Reviews (5)

Excellent book
This is a great book about Taiwan history.The author has sharp observation and indepth knowledge of the history of Taiwan.A valuable reference.

Brisk History of Taiwan
Forbidden Nation, by Manthorpe offers a condensed look at the history of the Taiwan, ranging from its physical formation and theories over how it was originally peopled, up to the modern day political landscape.
Solid History
Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan, by Jonathan Manthorpe, is an insightful study not only of a country, but the peculiar circumstances leading up to its peculiar contemporary existence. The author starts with a look at Taiwan's March 2004 election, examining the fallout from the assassination attempt on President Chen Shuibian. Chen's injury was a violent exclamation point to what had been a very contentious campaign. Perhaps the author chose to focus on this episode as a means of showing how passionate the Taiwanese are about politics. While an attempted assassination far exceeds the bounds of properdecorum when politicking, the act may have been emblematic of Taiwanese perceptions of what was at stake in their society. Add that pivotable moment to a host of others and what unfolds is a comprehensive history of strife, survival, prosperity andambiguity.Manthorpe backtracks from the travails of present Taiwanese events, providing in subsequent chapters a history of the island from its prehistoric settlement by early humans to the 2004 elections.
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Subjects:  1. 2000-    2. Asia - China    3. Asia - General    4. Asia - Southeast Asia    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Taiwan    9. History / Southeast Asia   

Reviews (9)

A good introduction to Taiwan's history
As the title of my review implies, this is a valuable volume for the person who is interested in developing an understanding of the complex forces that shape Taiwan today.
A very interesting book about Taiwan history
I was born in Taiwan and completed my college education in Taiwan. The Chinese history text books focus on the story of the mainland China. I have not known too much about Taiwan. For some reasons my grandparents and parents did not talk too much about it either.
"Even-handed, thorough, and accurate"
Review by Prof. Shelley Rigger, the top U.S. scholar on Taiwan, in TOPICS magazine, May 2003: "Nowhere else will readers find such an even-handed, thorough, and accurate account of Taiwan's recent history. What is more, the book is a pleasure to read, balancing rich historical details and anecdotes with thoughtful analysis. Roy's book provides the most complete and in-depth account of Taiwan's post-World War II political development available in English. However, much of the value of the book comes from his determination to situate the island's postwar history in the context of Taiwan's pre-war experience. As a result, Roy is able to offer satisfying answers to some of the most puzzling issues facing students of contemporary Taiwan, including islanders' complicated feelings toward Japan, China--even Taiwan itself." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Asia - China    3. Asia - General    4. Government - Comparative    5. History    6. History: American    7. International Relations - General    8. Political History    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics and government    11. Taiwan    12. Asian / Middle Eastern history    13. International relations   

Reviews (5)

Excellent text
A great book drawing on postcolonial and postmodern thought that analyzes Japanese colonial rhetoric about Taiwan as well as different stages of Taiwanese identity-formation under colonization. Includes an analysis of Japanese representations of aborigines, a group that is often glossed over or ignored in books on Taiwan.

The nature of colonialism and its contemporary consequences.
This study is an excellent examination of Japanese colonialism in Taiwan and its consequences for the contemporary formation of national identity.Through examining not only the particular circumstances of Japan in Taiwan but also the nature of colonialism in general, Ching shows how colonialism is a social transformation which produces people of mixed identities.He draws upon "The Orphan of Asia" by Wu Zhuo-Liu as an example of this understanding.Ching also sets forth an interesting critique of postmodernism's hesitancy to draw judgments across cultural boundaries.The "miracle" of postwar Japan, essentially an almost immediate turn from complete external orientation to complete internal orientation and subjectivity, was made possible by the United States' appropriation of Japan's colonies and Japan's immediate alliance with the U.S. in the Cold War.Because of these factors, Japan never had to go through the harsh but important process of decolonization, and Ching shows how this failure affects the identity crisis of Taiwan today.Ultimately the book is oriented around "the politics of identity formation" in which Taiwan must come to hold a national identity which embraces the diversity of elements (Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, aboriginal, etc.) that have formed the ontology of Taiwan through history.

Taiwanesness
This is a detailed account of the Taiwanese response to colonization under the Japanese. Liu adroitly illustrates the monumental changes afoot in Taiwan of the early 20th Century and builds a strong case to support the idea of a Taiwanese identity seperate from China. Liu follows the steps colonialization drive that can later be seen in the Chinese colonization under the KMT. At times the language bogs down in anthropological terms of art, but is no less a valueable addition to the pool of information available on Taiwan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1895-1945    2. Asia - General    3. Asia - Japan    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Politics and government    8. Taiwan    9. 20th century    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    11. Asian studies    12. Elections & referenda    13. Japan    14. Literary Criticism & Collections / General   

Subjects:  1. China    2. Cinema/Film: Book    3. Film & Video - General    4. Film & Video - History & Criticism    5. Film - General    6. General    7. Motion pictures    8. Performing Arts    9. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    10. Taiwan    11. Cinema industry    12. Films, cinema   

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Banks and banking    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Comparative Economics    6. Economic History    7. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    8. Finance    9. Financial Economics (General)    10. Japan    11. Korea (South)    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Taiwan    15. Business & Economics / Economic Development    16. Development economics    17. Economics | Industrial    18. International finance    19. Korea   

Reviews (4)

The Description of this book is Misleading.
"The "one China" policy officially supported by the People's Republic of China, the United States, and other countries asserts that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it." The Description of this book is Misleading.
The answers I was looking for !
If- like me - you are interested in the title's answer, Ms.Brown's is the book! Quoting some of her words: " Many events are completely unknown to us, many events are known only through extremely biased perspectives, and many events are so contradictorily reported that is difficult to reconstruct even a chronological sequence of what occurred". And - believe me! - Ms. Brown interviewed people- in Taiwan ( living there) and interviewed people- in China !!! We are talking about an Stanford University Professor. Congratulations and thanks to Amazon .

Very insightful !
I'm a Taiwanese myself. Even though the content of this book is not new to me, it still provides a fantastic read for me personally and I can imagine it'd be more fantastic for someone wishing to know more about Taiwan. Because Taiwan is so isolated in the international arena, books such as this one is highly recommended for the average person. The only aspect I did not like about this book is the first part of this book's title: "Is Taiwan Chinese?". I'd just like to inform readers that all the population in Asian countries (east, north and south east) all originated from China. So basically everyone is Chinese, so it doesn't just apply to Taiwan. It is like saying: Is Australia British? Nevertheless, a rather informative book for all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Anthropology - General    4. Archaeology / Anthropology    5. Asia - China    6. Asia - General    7. China    8. Ethnic identity    9. Ethnicity    10. History    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Taiwan    14. Taiwan aborigines    15. ASIA    16. Social Science / Anthropology / General    17. Sociology, Social Studies   

Reviews (1)

Essential reading if you want to understand Taiwan.
Although the book's organization resembles a textbook too much, theinformation is invaluable. Given that there is a mountain of booksavailable on China it is extremely helpful to read something about thefirst Chinese democracy. While I enjoyed the book as a whole I wasparticularly interested in the story of Taiwan's evolution fromdictatorship to democracy. This is especially cool because Taiwan is stillstrengthening its democracy.No other book examines Taiwan in such depth,which is not as great a compliment as it sounds since only a handful ofbooks really examine modern Taiwan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. History    3. History - General History    4. International status    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Taiwan    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history    8. Asian studies    9. Asia    10. Southeast Asia    11. International Relations    12. China   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. China    4. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    5. Film & Video - General    6. History    7. Motion pictures    8. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    9. Taiwan    10. Communication Studies    11. Performing Arts / Film / General   

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. 1976-    3. Asia - China    4. China    5. Chinese reunification question, 1949-    6. Ethnic Studies - General    7. Foreign relations    8. History - General History    9. International Relations - Diplomacy    10. International Relations - General    11. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Social Science    14. Sociology    15. Taiwan    16. Political science & theory    17. Social Science / Ethnic Studies   

Reviews (1)

Timely study of leading Chinese art films
Silbergeld takes the three Chinese films Suzhou River, The Day the Sun Turned Cold, and Good Men to examine how Western film techniques have been brought into Chinese cinema. The films also evidence that Western literary and cultural influences are a part of Chinese cinema. The influence of Freud, Faulkner, and Dostoevsky can be seen in one or more of the films; and, not surprisingly, the cinematic techniques of Hitchcock are seen, as well those of David Lynch and Jean Luc-Godard. "The [Chinese] films are remarkable for their intellectual depth and range, their layered complexity, their emotional sobriety, their appeal to a sophisticated film audience rather than a mass market, their determined critique of contemporary culture...and the resonance of their moral voice." The same could be said for Western art films, which the Chinese films plainly resemble, to the point of imitation in many ways. In a pocket inside the back cover is a CD with scenes from the movies. Silbergeld's selection of only three distinctive, yet in many ways representative films makes for an efficient, yet pithy exposure to the best of Chinese art films; which films are gaining more attention as China's economic and political power grows.
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Subjects:  1. Asian    2. China    3. Cinema/Film: Book    4. Film & Video - Guides & Reviews    5. Film & Video - History & Criticism    6. Film - Guides & Reviews    7. Foreign influences    8. Hao nan hao nu    9. Hao nan hao nèu    10. Motion pictures    11. Performing Arts    12. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    13. Suzhou He    14. Taiwan    15. Tian guo nie zi    16. Asian studies    17. Cultural studies    18. Film theory & criticism    19. Globalization   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Economic History    5. Economic aspects    6. Economics - Comparative    7. Information technology    8. International - Economics    9. Taiwan   

Reviews (2)

Art of the Highest Order
This book is an absolute gem. A crown jewel in my collection. One of the finest volumes on Chinese art I've ever seen. I'm completely shocked that there aren't more reviews echoing my sentiments. If you are an art lover, this is desert island material. The greatest treasures of Chinese art are actually kept in the good hands of the Taiwanese, in Taipei's National Palace Museum. If you are hesitating to buy because of the lack of a photo of the cover, Don't! Trust me, you will not regret it. After falling in love with this, you may also want to purchase the slender volume entitled "Along the Riverbank". You can thank me later.

A collection of excellent articles
This book was published not only as a catalogue for the great exhibition "Splendors of Imperial China", also as a collection of excellent articles by leading scholars in the field of Chinese art and cultural history. Some of the most precious items selected for the exhibition eventually were not able to make it to the United States, nontheless they are included in the book(now you get a chance to see them on the paper.) The authors cleverly extended a study of visual artifacts to a colorful (though not complete) portraiture of the cultural evolution in China. This task is not easy, considering the fact that the imperial collection on which the National Palace Museum is based on was, for a large part, a reflection of the personal taste of the Ch'ien-lung emperor. For example, you will not find any significant piece of sculpture or wood-block prints in this book. On the other hand, the selection of paintings and ceramics (especially the Ju wares) are just superb. The only problem is its size, which prevents you bringing it around to show off the beatiful pictures in it. Still, it is a must-have reference for any serious readers who want to know more about Chinese visual culture ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Art, Chinese    4. Catalogs    5. Chinese art    6. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    7. History - Asian    8. Permanent Collection Catalogs    9. Taipei    10. Taiwan    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history    12. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    13. China    14. Cultural studies    15. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Asia - China    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Modern - 20th Century    7. Taiwan    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    9. History / China    10. History / Modern / 20th Century    11. Taiwan--History--20th century   

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Ethnomusicology    3. Genres & Styles - International    4. Genres & Styles - Opera    5. History - General History    6. History and criticism    7. Music    8. Operas, Chinese    9. Political aspects    10. Taiwan    11. Theater - History & Criticism    12. China    13. Opera    14. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    15. Performance art   

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. China    3. Congresses    4. Economic conditions    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Information Technology    9. Internet    10. Politics and government    11. Asian studies    12. Hong Kong    13. Impact of computing & IT on society    14. International relations    15. Political Science / International Relations    16. Taiwan   

Reviews (6)

An excellent survey of Taiwan's history
This is one of the most complete books on Taiwan and its history available in the English language.The reading is dense in places and is highly academic, but for anyone who has a background in Taiwan's history and wants to get in depth, this would the volume for you.
poorly written; no organization or structure
This book was a major disappointment.Each chapter is written by a different person; the book is really just a collection of dry academic articles slapped together, with no organizing structure.The alleged editor is also one of the contributing authors, and it doesn't appear that he did much editing at all.The overall quality of the book is substandard, with amateurish and badly printed black and white photographs taken by the editor. Taiwan-A new History
A must have book for Taiwan research. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Asia - China    3. Civilization    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Politics and government    8. Taiwan    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history    10. China   

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Economic Conditions    6. Economic policy    7. Economics - General    8. Industrial policy    9. Politics - Current Events    10. Public Policy - Economic Policy    11. Taiwan    12. Economic history    13. Political Science / Economic Policy    14. c 1960 to c 1970    15. c 1970 to c 1980   

Subjects:  1. BIO010000    2. BUS068000    3. BUS023000    4. BUS069010    5. BUS069020   

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. Asian - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900    7. China    8. History / China    9. c 1700 to c 1800    10. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (1)

A nice and deep primer on Chinese rebellion and such.
People have done more out-of-control nonsense and out-of-control much-sense (is that a word?) in China than in any other country ever - or so this book apparently indicates. It seems that throughout history, Chinahas been a melting pot for every form of human insanity possible. This bookgives it all to you, very well. I read picked it up from a friend and I amnow buying one for myself. I only wanted part of it for a research paper,but I just couldn't stop reading. It's a tad, well, dry in places, but whatit throws at you will fire the imagination so that you become rathergrateful for this fact. I don't know of any other books that cover so muchso well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - China    2. China    3. China - History    4. Ghosts    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Taiping Rebellion, 1850-1864    9. Taiwan    10. Tiananmen Square Incident, 198    11. Tiananmen Square Incident, 1989