This book is a very disappointing read to someone who is Taiwanese-American. One finds it particularly galling that a professor of anthropology (Cal State Fresno) has managed to portray Taiwanese as simply a subset of Chinese, minimizing or ignoring the major historical developments that have fostered a separate and distinct Taiwanese identity. The author appears to have consulted Chinese sources exclusively. Chinese claims such as Taiwan has been a part of the Tang dynasty (cited without reference) are a major bone of contention, which the author does not seem to realize. Indeed, the Dutch colonized Taiwan (1624-1662) long before the Chinese. Though there were immigrants from China to Taiwan during the 17th century, Taiwan was considered beyond the reach and jurisdiction of China, until the Qing dynasty conquered the island in 1683. Even then, the Qing Court viewed Taiwan as a wild and foreboding place, beyond the pale of Chinese civilization. Thus they were all too ready to cede Taiwan to the Japanese as a war reparation, after losing the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. For the next 50 years, Taiwan became a Japanese colony until the end of World War II, the historical experience giving rise to a Taiwanese national identity, removed from the Chinese experience.

Despite this, the author maintains the claim that Taiwan is Chinese, and adopts a tendency to ascribe to Taiwanese facets of the Chinese experience. Eg: The Chinese Exclusionary Act, which is a non-issue to Taiwanese. Taiwanese were not trying to emigrate to the US during the 19th century, and were unaffected by the Act.

Likewise, claims that Islamic influences have reached Taiwan just as in China (so even Islamic restaurants are run by immigrants from Taiwan) are grossly exaggerated. There was no Islamic influence, until after 1949, when the KMT brought relocated its Chinese population to Taiwan after losing the Chinese Civil War. (That brought to Taiwan a small population of Chinese Moslems, some of whom have then relocated to the US,and opened up the aforementioned restaurants).

The differences in language, views, perspectives, and identity between the group of Taiwanese on the island prior to 1949, and the new immigrants to Taiwan (often called "mainlanders") are vast, but again minimized or ignored by the author in his drive to assign Taiwanese to the Chinese fold.

All in all, this book is not just dull and uninspired, but uninformed and misleading.

This book is a very disappointing read to someone who is Taiwanese-American. One finds it particularly galling that a professor of anthropology (Cal State Fresno) has managed to portray Taiwanese as simply a subset of Chinese, minimizing or ignoring the major historical developments that have fostered a separate and distinct Taiwanese identity. The author appears to have consulted Chinese sources exclusively. Claims such as Taiwan has been a part of the Tang dynasty (cited without reference) are a major bone of contention, which the author does not seem to realize. The Dutch colonized Taiwan (1624-1662) long before the Chinese. Though there were immigrants from China to Taiwan during the 17th century, Taiwan was considered beyond the reach and jurisdiction of China, until the Qing dynasty conquered the island in 1683. The Qing Court also considered Taiwan a wild and foreboding place, beyond the pale of Chinese civilization. Thus they were all to ready to cede Taiwan to the Japanese as a war reparation, after losing the Sino-Japanese War in 1895. For the next 50 years, Taiwan became a Japanese colony until the end of World War II, the historical experience giving rise to Taiwanese national identity, removed from the Chinese experience.

Despite this, the author maintains the claim Taiwan is Chinese becomes, and adopts a tendency to ascribe to Taiwanese facets of the Chinese experience. Eg: The Chinese Exclusionary Act, which is a non-issue to Taiwanese. Taiwanese were not trying to emigrate to the US during the 19th century.

Likewise, claims that Islamic influences have reached Taiwan just as in China (hence the proliferation of Islamic restaurants run by immigrants from Taiwan), is grossly exaggerated. There was no Islamic influence, until after 1949, when the KMT brought relocated its Chinese population to Taiwan after losing the Chinese Civil War. (That brought to Taiwan a small population of Chinese Moslems, some of whom have then relocated to the US, and opened up the aforementioned restaurants).

The differences in language, views, perspectives, and identity between the group of Taiwanese on the island prior to 1949, and the new immigrants to Taiwan (often called "mainlanders") are vast, but again minimized or ignored by the author in his drive to assign Taiwanese to the Chinese fold.

All in all, this book is not just dull and uninspired, but uninformed and misleading.