Who are the Taiwanese people?
Taiwan’s population is usually divided into four ethnic groups. The aborigines, or earliest inhabitants, are considered to be of Malay or Polynesian origin based on their languages and culture. They comprise less than 2 percent of the population. There are two groups of early Chinese immigrants or “Taiwanese.” The first, the Hakka, came from south China near Hong Kong. The second, the Fukienese, came from China’s Fukien Province directly across the Taiwan Strait. Together they comprise 85 percent of the population, with the latter outnumbering the former by two or three to one. The fourth group is comprised of Chinese from various parts of China who came to Taiwan after World War II, mostly in 1949 after the defeat of the Nationalists. They comprise just under 15 percent of the population. They are referred to as “mainlanders.
Taiwan’s population is usually divided into four ethnic groups. The aborigines, or earliest inhabitants, are considered to be of Malay or Polynesian origin based on their languages and culture. They comprise less than 2 percent of the population. There are two groups of early Chinese immigrants or “Taiwanese.” The first, the Hakka, came from south China near Hong Kong. The second, the Fukienese, came from China’s Fukien Province directly across the Taiwan Strait. Together they comprise 85 percent of the population, with the latter outnumbering the former by two or three to one. The fourth group is comprised of Chinese from various parts of China who came to Taiwan after World War II, mostly in 1949 after the defeat of the Nationalists. They comprise just under 15 percent of the population.
