The differences Between Taiwan and Chinese Cultures

The differences Between Taiwan and Chinese Cultures

“The culture of a nation resides in the hearts and the soul of its people”. The words of Mahatma Gandhi are a genuine reflection of the nature of Taiwan and China. Culture in contemporary society has proven to be on the verge of losing a distinction due to the constant immigration that is resulting in the exchange of cultural aspects. It is common, however, to note that countries that neighbor one another common share elements of culture. This is the perfect way to explain the reason as to why there has been confusion between the description of the culture of China and Taiwan. Some of the most common aspects of culture include the language that is spoken, the norms, the values that the community share as well as the artifacts that they share. Other than the way of describing the culture of a country, the culture in some communities is the reason for being. The Asian countries have been known to value culture, and they have been a distinct continent globally through the unique traditions and cultural aspects that they carry wherever they go. Ideally, an in-depth evaluation of the construction of the culture of China and comparing it with that of Taiwan can effectively open the eyes of the readers to the differences between the nations.

Ethnic minorities are a massive point of difference between the two nations. Ideally, the Chinese government has taken in so many immigrants ever since. As such, the country has had to accommodate different minority groups all over the years. Kuo-Liang explains that “As a result, traditional culture and customs have been lost in Mainland China, along with the traditional codes of ethics and conduct” (1). Following this, the nation has had to have different cultures blend in the original Chinese culture, creating a new culture that is unknown to most of the Taiwanese. According to Shanghai He, “There are 56 different ethnic groups distributed across mainland China including five sizeable regions” (1). The different ethnicities in the country have contributed to the construction of politics, the economy, as well as the overall culture of the nation. This can be denoted by the different languages that are spoken in the country. Ideally, it is impossible to tell that there is an understanding of the language spoken by two ethnicities. As such, the people of China speak Mandarin as the national language. As much as most of the Taiwanese are initially from China, they can see a total distinction in the two cultures due to the diffusion of other cultures. A good example can be seen by the fact that the Chinese culture was initially held by the Confucian doctrine. This has, however, changed in contemporary society since it currently has all types of religions.

Additionally, the concept of political constriction of the two nations is a distinguishing factor between the two countries. Following the end of the dynasty era, China has tried to incorporate different types of government with the hope of creating a modern and better way of leadership. Nations such as China were known to be authoritarian for a long time.  As much as the government is tyrannical, it has accepted free enterprise, and this explains why the national economy is affected by the production of poor quality of goods. Chang and Yun-Han Chu explains that “At the same time, the region’s more resilient one-party authoritarian and electoral-authoritarian regimes, such as China, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia, were seemingly able to cope with complex economies, diverse interests, economic globalization and financial crises” (21).  The establishment of these aspects in the community has led to the construction of China as it currently. Through its authoritarian regime, the nation has managed to take advantage of its capitalistic economy to rise in the economic ladder. This is, however, not the case of Taiwan since the nation has a democratic government. The democratic nature of Taiwan had made the country to turn into the society that receives most people when they fled China. In the past two years, the nation was known for the persecution of the Islamic and Christian believers, forcing these people to shun away from their places of worship.

Additionally, the difference between these two nations can be seen in their economies. With both economies mainly built by business and trade, China has been known for the provision of cheap labor and, at the same time producing inferior goods. Even so, the nation has managed to climb on the economic ladder despite its vast population and the capability of its people. Gilley and Diamond illustrates that “The KMT party was active in. But did not, in any sense, dictate to the economy. The market was distorted and controlled but not displaced, and it remained the principal institution for economic activities” (163). following the political development of the nation, the economy of the country was developed through the establishment of a strong political party that controlled the formation of a stable economy. Ideally, the government has proved to provide goods that can meet the need of different consumers. In other words, the nation is capable of producing quality products and at the same time, produce inferior goods. Some scholars have blamed the formation of the black market in China. As of now, China is the second most rising economy after the United States. Also, the nation has established various relationships with different countries that it trades with, and this has made it powerful economically and socially. This is not the case for Taiwan. This is because the nation has been known to rise in its economic value gradually. However, the government is the world’s most leading electronic producer and supplier. Taiwan market has been known to sell electronics as its main commodity of trade. Following its massive industrialization, the nation has had to focus on finding the solution to climate change since the carbon emissions in the government have been on the rise for a long time. Following the challenges of climate change that have been noticed in other places such as China, the nation must find the best solution to the increased carbon emissions.

Additionally, the difference between these two nations can be seen through their religion. Unlike the Taiwanese, the Chinese have a strong foundation in Confucianism. The Confucian doctrine held a strong influence on these people to the point that as much as they are distributed to the different religions such as Christianity and Islam, these people still hold the teachings of Confucians dearly. An excellent example of this is seen through the education of Confucian about the role of the youth to take care of their parents once they are old. Similarly, teaching about the importance of family in the aspect that people have to go back home to celebrate festivals and rituals with their families. This teaching is implemented even today. For instance, during the celebration of the new year festival, the Chinese who had traveled abroad to work had to move back to celebrate with their families. For the ones who could not make it, however, they set up small china in the US where the people show could not travel met and celebrated the festival. This is not the case with Taiwan; however since the nation has been built on the foundation of Taoism. Some aspects of the religion of Taiwan has been associated with ancestral worship and also Buddhism. Kuo-liang supports that “Ancestor worship is common in Taiwanese society, and the Spirit Tablet occupies a prominent place in most households, excepting those whose religions forbid them to practice ancestor worship” (4). In the Taiwan traditional villages, it is common to come across the Buddhist temples all over the places as this was a religion that had established foundation in the nation. Research has it that Buddhism and Taoism are the main religion in Taiwan, covering approximately 86% of the total population.

Furthermore, another aspect that differentiates China from Taiwan is the classification of the social classes in the economy. The Chinese government has categorically placed its citizens into four categories, namely, landlords, the peasant, craftsmen, and merchants. The significant classes in China are made up of the Landlords and the peasants. The remaining two are part of the minors in the economy. Ideally, the construction of the Chinese economy is based solely on business and labor. In the present times, Chinese people have been migrating to different nations to offer affordable work, and this has been a way through which the government is allowing the citizens to earn a living. Faced with the problem of overpopulation, the nation has impacted on the formation and the stabilization of the country. In Taiwan, the categorization of the citizens is done in the creation of the economy through the establishment of a society’s economy. Unlike China, Taiwan classifies its citizens in the marketplace as either upper, upper-middle, middle, lower-middle, working, and lower class. The class system in Taiwan is scaled from high to low, depending on the social standards of the person. Marsh explains that “When a person’s occupational status, education, power, and income are higher, s/he is more likely to identify with the middle or upper classes and to have a conservative ideological orientation toward political and economic issues” (37). The categories that the citizens of Taiwan are placed are dependent upon the employment of a person and the amount of income that the person makes. Additionally, classification is determined by the education level of the citizens. The rating of the nation, according to the social classes, is the determination of the economic performance of the government, and this can be used in the decision of the financial position of the nation. The nation can also employ the use of the statistics that are generated from the social classes to determine the difference and the success factors of the country. A good example is the measure of educated individuals in society.  Through this data, the nation can gain an understanding of the impact of the private sectors in the economy and, by doing so, work towards the creation of a better strategy to protect the citizens against capitalism.

Conclusively the difference that is noticed between China and Taiwan is considered significant, regardless of the similarities that are common among these individuals. A significant difference that is brought out by the analysis of these nations is in its political structure. Ideally, China has some aspect of authoritarianism that can be seen through its dictate nature on the religion in the nation. It also has a background of Confucianism, unlike Taiwan, which is mainly Taoism. The economy, Taiwan, is the largest producer of electronics, while China is known for the production of counterfeit goods and the provision of labor. Ideally, many people in the society can rarely see the difference between the nations, but their differences are outstanding.

Works Cited

Chang, Yu-tzung, and Yun-Han Chu. East Asian Democratization In Comparative Perspective Viewing Through The Eyes Of The Citizens. 1st ed., 2020, Accessed 15 Mar 2020.

Gilley, Bruce, and Larry Diamond. Political Change In China. 1st ed., 2020, Accessed 15 Mar 2020.

He, Shanghai. “An Overview of China’S Ethnic Groups And Their Interactions”. Sociology Mind, vol 07, no. 01, 2017, pp. 1-10. Scientific Research Publishing, Inc,, doi:10.4236/sm.2017.71001. Accessed 15 Mar 2020.

Marsh, Robert. How Important Social Class Identification Is In Taiwan. 1st ed., 2020, https://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1533-8525.2003.tb02390.x?purchase_referrer=www.google.com&tracking_action=preview_click&r3_referer=wol&show_checkout=1. Accessed 15 Mar 2020.