Taiwan textbooks omit Chinese history, face opposition inside island

The omission of large periods of ancient Chinese history in new textbooks used by some schools in the island of Taiwan, which compress 2,400 years into four pages, is opposed by the majority of Taiwan residents, according to a local online poll. Analysts noted that the act serves as a “soft” method of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to promote its secessionist agenda by politicizing education.

The textbooks introduce China’s history from the most ancient period to the Tang Dynasty (618–907) in only 1,600 Chinese characters.

Historic figures and classics are also largely left out and greater emphasis is put on cultural exchanges with foreign lands during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, which Taiwan’s local education bureau claimed was a way to cultivate “world citizen ideologies,” Taiwan media reported.

In an online poll of 10,700 netizens, 66 percent voted “strongly disagree” or “somewhat disagree” with deleting large parts of Chinese history from the textbooks, Taiwan-based China Times reported.

Taiwan residents have expressed discontent on social media. Taiwan entertainer Teresa Hsu said on Facebook that politics should not disrupt education; students should receive proper education, otherwise they would lose competitiveness.

“The Chinese mainland is emphasizing Chinese cultural identity while DPP authorities keep wiping it out. We are losing our roots and becoming cultural ‘homeless’ people,” another posted.

DPP authorities are trying to push forward the party’s secessionist agenda in a “soft” way, by undoing the cultural identity that links Taiwan with the Chinese mainland. Culture and education are political tools, Chang Ya-chung, a professor at National Taiwan University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.