In 1661, the first Chinese general seized Taiwan, replacing its inhabitants with his army’s descendants. Now, his legacy is used to support the Chinese unification narrative.
Thank you for this powerful reflection. As a professor of behavioral economics and applied cognitive theory, I see this not just as contested history but as a study in incentive design. The elevation of Koxinga reveals how legacy is used to shape behavior, reward obedience, and suppress dissent. When myth becomes curriculum, it stops being memory and starts becoming machinery.
I’ve studied Mandarin, China, and Taiwan for years…linguistically, historically, and behaviorally. What stands out here is how national storytelling becomes a tool to shape the narrative.
Whose story is this? That question sits at the heart of every identity crisis. It’s behavioral conditioning. It teaches loyalty.
Taiwan’s reckoning with its past is not just political. It’s cognitive. The future of any nation depends on the stories it chooses to protect, and the ones it’s finally willing to confront. Thank you for helping surface what’s been buried.
So glad we have such a smart, reflective audience here -- it's exactly what I was hoping for. "The future of any nation depends on the stories it chooses to protect, and the ones it’s finally willing to confront." As true for Taiwan as it is for Ukraine... but what about the United States? We tell ourselves a lot of stories about our countries, but have so often failed to live up to those ideals -- and we see plenty of evidence about that now.
That’s a fascinating perspective, especially the part about how myth turns into a mechanism and starts working as a tool of control. I agree that narratives really shape the boundaries of what’s possible in a society.
Do you think it’s even possible to build a national identity without myths, relying only on critical re-examination of the past?
Thank you for this powerful reflection. As a professor of behavioral economics and applied cognitive theory, I see this not just as contested history but as a study in incentive design. The elevation of Koxinga reveals how legacy is used to shape behavior, reward obedience, and suppress dissent. When myth becomes curriculum, it stops being memory and starts becoming machinery.
I’ve studied Mandarin, China, and Taiwan for years…linguistically, historically, and behaviorally. What stands out here is how national storytelling becomes a tool to shape the narrative.
Whose story is this? That question sits at the heart of every identity crisis. It’s behavioral conditioning. It teaches loyalty.
Taiwan’s reckoning with its past is not just political. It’s cognitive. The future of any nation depends on the stories it chooses to protect, and the ones it’s finally willing to confront. Thank you for helping surface what’s been buried.
So glad we have such a smart, reflective audience here -- it's exactly what I was hoping for. "The future of any nation depends on the stories it chooses to protect, and the ones it’s finally willing to confront." As true for Taiwan as it is for Ukraine... but what about the United States? We tell ourselves a lot of stories about our countries, but have so often failed to live up to those ideals -- and we see plenty of evidence about that now.
That’s a fascinating perspective, especially the part about how myth turns into a mechanism and starts working as a tool of control. I agree that narratives really shape the boundaries of what’s possible in a society.
Do you think it’s even possible to build a national identity without myths, relying only on critical re-examination of the past?
Thanks for this interesting article, I knew nothing of this history.