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Little archaeological evidence remains from Taiwan's early history. People - probably from Austronesia (though there is serious speculation that Taiwan is the origin of all Austronesian peoples) - are though to have inhabited the island since 10,000 BC with migration from China in the 15th century. In 1517 Portuguese sailors reached Taiwan and named it Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Island). The Dutch invaded in 1624 and built a capital at Tainan - two years later they lost the island to a Spanish invasion but returned the favour by booting the Spanish out in 1641. During the 1660s the Ming and Manchu (Qing) dynasties arrived on the scene, kicking out the Dutch and wrestling one another for control of the island. The Manchus eventually won, making Taiwan a county of Fujian province and triggering a flood of Chinese immigration. At the end of the 19th century, the Japanese decided to weigh in as well: Taiwan was ceded to them in 1895 following China's defeat in the Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese quashed a republican rebellion organised by the local Chinese population and went on to establish a military base on the island and to promote education and economic development. After Japan's defeat in at the end of WWII, Taiwan was handed back to China.
When Communist forces took control of China in 1949, the president, General Chiang Kai-shek and his Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang (KMT), fled to Taiwan to plan their reconquest of the mainland. One and a half million Chinese also left the mainland for Taiwan when Mao took control. In 1971 the KMT lost the Chinese United Nations seat and in 1979 the USA withdrew its recognition of the Republic.
When Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975 and was replaced by his son Ching-kuo, Taiwanese started muttering the word 'dynasty', and criticism of the one-party system rose. In 1986, those opposed to Chiang formed the Democratic Progressive Party and were granted seats in the legislature. Two years later Chiang died and was replaced by the first native-born president, Lee Teng-hui.
Taiwanese politics is divided among those who want reunification with China, those who want Taiwanese independence, and those who want the status quo preserved. In 1995 relations between the two Chinas, always chilly, plummetted to a new low. Lee Teng-hui's high-profile visit to the United States brought mainland China out in a rash of nervous jealousy. Determined to isolate Taiwan and sway the minds of its voters, China held intense military exercises near the Taiwanese coast. In response, the United States donned its global cop hat and sent a couple of warships to monitor the situation. Despite the region's sudden high concentration of itchy trigger fingers, the first direct presidential election was held without incident, and Lee Teng-hui was returned to office.
Taiwan's fortunes took a turn for the worse in September 1999 when a massive earthquake hit the island, the largest in its history, leaving over 2000 islanders dead and a rubble-strewn country. Even in this time of crisis, however, the snippy relationship between mainland China and the wannabe republic continued. A defiantly sulky China demanded that any country entering Taiwan to offer earthquake relief get permission from the Chinese government first: a demand that was met with less-than-hearty agreement from humanitarian organisations and other countries around the world.
In March 2000, Taiwan elected its next president Chen Shui-bian, the candidate of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, who believe in a formal declaration of independence for the island. The upset ended 55 years of Nationalist rule and alarmed China, which regards Taiwan as a rebel province.
In 2004, Chen Shui-bian was re-elected by a narrow margin following an assassination attempt on him only hours before the election. In a concession to political opponents and a country fearful over its constant Chinese threat, Chen Shui-bian vowed to forge closer relations with China and leave the volatile issue of Taiwan's sovereignty off the political reform agenda.
However, China has continued to try to isolate him. In 2005, leaders of the KMT and PFP parties visited China and met with top officials including Hu Jintao to try to improve cross-strait relations. The Chinese government has said it is happy to meet with anyone who supports the one-china policy, which means of course that they still refuse to negotiate or talk with Chen Shui Bian. In 2006, Chen scrapped the National Unification Council. Many see this as a clear step toward formally declaring independence. Neither the US nor China were pleased with the move even though the council had been dormant for many years. Right now there is a push to impeach or recall the president, but it is too early to see if this will succeed or have much impact on politics here in the long run.
