Population
Taiwan has a population of about 23 million people:
- Descendants of Chinese people who migrated from Fujian and Guangdong Provinces starting in the 17th century and including waves of immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries (this group counts for more than 18 million people)
- The "mainlanders" who arrived from many parts of China after 1945, and more specifically after the civil war ended in 1949
- The indigenous peoples who inhabit the mountainous central and eastern parts of the island and are believed to be of Malayo-Polynesian origin (approximately 500,000 people)
Education
Six years of elementary school and three years of junior high are compulsory for all children. About 95% of junior high school graduates continue their studies in either a senior high or vocational school. Taiwan has an extensive higher education system with 162 institutions of higher learning. In 2008, about 73% of applicants were accepted by a college or university. Although opportunities for graduate education are expanding in Taiwan, many students travel abroad for advanced education.
Languages
The majority of the people in Taiwan speak Mandarin Chinese. It has also been the medium of instruction in schools since the late 1940s.
Many Taiwanese people also speak one of the Southern Fujianese dialects, Min-nan, also referred to as Taiwanese. In recent years the use of Taiwanese has become increasingly popular in broadcast media.
The Hakka – whose forebears came from present-day Henan and Shaanxi provinces – also have their own dialect.
The method of Chinese romanization most commonly used in Taiwan is the Wade-Giles system. In 2002, Taiwan authorities announced adoption of the pinyin system used on the mainland to replace the Wade-Giles system, but its use is not consistent throughout society, often resulting in two or more romanizations for the same place or person.
Religion
Recent Taiwan Interior Ministry figures indicate that there are about 11.2 million "religious believers" in Taiwan, with more than 75% identifying themselves as Buddhists or Taoists. A strong belief in traditional folk religion can also be found throughout the island. These belief systems are not considered to be mutually exclusive, and many people practice a combination of the three. Confucianism also is an honored school of thought and ethical code. Christian churches have been active on Taiwan for many years, and today, the population includes a small but significant percentage of Christians.
Culture
Taiwanese culture is an interesting mixture of Chinese, Japanese, and Western influences. Fine arts, folk traditions, and popular culture embody both traditional and modern elements, and both Asian and Western motifs. One of Taiwan’s most popular tourist attractions is the National Palace Museum, which houses over 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting, and porcelain. This collection was moved from the mainland in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Party (KMT) fled to Taiwan. The collection is so extensive that only 1% is on display at any one time. It is considered by some in mainland China to be a parallel National Palace Museum to the one housed in Beijing’s Forbidden City.
