Re‐imagining the ‘Taiwanese’ nation in the interpretation of the Chinese‐oriented heritage

Abstract

AbstractThis study aims to discuss how Chinese‐oriented heritage from Ming and Qing dynasties has been incorporated in the discourse of ‘Taiwanese’ culture to bolster the identity of Taiwan. Drawing upon the interconnected theoretical concepts of ‘imagined communities’ and ‘nationalising the past’, this study focuses on the ‘selective’ presentation of the Chinese‐oriented monuments in historic Tainan City, where the documented history of Taiwan began. This study concludes that these Chinese‐oriented monuments are represented as containing a wealth of transposable imagery, as one embodiment in the context of Taiwanese culture, and the mark of political distinction between ‘Taiwan’ and ‘China’, in the process of heritagisation. In the interpretation of heritage, this research result also suggests that the state of Republic of China (ROC) re‐invented ‘Taiwanese’ nationhood and that the state's goals of cultural establishment could be reinforced through social agents.