Taiwan Province

Not to be confused with Taiwan, the country officially known as the Republic of China.
This article is about an administrative province of the Republic of China. For the hypothetical province claimed by the People's Republic of China, see Taiwan Province, People's Republic of China.
Taiwan Province
臺灣省
Streamlined Province

Taiwan Province of the Republic of China (in red).
Country  Republic of China
Established October 25, 1945 (Retrocession Day)
Streamlined December 21, 1998
Provincial capital Taipei (1945-1956)
Zhongxing New Village (1956-)
Government
 • Governor Lin Junq-tzer
Area
 • Total 25,110.0037 km2 (9,695.0266 sq mi)
Population (2014)
 • Total 7,182,952
 • Density 290/km2 (740/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Taiwanese
Time zone Asia/Taipei (UTC+8)
Postal codes 200–206, 260–369, 500–655, 880–885, 900–983
Area codes (0)2, (0)3, (0)4, (0)5, (0)6, (0)8
ISO 3166 code TW
Counties 11
Cities 3
Website www.TPG.gov.tw
Taiwan Province
Traditional Chinese 臺灣省 or 台灣省
Simplified Chinese 台湾省
Postal Taiwan

Taiwan Province (Chinese: 臺灣省 or 台灣省; pinyin: Táiwān Shěng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-oân Séng) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Republic of China (ROC) that are officially referred to as "provinces". The province covers approximately 69% of the actual-controlled territory of the ROC, with around 31% of the total population.

Geographically it covers the majority of the island of Taiwan as well as almost all of its surrounding islands, the largest of which are the Penghu archipelago, Green Island, Xiaoliuqiu Island and Orchid Island. Taiwan Province does not cover territories of the special municipalities of Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei, and Taoyuan, all of which are located geographically within the main island of Taiwan. It also does not include the counties of Kinmen and Lienchiang, which are located alongside the southeast coast of mainland China and administered as a separate Fujian Province (not to be confused with the PRC's Fujian Province).

Originally Taiwan Province covered the entire island of Taiwan and all its associated islands. All the special municipalities were split off from the province between 1967 and 2014. Since 1997 most of the Taiwan provincial government's functions have been transferred to the central government of the Republic of China following a constitutional amendment. The Taiwan Provincial Government has effectively become a nominal institution under the Executive Yuan's administration.[1][2]

The People's Republic of China (PRC) regards itself as the "successor state" of the Republic of China (ROC), which the PRC claims no longer legitimately exists, following establishment of the PRC in mainland China. The PRC asserts itself to be the sole legitimate government of China, and claims Taiwan as its 23rd province, even though the PRC itself has never had control of Taiwan or other ROC-held territories. The ROC disputes this position, maintaining that it still legitimately exists and that the PRC has not succeeded it to sovereignty.

History

Qing Dynasty

In 1683, Zheng Keshuang (third ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning and a grandson of Koxinga), surrendered to the Qing following a naval engagement with Admiral Shi Lang. The Qing then ruled the Taiwanese archipelago (including Penghu) as Taiwan Prefecture of Fujian Province. In 1875, Taipeh Prefecture was separated from Taiwan Prefecture. In 1885, work commenced under the auspices of Liu Ming-chuan to develop Taiwan into a province. In 1887, the island was declared an independent "Taiwan Province" (officially Fujian-Taiwan-Province; 福建臺灣省), with Liu as the first governor.[3] The province was also reorganized into four prefectures, eleven districts, and three sub-prefectures.[4][5] The provincial capital, or "Taiwan-fu", was intended to be moved from the south (modern-day Tainan) to the more central area of Dadun (大墩; modern-day Taichung) in the revamped Taiwan Prefecture.[6] As the new central Taiwan-fu was still under construction, the capital was temporarily moved north to Taipei, which eventually was designated the provincial capital.

Divisions of Taiwan Province[7]
CircuitPrefecturesDistrictsSub-Prefectures
Taiwan Taipeh Tamsui Kelung
Gilan
Hsinchu
Taiwan Taiwan (臺灣縣)
Changhua Puli
Yunlin
Miaoli
Tainan Anping Penghu
Kagi
Fengshan
Hengchun
Taitung

Empire of Japan

In 1895, the entire Taiwan Province, including Penghu, was ceded to Japan following the First Sino-Japanese War through the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Under Japanese rule, the province was abolished in favour of Japanese-style divisions. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Republic of China (ROC) obtained control of Taiwan. The way that the ROC obtained Taiwan is a subject of controversy that gave root to the complex unresolved political status of Taiwan and the Taiwan Independence movement.

Republic of China

The ROC government immediately established the Taiwan Provincial Government under first Chief Executive and government-general Chen Yi in September 1945, becoming a province a second time.[8][9] Chen was extremely unpopular and his rule led to an uprising - the February 28 Incident. Chen was recalled in May 1947 and the government-general position was abolished.

When the Republic of China government was relocated to Taipei in 1949 as a result of the Kuomintang's (KMT) defeat by the Chinese Communist Party forces in the Chinese Civil War, the provincial administration remained in place under the claim that the ROC was still the government of all of China even though the opposition argued that it overlapped inefficiently with the national government.

The building of the Taiwan Provincial Government at Zhongxing New Village

The seat of the provincial government was moved from Taipei to Zhongxing New Village in 1956. Historically, Taiwan Province covers the entire island of Taiwan and all its associated islands. The city of Taipei was split off to become a province-level special municipality in 1967, and the city of Kaohsiung was split off in 1979 to become another special municipality. In December 2010, Kaohsiung County left the province and merged with the original Kaohsiung City to become an expanded Kaohsiung City, Taipei County became the special municipality named New Taipei City. The cities and counties of Taichung and Tainan were also merged, respectively, and elevated to special municipality. On 25 December 2014, Taoyuan County was upgraded into a special municipality and split off from Taiwan Province.

Until 1992, the governor of Taiwan province was appointed by the ROC central government. The office was often a stepping stone to higher office.

In 1992, the post of the governor of the province was opened to election. The then-opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) agreed to retain the province with an elected governor in the hopes of creating a "Yeltsin effect" in which a popular local leader could overwhelm the national government. These hopes proved unfulfilled as then-Kuomintang member James Soong was elected governor of the Taiwan province by a wide margin, defeating the DPP candidate Chen Ding-nan.

In 1997, as the result of an agreement between the KMT and the DPP, the administration of the province was streamlined and curtailed by constitutional changes. For example, the post of provincial governor and the provincial assembly were both abolished and replaced with a nine-member special council. Although the stated purpose was administrative efficiency, Soong and his supporters claim that it was actually intended to destroy James Soong's power base and eliminate him from political life, though it did not have this effect. In addition, the provincial legislature was abolished, while the Legislative Yuan was expanded to include some of the former provincial legislators.

Prior to January 1, 2007 all vehicles registered in Taiwan Province carried the label "Taiwan Province" (台灣省) on their license plates.

The provincial administration has been greatly streamlined in 1998, and handed most of its power to the central government. The counties and provincial cities under the province then became the primary administrative divisions in the country. In contrast to the past where the head of Taiwan province was considered a major official, the Governor of the Taiwan Provincial Government after 1999 has been considered a very minor position.

Government

Since the streamlining of the Taiwan Provincial Government in 1998, the government has been headed by a provincial council of nine members, led by the provincial governor. The members of the Provincial Council are all appointed by the president. The major operations of the provincial government, such as managing provincial highways and the Bank of Taiwan, have been transferred to the Executive Yuan.

Divisions

Taiwan Province is divided into 11 counties (縣 xiàn)      and 3 provincial cities (市 shì)     :

MapNo.NameMandarin
(Pinyin)		 Taiwanese
(Pe̍h-ōe-jī)		Hakka
(Pha̍k-fa-sṳ)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
 1Changhua County彰化縣Zhānghuà xiànChiong-hoà koānChông-fa yen
2Chiayi City嘉義市Jiāyì shìKa-gī chhīKâ-ngi sṳ
3Chiayi County嘉義縣Jiāyì xiànKa-gī koānKâ-ngi yen
4Hsinchu City新竹市Xīnzhú shìSin-tek chhīSîn-tsuk yen
5Hsinchu County新竹縣Xīnzhú xiànSin-tek koānSîn-tsuk sṳ
6Hualien County花蓮縣Huālián xiànHoa-liân koānFâ-lièn yen
7Keelung City基隆市Jīlóng shìKe-lâng chhīKî-lùng sṳ
8Miaoli County苗栗縣Miáolì xiànBiâu-le̍k koānMèu-li̍t yen
9Nantou County南投縣Nántóu xiànLâm-tâu koānNàm-thèu yen
10Penghu County澎湖縣Pénghú xiànPhêⁿ-ô͘ koānPhàng-fù yen
11Pingtung County屏東縣Píngdōng xiànPîn-tong koānPhìn-tûng yen
12Taitung County臺東縣Táidōng xiànTâi-tang koānThòi-tûng yen
13Yilan County宜蘭縣Yílán xiànGî-lân koānNgì-làn yen
14Yunlin County雲林縣Yúnlín xiànHûn-lîm koānYùn-lìm yen

Note: The cities of Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei and Taoyuan are administered directly by the central government and are not part of Taiwan province. The Senkaku Islands, which are currently administered by Japan, are disputed by both the ROC and PRC, which claim them as the Tiaoyutai/Diaoyutai Islands. The ROC government claims them as part of Toucheng Township, Yilan County.

Administrative history

Decisions by the Executive Yuan since 1945:

DateDivision No.Notes
CountiesCities
Dec. 25, 194589
  • Counties: Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Penghu, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei, and Taitung.
  • Provincial Cities: Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, and Taipei.
(with 2 county-controlled cities: Hualien and Yilan)
Aug. 16, 1950168
  • Counties: Changhua, Chiayi, Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei, Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and Yunlin
  • Provincial Cities: Changhua, Hsinchu, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, and Taipei.
(downgrade Chiayi to a county-controlled city)
Dec. 1, 1951165Downgrade Changhua, Hsinchu, and Pingtung provincial cities to county-controlled cities
Jul. 1, 1967164Taipei became the first Taiwanese special municipality
Nov. 11, 1967164All county seats (originally towns) upgraded to county-controlled cities.
Jul. 1, 1979163Kaohsiung became the second Taiwanese special municipality
Jul. 1, 1982165Upgrade Chiayi and Hsinchu to provincial cities (approved on April 23, 1981)
Dec. 25, 2010123Upgrade Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan to special municipalities, which covers four counties (Kaohsiung, Taipei, Taichung, Tainan) and two provincial cities (Taichung and Tainan).
Dec. 25, 2014113Upgrade Taoyuan to special municipality.

Governor of the Province

Official titles of the governor

YearFull titleLiterallyNotes
ChineseMandarin
(Pinyin)		Taiwanese
(Pe̍h-ōe-jī)
1945–1947臺灣省
行政長官		Táiwānshěng
Xíngzhèng
Zhǎngguān		Tâi-oân-séng
Hêng-chèng
Tióng-Kuaⁿ		 Chief Executive of
Taiwan Province		The position of Chief Executive was temporarily part of the Executive Yuan, the position was legalized in Taiwan Provincial Administrative Executive Office Organizational Outline (臺灣省行政長官公署組織條例 Táiwān-shěng xíngzhèng zhǎngguān gōngshǔ zǔzhī tiáolì) of September 20, 1945.
1947–1994臺灣省政府
主席		Táiwānshěng
Zhèngfǔ Zhǔxí		Tâi-oân-séng
Chèng-hú Chú-se̍k		 Chairman of Taiwan
Provincial Government		After the February 28 Incident, the Administrative Executive Office was reformed to a provincial government. The title often abbreviate as 省主席 shěngzhǔxí.
1994–1998臺灣省
省長		Táiwānshěng
Shěngzhǎng		Tâi-oân-séng
Séng-tiúⁿ		 Governor of
Taiwan Province		During the democratic reforms, the title "Governor" was first legally used in the Self-Governance Law for Provinces and Counties (省縣自治法) of July 29, 1994. The governor was directly elected by the people of the province.
1998–present臺灣省政府
主席		Táiwānshěng
Zhèngfǔ Zhǔxí		Tâi-oân-séng
Chèng-hú Chú-se̍k		 Chairman of Taiwan
Provincial Government		Since the streamlining of the Taiwan Provincial Government in 1998, the government has been headed by a provincial council of nine members, led by the provincial governor. The members of the Provincial Council are all appointed by the president. The major operations of the provincial government, such as managing provincial highways and the Bank of Taiwan, have been transferred to the Executive Yuan.

List of Governors

Lin Junq-tzer, the incumbent Governor of Taiwan Province
No.GovernorChineseMandarin (Pinyin) Term in office
Chief Executive
Chen Yi陳儀Chén YíAugust 29, 1945 – April 22, 1947
Chairman of the Provincial Government
1 Wei Tao-ming 魏道明 Wèi Dàomíng May 16, 1947 – January 5, 1949
2 Chen Cheng 陳誠 Chén Chéng January 5, 1949 – December 21, 1949
3 K. C. Wu 吳國楨 Wú Guózhēn December 21, 1949 – April 16, 1953
4 O. K. Yui 俞鴻鈞 Yú Hóngjūn April 16, 1953 – June 7, 1954
5 Yen Chia-kan 嚴家淦 Yán Jiāgàn June 7, 1954 – August 16, 1957
6 Chow Chih-jou 周至柔 Zhōu Zhìróu August 16, 1957 – December 1, 1962
7 Huang Chieh 黃杰 Huáng Jié December 1, 1962 – July 5, 1969
8 Chen Ta-ching 陳大慶 Chén Dàqìng July 5, 1969 – June 6, 1972
9 Shieh Tung-min 謝東閔 Xiè Dōngmǐn June 6, 1972 – May 20, 1978
actingChu Shao-hwa瞿韶華Qú SháohuáMay 20, 1978 – June 11, 1978
10Lin Yang-kang林洋港Lín YánggǎngJune 12, 1978 – December 5, 1981
11Lee Teng-hui李登輝Lǐ DēnghuīDecember 5, 1981 – May 20, 1984
actingLiu Chao-tien劉兆田Liú ZhàotiánMay 20, 1984 – June 8, 1984
12Chiu Chuang-huan邱創煥Qīu ChuànghuànJune 9, 1984 – June 16, 1990
13Lien Chan連戰Lián ZhànJune 16, 1990 – February 25, 1993
actingTu Teh-chi凃德錡Tú DéqíFebruary 27, 1993 – March 19, 1993
14James Soong宋楚瑜Sòng ChǔyúMarch 20, 1993 – December 20, 1994
Governor
1James Soong宋楚瑜Sòng ChǔyúDecember 20, 1994 – December 21, 1998
Chairman of the Provincial Government
15Chao Shou-po趙守博Zhào ShǒubóDecember 21, 1998 – May 2, 2000
actingChiang Ching-hsien江清馦Jiāng QīngxiānMay 2, 2000 – May 19, 2000
16Chang Po-ya張博雅Zhāng BóyǎMay 20, 2000 – February 1, 2002
17Fan Kuang-chun范光群Fàn GuāngqúnFebruary 1, 2002 – October 7, 2003
18Lin Kwang-hua林光華Lín GuānghuáOctober 13, 2003 – January 25, 2006
actingJeng Peir-fuh鄭培富Zhèng PéifùJanuary 25, 2006 – December 7, 2007
19Lin Hsi-yao林錫耀Lín XíyàoDecember 7, 2007 – May 19, 2008
20Tsai Hsun-hsiung蔡勳雄Cài Xūnxióng May 20, 2008 – September 10, 2009
21Chang Jin-fu張進福Zhāng JìnfúSeptember 10, 2009 – February 26, 2010
22Lin Junq-tzer林政則Lín ZhèngzéFebruary 26, 2010 – present

PRC's claims

The PRC claims the entirety of the island of Taiwan and its surrounding islets, including the Penghu, as parts of its Taiwan Province, corresponding to the ROC's Taiwan Province before the special municipalities were split off. The PRC claims that Taiwan is part of China, that the PRC succeeded the ROC as the sole legitimate authority in all of China upon its founding in 1949, and that therefore Taiwan is part of the PRC.

Sister States/Provinces

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ 臺灣省政府功能業務與組織調整暫行條例 in Chinese
  2. ↑ Taiwan Review-Gone with the Times
  3. ↑ Davidson, James W. (1903). The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects : tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions. London and New York: Macmillan & co. p. 244. OL 6931635M. During the French war, Liu Ming-chuan had been placed in sole command, responsible only to the central authorities. Under his superintendence, Formosa had been carried safely through the war, and it was now apparent that the exigencies of the times required that the island should be made an independent province, and that officials of high rank and undoubted ability should be henceforth placed in charge of it. Therefore, in 1887, the island was declared by Imperial decree an independent province, and the Imperial Commissioner Liu Ming-chuan was appointed the first governor.
  4. ↑ Davidson (1903), p. 244: "A thorough reorganization and redivisioning of the island was now necessitated. In former days, Formosa comprised one complete prefecture, four districts, and three sub-prefectures. Now the island became a province with four prefectures (Taipeh, Taiwan, Tainan, and Taitung), eleven districts, and three sub-prefectures."
  5. ↑ Campbell, William (1915). "Chapter XLIV: A Retrospect and a Forecast". Sketches from Formosa. London: Marshall Brothers. pp. 278–9. OL 7051071M.
  6. ↑ Davidson (1903), pp. 244-5: "As a result of these changes and additions, the seat of government (which had been formerly at the old town of Taiwan-fu in the south, which city had been in turn the capital of the Dutch, Koxinga, and the Chinese,) was now removed temporarily to the new city of Taipeh, which had been lately in course of construction...In connection with this, it is necessary to go further and explain that it was the intention of the government to build a new capital city in the centre of the island near Changwha. Accordingly, the new city was laid out and the construction of official yamens commenced. The name of the new city became Taiwan-fu, or the capital city of Taiwan (Formosa), and it was also to be the seat of a new prefecture called Taiwan [Prefecture]."
  7. ↑ adapted from Davidson (1903), p. 244
  8. ↑ 「去日本化」「再中國化」：戰後台灣文化重建（1945-1947）,Chapter 1. publisher: 麥田出版社, author: 黃英哲, December 19, 2007
  9. ↑ Taiwan History, Chapter 9.The Feb. 28 Incident
  10. ↑ Welcome to the Ohio Department of Development
  11. ↑ http://internationalaffairs.flgov.com/pdf/sister.pdf

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Taiwan.

Coordinates: 23°48′N 121°00′E / 23.8°N 121.0°E / 23.8; 121.0

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, May 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.