Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan

Forbidden Nation: A History of TaiwanThe history of China is complex and most of us in the West have only a superficial understanding of ancient and modern china. We have even less of an understanding of the strategically pivotal island state of Taiwan.This comprehensive history of Taiwan is a remarkable and critical work to assist us in our understanding of the complex and dangerous relationships between China, Taiwan, and the US.China claims Taiwan sovereignty and Taiwan resists inclusion in totalitarian Communist state. This history illuminates the many twists and turns of China's claims of hegemony over the island. Dynastic China, under the Quin and Manchu, and even the Tang often chose to ignore Taiwan, or claim they had no interest in the place only to, on occasion, claim sovereignty. The claims and counterclaims are complex and richly nuanced in this excellent work.This is not a work of propaganda, but instead of well researched and reasoned scholarship. I am sure that the Communist Party of China's leaders will or have denounced this work given their commitment to using their politicized version of history as a tool of social control. However to those who value the lessons of the past and want to know why Taiwan is important this book is for you

Fascinating study of the early beginnings of the island, ethnic groups and tribes, relations and trade with China and European nations, occupation by Japan, and the long and continuing struggle for recognition as a nation-state. And more.

As someone who plans on spending some time in Taiwan in the near future, I was interested to learn more about its history. I found this book to be a good overview, and it held my attention much more closely than I had expected. I learned some things that I had never suspected about Taiwan's influential history as a focal point of East Asian sea trade (and piracy!).Some reviewers have noted that this book tends to be selective in its focus, giving much more time to ancient history than to modern events (especially recent). This is a valid criticism, perhaps, but personally I enjoyed the historical narrative of pirate kings, wars, and the mysterious mountainous interior, as opposed to the endless modern political debates.-The bottom line:For someone seeking an in-depth analysis of Taiwan's modern status as a nation (or not) and relationship to China, there are other works that focus on that specifically. But if you want a good comprehensive understanding of the forces and events that have shaped Taiwan and its people throughout the ages, I can't think of a better read.

Very good overview of a nation that is now such a centerpiece in the international news. A definite read for anyone.

Forbidden Nation, by Manthorpe offers a condensed look at the history of the Taiwan, ranging from its physical formation and theories over how it was originally peopled, up to the modern day political landscape.Within 300 pages, Manthorpe paints a rich guide to highly politicized issue of Taiwanese identity, weaving together aboriginal, Chinese, and Japanese cultures. The bias in Manthorpe's writing is fairly evident, heavily in favor of the DPP over the KMT in modern era politics, and refusing to pull any punches regarding how the KMT establishes itself in Taiwan.Inevitably, such a brief guide to such an extensive history will suffer from glossing over some important subjects, and it seems that Manthorpe spends little too much time in ancient history, and chooses to focus on episodes of significance (such as the leadup to 1985 Japanese occupation, 1949 KMT retreat, and 2004 election). Additionally, each chapter appears as if it was written independently of the others, and Manthorpe often repeats facts. Whether this is design or flaw, I do not know, but each chapter of the book can be pulled out and read fairly well on its own.Overall, the book offers a concise yet effective overview of the complicated history of a little yet important island in the Pacific.

This is a fairly enjoyable and quite easy-to-read documentary of Taiwanese history, replete with tales of pirates, head hunters and settlers. He does a good job of making sense of historical persons, their motivations and mistakes. It also recaps the country's recent political history up to 2008. Although it loses some momentum toward the end, I'd recommend it as a good background intro for anyone new to the country.

I agree with most of the other reviewers above here that this book is fast, effective and fairly thorough.I bought this book because I wanted to understand Taiwan in its context besides merely the Chinese influence we all know so much about. For this purpose, the book is splendid!My criticism - and why I felt obliged to give no more than three stars - is that it is a self-professed history of Taiwan. In dealing with historical events, however, it is a politically charged book. This makes for a tough read for someone who wants to attempt an objective view of what currently takes place between Taiwan and China. Manthorpe intelligently makes use of conventions in international politics to justify Taiwanese independence just as he makes use of emerging studies of ethnicity to describe Taiwan as unique - that is, in almost no way Chinese. But rather than inspire the reader to draw conclusions from this "evidence", Manthorpe clearly wants to steer the reader in a particular direction.If you are searching for a pro-Taiwan take on the current issues, you have found the right book. Manthorpe is lively in his prose, and it is not hard to turn pages. However, if you are a historian or student of international politics in general, you should look to another history of Taiwan.

This is by far the most complete and unbiased account of the history and politics of Taiwan. Johnathan Manthorpe approaches the topic from a wide perspective, showing sound knowledge of Chinese, Japanese and European culture. He contextualises the currents situation with China, and shows there is considerable historic and legal president for Taiwans independence. What also comes through is the resilience and pluck of the Taiwanese people amidst the power games it has been the victim of over so many centuries. A great read, and essential for anyone wishing to gain a deeper, and less biased understanding of Taiwanese would-besovereignty.

One of the best books I've read, incredibly well documented, explained and analysed. Good to get an overview of Taiwan's history from an academical point of view.

A historical book that reads likes a thriller. Manthorpe did a great job. He combined "hard" history with more "soft" stories. This makes the book very readible and interesting.

I was a little bit boring in the first time I read it but the more I read I found more interesting. I learned lots about Taiwan.

interesting