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limited space and time for instruction, should Taiwanese history be expanded at the
expense of the coverage of Chinese history? In 2003, the controversy over the structure
of history texts started because textbook drafters planned to place the mid-Ming dynasty
era in world history rather than in the section on Chinese history. Almost instantly,
critics charged that a hidden agenda of “de-sinicization” was embedded in the draft plan
and stalled the process of text revision.
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Another example concerned the treatment of Japanese colonialism. Should the legacy
of Japanese colonialism in Taiwan be wholeheartedly endorsed or critically condemned?
Given Lee Teng-hui’s adoration of Japan and his world views through the Japanese
language venue, this touchy issue on the historical role of Japan in Taiwan’s history had
been a focus of contention before 2000. For people living through the era of colonial
Taiwan, there is a mixed bag of feelings toward Japan. To some pro-Taiwanese
independence supporters, Japanese governance was a measuring scale to evaluate the
KMT’s rule. While it was undeniably brutal and oppressive, traits of neatness and strict
social discipline have been highly praised. Such historical nostalgia and the selective
memory of “goodness” of Japanese colonialism certainly face criticism from people who
were disgusted by Japanese colonialism and people who fought in the war against
Japanese aggression before 1945. When Hsu Wen-lung, a well-established Taiwanese
businessman who has been a dedicated pro-independence supporter and has close ties
with Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian, made a remark about “the glory of being a
comfort woman” in February 2001, the friction was exacerbated.
In this line of historical revisionism, it was not a surprise to learn that, in 2002,
Chen’s government even contemplated the change of Taiwan’s national holiday of
Convention