History

'Blind massage' was first introduced to Taiwan by the Japanese during the colonial era. More than 100 years later, signs for blind massage parlors remain a common sight in the underground malls and streets of Taiwan but the number of masseurs is declining.

'Dear Hong Kong: An Elegy for a City' spans five decades, two husbands, a dozen other lovers, a handover to the Motherland, the dementia of the author's mother and the death of her father.

Official records state around 140,000 people were tried by military courts with as many as 8,000 executed during the 38-year crackdown. Many believe the actual numbers are higher.

Once the focal point of hostilities between China and Taiwan, the Kinmen archipelago has evolved into a fascinating tourist destination.

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'The difference between the two tigers is hidden in their eyes; the obverse side has undilated pupils while the reverse has dilated ones. Researchers believe this contrast is a metaphor for day and night, symbolizing constant vigilance.'

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Today marks 66 years since the first group of political prisoners were taken to Taiwan’s Green Island.

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'His legacy ought to be studied and analyzed, if only to remember the horrors and agonies of the history of this island nation, and to educate ourselves on the importance of avoiding a backslide into totalitarianism.'

'Chiang Kai-shek was the greatest single fighter of the CCP, bar none. He also led China through one of the darkest periods of its history, including a brutal war with Japan and two periods of civil war, which wrapped together were a central part of the greatest conflict in human history.'

'For those who believe that this debate was laid to rest, recall that if there was severance with the past, there would be no need for a truth and reconciliation commission,' argues Matthew Geason.

Tomorrow marks the 107th anniversary of Chiang Ching-kuo’s birth. Jeremy Olivier questions whether the Generalissimo’s son was really the great initiator of democratic change so many politicians and academics like to say he was.

'Amazingly,' wrote Kaori Shoji, 'Taiwan is the one country where the Japanese imperialists managed to do more good than harm.'

The new 'hero law' could have a chilling effect on academic inquiry in China.

An international expert believes much more is to be uncovered about Taiwan’s past.

James Baron tours the life and times of Taiwan's Li Kuo-ting.

A look at how China's past affects its current stance on maritime disputes in the South China Sea.