Taiwan Project Center - HUA

Taiwan packs a lot of punch. In land area, it measures about 1.3 times the size of Massachusetts, but has more than three times the population. The island, which sits just 100 miles off the coast of southern China, holds a uniquely ambiguous status. Most of the world's countries do not recognize it as an independent country, yet it functions as one. (Its peculiar status stems from the stalemated Chinese Civil war and Cold War; countries can only grant diplomatic recognition to either the PRC/China or ROC/Taiwan). This has made for a different China experience on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. On one side, the PRC is ruled by the Chinese Communist Party and has embarked on a remarkable economic transformation over the past few decades. On the other side is Taiwan—a staunch ally of the US and one of East Asia's 4 capitalist economic tigers, it has long been integrated into the global economy. Because it is where people from all over China fled during the civil war, the island arguably represents a microcosm of Chinese regional cuisines, customs, religions, and arts. Besides its economic strength and role as upholder of Chinese culture, the island has had a significant transformation over the past few decades as it moved from authoritarianism to vibrant democracy. Thus, the quite different experiences on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait mean that Taiwan offers students access to many and different aspects of the Chinese experience. Taiwan is known for its lively temple life, active civil society, progressive politics, stunning mountainous terrain, ecotourism, its modern cities that weave in elements of traditional life, and a world-recognized food scene—both in terms of restaurants and its famed night markets. We will spend 2/3 of our time in Taipei and 1/3 in Tainan. We will be on the ground in Taiwan for 3+ weeks and students will then have an additional 2 weeks to finish work. Students can spend those last two weeks back in the States or wherever they want/need to be. The center start date is timed to make it easy to transition from D-term IQP sites in Asia to the Taiwan HUA Center. No Chinese language or knowledge of Taiwan is necessary to apply.