Taiwanese general origins in Pin-poh.

by Jim Cheng

“I’m glad to see several people have started to talk about “Taiwanese general origins in Pin-poh.” This is not an “I tell you so” story. Way back in pre-1990 times, our senior Richard Yeh San (The only son of the Tainan Mayor Yeh in 1950s or even in late 1940s) in California had reported articles based on archeology (personal communication) reaching that conclusion. I have a report in Taiwan Tribune (台灣人和印支半島族群的關係--鄭昭任 020702) talked about linguistics and racial relationships between Formosan and Tai-Ka-Dai speakers from Indochina Peninsula. The linguistic part is taken from Robert Blust (1999). Since then I have been repeatedly talking Formosan matter, damping the term Taiwan and Taiwanese and extended my belief that it is one of the most urgent tasks for “Taiwanese” to realize that they mostly didn’t come from Han Chinese.

In one of your recent postings, you asked ancestral Pin-poh names. It is hard at best to do that. In one VCR I watched recently, it was on Negritos that became extinct sometimes early 1900. It was taped probably around 1970-90. Our sis/bro in mountains said their names being so and so but now called an adopted and frequently used Han name. It happened in 1900s after Chankoro Chinese came to the island via USMG’s help in 1947. Aborigines’ descendants were mostly in cities and probably forgot all about their ancestral names. The Pin-poh’s gradually adopted Han names to get into newly predominated Han society in the island (for the sake of living as you all know why) beginning from Koxinga’s invasion of the island since 1662.

Now I focus on the statement by Prof 彭明敏’s father, Peh Cheng-kou (Hoklo). (Even in my early teen years I used to hear Senior Peh’s name since my father talked him very often.) I first learned his “noted” quotation—Shame to have some Chinese blood in my body—through Kuoa Ki-hwa’ book “Jail House Island Taiwan (1992)” that my sister gave me when I visited her on Formosa sometimes in 1990. Kuoa was still alive at that time and my brother-in-law knew Kuoa since high school days. I reported an article on Kuoa on 080204 in Taiwan Tribune and proudly quoted Senior 彭’s phrase. I suspect now even he might not have the “Chinese blood” at all but before 1950 most “Taiwanese” were fooled by Chinese believing their ancestral origin in Han. It is true that those long-enjoying the “famous and wealthy Taiwanese families” mostly have origins in Fukien since during Manchurian Ch’in time after 1683 probably had brought their wealth and official ranking connections in government. As to others with China origins, they should be numbered only in minority (as I have repeatedly been criticizing that the widely talked immigration en masse into Formosa is a hoax.) A recent posting even insisted over 90% of those claimed to have Han origin being Pin-pohs. So what we need in addition to the political revolution is the Cultural Revolution to elicit Formosan belief that they mostly are not Chinese Han and then fight against those racial Chinese pigs.

Last note: Naïve “Taiwanese” are brain-washed to think “Racial Discrimination” is a taboo to talk. It is true not to discriminate races in political sense. But Racial Differences are a biological and medical truth that we have to face. 馬英九 is purely political and together with other Chankoro Chinese to discriminate “Taiwanese” and you are witnessing that on your own eyes.”.

Jim Cheng. 090718