History of Taiwan

4000 BC – First arrival of ancestors of aborigines to Taiwan

239 AD – Expeditionary force from Chinese mainland explores Taiwan

600s – First minimal migration from Chinese mainland

Late 1200s – Mongols take control of Penghu

1517 – Portuguese vessels pass Taiwan, calling it Ilha Formosa (Beautiful island)

1624 – Dutch establish themselves in Tainan area

1626 – Spanish establish themselves in Tamsui area

1662 – Cheng Ch’eng –kung’s forces defeat the Dutch

1683 – Qing dynasty outs the family of Cheng, incorporating Taiwan into mainland Chinese administration

1683 to 1895 – Qing dynasty controls Taiwan as immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong come to greatly outnumber the aboriginal population

1895 to 1945 – Japanese greatly expand industrial and agriculture on Taiwan

1945 – Guomingdang takes control of Taiwan following end of World War 2

1947 – February 28^th Incident

1949
– Communists defeat Guominggdang in Chinese civil war.

– Great migration of mainlander to Taiwan

1949 to 1958 – Land reform and import substitution policy

1958 to 1968 – Export orientation precipitates industrial takeoff

1969 to 1982 – Taiwan acquired newly industrialised status

1983 to present – Changing to sophisticated technology and information-heavy exports

1988 to 1996 – Political liberalization

End of 20^th century – Taiwanese society confronts crucial questions of political and social identity

Reference:

Davison, G.M., Reed. B.E. (1998) Culture and Custom of Taiwan.