Taiwanese personality,  characteristics/national character        
     ★   this site's world No. 1 in  2020~24,  2017~19,  2016,  2015,  2014,  2013,  2010~12     ★     Top since 1998    ★   
　


fights for rights
   home  Taiwan  TW  OP  democracy  tour  medical  restaurants  night-markets  love  personality  women  speech  mental-control  privacy  fraud  judiciary  police  corruption  net-army  univ  foreign-labor  death penalty  prosecutors  soft power  diplomacy  pres.  president  brief  happiness  housing  prostitutes  massage  supermarket  transport  avia.  cult-creativity  human-rights   intl-Human rights  judicial-persecution  oppression  trans-justice  larceny  military  drugs  food  buffet  wealth  image  culture  US-cartoons  US-designs  Japan-comics  Chn-creativity  EXPO  cartoons-WWII  humor  political-cartoons  CovID  migrant  fb  music  movies   

 ◎

◆ Below are brief of scholar studies, media reports, etc

◎

Taiwan

   Taiwan gov hawkish at home, chicken outdoors

 Taiwanese,  obedient dogs 

◎

★ Pew Research org., 2024-7-29: An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese adults (85%) believe in unseen beings, like deities or spirits. And most (59%) believe that mountains, rivers or trees can have their own spirits.  Eight-in-ten Taiwanese adults say that many religions can be true. 

% of adults believe in
comparison among some major Asian countries
　 karma

unseen beings

 god rebirth
Taiwan 87% 85 71 71
HK 76 69 54 54
Vietnam 75 51 54 56
S. Korea 48 57 43 28
Japan 16 57 42 44

pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/29/4-facts-about-religion-and-diversity-in-taiwan/

　

　

　

         

　

pic.: this websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality" on Yandex, 2024-8-9, 2024-1-11, 2023-9-1, 2023-7-9, 2022-9-13, 2022-6-14, 2022-2-27, 2021-10-19, 2021-9-21, 2021-7-17, 2021-6-23, 2021-6-11,  2-18-2021, 5-7-2020,  1-13-2020, 10-25-2019

pic.: this websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality" on Yandex Russia, 2024-8-8, 2024-1-22, 2023-9-2, 2023-7-10, 2022-9-13, 2022-6-14, 2022-2-27, 2021-10-19, 2021-9-21, 2021-8-24, 2021-7-17, 2021-6-24, 2021-6-12 , 2-18-2021

　

　

　

pic.:  No.1 "Taiwanese personality" on Yahoo Taiwan, 2024-1-22, 2023-9-1, 2023-7-10, 2022-9-13, 2022-6-14; , No.1 "Taiwanese personality" on US Yahoo search engine, 2022-2-27, 2021-10-19, 2021-9-21, 2021-8-24, 2021-7-18, 2021-6-24, 2021-6-12

　

　

　

pic.:  No.1 "Taiwanese personality" on Microsoft Bing, 2024-8-9 (Chinese version)

9

　

　

　

   

pic.:  No.1 "Taiwanese personality" on Microsoft  Bing, 2024-1-22, 2023-9-2, 2023-7-10, 2022-9-13, 2022-6-14, 2022-2-27, 2021-10-19, 2021-9-21, 2021-8-24, 2021-7-18, 2021-6-24, 2021-6-12, 2021-4-16,  2-18-2021, 12-24-2020, 11-26-2020, 9-6-2020

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

pic.:  this websites group was ranked No.1 by
"Taiwanese personality" on ecosia of Germany, 
2023-9-1, 2023-7-10, 2022-6-14, 2022-2-27, 2021-10-19, 2021-9-21, 2021-8-24,
2021-7-18, 2021-6-24,  2021-6-12, 2021-4-16,
2-18-2021, 1-13-2020;No.2 at 2024-1-22, 2022-9-13

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

pic. :  this websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality" on DuckDuckGo, 2021-10-19,2021-9-21, 2021-8-24, 2021-6-12  2-18-2021, 5-5-2020, 1-13-2020; No.2 at 2022-9-13, 2022-2-27

　

　

　

　

　

　

pic.: this websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality" on Swisscows, 2024-1-22

　

　

 

　

　

　

　

　

　

pic.:  this websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality" on Dogpile, 2022-6-14, 2022-2-27, 2021-10-19, 2021-9-21, 2021-8-24, 2021-7-18, 2021-6-24, 2021-6-12,  2021-4-16, 2-18-2021, 11-26-2020, 5-7-2020, 1-13-2020; No.2 at 2022-9-13

　

　

　

　

　

pic.:  No.1 "Taiwanese personality" on Yahoo, 2024-1-22, 2023-9-2, 2023-7-9, 2022-9-13, 2022-6-14, 2021-10-19, 2021-9-21, 2021-8-24, 2021-7-18, 2021-6-24, 2021-6-12  2021-4-16, 2-18-2021,11-26-2020 ; No.2 on Yahoo search engine, 2-18-2021

　

　


pic.: this websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality" (in Chinese) on Google, 2023-9-1, 2022-9-13, 2022-6-14, 2022-2-27, 2021-10-19, 2021-9-21, 2021-8-24, 2021-6-14, 2021-4-16, 2-18-2021, 1-13-2020

　

　

　

　

　

pic.: this websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality" (in Chinese) on US Google, 2022-2-27;No.3 at 2022-9-13

　

　

　

　

　

　

pic.:  No.1 "Taiwanese personality" on Baidu of China,  2021-9-21, 2021-8-24, 2021-7-18, 2021-6-24, 2021-6-12

　

　

　

　

　

  

　

　

　

★ The China Times (中時), 2024-8-5: After Taiwan's (Chinese Taipei) winning a badminton men's doubles gold medal in the Paris Olympics (the only gold till present, Taiwan ranks about 46), Lai ching-te (Taiwan's president) craps he gazed the night stars finding out "the dark clouds broke away, revealing the glorious moon" (鬼扯夜觀天象發現「月亮破烏雲」) and already gave a prophecy of a gold-medal winning.   chinatimes.com/opinion/20240805004377-262101?chdtv  (What a superstition !  Taiwan is one of the most superstitious countries in the world, Taiwan's president should not foster it )

　

★ New York Times, 2023-7-27: our society remains patriarchal and hierarchical. Under Confucian values, women obey their fathers and their brothers and eventually their husbands. People are expected to respect and yield to their elders and superiors — in short, the powers that be... In a collectivist culture like ours, the burden of being nice and preserving group harmony falls on those with less power and authority   nytimes.com/2023/07/27/opinion/taiwan-women-metoo.html  Vickie Wang

　

★ New York Times, 2024-1-20: insecurity and frustration with a lack of influence over its own fate had become an even bigger part of Taiwan's identity.nytimes.com/2024/01/20/world/asia/taiwan-united-states-views.html

　

★  BBC, 2021-4-14, Crisps have a sacred role in Taiwan's office culture.  ‘Kuai Kuai’,  this savoury product  end up assuming near-mythical protective properties... on or around vital machines in many of the island’s laboratories, banks and even hospitals to ensure the machines continue to do their jobs.   the crisps, whose name means ‘listen to me’ or ‘obey’, ‘behave’ or ‘be good’ in both Mandarin and Taiwanese...The bags also cannot be used as amulets beyond their expiration date, so...usually swapped twice a year –  Lunar New Year, and the Ghost Festival . Those in the tech world say the snack shouldn’t be consumed, otherwise you technically void its protective warranty.  Kuai Kuai can even be found at Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s premier research institute. bbc.com/worklife/article/20210414-the-good-luck-snack-that-makes-taiwans-technology-behave

★  Yahoo, 2024-1-22: ‘Kuai Kuai’(tsmc edition 「綠色金順乖乖」) that many engineer "believe in" raises its price 11 times as its original price.  tw.news.yahoo.com/台積電乖乖限定員工搶購-網路轉賣-漲幅超過股價-123758446.html

　

★  The Liberty Times (自由時報), 2024-2-20: Under the hype of the media, there are too many superstitions, taboos and customs shrouding Taiwan's society for many years. Traditionally, Taiwanese people need to worship on 110 of the 365 days in a year, which is equivalent to one-third of the entire year. (媒體的炒作之下，迷信、禁忌多如牛毛的習俗，長年籠罩社會。傳統上台灣人一年三百六十五天有一百一十天需要祭拜，相當於全年三分之一的日子。在台灣過一個春節，有許多禁忌；如果不照辦而犯忌，就會有破財、衰困、災厄…諸多惡果厄運降臨。這些禁忌和迷信，透過各種媒體以「民俗」、「命理」、「星象」之名傳播渲染)   talk.ltn.com.tw/article/paper/1631494


★ Fox News, 2023-7-28: perhaps most alarmingly, some Taiwanese youth, it turns out, are reluctant to die for their country.  Research in 2018: Large numbers of young Taiwanese were "apathetic toward the military and averse to service."  a critical question – is Taiwan committed to its own defense? There are multiple indications that the answer is no.

　

★ L.A. Times,  2022-7-31: As tensions flare between the two superpowers — risking the worst crisis in the region in a quarter of a century — people in Taiwan appear by and large to be responding with a collective shrug...The threat of Chinese military action has loomed for so long that few seem to raise an eyebrow when Beijing lashes out, ca.news.yahoo.com/possible-pelosi-visit-elicits-shrugs-170042930.html

　

★ New York Times,  2021-11-18 ("What makes people happy" ): Most world people in a Pew Research Center survey said that family made them the happiest, such as the Australian(56%), New Zealander(55%), American(49%), English(46%), Swedish, Italian, Canadian etc ranked family first, their percentages are about 3-4 times of that (15%) of Taiwanese, the % in Singapore and Japan is about 2 times of that in Taiwan.  Taiwanese ranked Material well-being above family.

　

Pew Research Center , 2021-11-18
   Where People find Meaning in Life
country Family Material well-being occupation
Australia 56% 22% 29%
NZ 55 19 29
Greece 54 13 25
US 49 18 17
UK 46 12 20
Sweden 45 22 37
Canada 42 22 26
Singapore 29 22 25
Japan 26 16 15
S. Korea 16 19 6
Taiwan 15% 19% 9%

 
 ★ Guardian, 2021-8-30: Covid in Taiwan's Ghost month   theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/30/not-open-for-humans-covid-changes-east-asias-ghost-month-but-free-spirits-remain
Some suspicions are still common among younger generations. A recent survey of Taiwan office workers found a third of respondents avoid working overtime during Ghost Month. The poll found 40% of office workers had reported strange encounters in the late hours. More than 70% reported “eerie sounds” from office corners, while others said they heard footsteps, saw windows open on their own and elevators arrive on their floor without being called, or heard toilets flushing in an empty bathroom

　

★ BBC, 2-10-2021, "Why Taiwan has 'luck-improvement services' ": There’s a pervasive idea running through Chinese culture that things aren’t random, Stevan Harrell, emeritus anthropology professor at the University of Washington said, “There’s a belief in order: there’s some sort of order behind everything.” Many people believed in a simple maxim: “tian zhuding” (“heaven decides”).  Some higher power has plans for each person on Earth, traditional Chinese belief also holds that “heaven never seals off all the exits” – there is always a way out.  “We call [this attitude of openness] ‘youbai youbaoyou’,” (有拜有保庇)“, It doesn’t matter if you believe in gods. If you pray, you’ll be blessed.” So, even the upscale Eslite Bookstore has a cosmological self-help section chock full of do-it-yourself fate-improvement guides.  People in the Chinese-speaking world seem particularly preoccupied with luck, from boarding gates to high-stakes baccarat tables and school exams to political races, (Even politicians are compelled to publicly try their luck, visiting temples to draw fortune sticks ...) .   brief http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20210210-chinas-enduring-obsession-with-luck

　

★ United Press International, 2024-1-27: Taipei, for its part, announced a record defense budget for 2024 and has begun extending its compulsory military service from four months to one year.   If all else fails, Wu at the fish market has another line of defense in mind. "The gods of Taiwan are very powerful," he said, gesturing at a shrine set up in the market to some of the island's thousands of folk deities. "They will protect us.    news.yahoo.com/taiwans-red-beaches-nonchalance-threat-172625593.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall    Thomas Maresca

★

★

★  Reuters, 2021-4-16,  Global Times, 2020-10-22 

Taiwan is quite a character ?
reuters.com/world/china/biden-suga-poised-present-united-front-taiwan-china-steps-up-pressure-2021-04-16/ globaltimes.cn/content/1204399.shtml
Presenting a united front will require a delicate balancing act given the frosty relations between Seoul and Tokyo.      Relations between Tokyo and Seoul have frayed over issues connected to Japan's 1910-45 colonization of Korea, including that of Korean women forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels  The DPP authority has revised Taiwan's textbooks in recent years. Japanese colonial rule was portrayed as a "glorious vision of civilization," with no mention of war crimes, such as the recruitment of "enslaved women" and soldiers on the island,

　

★

★  Taipei Times, 2021-11-20: Heartbreaking racism towards Indians /  The Chinese-language media reported not only on the vicious and abusive comments, accusing Indians of being dirty and uneducated and the men of being rapists and molesters,  it is indicative of the insularity and provincialism that marks the way Taiwanese think about the world... one of the inexplicable aspects of Taiwan’s brainless xenophobia is the nation’s utter dependence on trade with the outside world...a frequent response of people to encounters with the xenophobia of Taiwanese is silence.  brief taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2023/11/20/2003809423

　

★

★ AP, 2023-10-10:   The ceremonies with marching bands from Taiwan, Japan and the U.S. also underscored Taiwan's split personality as a self-governing democracy whose national symbols and state institutions were founded on mainland China after the Manchu Qing dynasty was overthrown in 1911. The Chinese Nationalist Party under Chiang Kai-shek moved the government to Taiwan in 1949 following the takeover of mainland China by the Communist Party under Mao Zedong following a yearslong bloody civil war.   news.yahoo.com/taiwan-seeks-peaceful-coexistence-china-024551646.html

　

　

Defending Taiwan by Taiwanese ??
some human factors ~
President Tsai I. W. youngsters the public
♣ VICE, 2022-9-28: president's prescriptions have been piecemeal, and there is no national plan to overhaul the military. (developing asymmetric warfare capabilities as US experts advise)

♣ Roll Call, 2022-9-28: ...overhaul its military reservist program — our general public, especially young parents, those people from 40 to 50 and their children, will fight against that policy... “It's hard for the ruling party to do it !" Younger voters are a critical base of support for president Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party.

♣ New York Times, 2022-6-19: politicians have electoral considerations ( military conscription reform)

♣ Wall Street Journal, 2023-7-5:  Taiwan is far from ready, Taiwan's military budget is still only 2.4% of the GDP—compared with about 5% in Israel.

♣ Roll Call, 2022-9-28: Most people do not want to join the military... The March opinion poll : lower levels of support (56 percent) among the 20-24 age group for lengthening Taiwan's mandatory military service to one year.

♣ China Times (Taiwan), 2022-9-28: 81.5% of Taiwanese youth oppose lengthening Taiwan's mandatory military service to one year.   World media wrongly report Taiwanese people are willing to be on the battlefield.   chinatimes.com/opinion/20220927005188-262101?chdtv


PS: By law, all able-bodied men in South Korea must serve 18-21 months in the military under a conscription system; In Israel - men 32 months and women 24 months, minimum.

 ♣ axios,2022-9-27:  ...the common belief in Taiwan that if China were to invade, Taiwan would have no choice but to surrender immediately.
　

♣ Washington Examiner, 2022-9-20: It's one thing to tell a pollster that you're willing to fight and die for your country. It's a different thing to take painstaking steps to prepare for that eventuality. And the hard truth is that far too few Taiwanese are currently taking those steps
　

♣ Brookings, 2021-1-22: Only 23% thought that democracy was more important than economic development.  16% believed that protecting political freedom was more important than reducing economic inequality.

Taiwan's military
♣  Wall Street Journal, 2023-7-5:   The professionalism and motivation of Taiwan's military are a particular concern.  A lot of young people who signed up for the four-year volunteer force decided to pay a penalty and dropped out early because they say they had come for the money—not to fight and not to die   wsj.com/articles/taiwan-china-ukraine-russia-hong-kong-military-war-517b87d?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo    Yaroslav Trofimov    Joyu Wang

　

★ ◆  Financial Times (UK), 2021-9-15 : Washington keeps scolding Taipei over its supposed lack of preparation against an ever mightier Beijing. 
 ◆ Financial Times, 2022-12-27:  The conscription reform follows years of increasing US pressure on Taiwan to strengthen its defences.

◆  Global Times,  2021-10-26 :If the DPP authority has the determination to fight until the end, they could change Taiwan's military service system by making it mandatory to serve in the military for all men, like Israel... The DPP authority holds the illusion of realizing "Taiwan secession" by simply relying on US and Western opinion. They are daydreaming.

　

★ N.Y. Times, 2022-6-19: A Looming Threat /  ...Taiwan... politicians have electoral considerations. Extending military conscription, for example, would probably not be very popular  nytimes.com/2022/06/19/briefing/taiwan-china-russia-ukraine.html   Taipei Times, 2022-2-27: Renowned US political scientist Francis Fukuyama yesterday said he thinks Ukrainians are much more willing to defend themselves than Taiwanese, which poses a significant threat to Taiwan’s future and independence... THINKING THE UNTHINKABLE: Taiwanese need to be willing to sacrifice and not depend solely on the US for protection as military threats grow.    taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2022/02/27/2003773850

　

★ China keeps inching closer to Taiwan, hence western experts (e.g., Foreign Policy, 10-28-2020, Financial Times (UK), 7-12-2020 ) warned Taiwan to make urgent defense reforms such as increasing the existing four-month conscription and improving reservist systems , but, Taiwanese politicians are afraid to discuss these issues with the public for months because they believe Taiwanese people are not willing to sacrifice...  Considering electoral realities, Taiwan’s leaders don't want to shift from volunteer military service to mandatory military service with same training period as Singapore's or Korea's, because such a policy could be deeply unpopular among the young voters courted by the ruling party (DPP), according to Foreign Policy (10-19-2020).  Financial Times, 2021-8-23:  the government has done little to prepare the public for war...Taiwan is avoiding ‘the underlying reality, ...  the Taiwanese public has no appetite for militarising society or even discussing defence.  ft.com/content/b0e3fa00-42af-4914-9323-38c75ac46d67   New York Times (5-18-2017) criticized Taiwan's nearly two million reservists "exist in name only" - but nothing big has changed till present, in spite of western analyst's warning "With China’s rapid military buildup, that may be time that Taiwan does not have.".   Taiwan's TV program about politics comments at 2021-5-1: Any political party advocating full conscription will loss election /  寰宇全視界.

★

★  Taiwan Foreign Minister often broascasts S.O.S. on world media, such as Fox-news, Newsweek,12-1-2020, and Australia ABC, 12-1-2020: Taiwan foreign minister calls on Australia to help defend against China...
News Australia, 11-7-2020: expert says Taiwan will need to bring back the draft in order to put up a fight.  However, Taiwan ignores western advices and plans to mobilize only about 1/10 reservists.   Reuters 12-10-2020 slams Taiwan : "It is almost as if fighting to defend the country is somebody else’s responsibility” .

★

★ Taiwan wants independence, but “Taiwan has become completely dependent on the US” (NY Times, 9-18-2020).   New York Times, 11-24-2020 notes Taiwan's famous politician : “Taiwan can’t face the might of China alone", ”We can’t fight China on our own";  in spite of Economist (8-30-2020), NY Times (8-30-2020), and pro-Taiwan senator advised Taiwan should raise military capability and not to rely on the US military to win the war (ref. to Hudson, 9-18-2020) ...  Taiwan was reluctant to raise the military budget and not willing to reform military system.  Aljazeera, 11-24-2020 :  the Pentagon has called Taiwan’s military spending “insufficient” (the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute: Taiwan's budget  $15.2bn., but Korea $43.9bn and Japan $47.6bn ), ... one of many concerns,  include how willing it may be to reform internally and also raise the number and quality of recruits ;  Economist,10-9-2020: Taiwan’s preparedness and its will to fight both look shaky.   NewsWeek, 10-28-2020: As China Threatens War, Nearly Everyone in Taiwan Wants Peace: Poll.   Diplomat,  12-3-2020, Duke U. TNSS survey: only 11% want to join the military once China strikes Taiwan.

Taiwan gov. is chicken abroad, but, hawkish at home - persecuting and mistreating its own nationals (People's Daily, 10-15-2020: Taiwan strictly monitors Taiwanese by so-called "Green Terror")

　

　

★ <critiques>  Taiwan is

♣♣♣ low   CNBC 4-8-2020:  WHO chief addresses death threats, racist insults... FOXnews 4-9-2020, Washington Post  4-9-2020, ABC 4-9-2020 (brief)  : WHO chief claims he was racially targeted by Taiwan...businessinsider.com   4-8-2020: "I can tell you personal attacks that have been going on for more than two or three months — abuses or racist comments, giving me names, black or Negro, [and] — for the first time I would make this public — even death threats," Tedros said.

♣♣♣ mean  Global Times (2022-12-19) : Some forces on the island (of Taiwan) are mentally controlling the Taiwan people
 ♣♣♣ fake  New Yorker (2022-11-21): When the Chinese test-fired the ballistic missiles, Tsai Ing-wen didn't tell the public that they flew over the island...Financial Times, 2022-12-27: Taiwanese politicians’ reluctance to openly discuss the danger of Chinese military aggression out of fear of losing public support  ( Tsai's slogan "resist China, defend Taiwan" is phony because she did little to bolster Taiwan's military in the past 6 years).    United Daily (聯合報), 2023-6-25 : Taiwan fighting against fraud is nothing but a national fraud.

♣♣♣ rotten  According to Global Corruption Barometer (2021), Transparency (https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/taiwan  test at 1-27-2021), 90% of people think government corruption is a big problem.    TaiwanPlus, 2023-3-6:

　

　

★  VOA News, 2023-11-24:   a 34-year-old banker, told VOA by phone. “I will vote for the third-party candidate Ko Wen-je, because I think he can help address the issue of corruption that has long plagued Taiwan's politics.”。 voanews.com/a/taiwan-presidential-election-heats-up-after-opposition-parties-announce-vp-candidates/7369189.html William Yang 
★
★  Australia InsideStory.org.au, 2023-11-24: opposition parties have found plenty of other targets for attack: the government's handling of Covid; corruption on the part of legislators;...... popular sentiment favours a change of government. If Taiwan had a two-party preferred system of voting, Lai would be staring at defeat. insidestory.org.au/taiwans-cat-warrior-to-the-rescue/
　

★ TaiwanPlus, 2023-3-6  msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/taiwan-poll-finds-widespread-public-mistrust-of-prosecutors-taiwanplus-news/vi-AA18glWE
★ China Times (中時), 2023-6-26  editorial
　		 The ruling DPP's corruption - structural, collective and overall (結構性、集體性、全面性貪腐) ;  a bunch of vote-brokers, officials, law makers get involved; DPP's corruption has already crossed the bottom line, and being out of control.  chinatimes.com/opinion/20230626004425-262101?chdtv   brief

　

　

★ Taiwan president's personality  (No.1 on Bing, Yandex Russia, Swisscows of Switzerland)

　

　    In world media's eyes, Taiwan is  ~ 　
　 　


◆ "a conduit (tool)"  /    The LOWY Institute( think tank in Australia ) , 6-16-2020 : treating Taiwan as a conduit to frustrate Beijing imperils Taiwan’s security... and then the United States abandons Taiwan to deal with the consequences.

◆  "a dog under control"  /  Eurasian Times  7-9-2020: The Tsai authority ... turns to Washington and is willing to be used.  Taiwan Now Under ‘Deep Control’ Of The US.

◆ "meat on chopping blocks" /  New York Times , 9-18-2020: Taiwan has become completely dependent on the United States,... Many people are saying that Taiwan has become the meat on others’ chopping blocks”

◆  "human bomb"  /  Global Times, 9-8-2020: US sets Taiwan up as a 'human bomb'  ( drive the little to poke the big  )

◆  "food on the menu"  /  SCMP, 10-7-2020: "If you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” When the great powers sit at the geopolitical table, Taiwan has long been on the menu."

◆  "a bargaining chip"  /  Forbes, 10-5-2020:  It would be a mistake for the U.S. to pursue an FTA as part of its China policy or to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip, and Taiwan has reasons to be wary as well.

◆  " a tradable pawn", "a useful chess piece"  /  Global Times, 8-23-2020: Taiwan is a useful chess piece for the US only because of the US strategy to suppress the Chinese mainland. On the one hand, Washington exploits the Taiwan question to contain China, on the other hand it is inciting tensions and making money by selling arms to Taiwan...Taiwan is a tradable pawn.  Taiwan for the US is only a tradable chess piece, but for the mainland, reunification of the mainland and Taiwan is priceless.

  1. ◆  "Washington's lapdog", "tool"  /   globaltimes.cn/page/202109/1234662.shtml  ; 

◆   "dispensable  irritant"  /   Asia Times, 11-16-2020;   Washington Post 1-18-2019: Trump abandoned the Kurds in Syria. Could Taiwan be next ?  WP, 7-14-2020: Trump's policies are undermining the security of Taiwan's democracy ...

　

 

 　
　 　

　

 　

★

　

★  Taiwanese personality in CovID-19 flare-up


ugly Taiwanese in CovID-19
 ☉ CTV, 2021-6-23: Emperor of Japan (aged 60+) was waiting on the queue for vaccination,
by contrast, Taiwan turns a blind eye to officials and big guys' cut-in-line !  
☉ human lives are not Taiwan's main concern, elders and seniors are assigned to low priority groups for vaccinations 

  politics on purchasing vaccines

● The Guardian, 2021-6-14:  ... refusing it is "entirely political”...“Pfizer and BioNTech have a huge incentive to ensure that the Fosun product is equivalent, so I would think there is no concern,”There's no reason not to take it....“It would be foolish to say no". 
Why has Taiwan rejected Fosun's Germany BioNTech vaccine doses ?   Nachman says:  it still seemed “in the DPP’s electoral interest not to get any China vaccines.  theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/14/how-taiwan-struggle-for-covid-vaccines-is-inflaming-tensions-with-china  In brief, Taiwan government cares its political benefits more than human lives.

　

● Taiwan's government only got limited vaccine doses, but deliberately to place obstacles (Foxconn says "invisible power") on civil organizations, such as Foxconn founder Gou, Buddhist groups, etc , purchasing and donating western vaccines to feller nationals.  United Daily, editorial, 2021-6-4 criticizes the gov. ignoring increasing deaths could be entitled "state enemy"   udn.com/news/story/7338/5507706?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2 UDN, editorial 2021-6-11 and China Times, editorial, 2021-6-11    Till now (2021-9-21), other civil orgs are still not allowed to purchase western vaccines given vaccine shortage.

　

● Global Times, 2021-6-12: Taiwan scholar, former official sue Taiwan president Tsai and other DPP officials for politicalizing pandemic ― misconduct, desire of profiting themselves and "killing people with policies."  Taiwan's regional authority has rejected 30 million doses of BioNTech-Fosun vaccine preordered by Taiwan pharmacopolists in 2020.
   an immoral country - ignoring high death rate

● according to Bloomberg's ranking, 2021-8-25, Taiwan's 3-month case-fatality rate is worst among countries of Asia & pacific, 3rd worst worldwide.    Johns Hopkins University: Taiwan has 8th highest case fatality rate on earth (July 2021).   Taiwan's CDC says 97 per cent of those who died of Covid-19 were over 50 .  However, Taiwan once eliminated elders aged 65-75 from vaccination list, and later gave those aged 60+  and with chronic disease 10th ~ 6th low priorities to get vaccinated, instead, gov. officers got 2nd priority, despite WHO's advice : government leaders and admin. personnel should be narrowly interpreted to "a very small number of individuals".  UDN, editorial, 2021-7-18: It's an unique case in democratic countries !  

●  Taiwan  moves Pfizer vaccine for seniors and people with chronic diseases to kids aged 12-22 with strongest immune system.  by contrast,  Associated Press, 2021-7-20 reports many public health experts have raised questions about the morality of inoculating low-risk children at a time when many of the most vulnerable people still lack access to vaccines. ... most young people, typically suffer only mild symptoms of the virus.

　

   abusing power & privilege

　

● Taiwan became a "The weak are the prey of the strong" jungle.  Big guys such as county mayor, tycoon, celebrity, ranking officials, etc sneak into vaccinations.  Top hospitals like Chen Hsin General Hospital abused its privilege to inoculate certain people.

　

●Some widely-known Law makers cut in queue to take PCR test, left behind lots of people (some are high risky) waiting and even died in long lines, sunny or rainy  udn.com/news/story/7338/6313780?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2    udn.com/news/story/11091/6325951?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2

 
 ●  Not only ruling party abuses its power, pan-blue politicians, such as former premier & vice president Lien Chan, 8 times law maker Huang Chao-shun, former law maker Chang Hsien-yao, Ting Shou-chung, sneaked into vaccination. Taipei city mayor at 2021-7-4 criticizes the country is making "vaccination priority" and declared he hold the list of privileged people in Presidential Office secretly getting vaccinated.

  cared money more than human lives

● United Daily, editorial, Jun. 2021:Taiwanese patients in serious situation waiting for one week but failed to get Remdesivir, a specific remedy for cure coronavirus, in spite of that CDC declaring adequate Remdesivir medication for patients.   In short, the stock is always enough because severe patients can't get it in time.  (udn.com/news/story/7339/5513808?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2  楊哲銘). 
 ● United Daily, 2022-5-11: Taiwan's CDC "creates" a world-unique, rigid & severe admin. procedure for Cov. patients to apply for Paxlovid, therefore, most of them fail to have antiviral pills.  How can little people fight the state machine ? udn.com/news/story/11091/6304035?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2
 ♣ United Daily, 2022-5-28: people usually get antiviral pills at the 4th or 5th day since becoming ill, increasing the probability that mild case worsens to moderate-severe case.  udn.com/news/story/7338/6346575?from=udn_ch2_menu_v2_main_cate
 ♣ Yahoo Taiwan, 2022-5-19: Nearly 80% of local CovID severe cases died this year. Experts believe that this reflects the problem of "failure to administer drugs in time "  tw.news.yahoo.com/社會-重症近8成死亡-專家疑未能及時投藥-235256426.html

　

   cheating
● World media pointed out a relaxation of quarantine rules is a loophole to CovID-19 flare-up.  e.g., New York Times, 2021-5-25: the emergence of more contagious variants in recent months, a relaxation of quarantine rules and a vaccine shortage gave the virus an opening ...nytimes.com/2021/05/25/arts/music/taiwan-covid-shutdown-music.html  France24, 2021-6-13: A sudden surge in cases was traced back to a group of airline pilots who unknowingly brought the Alpha (British) variant of the vgirus into the country just as the government had eased quarantine measures. Quartz, 2021-6-12 has similar sayings.  But the government still passed the buck on WanHua tea houses, according to United Daily, 2021-6-12   https://udn.com/news/story/122173/5527854?from=udn-catelistnews_ch2    United Daily, 2021-6-3, editorial:  How ugly Taiwanese government shift the blames to the China Airline's internal control for coronavirus loophole, ... In addition, they shifted blames about Taiwanese diplomat's suicide in Japan, imported poison pork, train crashed incident, and so on...   (從駐大阪辦事處長自殺、萊豬進口、太魯閣號等一連串事件，人們看到執政當局對錯誤政策皆推託了事 ，政府已因循成風 udn.com/news/story/7338/5504882?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2  )　


  
authoritarian
 ● New York Post  4-25-2020 : Taiwan deals with CovID-19 with "a lot more authoritarian.", "almost everyone is tracked.".  Taiwanese govt. responded at 4-28-2020 that Taiwanese would like to cooperate with our policy.  But the truth is Taiwan's "Big Brother" already sneaked into numerous families in the name of  Epidemic Prevention, by an injunction violating Tort Law and domineering over Constitution (凌駕憲法的侵權禁令) , without having noticed all nationals, in accordance with United Daily, editorial at 5-7-2020.    United Daily 7-16-2020: To keep good record,  Taiwan takes 'ostrich' strategy (avoid mass testing).
 ● China Times, editorial, 2021-6-17:  However, before the outbreak in May 2021, Taiwanese experts already reminded Taiwan's government all those world experts' critiques on today's world media, but internet army's violent attacks forced everybody to keep silent chinatimes.com/opinion/20210616005523-262101?chdtv
●  Next TV news (壹電視), 3-10-2020<年代向錢看>: The president of nurse association (護理師工會理事長): "our freedom of speech" was restricted!! some nurses complained on the net about only having one face mask per day, the internet army came and shouted "you can quit your job if not happy !"  ("網軍:"不爽不要做!"). The fact behind is Doctors did not forward face masks to them.
●  United Daily (聯合報), 2021-6-3: Taiwan gov. and ruling party shift the blame by saying "not remember" then  "there's no any meeting record about relaxing quarantine".   Soon later,  internet army and media hitters manipulated the public opinions (網軍、寫手的各種輿論操作傾巢而出，四處帶風向)。

●  Guardian, 2021-6-7: Taiwan authorities hadn’t kept up with new scientific knowledge around virulent new strains,  theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/07/a-victim-of-its-own-success-how-taiwan-failed-to-plan-for-a-major-covid-outbreak
 
Taiwan did not give importance to ventilation , mass testing, or locking down hard and early, instead, they work on police investigation, tracing sys. and precision testings, etc.

   vaccines - firstly - making money

● China Times, 2021-6-13, opinion:   Taiwan's vaccine policy, first of all, considers top officials' benefit, the company without offering rebate/commission was eliminated, as for fellow citizens' risk of infection or death are not their prime concern    chinatimes.com/opinion/20210612003338-262104?chdtv  (國產的3家疫苗廠中，沒有回扣操弄空間的1家已經先行以「莫須有」的罪名予以排除 ，剩下兩家樂於分享利潤。所以台灣疫苗政策，都是優先考量官員的利潤，至於老百姓感染或死亡風險，已經都不是最重要的。)
 ●  Reuters, 2021-7-19:  The vaccine candidate has yet to finish clinical trials and no efficacy data is available, but Taiwan approves Medigen's COVID-19 vaccine candidate and said studies so far have shown that antibodies created by the shot have been "no worse than" those created by AstraZeneca's (AZN.L - UK) vaccine.

● United Daily, editorial, 2021-6-27: We must remind Taiwan president Tsai and former vice president Chen (陳建仁) of the things - human lives and health are more important than local vaccine industry, specialty and scientific knowledge are more important than scholars' speculation and calculations.  (我們要再度提醒蔡總統與陳建仁前副總統：人民的生命健康比疫苗產業重要、政策的科學佐證比政客的主觀期待重要、疫苗的病毒專業比流行病學者投機算計重要  。udn.com/news/story/7338/5560529?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2)  CTV news, 2021-7-5: lawmaker 費鴻泰 slammed "they" put stock benefit above human lives.
 ● CTV news, 2021-6-29: Taiwan has not worked hard to purchase Novavax in that the gov. intends to harbor two local vaccines using same tech. as Novavax which finished trial phase III already therefore is much better. (以免高端聯亞破局)


    Government's experts
 ● United Daily, editorial, 2021-6-18,  "terrible & fake experts" / CDC's guest medical experts only function as "endorsement" and "execution". (「偽專業」可怕 / 指揮中心及其聘請的一些專家卻扮演「背書」及「執行」的角色，防疫部署如何具有堅實的科學基礎？udn.com/news/story/7338/5540274?from=udn-catehotnews_ch2)

　

   fake, phony

● GT, 2021-5-23: The public criticize Taiwan's authorities for their suspected concealment of COVID-19 data   globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1224250.shtml  

Global Times 2021-6-4, etc :  "Taiwan authorities have no intention or power to fight the epidemic at all."  "Taiwan's COVID-19 fight has been a mess and the Taiwan authorities can only play tricks to make up for their mistakes"  globaltimes.cn/page/202106/1225426.shtml

●  China Times, editorial, 2021-5-18: With an eye to keeping a success story intact, Taiwanese government ignored local experts' advices for mass/full-scale corona-virus tests, otherwise today's flare-up won't happen.  ( Chinese: 最令人憤怒的是，從去年至今，專家不斷呼籲要增加篩檢才能掌控病毒動態，但蔡政府寧願抱著防疫佳績進行大內宣，生怕多篩多出包 ...如果我們之前對高風險人員定期篩檢，進行廣篩及入境普篩，眼前的危機可能根本不會發生。   chinatimes.com/opinion/20210517004162-262101?chdtv   )    

　

   sad diplomacy

● China Times, 3-18-2021, editorial: Taiwan's vaccine diplomacy is sad -  expert analysis, Taiwan is planning to donate about NT$ 2 hundred million to Paraguay ( last holdout in South America) to get COVID vaccines, therefore, the covering in Paraguay will be 28.6%, in contrast, that in Taiwan is only 0.5%. chinatimes.com/opinion/20210318004639-262103?chdtv

　

   major business's selfishness

● CTV  2021-6-12: a desk clerk girl in Mitsukoshi dept store, largest Japanese mall in Taiwan,  had CovID-19 symptom ― disorder and coughed for 20 days, the company ignored it, afterwards, she became a confirmed CovID-19 case.  youtube.com/watch?v=uddB_K7B60M  Next TV news, 2021-6-14: some employee said they had not been arranged to take rapid test yet.   After about 2 months, the girl recovered (or end-of-quarantine) was forced to quit the job.

● CTV  2021-6-12, 7:34 am: a major TV station ordered its employee (took rapid test, but not yet PCR test) to work under table (without formal clock-in record),  probably therefore some of his colleagues were infected.  The TV station was blasted as "human lives are not its concern (草菅人命)".
　

for full details :   CovID-19 in Taiwan

★

★  Taiwanese personality in SARS

Taiwanese people (including foreign citizens of Taiwanese/Chinese origin, Taiwanese Americans) may take lessons from local and foreign studies, news-reports, black-heart examples as below: 

★ < Disease and society ― Taiwan searches its conscience from experiences during SARS crisis>  ( <疫病與社會：台灣歷經SARS風暴之醫學與人文反省 >,
       author/ 蔡甫昌、江宜樺(Taiwan's former Prime Minister) etc,  Publisher/ National Taiwan University, Medical School,  Sept. 2012 )

      We to certain degree may see Taiwanese personality through citizens' (governmental officials, legislators, medical field workers, countrymen, etc) reacting to SARS during that fatal period ...  (Pls ref. to the book and media during SARS , ps: SARS is severe acute respiratory syndrome) 
      ◎
        ● Taiwanese people scared the fatal disease (SARS) and scrambled to  buy masks, however, business men took this opportunity to keep masks on warehouse and bull the market (forcing up price) for making exorbitant high profits, uncertain news pointed out some legislators (similar to Congressmen or Senators in the US) intervened/meddled in and tried to benefit themselves by using this national disaster or calamity ... all these led to insufficient supply of N95 masks, hence medical personnel and public health workers like M.D. and nurses in the front can not help but reuse their N95 masks ―  their lives therefore were in risk. (each N95 should be used for a short time, then needs to be replaced )
　　● Suspicious SARS infected people intentionally lied their past medical history (seeking medical advices in epidemic-area hospital) so that they will not be rejected by better hospitals, this led to an outbreak and SARS spreading, and endangering or harming medical workers.
　　● Taiwanese people don't abide by the principle of house quarantine ―　some scholar just came back from Hong Kong suppose comply with house quarantine for 10 days, but this person went to school to teach lessons and then went overseas.
       ● Mayor took the lead to sabotage SARS patients' transfering to other hospital  ―  3 suspicious SARS patients were arranged by the Health government for hospital transfer,  but the destination's city Mayor, Chair of city council, councilors and many borough chiefs, gathering crowds blocked the street at front of the emergency room by vehicles and their bodies, and forced the ambulance back to original hospital,  this conflict won't be stop if this country's Minister of the Interior and 3 major political parties' representatives had not mediated this conflict and Taiwan's leader on Health did not promised SARS won't spread in that city.
       ●  Many medical school students' parents scared SARS and ignored the situation that insufficient numbers of doctors confronting SARS,  hence, those parents pressed the government to pull 300 intern students out of hospital by reporting "something" to the Control Yuan that Educational government already neglected its duty.
       ● Some state hospital paused emergency and regular medical services (門診), about 1/3 clinics there stopped their services by all kinds of "reasons" you can imagine.  124 nurses in a medical center in Southern Taiwan refused to take care of SARS patients and then resigned, some M.D.s also resigned for the same reason.
       ● Some medical center found hospital infection and  took "block & isolate " strategy, the next day more and more patients at ward escaped from that hospital, Taiwanese government received reports from all major medical centers in Northern, Central, Southern Taiwan, the hospital president,  and Infection Control directors concealed SARS outbreak within the hospital to avoid losing face, avoid dropping profit-performance, and/or avoid being sealed off the hospital,  this serious situations became major cause that Taiwan's SARS continued to spread larger and larger.     
       ● The work ethics, concealing SARS outbreak, delaying reporting to center government or rejecting SARS patients to avoid profiting worse are the most important reasons resulting in hospital onset of infection and spreading SARS from bad to worse in Taiwan. 
         
          ps: Chicago Tribune 7.6.2003:  Taiwan, the last country on a WHO list of SARS-infected areas was removed from that list Sat.    UDN, Jan. 2020: Taiwanese medical staffs (M.D., nurse) suffered the most number of deaths and wounds caused by SARS among all countries.

        ps2: For details, pls. click comment Taiwanese medical Doctors & hospitals;  Chinese version pls. ref. to the book or brief-text at end of this web-page

       

★ CNN 6-17-2019: mass protests (in Hong Kong) emboldened anti-China elements in Taiwan.   FTV ("Fomosa TV, 民視, 政經看民視") of Taiwan commented at 3-8-2018 that Taiwanese people even don't dare to push back Facebook, so as to avoid any "consequences".   FTV at 4-16-2017 ("台灣演義" details ): most of Taiwan's best MDs of NTUH got cold feet to join an anti-judiciary protest, in order to avoid any repercussions.......  From comments above, we might get a conclusion ―― Taiwanese people are tip toeing little ones or sort of chickens for suffering long time political repressions...

Taiwanese p

★  Are all Taiwanese obedient citizens ?  "台灣只有順民?"   The Liberty Times, 1-4-2016

　

      Taipei city mayor Ko expressed Taiwanese have always been bullied and toyed, hence lost confidence and passion, Ko concluded that Taiwan only has obedient, docile citizens who surrendered to their "lord", because according to medical gene experiments, docile dogs mating give birth to docile dogs, those some of Taiwanese revolted, resisted or rebelled were all killed by their rulers, the rest of Taiwanese are docile citizens, their children or descendants are even more docile.
● Comment: According to Psychology,  acquired environment is also important to shape personality.  Good education and environment transform the evil element in people’s intrinsic nature and develop acquired nature of goodness.  People who live in a bad environment tend to do bad things.  In Taiwan, lousy judiciary and distorted value system could change personality, e.g., laugh the poor rather than prostitutes.

　

ersonality, characteristics

★ Apple Daily, editorial opinion, 10-22-2019, <台灣日益猖獗的反智現象>:

      Anti-intellectualism is rampant in Taiwan, irrational, anti-logical, anti-science ...and from bad to worse ...  ★ United Daily, 1-12-2020, editorial opinion: A Taiwanese M.D. gave drugs causing drowsiness to whoever (patient) supports different political party's presidential election candidate.   During presidential election campaign, some citizen supporting different political party intended to use NTUH rest-room but was driven out by NTU medical college student.

★

★ The Liberty Times, 11-28-2019, front-page news
     National Taiwan Normal University study found that Taiwan ranks No. 15 in sense of humour among 22 countries, No.1 is Italia.

　

★  New York Times, 5-18-'17: we seem to expect American sons and daughters to risk their lives to protect our home ...
         Duke university, NCCU Taiwan,  Missouri State University
      Taiwan Public Opinion and National Security,  Dennis V. Hickey, Missouri State University  https://www.chinausfocus.com/society-culture/taiwan-public-opinion-and-national-security-implications-for-washington-and-taipei
       According to a more reliable poll available, The Taiwan National Security Survey (TNSS), which is conducted by Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, under the auspices of the Program in Asian Security Studies at Duke University,  36.9% plan to “wait and see, 16% percent plan to leave the country, 2.2 % will hide away and 1.8% will “choose to surrender. On the other hand, 6.2% will support the government’s decision, 4.9% will join the army to fight against the invasion, and 4.1% will resist the invasion. The good news is that only 0.1% will commit suicide. But the bad news is that a solid majority plans to “wait and see,” “leave the country,” “hide” or “choose to surrender.”

　

　

 

pic.: survey in 2018, 64% Taiwanese chose surrender, run away, wait & see

(CTN editorial, april 20,2018; Taiwan National Security studies survey 2017, ettoday, 4-9-2019, https://www.ettoday.net/news/20190409/1418789.htm)

 　


pic. survey '19

     

　

　

pic.: this websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality"
on google, 5-25-2019

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

pic. : this websites group was ranked No.2 by "Taiwanese personality"
on US google, 1-31-2020, 5-25-2019

　

　

This websites group was ranked No.1 by "Taiwanese personality" on US Google,
9-14-2018

 (Chn. version)

　

　

◎
★  Taiwan's image ―  chicken outwardly,  hawkish at home !
       Taiwan Coast Guard vessel did little (spraying weak water like a piss) to protect Taiwanese fishing boats (came for protecting Diaoyu Islands) from Japan Coast Guard ship's attacks by firing strong, long-distanced water cannon in Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands) event. 
         In contrast, Taiwan fired strong water cannon against weak students and civilians in Sun Flower event at 3-24-2014.

◎

　




　
  pic:  ranked No.1 on Google by "Taiwanese personality" in Chinese ("台灣人國民性""台灣民族性")
 , at  9-11-2017;  Ranking No.1 on Google by "Taiwanese personality" in Chinese, July 20, 2015
　

Ranking No.2 on US Google by "Taiwanese personality" at 9-12-2017; top 4 at 9-14-2018;
No.1 on US Yahoo by "Taiwanese Personality" at 4-24-2015

　

◎

　 　
　 pic: don't be leaning mailboxes while facing the "wind"

◎

★ The New York times  9.8.2014: The authorities in Taiwan are scrambling to control a tainted-cooking-oil scandal that has affected hundreds of manufacturers and raised fears about health risks posed in many commonly consumed food items... the new scandal shows that there is still not enough being done to eliminate lawbreaking production lines,” ... 

The Liberty Times - Weekender  9.18.2015   Industrial bleaching agent, plumping agent with Aluminum, Industrial adhesives Maleic Acid,  Sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate dihydrate (CH3NaO3S) , Gypsum of pharmaceutic ,   corn starch, phosphatic, formaldehyde (HCHO), etc were used as foods addictives for better selling.  (for full details pls. ref. to Liberty Times)

Business Today.no.856, 2013 : not only banned colouring agent, copper chlorophyllin cooking oil, toxic ('poisonous') starch, dangerous levels of industrial plasticisers, poor-quality rice, deceptive advertising bakery ... were exposed in Taiwan media, but also dangerous materials/ingredients like hydrogen peroxide, Rongalite (Sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate dihydrate 吊白塊  ) , Formaldehyde Solution(福馬林),  borax(硼砂) ,  salicylic acid (水楊酸), NaNO2   nitrite (亞硝酸鹽),  fluorescent whitening/bleaching agent (螢光增白劑), copper salts (铜鹽), Sudan (蘇丹红), Butter Yellow(奶油黃),  Rhodamine B (鹽基桃紅精), Auramine (黃色色素鹽基性芥黃), H202 (過氧化氫), 4-ethoxyphenylurea(乙氧基苯脲), Lead oxide (氧化铅), potassium bromate；bromic acid potassium salt (溴酸钾) etc food additives were found in Taiwan's black-heart food and cuisine industries.

 ●  CLICK for details or related topics:   Taiwan's travel , food scare ,  night-markets  ,  restaurants (Taiwanese cuisine)  
◎◎
 ◎

 weak TW


　

　

　

　
pic. left: A large Japan Patrol ship was firing water cannon to Taiwanese fishing boat (left) and Taiwan Coast Guard vessel (middle). news photo in Apple Daily, 1-25-2013 　 pic. right: Taiwan police fired strong water cannon against weak students and civilians in Sun-Flower movement led by college students...  news photo in Liberty Times, 3-28-'14 (by 王藝菘) 　

◎◎
★ Bradley University survey &  WebMD report : " Who's No. 1 in Self-Esteem?"   

         A new international self-esteem survey (Sept. 27, 2005) puts  Japan at the bottom, and the U.S.(score 32.21 ) in sixth place, Taiwan (score 28.77 ) almost is in the last place. The results are due to appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

      Self-esteem scores were based on anonymous surveys given to nearly 17,000 people in 53 nations. The survey was translated into 28 languages.

     The 10 lowest-ranked nations are:   South Korea, Switzerland, Morocco,  Slovakia,  Fiji,  Taiwan,  Czech Republic,  Bangladesh,  Hong Kong, Japan.

◎◎

◎◎

★   University of Chicago, National Opinion Research Center,   "national honor" survey,  June 29, 2006

         A "sense of national honor" survey in 34 countries pointed out that Taiwanese overall ranking of the specific investigation is very behind (29 out of the world's 34 countries)

◎◎

★  "The exploration and analysis of Taiwanese personality" , National Normal University in ChangHwa on Taiwan, by Hsu C.J. &  professor advisor ZHANG, DE-RONG, 1992

       Conclusion ( in brief ) : Taiwanese personality most likely is utilitarian and traditional.
       ps: Baidu (China) : utilitarian ― snobby man, other definitions : believe utility value, useful function, etc

◎◎

★   "Look into Taiwan's national character" article in <the Liberty Times>
             (one of best-selling newspaper), 曹純

          Taiwanese personality had already seriously been distorted after having experienced 50 years' coercion and enslavement education by KMT (largest political party in Taiwan).
          1. Taiwanese have no back-bones and no longer prefer death (by pro. killing) to humiliation, Taiwanese would rather being raped or being brainwashed for small benefits.
          2.  Taiwanese don't make clear distinction between right and wrong,
          3.  Lacking of self-confidence,
          4.  Sense of Inferiority,           5.  Weak,
          6. Good part of Taiwanese character includes simple , moderate, compliant (土直 、謙抑) etc.   http://talk.ltn.com.tw/article/paper/47359 Dec 10, 2005

　

◎

　


Taiwanese personality
　

　
　

"Look through Taiwan's national character/personality", <Liberty Times>, 12.10.'05

　

◎

　

★ The book <The Ugly Side of Taiwanese>  ( author : G. Lee 李喬, published in 1988 & 1993, ... USA : 714-8631618)

   1.  Taiwanese people were conscious of being an orphan since China had abandoned this island after having lost a battle to Japan at 1894. 

          The Taiwanese prefer to be an orphan, and prefer to be under control  (being  indifferent to justice), and have no conscience to distinguish rightness from wrong.  

                 Taiwanese feel inferior, lowly, humble .... with guilty conscience ( They used to swallow insults and admit their 'guilt'... ) , are willing to be in inferior ranking status
                  Too many Taiwanese traitors betrayed and sold their own country people/folks
                  - or even frame and bring a false charge against innocent Taiwanese for their own benefits and better tomorrow.

     2.  In bribery Taiwanese believe.    The Taiwanese believe "money talks", and treat religion as trading or bribery, nothing to do with soul, spirits.

     3.  Taiwanese people are somebody indoors , nobody outdoors.  

     4.  Selfish,  Indifferent to public issues. 

     5.  Learnt no lessons from Taiwan's history

     6.  Taiwanese life style, career, and cultures are far from delicacy, creativity, and class
           ( Japan can, but Taiwan can't ! ).

     7.  Selfish (be worldly wise and play safe, not run risk for righteousness ), cruel or
          cold-bloodedly to other people's misfortune ( inhumanity/ not kindheartedness)...

     8.  Lousy work ethics (business morals) - to sacrifice others' health or even life.

　

Brief in Chinese

   The book < 台灣人的醜陋面 >  ( author : G. Lee  李喬, published in 1988 & 1993, etc)

          ( details ref publisher in USA : 714-8631618 )    

     1.   自甘做長不大的孤兒；  自卑感、罪惡感、認命、 曾為利害出賣(甚至設陷)同鄉。
           「現在」變形的孤兒意識仍然若隱若現。 

     2.    欠缺宗教情操，信奉「賄賂一貫教」，視宗教為交換

     3.  台灣人太多「雞棲王」
           歷史上扭曲統治塑造的心性惡質，「現在」各級政治團體，社會群體生活中，大大小小成群

     4.   現在台灣人的諸多冷漠、不明敵我

     5.  台灣人跋涉過劫難的歷史，卻不能領悟多少「生存的智慧」... 無腦漿悲劇布偶任人擺佈，「滿街滿野」。 

     6.  台灣人因陋就簡、生活風格不若日本精緻

     7.  殘酷自私，對他人不幸冷漠，不具現代人德性：

     8.  行業道德淪喪，欠缺可大可久的胸襟眼光

  ◎  Above is a brief, to avoid translation problem, pls. purchase the book  
       or refer to  http://literature.ihakka.net/hakka/author/li_qiao/li_composition/li_onlin/culture/culture_2.htm

　

　

★ <Science> (科學月刊), United Daily, opinions, 12-28-2019
       In today's Taiwan, superstition remains, we saw many common people believe fortuneteller and spirits, young people follow fashion like sheep, educational people are usually stubborn or bigoted ... Taiwanese attitude toward science changes ??   / 劉源俊

　

★  Headline in head-page of <the United Daily News>, Sept. 3, 2009
        " Scholars' view : Taiwan's society   ―   Too irrational and too emotional ! "   

　



　



Ranking No.1 on Google
by "Taiwanese personality"  at 1-11-2015
　   "Taiwanese community/society  ―   Too irrational and too moody ! ", <United daily News> 9.3.2009
　 　

         ◎   Nov. 19, 2010 (A3) :  Although our media in front-line still have been investigating (Yang's disqualification in
                                                   Asian Games) and trying to find out the truth, Taiwanese people in the rear already
                                                   flew into a fury for their national emotion ... 
         ◎   May 15, 2010 :  Editorial in Chinese, theme:   : 「全民公審了一名跆拳裁判之後」
                            (translation : "After Taiwanese people gave a cultural-revolution style public trial on a referee ")            
                 §  Concerning public issues, Taiwanese people are too subjective and moody ...
                 § Taiwanese Taekwondo association's penalty to Mr. ChengDa-wei is a political judgment for reasons :
                      (1) Taiwanese people's angers ( lost gold medal, etc )
                      (2) Athletics units are afraid of high-ranking official
                      (3)  Cheng Da-wei is "alone" in Taiwan ―  no connections  ... 
         ◎   May 15, 2010 :  Editorial in English ―  "Punishing a Taekwondo referee" 
                §  ...  This incident reflects growing populism in Taiwan and gives us a chance for self-reflection.
                    In recent years, discussions about public issues in Taiwan are usually dominated by emotional
                    and subjective rhetoric due to a fundamental political divergence.
                §  ... We wonder if, in a civilized society, it is tolerable to use the verdict of public critics to
                    punish a Taekwondo coach?
                § ... We strongly believe that now is the time for local society to conduct a deep examination
                    of its conceit and shallow culture.   
          ref.  http://blog.ilc.edu.tw/blog/blog/572/post/9591/72288

◎

★   <the China Times>, 4-1-2018, public opinion
         "Taiwan's society   ―   Too irrational and superstitious ! "
         Taiwanese media one after another applied fortune-telling and rumor  to analyze or report  a probable crime case in the US by a TV star 狄鶯's son, besides, Taiwan's former president Chen also once contact a fortune teller aged 16 only about his legal case  ...  (brief)

◎

★   "Why are Taiwanese weak-kneed ?"  (Chinese title: 台灣人怎麼這麼沒種？) ,
                <the Liberty Times>, Taiwan, Jan. 31, 2012 , "Political News edition".
          

The saying "Taiwanese have no spines/backbones"  has been talked about everywhere, e.g., before the presidential election, most Taiwanese understood the big gap between the rich and the poor in Taiwan is currently the most urgent problem to be solved, but, when voting moment came, Taiwanese did threw justice away, and only took" intimidation/ treat" card into consideration. (「恫嚇牌」)

...... a bunch of Taiwanese, as the words by which Japanese (name 後藤新平) humiliated Taiwanese, are "Money is everything/eager for money " and "not willing to run big risk for righteousness/justice, etc" (「怕死、愛錢」)...

Perhaps, Taiwan's national character from 400 years ago on, is exactly "dance with" whoever came to be their "boss", only minority did resist ...... Is this sort of slavishness/servility culture Taiwanese culture?？...  http://iservice.ltn.com.tw/2012/specials/election/cont.php?nt=2&pt=96&type=a&no=557004

◎
★ "Taiwan's national character", <the Liberty Times>, Nov. 17, 2013

brief: National character is the soul of a nation, Taiwan's soul is collapsing(加速崩解中), which is largest risk of Taiwan.... Taiwan's leaders in politics and business are liars and don't like to take any responsibility (e.g., in cooking oil scandal),  their character is so low and lousy... ( http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2013/new/nov/17/today-p14.htm?Slots=BP)
 ◎

★ <Study on Taiwanese character ─ By historical comparative approach>,  by Liao, Li Wei ,  2008

◎  Taiwanese people is utilitarian, superstitious, and likes fighting (struggle or conflict) by nature

◎  Taiwanese is down-to-earth (practical,  pragmatic, realistic), seeking instant benefits/success, willing to strive for better future. ... 

◎  Vulgar & collages

◎  New things best but won't last long

◎  Blindly obedient (conformity)

◎  Identity (value) disorder 

◎  Collective personality includes lacking self-confidence, uneasy, unstable and sad mood...

◎
★  Taiwan's social value  ―   news report concerning Taiwanese teen (under age) prostitutes

◎ <the China Times > Oct. 30, 2010 :  Taiwanese laugh at the poor, instead of prostitutes ...  that's Taiwan's social value.

◎ <Liberty Times > Oct. 30, 2010 :  The social value gives kids wrong concept, ...  education should let kids know ....  Money is not everything.

◎ <Apple Daily News > Oct. 30, 2010 :   Taiwanese teenagers' moral value weakened ....  we should rebuild our social value system.

◎

★ <Radio Taiwan International >,  Dec. 3, 2008

Taiwan's president Ma hopes mainland Chinese people understand Taiwan's society through <Cape No.7>, Taiwan's all-time grossing film.

◎

★  <CNA>, April 29, 2012

(楊志良) Dr. C. L. Yang's latest book「台灣大崩壞」mentions Taiwanese people are short-sighted for money, for money's sake Taiwan's populist legislators ( status similar to Congressman ) influence gov. lacking of fairness and justice......
 ◎

　

★ <Foreign Policy>,     1.29.2015     http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/29/taipeis-fiery-new-mayor-knows-whose-culture-is-best/

"Taipei’s Fiery New Mayor Knows Whose Culture Is Best"  -   Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je's opinion:

On Asian history and colonization:
For the [world’s] four Chinese-speaking regions — Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mainland China — the longer the colonization, the more advanced a place is. It’s rather embarrassing. Singapore is better than Hong Kong; Hong Kong is better than Taiwan; Taiwan is better than the mainland. I’m speaking in terms of culture.
 ◎

★ "Taiwanese yield to reality" , <the China Times>, Nov. 15, 2013

 Taiwan's position to national identity is vacillating,  Wu Dong Ye (NCCU scholar): Taiwanese mentality condescend (yield to) reality. (泛中國人的比例從64%提升至67%，58%受訪者對國族認同立場反反覆覆表示諒解，說明台灣人屈就現實的心態。 )

◎

★ "Chinese Wolf ", <Business Today 今周刊>, Sept. 5, 2013    http://www.businesstoday.com.tw/article-content-80396-102030

     According to a survey conducted by <Business Today>, Chinese career/working style (personality) just like the wolf (1. sharp sense to attack when opportunity comes, 2. very aggressive and sort "greedy" - get it as much as possible, don't let it go once hold it,  3. team-work to achieve the goal ), Taiwanese likes the sheep (mild, nice, attentive, yield, "溫良恭儉讓"). details pls. refer to the link above.

◎
★ "100 big events in Taiwan's history" , book author: Lee S.F.  (ISBN 9578246250, 1999)

    "228" political event resulted in :

     ◎  Taiwanese personality had been seriously distorted.
     ◎  Taiwanese (under long-time colonial governance) were even more inferior than before, they tried every efforts to obey the rulers for self-preservation.
     ◎  Taiwanese feared, despaired and felt disappointed at politics.

◎

★  Decoding new generation's nature ...  <the China Times>,  6.11.2014  (解讀Z世代  網路養大  務實不受拘束)

        brief:  Youngsters participating in so-called Sun-flower Movement (2014) are "Z generation" (or "N generation"), they're cultured/cultivated/educated by internet world and have unconstrained/unregulated and practical/realistic/utilitarian nature.

◎

★  <Apple Daily News> Editorial , 11.11.2010

     Probably more than 1/3 of Taiwanese elites (high education and young & middle-aged people) prefer immigration,  only 13% of Japanese like to do so. (Gallop USA)   It's pretty sad for a country.

◎

★ <the United Daily News>, June 5, 2014  (Living edition A6)
        1/3 Taiwanese feel unhappy according to a local survey. (MD suggests having Vitamin C, fruits/vegetables to help emotional stability)
　

◎

★ < Reader's Digest > , July 25, 2007

A "honesty test" in last year  :  the test left behind 30 mid-priced mobile phones in 35 cities, and watched & called the phone number whenever someone picked up the phone, to see whether or not that person answered the phone-call and then return the mobile phone, or will pressed The default number to contact the owner. 

Generally speaking, Chinese society was not too honest in that test, Taipei and Singapore, both ranked 25th.  Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur ranked the last - 35th.

According to latest Reader's Digest test reported in Hong Kong that in a test conducted in 32 cities, Taipei (16 out of 30 people will return the phone) ranked 27th.       ( reported in Hong Kong & by Apple Daily News Taiwan )
    

◎

★  <Apple Daily News> Editorial , May 26, 2010

"China's characteristics in Taiwan's characteristics" : ...Taiwan's characteristics include China's characteristics  ―   which is short of enough modernization , that's a problem...

◎

★  <Apple Daily News> news report & Editorial , Oct. 6, 2011

 According to a survey by <Cheers>:  The purpose Taiwanese career people born from 1981 till 1990 work for is "life style" , which is different from "making a living" that most Taiwanese were,  besides, more than 64% define "success" as "leading a happy life", 38% as "owning money/richness" , more than 38% are not willing to compromise "life style" with "hard working "......
 ◎

★ <Apple Daily news>, middle April, 2013
Taiwanese people are the ninth most honest hotel guests in the world, according to an industry survey (Among 28 countries and the region of Hong Kong ) by Hotels.com released in 2013, Denmark topped the list, followed by the Netherlands and Norway, China and USA are the 6th from the last in the survey.

◎
★ <Washington Post> 2013/5/15
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/15/a-fascinating-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-racially-tolerant-countries/
According to the World Values Survey: A fascinating map of the world's most and least racially tolerant countries,
The percentage of that Taiwanese do not want a neighbor of a different race is between 5% and 9.9%.  Taiwan obtains quite high score. ( an astonishingly high 71.8 percent of Hong Kongers )
◎

★ Taiwan's hope
Taiwan still has very top personality person, e.g., professor Ja-Liang Lin (director of Clinical Toxicology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital & medical University ) .  According to media reports, Dr. Lin does not accept any money and invitation for commercials/advertsiements, and an award (scholar prize) NT20,000,000 (about USD600,000), he by himself against officials in power (Taiwanese government) and super power's policy, etc.

◎
★ <United Daily News>, head page & headline, Aug. 28, 2014

United Daily News survey center :
 In Taiwanese "mature generation's" eye, "young generation" is creative (創新57.9%), but insatiable / greedy(73.9%)、irresponsible(68.5%)、lazy (懶散52.2%)、exclusiveness(排他58.5%).
 In "young generation's" eye, "mature generation" is responsible(73.3%)、working hard (78%)、Content(知足61.1%)、tolerant/inclusive(包容51.6%), but too traditional(傳統69.2%).

◎
★ Taiwan's personality

    ◎ July 22, 2007 :  One of Taiwan's political leaders ( the D.P.P. political party ) in D.C., USA described Taiwan as a dance hostess who gave service to ( shook body with ) whoever visiting guests came along...  ( reported by major media in Taiwan and red China - i.e., People.com )

    ◎ Oct. 19, 2004 :  The KMT ( also namely, the Chinese Nationalist Party, Kuomintang, or pan Blue ), Taiwan's one among 2 biggest political parties, mocked the DPP (pan Green), another major party, "suck Uncle Sam's dick", the DPP mocked the KMT "suck China's dick"...
     ( "suck one's dick" is sort of direct translation, which can be interpreted as "kiss one's ass" or adulation, etc )

   ◎ April, 2017: Taiwan is notorious for a major drug transit center & a major drug exporting country, and  for its fraud crimes all over the world, Taiwan largely sees these telecom frauds/phone scammers as an asset rather than liability ......


 ◎

★ Taiwanese image ― a farmer ?   (McDonald's ads. in Macau-HK)

　



Taiwanese image ? a farmer

　

　

pic.: Mr. Kuo, an old pedlar or hawker, nicely moves his plastic stools day by day to a bus stop for people waiting for bus.   Years ago I experienced another nice thing that a female stranger gave me NT 5 dollars for free, so that I can get off a bus (NT15 needed) without losing too much - at that time I only have big bills in thousands with me.  So, many Taiwanese are warm, human touch, unless encountering state machine political issues, they turn scared and selfish. 

　 　

　

      

◎

◎

　

　 　
ps1:  <疫病與社會：台灣歷經SARS風暴之醫學與人文反省>
          SARS 期間，國人(官員,議員, 醫界,民眾)的反應，某種程度透露出台灣人的人格/性格/個性。
         請refer to書籍  <疫病與社會：台灣歷經SARS風暴之醫學與人文反省> (作者：蔡甫昌、江宜樺等,  出版社：國立臺灣大學醫學院,  出版 ：Sept. 2012)  與SARS期間報紙。

        ◎民眾驚恐搶購口罩、商人趁機囤積口罩、哄抬價格牟取暴利，並傳有立委介入大發國難財 ，造成醫療用N95口罩供應不足，第一線醫護人員必須重複使用之，安全受威脅。
　　◎疑似感染民眾就醫時害怕遭到拒絕、刻意隱匿其先前曾經至疫區醫院就醫之病史，造成疫情之擴散並危害到醫護人員。
　　◎不遵守居家隔離  ―　某研究員自香港返回台灣，按照規定必須居家隔離十天，但該研究員沒有自我隔離，還到學校教書、隨後並出國。
        ◎市長帶頭阻撓病患轉院  ―  衛生署將某醫院疑似染SARS的三名病患轉送到另一縣市署立醫院，遭其市長、議長、市議員以及該院週遭七個里的里長，率眾以車輛、肉身阻擋在醫院急診室前的通道上，要求病患原車北返。經內政部長、三黨民意代表斡旋、衛生署副署長保證疫情不會在該市擴散後，方解除這場抗爭。
        ◎許多醫學生家長因此害怕子女受疫情波及，不顧醫院人力嚴重不足的問題，向教育單位施壓要求將1,300位實習醫生撤出醫院，甚至直接向監察院檢舉教育部失職。某縣市署立醫院暫停門診、急診，該縣三分之一的診所紛紛以各種理由自行停業。南部某醫學中心一百二十四名護士因不願照顧SARS病患而選擇辭職，數位醫師提出辭呈。南部某醫學中心在發生院內感染後，採取「圍堵隔離、逐步封樓、只出不進」的策略，哪裡有SARS就封哪裡，翌日消息傳出後住院病患開始自動辦理出院，紛紛逃離醫院，行政院接獲北中南各大醫學中心醫師檢舉，醫院院長、感染管控主管為了醫院的面子、業績、怕被封院，在院內出現SARS疫情後多隱匿不報，情形嚴重成為疫情擴大主因。為了怕影響營運而隱匿疫情、延遲通報或拒收病患，其背後的經營哲學之倫理問題，是院內感染、疫情擴大最主要原因。......
        ps:   SARS 期間，也有蠻多國人展現高貴情操。

 

　

 　

   ◎◎

PS2:

ChineseChinese  
Chinese Personality/characteristics

　

　

★  The United Daily  2016-05-15 03:37 ／reported in Beijing

　

RENMIN UNIVERSITY of CHINA professor 沙蓮香's study in Chinese Personality Traits still is a prestige and authoritative bible on this subject till now. 

　

●  Chinese Personality before Chinese Cultural Revolution : hardworking and frugal (勤儉)、charity kindheartedness(仁愛)、loyal; devoted(忠)filial piety(孝) 、integrity; moral courage(氣節) etc positive evaluation.
●  Chinese Personality after Chinese Cultural Revolution  : submit to; yield to (屈從)、hoodwink; dupe; deceive; hide (欺瞞)、 private morality ( contrast to public/social  morality 私德)、utilitarian(功利) etc negative evaluations.

　

Some scholars pointed out that today's Chinese don't trust each other,  moral bankruptcy(道德淪喪), frame/set up each other (互相陷害), being obedient to on surface but not to accept as correct deep in heart (表面順從心裡不以為然), being so hidden gradually / Hide your heart from sight (日漸深藏不露、言行相詭) or being be a yes-man (唯唯諾諾)、or never tell a truth, besides, seek nothing but profits (唯利是圖)、indifferent; apathetic(漠不關心), violent attitudes (暴戾之氣) and so on.

　

more pls. ref. to

　

http://wechatinchina.com/thread-258809-1-1.html

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_87956b580102vr8g.html

　

　

　

★  <Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences> research, Jan. 23, 2009  

 (Shanghai) " What's the image of Chinese men in the eyes of the Western woman ? "

Professor Zhang Jie (張結海) , Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences(上海社科院社會所教授), overall concluded after 2 years studies on this subject : male Chinese image is not sharp/vivid (鮮明), and even sort negative, they're modest, but lack of manner/sportsmanship(風度), hard-working but slightly short of confidence.

In the eyes of Western women, Chinese men's overall image is  " the rural youth just entered college: they are self-motivated, thrifty, smart, but more out-of-date/old fashioned (比較土), and some do not pay attention to hygiene.  Some lack self-confidence, afraid to face someone else's eyes.

...  Overall, the Western women believe that the only thing Chinese men defeated the Western man is "taking care of his families".

Chinese men lost Western men in those places like : sexual attraction, independence, self-cultivation, and etiquette(修養和禮儀), sense of humor, romantic, degree of respect for women, creativity, courage, and fashion. ...  In addition, the Chinese men are not clean enough, such as their nails are dirty, and spitting.

　

ref. to google translation frm  星洲日報／國際• Sin Chew Daily / International • 2009.01.23

　

　

★  The United Daily  9-16-2015


       In Taiwanese eyes, Chinese personality includes:

      ● positive: active, friendly, candid frank, forthright, enthusiastic about /love its own people 
      ● bad part: doughty, valiant, a control freak/imperiousness, show off wealth, uncivilized, unsanitary, disobedience to law   

　

　

　

　

　

★    by People.com.cn   Nov. 4, 2004

The research below by Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS, had already been publicized domestic and oversea.

1. Better leadership by male.  
2. Elder Chinese people have better sense of responsibility than youngsters.
3. Younger male  people are more practical or realistic (actual) than younger female Chinese.   Youngsters are more tactful or sophisticated than elder people.
4. Hong Kong people are more practical or realistic (actual) than mainland Chinese,  mainland Chinese value face more than HK Chinese people.
5. As for "Family Indifference" , 26 - 35 aged Chinese score best.
6. Hong Kong elders show more tendency to self-center.
7. Tolerance of mainland Chinese elders increase, Hong Kong elders decrease.
8. GuangZhou people are more  pro-active, energetic, positive than XiAnn people.
9. The better living standard, the more open-minded and tolerant.

US people are generally more open, straight-forward and optimistic,  If comparing Chinese with US standard, probably, many Chinese will be described as sort of "a tendency to suffer from depression"

Chinese interpersonal relationship usually follows some "hidden rules"  ―  Chinese people looks harmonious, but everyone has his own ambition or interest behind.

US people are individualism, Chinese are collectivism and value face.

　

★ <Foreign Policy>,     1.29.2015     http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/29/taipeis-fiery-new-mayor-knows-whose-culture-is-best/

"Taipei’s Fiery New Mayor Knows Whose Culture Is Best"  -   Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je's opinion:

For the [world’s] four Chinese-speaking regions — Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mainland China — the longer the colonization, the more advanced a place is. It’s rather embarrassing. Singapore is better than Hong Kong; Hong Kong is better than Taiwan; Taiwan is better than the mainland. I’m speaking in terms of culture. I’ve been to Vietnam and mainland China. Even though the Vietnamese are seemingly poor, they always stop in front of red traffic lights and walk in front of green ones. Even though mainland China’s GDP is higher than that of Vietnam, if you ask me about culture, the Vietnamese culture is superior...I think keeping a democratic, liberal Taiwan benefits Chinese history. When people say the Chinese people do not deserve universal suffrage, there have been five presidential elections in Taiwan already. People say that the Chinese people are not civic-minded; [but] take a look at Taiwan’s subway. It’s cleaner than the New York subway.
 

★ <Liberty Times 自由時報>，Taiwan, Sept. 30, 2012，〈李筱峰專欄〉國立台北教育大學台灣文化研究所教授，馬英九虐扁的心理分析
Hatred and revenge 'is a Chinese political culture, this kind of political culture, lack of humanitarian sympathy. 美國學者Lucian W. Pye說得很乾脆：「很少國家的政治文化像中國那樣強調仇恨」; 英哲羅素批評中國人「缺乏同情心」； AHSmith也曾指出中國人無惻隱之心；胡適曾說中國人「野蠻」，魯迅更以「殘虐」形容中國人。 American scholar Lucian W. Pye said very simply: "the political culture of a small country like China emphasized hatred"; the British the Hucho prime criticized Chinese "lack of compassion"; AHSmith have pointed out that the Chinese people no sense of pity; Hu Shi once said Chinese "barbaric", Lu Xun described the Chinese people. "tyrannical" 馬的虐扁，充分顯露這種仇恨與報復主義的中國政治文化！  ps: translation by google

　

★  book:【Explorations of Chinese Personality】( Chinese book title【解讀中國人 的人格】)  ,  author : 王登峰、崔紅,  published in Aug. 2005, recommended by president of Chinese psychology association, former chairperson of Beijing University, professor in U.C. Berkley, USA, etc

1、Chinese personality - construct etc

　 high-score ones in Chinese (contrary to low-score ones )
extraversion(外向性) 活躍、合群、樂觀
kindness, goodness, virtuous (善良) 利他、誠信、重感情
behavior style or manner (行事風格) 嚴謹、自制、沉穩
capacity, ability, talent(才幹) 決斷、堅軔、機敏
mood, emotions, spirits(情緒性) 耐性、爽直
interpersonal relationship(人際關係) 寬和、熱情
the way one conduct oneself in society (處世態度) 自信、淡泊

2、Western personality (NEO personality inventory-revised (PI-R), Costa & McCrae, 1989) construct etc

extraversion 熱情(warmth)、合群愛交際(gregariousness)、自信(assertiveness)、活動性(activity)、追求興奮(excitement-seeking、積極情緒(positive emotions) 　
agreeableness 信任(trust)、誠實坦誠(straightforwardness)、利他(altruism)、順從(compliance)、謙遜質樸(modesty)、溫和親切(tender-mindedness) 　
conscientiousness 能力(competence)、秩序(order)、負責任(dutifulness)、追求成功(achievement striving)、自我控制(self discipline)、嚴謹深思熟慮(deliberation) 　
neuroticism 焦慮(anxiety)、憤怒敵意(angry hostility)、抑鬱(depression)、自我意識(self-consciousness)、衝動(impulsiveness)、脆弱敏感(vulnerability) 　
openness 幻想(fantasy)、美感(aesthetics)、情感豐富(feelings)、行動(actions)、觀念(ideas)、價值(values) 　

details pls refer to the book

　

★ < DaJiYuan >  ( Epoch Times )  June 4, 2001

◎ Chinese prefer cautious-behaved (experienced and prudent),  sentiments being expressed in a reserved way, well-disciplined type of person.

◎ Chinese spend most efforts on interpersonal relationship ―  trying to understand or/and guess  (suspect) others.

◎  Tolerance and patience are Chinese' skills for living and survival in hard and unfair environment. 

◎  Foreigners think Chinese are phony.  
    It's true Chinese are inconsistent  what they say with what they think, for protecting themselves from making troubles.

◎ In China, perfect education is "fewer mistakes" education, hence, students'd better follow orders,  and be more disciplined.

◎ Chinese usually don't criticize existed system, it's kind of Inertia or conservative view.
　

★《Chinese Characteristies 》by  Arthur H．Smith

1. Face-valued
2. Economy
3. Industry
4. Politeness
5. The Disregard of time
6. The Disregard of Accuracy
7. The Talent for Misunderstanding
8. The talent for Indirection
9. Flexible Inflexibility
10. Intellectual Turbidity
11. The Absence of Nerves
12. Contempt for Foreigners
13. The Absence of Public Spirit
14. Conservation
15. Indifference to Comfort and Convenience
16. Physical Vitality
17. Patience and Perseverance
18. Content and Cheerfulness
19. Filial Piety
20. Benevolence
21. The Absence of Sympathy
22. Social Typhoons
23. Mutual Responsibility and Respect for Law
24. Mutual Suspicion
25. The Absence of Sincerity
26. Polytheism, Pantheism, Atheism
27. The Real Condition of China and her Present Needs  (this book was published in early year)
　

★ research on <Ugly Chinese>, by Li Ao (Taiwan), July 30, 1995

Intro. :
Both stereotypes are wrong   ―    "sinister Oriental " view by western people and "Ugly Chinese" by some Chinese (like BoYang).
Li Ao think some Chinese are excellent.

Ch. 27:
(1)  BoYang's best-selling book <Ugly Chinese> asserts Chinese cultural tradition ( culture's marinated in a mixture of lousy things)  resulted in Chinese national character,  Chinese national character resulted in ugly Chinese.
(2)  BoYang's major mistake is that he focused on culture, and ignored other factors like economy, environment and hard/good times may giving influence on Chinese national character and behavior, etc.

above are excerpt/extract, pls refer to Chinese version papers and books

　

　

★  Financial Times, UK (Chinese edition) 李江 1.28.2016 http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001065967?full=y　

   1. Chinese Nationalism has strong Confucian color, one of its core value is "standard  (禮)" - a series of interpersonal relations specification for Chinese conform to, everyone should learn their role, positioning, and obligation to meet, etc.

   2. Chinese Nationalism has strong sad/tragic color and thoughts of revenge, China's history is filled with humiliations, hence, some foreign factors may easily burn and trigger their thoughts of revenge. 

   3. Chinese Nationalism has strong tool color - for Integrating social conscience and for giving vent to people's anger or negative emotions,  besides, being a Ideology, Chinese may more uphold their ruling party and country.  (brief)

　

　

★  The Liberty Times  林于倫   http://talk.ltn.com.tw/article/paper/956211      http://www.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=5072268

　

   Chinese businessmen and the youth are proud of their "wolf" characteristics - aggressive, dare to compete, and are willing to do anything, by hook or by crook to reach their goal, these guys will sweep the globe.

　

   Chinese are fervent nationalist being short of cultural rhythm and rational thinking... they believe autocratic society is more effective, hence, individual can be sacrifice or limited for group benefit and development, they are both superior and Inferior ... (brief)

　

　
　 Dark sides of Taiwanese
conclusion
From studies above,
Can you find something in common between Taiwanese and Chinese .... ?  ( hopefully there're more papers open to the  public ?)  
Do you think which Taiwanese personality is/are needed to be changed soon? 

Both Taiwan's newspapers <United Daily> and <Liberty Times> have the same view : Taiwanese are not rational enough to distinguish rightness from wrong.

Taiwan needs strong medicine to cure its long-term & serious illness ―  corruption, freedom of press (expression), human rights problems so that some of Taiwanese personality won't be distorted anymore......

Hopefully this web-site indeed is one among best medicines.

This page focuses on negative side in order to push Taiwan's improvement.

refer to Chinese version  for exact, precise meanings (to avoid translation errors)

◎


◎

　

        Taiwanese personality,  characteristics/national character
         ★   this site's world No. 1 in  2020~23,  2017~19,  2016,  2015,  2014,  2013,  2010~12     ★ 
 
 

◎●

PS

 【古文觀止】清 薛福成：觀巴黎油畫記
　 a remark in Chinese
...余聞法人好勝，何以自繪敗狀，令人喪氣若此？
          譯者曰：「所以昭炯戒，激眾憤，圖報復也。」則其意深長矣。
　

      

Books under the theme of national character

◎《The ugly Japanese: Nippon's economic empire in Asia》，《醜陋的日本人》, by Japanese scholar professor 高桥敷教授
 ◎  《Chrysanthemum and the Sword》，by Ruth Benedict, USA

◎《Judging USA》(  edition in Taiwan names <陽痿美國>, edition in red China namely《审判美国》），author 李敖

　

◎《Ugly white people 醜陋的白種人》， author 大澤正道 
 ◎《The Ugly American》, by William Lederer，Eugene Burdick