Tainan - Not all Taiwanese are "Taiwanese"
While at a Rotaract meeting last week I joked to a Taiwanese friend of mine that I loved coming to the meetings but I had no idea what was going on, since all the meetings are held in Taiwanese (Hoklo) instead of Mandarin. It has been said that the two languages are as much alike as English and German, so while it is possible to understand a few words it is very difficult to follow conversations unless one speaks the language fluently. I was taken aback, however, when my friend admitted he also did not speak Taiwanese. He explained, "I'm waisheng (lit., 'Mainlander'). My family is from Shandong Province so we can't speak Taiwanese."
For most of the last century, the greatest sociopolitical divide in Taiwan has been between the bensheng (Taiwanese) and the waisheng (Mainlanders). Though both groups are ethnically Chinese, the Taiwanese are those whose ancestors came to Taiwan before the Japanese occupation in 1895. Their ancestors are largely from Fujian Province in China, and in fact the Taiwanese language is closely related to the Fujian dialect. The Mainlanders are the descendents of the Kuomintang (Nationalists) and their supporters who came to Taiwan after the end of World War II, when Taiwan was formally returned to China. The Mainlanders have their roots in various parts of China and thus speak Mandarin as a common tongue; they have little or no knowledge of Taiwanese. Aside from language, there are also socioeconomic gaps between the two groups. When the Mainlanders took control of the administration of Taiwan, the most preferential political and commercial opportunities were given to other Mainlanders due to their better social connections and superior Mandarin. The Taiwanese were largely closed off from political or social advancement. The Mainlanders also initially exploited Taiwan's natural and industrial resources to support the Nationalist government in Beijing, earning them the reputation of "barbarians" that, in milder form, still carries over to today. During the White Terror and the decades of martial law under the KMT government that followed, the Taiwanese were frequently viewed with suspicion as "subversives" and imprisoned by the Mainlander-dominated administration. Though relations have improved immensely in recent years, there are still many issues that are not discussed in public, and more than one Taiwanese friend has told me that their families don't mention "Mainlanders" at home because parents find it very upsetting. Another Taiwanese friend told me, "We suffered a lot under them during the White Terror. Some things are very hard to get over."
Fortunately, it seems social relations have improved in recent years. My friends here say only that it's not mentioned; if it's clear that someone is "Mainlander," it's socially acceptable, but in general Taiwanese do not ask each other if they speak Taiwanese. As my friends have said, some issues are better not discussed.

Photos of Rotary Events: http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a356/chinaadventure/Taiwan/Rotary%20Events/