarin has four tones; 1st tone high-level, 2nd tone high-rising, 3rd tone low-dipping, and 4th tone high falling Mandarin also has a so-called “neutral tone,” which refers to the absence of tonal contour on certain unstressed syllables16).

The following four words demonstrate each of the four tones:

1. 媽(mā)“mother”

2. 麻(má)“hemp”

3. 馬(mǎ)“horse”

4. 罵(mà)“admonish”

Please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_%28linguistics%29 for more information on Mandarin and its phonology.

The current education system in Taiwan is comprised of basic education, intermediate education, advanced education and returning education. Basic education includes kindergartens, national primary and national middle schools. Intermediate education includes vocational schools and senior high schools. Advanced education includes junior colleges, universities and graduate schools. Returning education refers to schools for continuing education and supplementary schools17).

Since the implementation of 'The Special Education Act' of 1997, which stipulates that “the length of schooling, curriculum, teaching materials, and pedagogy shall be flexible so as to meet the needs of those students requiring special attention, including gifted students and those with physical or mental handicaps” substantial progress has been made in Taiwan. Complete special education is provided by all levels of schools for students with physical and mental disabilities 18).

A 9-year public educational system has been in effect since 1979. Six years of elementary school and 3 years of junior high are compulsory for all children. About 93.5% of junior high graduates continue their studies in either a senior high or vocational school. Taiwan has an extensive higher education system with more than 150 institutions of higher learning. Each year, over 100,000 students attempt to enter higher education institutes; about 75% of the candidates are admitted to a college or university. Opportunities for graduate education are expanding in Taiwan, but many students travel abroad for advanced education. In FY 2006, over 16,000 U.S. student visas were issued to Taiwan passport holders19).

Treating a client who is a native Mandarin speaker or from a Taiwanese background may have several implications for the Speech Language Pathologist. In order to provide intervention that is culturally sensitive and appropriate, it may be important to consider the cultural values of this population, the unique aspects of their language and the expectations they may have in regard to healthcare.

Student Contributor for this page: Susan Ashbury, Winter term 2007