Recalling Chinese legend, and noting the sudden disappearance of U.S. bombers, elders speculated that the coexistence of dragon and serpent could be regarded as an omen of peace. At noon, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced unconditional surrender to the Allied forces.
On the morning of September 6, the first national flag of the Republic of China was raised atop the former Japanese Imperial Governor's Office (now Presidential Office).
Capitulation ceremonies in Taipei October 25 ended a half-century of colonial rule and restored freedom to the islanders. No longer were they forbidden to participate in politics. Soon they could acquire land of their own and send their children to high schools and universities.
At the end of the war, the civilian population of Taiwan was less than 7 million, including half a million Japanese. Chinese had been treated as second-class subjects and aborigines as scarcely human. These supposedly "inferior" and "barbarian" people were deprived of their political, economic, social, and cultural rights— including that of higher education.
When China took over administration from Japan in 1945, there were 84,559 government employees, including 46,955 or 55.53 per cent who were Taiwanese, mostly primary school teachers and junior clerks. Of the 2,336 senior officials, only 52 or 2.23 per cent were island-born. A small number of aborigines served as patrolmen in their home towns. That was as far as they could rise. In government work, Japanese employees received 60 per cent more pay than their Taiwanese counterparts.
A local self-government system was implemented in 1920. However, half of the councilmen, mostly Japanese, were nominated by magistrates and mayors. Taiwan was not represented at the Imperial Diet in Tokyo. To soothe indignation against such discrimination, the Emperor nominated four Taiwan leaders to the House of Peers just as World War II was ending.
After restoration, self-government began in January of 1946 with the registration of citizens. For the first time in Taiwan history, women had the suffrage. Borough and township councilmen were elected in February, county and municipal councilmen in March, provincial assemblymen in May, and magistrates and mayors in October.
By the end of 1963, the province had elected borough and township councilmen seven times, county and municipal councilmen and provincial assemblymen five times, and magistrates and mayors four times.
Women have the suffrage along with their men—at age of 20—and exercise it in large numbers. (File photo)
Of 929 incumbent county and municipal councilmen, 839 are island-born and 97 are women. In the provincial assembly, 70 of 74 seats are occupied by natives and 10 by women. Members of the provincial government council include 12 islanders and 6 mainlanders.
Two Ministers
Huang Kuo-shu, a native-born general who fought against Japan during World War II, is president of the Legislative Yuan (parliament). Two islanders are cabinet ministers.
At the end of 1961, employees of provincial and local governments totaled 167,375, including 103,684 or 61.95 per cent Taiwanese. Of the 45,383 senior officials, 24,758 or 54.56 per cent were natives.
A six-year compulsory education program was enforced in Taiwan during the 1930s. But secondary and higher education were restricted to Japanese and a few privileged Taiwanese.
There were 1,097 primary schools with enrollment of 898,424 a year before restoration. Schools were classified into three categories. The first group, totaling 153, admitted Japanese and a limited number of Taiwanese. The second category was exclusively for Taiwanese, the third for aborigines. Taiwanese teachers were qualified to teach only in schools of the second and third classes. There were few aboriginal teachers. Except at schools in the remotest mountains, all principals were Japanese.
Since restoration, most schools have been administered by islanders. In the 1962-63 school year, 2,087,053 pupils were studying in 1,948 schools. The attendance rate of school-age children had increased from 71.31 per cent in 1945 to 96.5 per cent in 1963.
In 1945, there were 29,005 students in 45 high schools, 2,888 students in 3 normal schools, and 14,628 students in 27 vocational schools. In principle, Taiwanese were not allowed to teach in secondary schools and colleges.
About half of college students are island-born in sharp contrast to the record of Japanese times. (File photo)
Except for agricultural schools, the Imperial Governor permitted only a small quota for native students at levels above the primary. Entrance examinations eliminated 19 out of 20 Taiwanese while admitting most Japanese. Children of farmers and workers were not welcome except at agricultural schools. Some talented candidates were denied admission because of family background, offenses, bankruptcy, or illegitimate birth.
Many New Schools
After restoration, a high school was established in each borough and township. Other new schools were founded to meet local needs. In the 1962-63 school year, there were 365,455 students in high schools, 5,318 students in 9 normal schools, and 91,693, students in 110 vocational schools. Islanders made up half of the teaching force.
As the Japanese era closed, Taipei had a university, a college of economics, and a university preparatory school, Taichung a college of agriculture and forestry, and Tainan a college of engineering. Their main role was' to train colonial officials.
The ratio of Taiwanese to Japanese students was one to four in 1944. The 5 schools enrolled 3,277 students, including597 islanders. Imperial Taihoku University (now National Taiwan University) had 85 native students in an enrollment of 357. Medicine topped the list with 80. Liberal arts and political science had 2, natural science 1, and engineering 1. During its 16 years of pre-1945 existence, the university graduated 219 Taiwanese. Of these, 131 were medicine majors. Tu Tsung-ming, now president of Kaohsiung Medical College, was the only native-born professor.
Universities and colleges in Japan had similar restriction against Taiwanese. As a rule, Imperial Tokyo University admitted only one Taiwanese annually.
Since 1945, the number of colleges and universities in Taiwan has been increased ninefold. Not counting 13 military and police academies, there were 10 universities and 23 colleges in the 1962-63 academic year. Six of them were national, 11 provincial, and 16 private. Students numbered 44,314 and faculty members 6,443. Native scholars were presidents, deans, and department heads.
Foreign Students
Post-war education in Taiwan has attracted students from all parts of the world. In the 1954-55 school year, there were five Koreans and one Japanese in Taiwan universities and colleges. The number had jumped to 259 in 1962-63. Nationalities included Americans, Australians, Belgians, Britons, Canadians, Filipinos, French, Italians, Japanese, Koreans, Malayans, Norwegians, South Africans, Thais, Vietnamese and a Camerounian.
Overseas Chinese students increased from 103 in the 1951-52 academic year to 7,657 in 1962-63. Of these, 6,027 were studying in colleges and universities, 1,630 at lower schools. Two overseas Chinese high schools were set up in 1957.
There were six newspapers in Japanese times. The Konan Shimbun, the only mouthpiece of Taiwanese, was bilingual. The Chinese version was abolished a year before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war. In 1944, the six papers were amalgamated into one with a circulation of 100,000.
Small tractors double as means of transportation. (File photo)
As of June, 1963, there were 29 newspapers in Taiwan. Combined daily circulation in 1960 was 720,000 copies, averaging a copy for every 14 persons. Other news media included 43 agencies, 62 radio stations, and 757 publishing houses. There is a radio for every 10 persons.
The greatest restoration beneficiaries are farmers and aborigines. During Japanese days, 70 per cent of farmers were tenants. The implementation of land reform beginning in 1949 has made 86 per cent of farmers into land owners.
From 1951 to 1961, some 96,000 hectares (237,120 acres) of public land taken over from the Japanese was distributed to farmers on installment payments. Cash deposits in farmers' associations have been increased 460 times since 1952. Most farm families have bicycles, radios, and sewing machines.
Aborigines were called banjin (barbarians) in the Japanese era. They made their living by hunting and by cultivation of millet, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. Japanese police were both administrators and school teachers. After four years of primary education, a few graduates received a year of training in agriculture. By 1944, only 10 had been graduated from secondary schools.
After restoration, the aborigines were called shanti tungpao (mountain compatriots). They enjoy political, economic, and educational equality.
Industrial Change
Three seats are reserved for aborigines in the provincial assembly, 30 in the county and municipal councils. Each year, some 400 aborigines are sent to high, normal, and agricultural schools under government scholarships. More than 100 are studying in colleges and universities. Adults are given opportunities for vocational training.
Under the slogan of "industrial Japan and agricultural Taiwan," pre-1945 industry was limited to the processing of agricultural products. Manufacture of aluminum, cement, chemicals, and glass, and refining of petroleum were developed later to meet war needs. More than half of industrial installations were destroyed in wartime bombings.
The removal of the Central Government to Taipei in 1949 brought an influx of personnel and capital. Part of the compensation to former landlords went into industrial development. The number of plants increased from 8,683 in 1941 to 22,373 in 1962. Products include automobiles, bicycles, electrical appliances, plastics, radios, refrigerators, ships, telephones, textiles, fertilizer, and cement.
The peak year of production under Japanese occupation was 1941 with US$17.5 million. The figure had jumped to US$637.7 million by 1961, an increase of 37 times.
Exports of rice, tea, and bananas are being surpassed in value by textiles, chemicals, canned pineapple and mushrooms, and electrical appliances.
In 1952, gross national income was US$326.2 million. This had jumped to US$1,468.3 million in 1962. Calculated on the currency value of 1952, the 1962 income was equivalent to US$653.3 million, an increase of 100.3 per cent.
Islanders are leading a better and freer life than ever before. They realize that Taiwan is an integral part of China and agree that their life and freedom will not be secure until Communism' is overthrown. Taiwanese whose memories reach back 20 years know that the old days were not so good and the future lies in Taiwan's role as the model province of the Republic of China.