Taiwan authorities condemned for tampering with history

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 25, 2003

Taiwan authorities condemned for tampering with history

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In the newly compiled syllabus of the history book for senior high school recently published by Taiwan authorities, which went so far as to include Chinese history after the mid-term Ming Dynasty all into world history. This action has aroused great indignation among various circles in Taiwan. Academic and educational circles both expressed their strong protests against the Taiwan authorities' malicious intention to cut off the umbilical tie between Taiwan and the motherland in the fields of culture and education, and finally to realize "Taiwan Independence".

Professor Says This Act Will Harm Taiwan's Younger Generation

Wu Chan-liang, a professor with the History Department of Taiwan University, pointed out that the practice of the new history syllabus trying to take "Taiwan History" out of the sequence of Chinese history and to put Chinese history after the mid-term Ming Dynasty into world history is a typical historical outlook featuring "one country on each side" [of the Taiwan Straits] and the "two-states theory", and a historical outlook with a high degree of "Taiwan independence" mentality.

Tseng Hsiang-tuo, a history professor at Taiwan Tungwu University, said in an interview with reporters that Taiwan authorities' act of tampering with history in an attempt to create "Taiwan Independence" is not only ignominious in terms of knowledge, but also a crime in terms of ethics and overall national interests. History allows of no change. Teaching completely fabricated history will do harm to Taiwan's younger generation.

In a Taiwan newspaper, a senior high school student questioned with grief and indignation: the Taiwan authorities have repeatedly tried to "draw a line of demarcation" with the mainland. Does this mean that "we came out of nothing?"Does this "self-abandonment enable us to have a better world outlook, or drive us into a historical blind alley?" If things related to China "are all cut off by the use of political force through raising them to the high plane of principles, should the four books and five classics, 'The Records of History', poems of Tang and Song dynasties, 'Journey to the West', 'Outlaw of the Marsh', 'Gu Wen Guan Zhi' (Best Ancient Chinese Proses), etc. we have previously read, all be taken as 'world literature'?"

Graduate Student Writes Article Criticizing the Absurdity of Authorities

The article entitled "Eradication of National Identification Is Distressing", written by a graduate, pointed out that the action taken by the authorities is "really absurd". Now the Taiwan authorities want to "root out young students' national identification and put which into cosmopolitanism in a pretentious and deceitful way", "propagate their idea of independence among students who are like a clean sheet of white paper ", how can this not make people feel grieved and angry"?

Media Criticize the Gradual "De-China Act"

An editorial by a Taiwan newspaper pointed out that the Taiwan authorities, "raising the flag of localization", aim to gradually "de-China" and to realize its goal of "Taiwan Independence". Including Chinese history into world history is part of Taiwan authorities' intention to revert the entire history and culture axis by the use of political force. This action is to cover up historical truth. Taiwan authorities are well aware of the difficulties in cutting off the historical ties between Taiwan and the mainland, hence their twisted psyche.

By PD Online staff Gao Lanrong

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