Taiwan prepares to celebrate the Republic of China’s foundation – but does that mean anything to young islanders?

The ‘Double Tenth’ holiday marks the start of the republican era, but the current government is keen to distance Taiwan from mainland China

Increasing numbers of young islanders see themselves as Taiwanese rather than Chinese and some say the history has nothing to do with them

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A man photographs Taiwanese flags put up in Taipei ahead of the October 10 celebrations, but the island’s government is less keen on the flag. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:00pm, 9 Oct 2021Updated: 8:18pm, 9 Oct 2021

Taiwan is to celebrate the revolution that founded the Republic of China this Sunday, but over the years the significance of the “Double Tenth” – so named because it falls on October 10 – has diminished for many islanders, especially the younger generations.

Observers said years of efforts by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party to cut Taiwan’s historic links with the mainland have resulted in more people on the self-ruled island identifying as Taiwanese rather than Chinese, thereby reducing the connection between Taiwan and the Republic of China – which remains the island’s official name.

They said that most Taiwanese are now accustomed to the mindset that “Taiwan is Taiwan and China is China”, and as a result fewer people make a connection between Taiwan and the ROC and that in turn means they no longer associate the Double Tenth celebrations with the revolutionaries who founded the first Chinese republic.

Spearheaded by Sun Yat-sen, the 1911 Xinhai revolution that started in Wuchang – now part of the modern city of Wuhan – ended China’s 2,000-year-old imperial system and led to the establishment of the Republic of China.

Sun’s successor Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan in 1949 following the defeat of his Nationalist – or Kuomintang – forces at the hands of the Communists in the civil war, and set up an interim government that continued to use the Republic of China as its title.

The posters hanging on the decorative arch erected in front of the presidential office to mark the holiday still say “Republic of China national day” in Chinese, but the English caption reads: “Taiwan national day 2021.”

The island’s flag and emblem, which used to feature prominently when the KMT were still in power in Taipei, are now given much less prominence.