• Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • About
  • Contact

Cold War

Before, During, and After the Cold War

  • Podcast
  • Red Scare
  • Cuba
  • Iran
  • Urbanization
  • Spy
  • Afghanistan
  • Taiwan
  • Vietnam
  • Timelines

EARLY COLD WAR YEARS: TAIWAN AND THE MAINLANDERS

December 14, 2010 by Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

The first Nationalist soldiers arrived in Keelung on the northern tip of Taiwan in October 1945.

Their arrival provoked mixed reactions.

The Taiwanese who were already living on the island expected to be freed from strict Japanese colonial rule.  The arriving Chinese also wanted freedom from Japanese exploitation. At the same time, they respected the efficiency of the over 200,000 professional police and military forces who had kept political order during the long period of  Japanese rule.

The almost 60,000 troops who disembarked in preparation for the Japanese surrender on October 25, 1945,  looked bedraggled and seemed to be lacking in discipline.

The troops from the mainland anticipated a short stay. Their purpose was to accept the Japanese surrender, disarm the Japanese occupation forces, and make sure that Japanese troops left the island.

Afterwards, they expected to return to the front lines of the civil war which was still raging on the Mainland. In actuality, all but 5,000 troops returned home to fight the communists. However, the troops that remained on Taiwan were corrupt and undisciplined. Several incidents occurred between them and local Taipei residents who thought “the mainlanders to be dirty, dishonest, and technologically backward.”

According to John F. Copper in his 1990 book Taiwan: Nation-State or Province:

Stories circulated about mainland Chinese who stole bicycles and did not know what they were, who spent hours staring at elevators they had never seen before, and who were unable to maintain the basic public services, power plants, trains, and buses over which they were given jurisdiction. The Taiwanese also had to adjust to a new legal system. Nationalist soldiers claimed ownership of houses and land based on forced occupation; the Taiwanese considered this stealing. Eviction laws were weakened. Some other laws were changed; many were not enforced.

The troops were not prepared to keep internal order. The Nationalists believed that the Taiwanese considered China their ancestral home and source of culture. So they thought that Taiwan’s residents would be anxious to return to Chinese rule and would not mount any resistance. They were wrong.

Problems between the two groups erupted into violence on February 28, 1947 when Monopoly Bureau agents killed a Taiwanese woman who had been selling black-market cigarettes.

In the aftermath of the shooting, a crowd attacked a police station, set fire to a police vehicle and went on a rampage. Violence spread in the next few days. The authorities treated the protests as a pro-communist rebellion.

On March 8 a large contingent of Nationalist troops used heavy weapons against unarmed Taiwanese.

Order was restored at the end of March but by that time several thousand Taiwanese had been killed, including most of Taiwan’s local political leadership. The incident cemented the ethnic distrust  which had been gaining momentum in Taipei. Ethnic  rivalry continued to shape the city’s social and political climate for most of the Cold War period.

Filed Under: China | Manchuria Tagged With: Cold War, Cold War Cities, Cold War City, Cold War Studies, Taipei, Taiwan

About Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Widely published, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a Master of Science in Policy Analysis and Public Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Areas of particular interest and expertise include Cold War Studies, sustainable development, heritage, and the environment.

Follow Us On Twitter

Cold War Studies Follow

A Cold War historian, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a MS in Policy Analysis and Public Management from SUNY Stony Brook.

Avatar
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
2 Feb

https://hyperallergic.com/794974/soheila-sokhanvari-honors-iran-feminist-rebels/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=D020223&utm_content=D020223+CID_1268eb65e911b86d63e38651e133b202&utm_source=hn&utm_term=Soheila+Sokhanvari+Honors+Irans+Feminist+Rebels

Reply on Twitter 1621120886408617984 Retweet on Twitter 1621120886408617984 Like on Twitter 1621120886408617984 Twitter 1621120886408617984
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
29 Jan

11 Places to Explore Spycraft @atlasobscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/history-of-spies

Reply on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Retweet on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Like on Twitter 1619760825916604417 Twitter 1619760825916604417
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
29 Jan

Inside Cold War spy Kim Philby's life - sex, deception and double-dealing https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/inside-cold-war-spy-kim-29074870?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Reply on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Retweet on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Like on Twitter 1619760444658565120 Twitter 1619760444658565120
Avatar Cold War Studies @coldwarstudies ·
28 Jan

Check out this article from @nytimes. Because I'm a subscriber, you can read it through this gift link without a subscription. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/27/opinion/sunday/knitting-fabric-michelle-obama.html?unlocked_article_code=1ew_IOkoQKL6pwCvaRQwqw7kaWYxQwBmX4RM8ZwtFdZYqpOghTnXUxbK7NmSwILpgVkTsehpl3Au4GhqUs1-dQP4onemJRdEVXYlONemCl8eqaGxUhfyGFeV0mwhRgrGJBllB6l7bc09s40JuyYDCn-Pzj_QRnzJRPcBVqRfaOwmRVceyoxIxg3hjSG4aJC0jFK7rVqZ3d-HPGkCAInMKNtJNaRye6_h-msXKJWjY1ipfpuF4gvQQjACg6r618EQKLx4kY3mXwdfk4DYZAbtqtAoHTE9btePy6OljFN7QC_ZDdcEA_0JCp2Cqwlnrht_EQUuLBsVhjEs-doVEvBw0WJ9hFHqwu9kVp9GTguk1Q&smid=tw-share

Reply on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Retweet on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Like on Twitter 1619318960922714113 Twitter 1619318960922714113
Load More

Affiliate Disclosure

Cold War Studies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn a small commission by advertising and linking to amazon.com. You never pay more if you puchase your Amazon product from one of our links. Thanks for supporting Cold War Studies!

 

How Much Do You Know About the Cold War?

Want to find out how much you really know about the Cold War. Click here to take our quiz. 

 

Most Popular Posts

Cold War Fashion: The Early Years (1950s-1960s)

History of Colonization in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Precursor to Cold War Conflict

Cold War Chile

The Rise of Fast Fashion: Globalization and Waste

The Red Scare

10 Little Known Facts About the Peace Sign

Immigration to the US During the Cold War

The First Red Scare: A Timeline

Korean War Music

Cold War Argentina: The Dirty War

The Cold War: Decolonization and Conflict in the Third World

Check Out Our Red Scare White Paper

Read all about the Red Scare. Just click on the cover below.

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in