Taiwanese people like to joke several times with the following joke: if a loud bang is heard and someone asks what happened the next question is: “Are we being attacked by the Chinese army?”
This joke, as Hsin Chieh Ho states in his analysis on aljazeera.com, exists “to make fun of ourselves when we are with our foreign friends, Chinese or others, but there is also truth in this. In Taiwan, children ask this question whenever there is a loud noise outside or when Chinese military planes fly nearby, as they often do. “It’s a spasmodic reaction, given the ongoing debate about a possible media invasion by politicians and the general population.”
The threat of invasion by China, which sees Taiwan as a … province while self-governing Taiwan considers itself independent, is part of everyday life in Taiwan. For more than 70 years, people have been “waiting” for a war that has no yet to come.
In 1949, China and Taiwan came under the control of two different parties following the departure of the Kuomintang (KMT), which both ruled the island. The Communist Party occupied the mainland, evolving to become the current government of China. Every Chinese leader since then has claimed to have a formal military plan to retake Taiwan.
But Taiwanese do not seem to live with the threat of conflict – alert, panicked or even ready to leave. Exactly the opposite. Over the decades, Taiwanese have developed a unique philosophy of coping. “We spend our days with the kind of attitude that can best be described as casual. Boba or bubble tea, the main Taiwanese drink, popular with all ages and all walks of life, reflects this attitude. In the afternoon, people often take a short break to order a cup of boba tea in a package from the specialty stores that sell it. It is a daily reward or a treat. People tie, drink and chew the milky drink with a tapioca ball available in various flavors and with an individualized amount of sugar and ice syrup. Boba tea represents this occasional attitude, because no matter what happens, we always find time to enjoy it – to enjoy life. “Just as we face the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we face the mental strain of military tensions and the uncertainty they represent with a large cup of tea,” the Taiwanese man wrote to aljazeera.com.
The columnist also points out that: “Our casual attitude can give many strangers the wrong impression – that we are not worried about war. This is not the case. Indeed, when political tensions are high and the likelihood of invasion increases, people in Taiwan may be outwardly calm but think, as the Taiwanese expression puts it, “the wolf is coming.” But when the tensions simmer they will think: “The wolf is sleeping. “Maybe there will be no war.”
In recent months, military and political tensions have risen between China and Taiwan with Chinese warplanes invading the island’s air defense zone – more than 150 in early October – and the United States says it will defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion. Some experts say tensions are at their worst since the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, when China launched missiles into Taiwanese waters in 1996.
This has made everyone feel nervous, albeit to varying degrees. The climate in the country was tense, with media discussions discussing the extension of military service from the current few months to years. Ordinary people talk about the situation with their families and friends. “I have friends who have nightmares about a Chinese invasion. I think such nightmares are common. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person. “What else can we do?” people ask. It is a phrase commonly heard when Taiwanese talk about invasion, as they often do at dinner, coffee or a bar. In recent years, a Japanese word, shōkakkō, meaning “small but certain happiness / luck” – a term coined by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami to describe the simple pleasures of life – has become a popular way for seniors to describe them. young Taiwanese, “Hsin Chieh Ho wrote on aljazeera.com.
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