The tensions between Taiwan and China have deep historical roots. The island of Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule from 1895 to 1945. During this time, Japan modernized Taiwan through education reform, urbanization, and economic development. However, much of this modernization was achieved via forced labor, exploitation of farmworkers and women, and redistribution of indigenous Taiwanese land. After Japan’s defeat in World War II, the Allies granted administrative control of Taiwan to China while the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, or KMT) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) was ongoing. After their defeat in 1949, the KMT retreated to Taiwan, establishing the Republic of China (ROC) government on the island, while the CPC established the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland. Many Chinese families, like Mei’s ancestors, fled the mainland for Taiwan to escape communist rule. Some argue that the ROC government brought administrative order to the island after the chaos of Japanese rule, while others, like Mei’s first roommate Leslie, view the ROC’s actions as the further displacement of Indigenous communities and the imposition of another new political authority.

Since 1949, both the ROC on Taiwan and the PRC on the mainland have claimed to be the legitimate government of all of China.