In 2000, Taiwan's long-time one-party rule ended, and for the first time, democratic elections brought a change of government. This book, which chronicled the “national creation myth” through in-depth reporting, became a bestseller in Japan and Taiwan, but it also exposed latent taboos and caused an uproar, including bashing by the Chinese unificationists and the author banned from entering the country. In 2008, however, Taiwan reverted back to the KMT regime. Prioritizing short-term economic interests, the people face a potential collapse of national identity and rapid “Sinicization” of the country. So what is a nation? What is nationalism?

(Source: Shogakukan, translated)

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• Yoshinori Kobayashi — Story & Art