Taiwan history/Han Chinese migration to Taiwan
In modern Taiwan, the Han Chinese have become the largest ethnic group. However, the Han Chinese were not the first people on the island. So, how did they come to the island and become the largest ethnic group? Let's find out.
Han Chinese in Penghu
[edit | edit source]During the Tang Dynasty, some of the Han Chinese migrated to Penghu. Afterwards, during the Song dynasty, the government began ruling the Penghu islands.
Taiwan
[edit | edit source]Late Ming
[edit | edit source]During the late Ming, pirates began using Taiwan as a stronghold, so many Chinese migrated to the island. The pirate Yan Siqi led thousands of people from the Fujian region across to Taiwan, where they established a stronghold and cultivated the land; he is also known as the "King Who Opened Up Taiwan.(開台王)" Subsequently, Fujian officials and figures such as Zheng Zhilong recruited large numbers of residents from Fujian and Guangdong to develop Taiwan, cultivate the land, and expand maritime trade.
Qing period
[edit | edit source]During this period, dense populations on the mainland and limited farmland drove waves of illegal, cross-strait migration. Han settlers continually expanded into western plains, which gradually displaced or assimilated the lowland Indigenous populations.
After WW2
[edit | edit source]After WW2, large amount of Mainlanders fled to Taiwan due to Republic of China retreat to Taiwan. These people are typically called 外省人 waishengren.