Research on the Issues of “Taiwan’s Local Identity” and
“Chinese Course De-Chineseization”

Hui Ling Chen

Abstract: Edward Relph (1976), to be human is to live in a world that is filled with significant places, to be human is to have and to know your place. We were born in a place, grown up in a place, or will die in a place. How can we let the children of the new generation cherish the land under their feet and deepen their cognition and identification of the place? I will start with the common compulsory course “Chinese Course”. This research attempts to reverse the traditional university Chinese teaching materials and teaching methods, making it a practical and conscious “Taiwanese-style Chinese courses”, and then making it a topic of life. The curriculum is designed as a four to six ratio: 60% of Chinese Classical Texts and 40% of local literature and history are used to construct and integrate the curriculum. It is based on the Four great writers in ancient China (Zhuang Zi 莊子, Qu Yuan 屈原, Tao Yuanming 陶淵明, Su Shi 蘇軾) and the Four major ports in northern Taiwan (Xinzhuang 新莊, Mengjia艋舺, Dadaocheng大稻埕, Danshui淡水) to meet, with the awareness of “self-place-country” Rethinking is the axis of the curriculum. Through the four major field visits and lectures on local culture and history, the exploration of topics leads the young generations to think about and feedback on the two major issues of Taiwan’s local identity and De-Chineseization.

Key words: Taiwan local identity, place culture and history, De-Chineseization