Forbidden Nation

Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan is a 2005 book by Jonathan Manthorpe. The work provides a comprehensive survey of Taiwanese history spanning from early indigenous settlement and European contact through to the nation's early-21st-century political landscape. Manthorpe details the country's strategic geopolitical positioning, its successive waves of foreign colonial administration, its late-20th-century transition to democracy, and its ongoing complex diplomatic relationship with the People's Republic of China. The book utilizes a framing device that opens and concludes with an analysis of the 2004 shooting of President Chen Shui-bian, which took place immediately prior to the 2004 Taiwanese presidential election. The book was released amidst heightened international discourse regarding democratic consolidation in Taiwan and fluctuating cross-strait security dynamics.

Forbidden Nation: A History of Taiwan

Author	Jonathan Manthorpe
Language	English
Subject	History of Taiwan, Cross-strait relations, Political status of Taiwan
Genre	Non-fiction
Set in	Taiwan
Publisher	St. Martin's Press
Publication date	14 October 2005
Publication place	Canada
Pages	286
ISBN	9780230614246 (Paperback)

Summary

The narrative traces the historical development of Taiwan through multiple distinct historical epochs, beginning with early Taiwanese indigenous populations and initial European trade outposts established by the Dutch East India Company. It progresses through the eras of Qing dynasty administration, Japanese colonial rule, and the eventual arrival of Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government following the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War.

A central thematic focus is the emergence of a distinct Taiwanese national identity and the broader questions surrounding the island state's contemporary sovereignty. Manthorpe argues that historical assertions used by Beijing to claim sovereignty over Taiwan are legally and historically tenuous. He highlights that Chinese imperial administration, particularly under the Qing dynasty, was geographically limited and frequently failed to extend control over the entire island prior to its cession to Japan in 1895. The text analyzes pivotal figures and milestones in modern Taiwanese governance, including the presidency of Chiang Ching-kuo, the lifting of martial law, and subsequent democratization processes.

Themes

The text emphasizes the direct intersection of historical precedents and contemporary cross-strait political flashpoints. Key thematic structural tracks include state formation, national identity development, and the legal parameters governing Taiwan's status within international bodies. Manthorpe characterizes Taiwan's historical trajectory as fundamentally separate from that of China, while explicitly noting that its geopolitical future remains constrained by regional powers and its unique geographical location.

Reception

Critical commentary generally focused on the book's accessibility and its detailed parsing of the country's political development. Writing for the Taipei Times in February 2006, reviewer Bradley Winterton characterized the work as a clear and balanced foundational introduction to Taiwanese history. Winterton highlighted the author's meticulous attention to the evolution of Taiwanese sovereignty.

Philip Courtenay reviewed the book for the Taiwan Today. He wrote that Manthorpe's background as a journalist made the text more accessible to general readers than typical academic histories. Courtenay noted that the book's main strength was its extensive coverage of Taiwan's history prior to 1895, particularly the Dutch colonial period, the House of Koxinga, and the 19th-century modernization reforms under Governor Liu Mingchuan. However, he noted an imbalance in the book's pacing, pointing out that the 50-year period of Japanese colonial rule was covered in only 14 pages despite its major impact on the nation's development.

Other commentators credited the author with delivering a readable, fair-minded introductory overview that avoids overtly polarizing rhetoric. However, some recent critics observed that the volume leans heavily on a state-centric analysis focused primarily on political elites, thereby dedicating less analytical space to the social histories of Indigenous peoples, women, and everyday civilian life in the country.

See also

• Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival
• The Taiwan Tinderbox
• Taiwan: A Contested Democracy Under Threat
• History of Taiwan
• Political status of Taiwan
• Cross-Strait relations