It’s Double Ten in Taiwan, a national holiday, but it’s also recognized in China, Hong Kong, and US Chinatowns. Read about the history behind Double Ten and why it’s not quite accurate to label it “Taiwan’s 100th birthday.”
Each year in Taiwan, October 10th is celebrated as the national day of the Republic of China (ROC). This year marks the centennial anniversary of “Double Ten” day in Taiwan, and this past year the government of Taiwan has been hosting multiple celebratory events leading up to this year’s holiday.
But do you know the history behind this day? Have you thought about why several Chinatown communities in the United States also celebrate “Double Ten” day with parades and fanfare? Why is it also recognized in Hong Kong and China? And have you heard some people mistakenly refer to this year’s event as celebrating “Taiwan’s 100th birthday?” After all, Taiwanese people have been on Taiwan, or Formosa, for hundreds of years (or thousands of years, if you consider the aboriginal groups).
Here’s a brief history behind the founding of the Republic of China, when it was first established in China leading to the government that now resides on Taiwan…
13 Responses to “100 Years of History Behind “Double Ten” Day of the R.O.C.”
eric chang
Double Ten is nothing more than the KMT’s birthday, with this year being its 100th anniversary. To say that Taiwan is 100 years old is completely incorrect. One hundred years ago in Taiwan, it was the Japanese Occupation. Taiwan had no contact with the KMT (ROC) until they fled to Taiwan after 1949. After the KMT fled to Taiwan, the ROC ceased to exist as they were no longer in China. Unfortunately, Taiwan’s national flag is nothing more than the KMT party flag, and our national anthem is also not really our national anthem, but just the KMT’s anthem. Double Ten is used to brainwash Taiwanese into thinking that we are Chinese, which we are not. When people tell you 10/10 is Taiwan’s birthday, be sure to take the time to correct them.
Jeffrey Lai
While (some of) what eric chang says might be true, it doesn’t change the fact that KMT and millions of ex-Chinese and their descendants exist in Taiwan and are considered as Taiwanese today. Legally or not, ROC has been the official govement in Taiwan since 1945 after Japan surrendered it to KMT. Taiwan had very few options after the end of WW2 as both KMT and Communist Party consider it a province of China, and both US and Japan didn’t want it. If KMT hadn’t taken Taiwan, Communist surely would. We have all witnessed the differences in economy and personal freedom between China and Taiwan for the last 50 years. I as a Taiwanese consider myself lucky that it was KMT, and not Communist, who took Taiwan. Being brainwashed by KMT is a small price to pay for the democracy enjoyed by people in Taiwan today. Whether you consider it a brainwashing propaganda or not, Double-Ten day has been celebrated in Taiwan for decades and is now part of Taiwan’s culture. Taiwanese will just celebrate it as Taiwan’s birthday anyway. Happy birthday Taiwan!
AC
While (some of) what Jeffrey Lai says might be true, like the fact that both KMT and Communist Party consider Taiwan a province of China. The fact that Japan lost the war, has nothing to do with Japan wanting it or not. Japan was forced to surrender Taiwan to the US and the Allies. The only truth that we can be certain of is that: if the KMT hadn’t retreated from China to Taiwan. Taiwanese people would not have been oppressed by KMT, White Terror and 228 would not have happened. Also, Taiwan would not have been take over by China, since that’s exactly why the US allowed KMT into Taiwan. Just look at Korea. Finally, being brainwashed and oppressed by KMT is never an option for a “democratic” country. This is a perfect example why education and media reform is desperately needed for Taiwan to be a real democratic country.
Bo H
Saying Double Tenth is Taiwan’s birthday is an insult to Taiwan and to those who died by the oppression of the regime that celebrates the day.
Jeffrey Lai
Yes, if KMT had not occupied Taiwan I believe that US (or Soviet) would, just like what they did to Korea, Japan and north east China. However, don’t forget that their occupation were temporary. After they left, north east China was back to China, Korea was reinstated to an independent country, and Japanese main islands was returned to Japanese people. As for Taiwan, it had been officially ceded to Japanese Empire by China long ago and was considered a piece of Japanese territory. There were tens of thousands of Japanese there. What do you think US would do to it after the occupation ended? For those Taiwanese who think that it is better to be ruled by Japan today than by KMT after what Japanese Empire did in WW2, their brains were irreversibly washed by Japanese Empire. Today, KMT is just one of the political parties in Taiwan, and like all political parties its purpose is to “brainwash” citizens into believing what they believe. Taiwanese people directly elect their president and their legislators, enjoy freedom of speech. It is up to individual Taiwanese people whether to believe what KMT promote or not. If this is not considered democracy, what else can a democratic country offer?
Ptc
I’d say happy birthday kmt instead of happy birthday Taiwan.
JLee
There’s also this.. It may a bit more relevant since it occurred at the end of WW2 and made KMT the official government of China.
Andrew
“Double Ten is used to brainwash Taiwanese into thinking that we are Chinese, which we are not.”
Eric Chang, 98% of ROC citizens are Han Chinese, and your name leads me to believe that you are one of them. Advocating the desinicisation of Taiwan presents a danger to the perseverance of Chinese culture, and I implore you to reconsider.
C Yang
Double 10 is also celebrated in China as the Xinhai revolution day. So generally they have week vacation from 10/1-10/10. The marks the beginning of Republic and end of imperial rule in China.
Did you know:
1. Taiwanese democracy is based on the constitutions of Republic of China’s 3 people’s doctrine written by Sun-Yat Sen who based on it Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. Sun-Yan Sen was greatly influence by Lincoln principle for racial equality when he was going to high school at Puhahoe High in Honolulu Hawaii – the same high school that produced US president Barak Obama.
2. The introduction of the ROC constitutions to Taiwan also brought the concept of women’s suffrage – women’s right for citizenship, vote right to vote, and feminism in 1945. Before KMT take over, Taiwanese women were considered property by traditional Hoklo rule. Women did not have the right to inheritance. If a husband dies, women was passed as property to male member’s of family who inherited the properties. This happened in my family.
Even though some people did not like the KMT/mainland Chinese coming to Taiwan; however, people should recognize that they should be credited for bringing the 1. a democratic constitution (admittingly not enacted until 1980s) and 2. women’s right protected by law.
NicholasHoheisel
As an American reading this, I find all of your comments to be helpful as it enables me to approach this subject from different perspectives. Thank you
Double Ten is nothing more than the KMT’s birthday, with this year being its 100th anniversary. To say that Taiwan is 100 years old is completely incorrect. One hundred years ago in Taiwan, it was the Japanese Occupation. Taiwan had no contact with the KMT (ROC) until they fled to Taiwan after 1949. After the KMT fled to Taiwan, the ROC ceased to exist as they were no longer in China. Unfortunately, Taiwan’s national flag is nothing more than the KMT party flag, and our national anthem is also not really our national anthem, but just the KMT’s anthem. Double Ten is used to brainwash Taiwanese into thinking that we are Chinese, which we are not. When people tell you 10/10 is Taiwan’s birthday, be sure to take the time to correct them.
While (some of) what eric chang says might be true, it doesn’t change the fact that KMT and millions of ex-Chinese and their descendants exist in Taiwan and are considered as Taiwanese today. Legally or not, ROC has been the official govement in Taiwan since 1945 after Japan surrendered it to KMT. Taiwan had very few options after the end of WW2 as both KMT and Communist Party consider it a province of China, and both US and Japan didn’t want it. If KMT hadn’t taken Taiwan, Communist surely would. We have all witnessed the differences in economy and personal freedom between China and Taiwan for the last 50 years. I as a Taiwanese consider myself lucky that it was KMT, and not Communist, who took Taiwan. Being brainwashed by KMT is a small price to pay for the democracy enjoyed by people in Taiwan today. Whether you consider it a brainwashing propaganda or not, Double-Ten day has been celebrated in Taiwan for decades and is now part of Taiwan’s culture. Taiwanese will just celebrate it as Taiwan’s birthday anyway. Happy birthday Taiwan!
While (some of) what Jeffrey Lai says might be true, like the fact that both KMT and Communist Party consider Taiwan a province of China. The fact that Japan lost the war, has nothing to do with Japan wanting it or not. Japan was forced to surrender Taiwan to the US and the Allies.
The only truth that we can be certain of is that: if the KMT hadn’t retreated from China to Taiwan. Taiwanese people would not have been oppressed by KMT, White Terror and 228 would not have happened. Also, Taiwan would not have been take over by China, since that’s exactly why the US allowed KMT into Taiwan. Just look at Korea. Finally, being brainwashed and oppressed by KMT is never an option for a “democratic” country. This is a perfect example why education and media reform is desperately needed for Taiwan to be a real democratic country.
Saying Double Tenth is Taiwan’s birthday is an insult to Taiwan and to those who died by the oppression of the regime that celebrates the day.
Yes, if KMT had not occupied Taiwan I believe that US (or Soviet) would, just like what they did to Korea, Japan and north east China. However, don’t forget that their occupation were temporary. After they left, north east China was back to China, Korea was reinstated to an independent country, and Japanese main islands was returned to Japanese people. As for Taiwan, it had been officially ceded to Japanese Empire by China long ago and was considered a piece of Japanese territory. There were tens of thousands of Japanese there. What do you think US would do to it after the occupation ended? For those Taiwanese who think that it is better to be ruled by Japan today than by KMT after what Japanese Empire did in WW2, their brains were irreversibly washed by Japanese Empire.
Today, KMT is just one of the political parties in Taiwan, and like all political parties its purpose is to “brainwash” citizens into believing what they believe. Taiwanese people directly elect their president and their legislators, enjoy freedom of speech. It is up to individual Taiwanese people whether to believe what KMT promote or not. If this is not considered democracy, what else can a democratic country offer?
I’d say happy birthday kmt instead of happy birthday Taiwan.
There’s also this.. It may a bit more relevant since it occurred at the end of WW2 and made KMT the official government of China.
“Double Ten is used to brainwash Taiwanese into thinking that we are Chinese, which we are not.”
Eric Chang, 98% of ROC citizens are Han Chinese, and your name leads me to believe that you are one of them. Advocating the desinicisation of Taiwan presents a danger to the perseverance of Chinese culture, and I implore you to reconsider.
Double 10 is also celebrated in China as the Xinhai revolution day. So generally they have week vacation from 10/1-10/10. The marks the beginning of Republic and end of imperial rule in China.
Did you know:
1. Taiwanese democracy is based on the constitutions of Republic of China’s 3 people’s doctrine written by Sun-Yat Sen who based on it Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. Sun-Yan Sen was greatly influence by Lincoln principle for racial equality when he was going to high school at Puhahoe High in Honolulu Hawaii – the same high school that produced US president Barak Obama.
2. The introduction of the ROC constitutions to Taiwan also brought the concept of women’s suffrage – women’s right for citizenship, vote right to vote, and feminism in 1945. Before KMT take over, Taiwanese women were considered property by traditional Hoklo rule. Women did not have the right to inheritance. If a husband dies, women was passed as property to male member’s of family who inherited the properties. This happened in my family.
Even though some people did not like the KMT/mainland Chinese coming to Taiwan; however, people should recognize that they should be credited for bringing the 1. a democratic constitution (admittingly not enacted until 1980s) and 2. women’s right protected by law.
As an American reading this, I find all of your comments to be helpful as it enables me to approach this subject from different perspectives. Thank you