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This is atimeline of Taiwanese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Taiwan and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, seeHistory of Taiwan andHistory of the Republic of China. See also thelist of rulers of Taiwan.
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 230 | Two generals ofEastern Wu lead 10,000 expedition troops land on an island known asYizhou (suspected to be Taiwan or the Ryukyu islands) where most of them die but manage to capture and bring "several thousand"natives back to China[1][2] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 607–610 | TheSui dynasty sends expeditions to an island known asLiuqiu, which possibly is Taiwan, but could also be theRyukyu Islands[1] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1171 | Chinese fishermen settle on thePenghu Islands[3] | |
| TheSong dynasty stations officers at thePenghu Islands[4] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1271 | Chinese people start visiting Taiwan[5] | |
| 1292 | TheYuan dynasty sends an expedition toLiuqiu, which may or may not be Taiwan[6] | |
| 1297 | TheYuan dynasty sends another expedition toLiuqiu, which may or may not be Taiwan[6] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1349 | Wang Dayuan provides the first account of a visit to Taiwan and also notes substantial settlements of Chinese traders and fishermen on thePenghu Islands[4] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1525 | Some merchants fromFujian are able to speakFormosan languages[5] | |
| 1544 | Portuguese sailors passing Taiwan record in the ship's log the nameIlha Formosa (Beautiful Island).[7] | |
| 1563 | PirateLin Daoqian retreats to southwestern Taiwan after being chased byMing naval forces[8] | |
| A walled town is built inPenghu (Pescadores) on the orders of aMing general[9] | ||
| 1574 | 3 November | PirateLin Feng lands in southwestern Taiwan only to be attacked by indigenous people[10] |
| 27 December | Lin Feng returns to Taiwan again[10] | |
| 1582 | Portuguese shipwreck survivors, the firstEuropeans known to have landed onTaiwan, build a raft after 45 days and return toMacau[7] | |
| 1590 | Chinese fromFujian start settling in southwestern Taiwan[10] | |
| 1592 | Japan unsuccessfully seeks sovereignty over Taiwan (Takayamakoku 高山国 in Japanese, lit. high mountain country).[11] | |
| 1593 | Ming officials issue ten licenses each year for Chinese junks to trade in northern Taiwan[12] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1603 | Chinese scholarChen Di spends some time at theBay of Tayouan (which Taiwan takes its name from) during aMing dynasty anti-pirate mission and provides the first significant description ofTaiwanese indigenous people[7] | |
| 1604 | Sino-Dutch conflicts: Dutch envoyWijbrand van Waerwijck and his army are ordered to occupyPenghu (Pescadores) in order to open trade with China[11] | |
| 1609 | TheTokugawa Shogunate sends feudal lordArima Harunobu on an exploratory mission to Taiwan.[11] | |
| 1616 | Nagasaki officialMurayama Tōan leads troops on an unsuccessful invasion of Taiwan[11] | |
| 1622 | August | TheDutch start building a fort atPenghu (Pescadores)[13] |
| 1623 | Chinese population in southwestern Taiwan reaches 1,500[5] | |
| 1624 | 26 August | Sino-Dutch conflicts: Ming forces evict theDutch fromPenghu (Pescadores) and they retreat toTaiwan, settling near theBay of Tayouan next to a pirate village[14] |
| There are two Chinese villages in SouthwesternTaiwan, on a long thin peninsula on theBay of Tayouan, and on the mainland in what would becomeTainan[15] | ||
| Chinese laborers start building theFort Zeelandia at theBay of Tayouan for theDutch[15] | ||
| 1625 | TheDutch clash with 170 Chinese pirates in theMadou and are forced to retreat; later the pirates are driven away[16] | |
| 1626 | July | TheDutch force the Chinese inhabitants ofTaiwan to obtain a permit of residence[15] |
| Spanish expedition to Formosa: TheSpanish arrive atSantissima Trinidad (Keelung) and build a fort[12] | ||
| 1627 | Chinese trade withSpanish Formosa picks up after theSpanish manage to ingratiate themselves with the governor ofFujian by defending him from attacks by the indigenous people[12] | |
| 1628 | TheDutch sign a trade treaty withZheng Zhilong[15] | |
| TheSpanish establish a settlement atDanshui and buildFort Santo Domingo in an attempt to attract Chinese merchants.[12] | ||
| 1629 | summer | Madou ambushes and kills 35Dutch soldiers[16] |
| 1630 | February | Madou signs a nine-month truce with theDutch[16] |
| 1631 | Spanish Formosa usessulphur inTaiwan to trade for Chinese goods[12] | |
| 1633 | 7 July | Battle of Liaoluo Bay:Hans Putmans' fleet sails into the harbor ofXiamen and fire onZheng Zhilong's fleet without warning[15] |
| 22 October | Battle of Liaoluo Bay:Hans Putmans' fleet is defeated byZheng Zhilong off ofKinmen[15] | |
| 1634 | October | TheDutch forbid Chinese trade of deerskins to anyone but them[17] |
| 5 November | Dutch forces routTaccariang's forces[16] | |
| Liu Xiang attacksFort Zeelandia in retaliation for their refusal to aid him againstZheng Zhilong, but fails[15] | ||
| Chinese start plantingsugarcane nearFort Provintia[5] | ||
| 1635 | winter | Dutch pacification campaign on Formosa: TheDutch defeatMadou[16] |
| 1636 | TheDutch declare apax hollandica in the plains around theBay of Tayouan[16] | |
| The Chinese start conducting large scale commercial hunting in Taiwan with assistance from theDutch East India Company[17] | ||
| 1637 | TheSpanish withdraw half their forces fromTaiwan[12] | |
| 1640 | TheDutch force Chinese people in Taiwan to pay a residency tax[18] | |
| 1641 | TheDutch attempt to oust theSpaniards fromKeelung but fail[19] | |
| 1642 | August | TheDutch oust theSpaniards inKeelung; so endsSpanish Formosa[19] |
| TheDutch forbid Chinese from settling outside of areas of company control[18] | ||
| 1645 | The Chinese are forbidden from hunting deer in Taiwan[18] | |
| 1651 | Reports of violence and extortion of the Chinese by theDutch are reported[18] | |
| 1652 | 7–11 September | Guo Huaiyi rebellion: Chinese farmers rebel against theDutch and are defeated; considered to be the first Chinese anti-western uprising[18] |
| Chinese population in Taiwan reaches 20,000 to 25,000[18] | ||
| 1654 | May | Locusts, plague, and earthquakes greatly damage Taiwan[20] |
| 1655 | August | Ming loyalistZheng Chenggong declares sovereignty over Chinese citizens in Taiwan[20] |
| 1656 | 9 July | An edict fromZheng Chenggong arrives atFort Zeelandia declaring all Chinese trade of foreign products to be illegal and punishable by death, and Chinese merchants start leaving Taiwan as a result[20] |
| 1660 | March | TheDutch receive news ofZheng Chenggong's plans to invade Taiwan[21] |
| Albrecht Herport notes that even in their depleted state, there are an abundance of deer inTaiwan[7] | ||
| 1661 | 21 April | Zheng Chenggong departs fromKinmen Island forTaiwan[22] |
| 30 April | Zheng Chenggong arrives on the shores ofDutch Formosa nearFort Provintia where threeDutch ships attack them, but one sinks, and the other two retreat; two subsequent Dutch attacks are also defeated[22] | |
| 1 May | Fort Provintia surrenders toZheng Chenggong[23] | |
| 3 May | Aboriginals around theBay of Tayouan surrender toZheng Chenggong[21] | |
| 16 September | Fort Zeelandia launches an attack onZheng Chengong's army and is defeated[21] | |
| 1662 | 1 February | Siege of Fort Zeelandia:Fort Zeelandia surrenders toZheng Chenggong and theDutch depart from Taiwan; so endsDutch Formosa[23] |
| 23 June | Zheng Chenggong dies and is succeeded byZheng Xi[24] | |
| November | Zheng Jing defeatsZheng Xi and renamed his realm theKingdom of Dongning[25] | |
| 1663 | February | Zheng Jing returns toXiamen[25] |
| July | Zheng Jing imprisons his brotherZheng Tai, and as a result their relatives surrender to theQing dynasty[25] | |
| November | TheQing dynasty conquersXiamen andKinmen Island[25] | |
| 1664 | July | TheDutch occupyKeelung[26] |
| September | Qing commanderShi Lang leads a fleet of warships to invade Taiwan but is turned back by bad weather[26] | |
| Chinese population in Taiwan rises to 50,000[27] | ||
| 1665 | May | Shi Lang attempts to invade Taiwan but his fleet is scattered by a storm[26] |
| 1666 | May | Chinese troops attempt to dislodge theDutch fromKeelung but fail[28] |
| 1668 | TheDutch abandonKeelung after alienating local indigenous villages[28] | |
| 1674 | Zheng Jing re-entersXiamen (Amoy)[29] | |
| 1678 | Zheng Jing's forces underLiu Guoxuan attempt to conquerZhangzhou but fail[30] | |
| 1680 | 26 March | Zheng Jing departs fromXiamen[30] |
| 1681 | March | Zheng Jing dies and his sonZheng Kezang succeeds him, only to be ousted byZheng Keshuang[30] |
| 1683 | 12 July | Battle of Penghu:Qing commanderShi Lang leads an attack on the Zheng fleet nearPenghu (Pescadores) but fails[30] |
| 17 July | Battle of Penghu: TheQing fleet returns and defeats the Zheng fleet, occupyingPenghu (Pescadores)[30] | |
| TheQing dynasty conquers theKingdom of Dongning;Zheng Keshuang is given a non-hereditary position inBeijing[31] | ||
| 1684 | Taiwan is made a prefecture ofFujian, governed by a prefect, under which are magistrates of three counties, Zhuluo, Taiwan, and Fengshan[32] | |
| Total population of Taiwan is around 100,000[7][27] | ||
| Shi Lang estimates that half of Taiwan's Chinese population has left for the mainland[33] | ||
| 1685 | Lin Qianguang writes an account ofTaiwanese indigenous peoples[34] | |
| 1699 | Taiwanese indigenous people rebel in northern Taiwan[35] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1711 | Annual arrivals in Taiwan reach tens of thousands despite official restrictions[36] | |
| 1712 | The first regulations on a permit system are recorded[37] | |
| 1721 | 19 April | Zhu Yigui and a group of 80 rebels attack a military outpost at Gangshan, south ofTainan, and rob its weapons;Du Junying also rebels[38] |
| 30 April | Zhu Yigui's rebels attackTainan but fail[39] | |
| 1 May | Zhu Yigui takesTainan and Zhuluo[39] | |
| 3 May | Zhu Yigui is declared a king[39] | |
| 16 June | Qing forces land nearTainan and defeatZhu Yigui[39] | |
| 10 September | Du Junying surrenders toQing forces[40] | |
| 1722 | Due to theZhu Yigui uprising, Han-indigenous territories are separated via 54 stelae marking the boundaries of the frontier area[41] | |
| 1723 | Changhua County is created[42] | |
| 1728 | Tax registers are expanded toChanghua County[43] | |
| 1730 | Those without property in mainland China or relatives in Taiwan are barred from entering Taiwan[37] | |
| 1731 | Danshui subprefecture is created[44][42] | |
| The Dajiaxi (大甲西) indigenouss aroundTaichung rebel and kill a subprefect[44] | ||
| 1732 | Migrants are allowed to take children and wives to Taiwan[45] | |
| Qing forces suppress the Dajiaxi (大甲西) indigenous rebellion.[46] | ||
| 1733 | Families on the mainland are allowed to move to Taiwan[46] | |
| 1734 | A total of 47 indigenous schools are created[47] | |
| 1737 | Marriage betweenindigenous women andHan Chinese men is prohibited on the grounds that it interfered in indigenous life and was used by settlers as a means to claim indigenous land.[48][49] | |
| 1738 | Reclamation of indigenous land is banned[47] | |
| 1740 | Legal migration to Taiwan is ended[50] | |
| 1750 | Han-indigenous boundaries are rebuilt[41] | |
| 1756 | Immigrant population in Taiwan number 600,147[51] | |
| 1760 | Han-indigenous boundaries are rebuilt[41] | |
| Families are allowed to enter Taiwan again for a brief period[49] | ||
| 1766 | Two indigenous affairs sub-prefects are appointed to manage indigenous affairs[41] | |
| 1770 | Chinese settlers start moving intoYilan[52] | |
| 1777 | Immigrant population in Taiwan number 839,800[51] | |
| 1782 | Chiayi andChanghua prefectures go to war over gambling debts and more than 400 villages are destroyed[53] | |
| Immigrant population in Taiwan number 912,000[51] | ||
| 1784 | Han-indigenous boundaries are rebuilt[41] | |
| 1786 | Lin Shuangwen rebellion:Ling Shuangwen rebels and takes overChanghua[54] | |
| Individuals whose relatives are already in Taiwan are allowed to emigrate[51] | ||
| 1787 | A settler named Wu Sha tries to claimKavalan territory in modernYilan but is repelled[55] | |
| 1788 | Lin Shuangwen rebellion: The rebels are defeated[56] | |
| 1790 | Han-indigenous boundaries are rebuilt[41] | |
| Active enforcement of quarantine measures is abandoned and an office for cross-strait travel is set up[49] | ||
| 1795 | Chen Zhouchuan rebellion[57] | |
| 1797 | Settler Wu Sha receives financial support from the local government to colonizeYilan but fails to register the land due to lack of official recognition[55] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1805 | Cai Qian rebellion[58] | |
| 1809 | PirateCai Qian is surrounded by the Qing navy and commits suicide.[citation needed] | |
| 1810 | Due to fear of piracy, the emperor officially recognizes land previously colonized inYilan as part of administrated territory[59] | |
| 1811 | Han Chinese population in Taiwan reaches 1,944,000, 70% residing in the south[60] | |
| 1812 | Northeast Taiwan is taken over by Chinese people[61] | |
| 1814 | Some settlers fake indigenous land-lease documents to colonize central Taiwan[62] | |
| 1816 | Settlers in central Taiwan are evicted by government troops[62] | |
| 1824 | Immigrant population in Taiwan number 1,786,883[51] | |
| 1832 | Zhang Bing rebellion[57] | |
| 1839 | Qing authorities demarcate Chinese territories in Taiwan and prohibit Chinese settlers from encroaching on native lands[27] | |
| 1853 | Lin Gong rebellion[58] | |
| 1860 | Convention of Beijing:Danshui andAnping are opened to foreigners[63] | |
| 1862 | Dai Wansheng rebels[64] | |
| 1863 | Lin Wencha is promoted to commander-in-chief ofFujian troops, the highest position ever attained by a Taiwanese during theQing dynasty[65] | |
| 1865 | Dai Wansheng's rebellion is defeated[64] | |
| 1867 | American military expedition sent toKenting in response to theRover incident. | |
| 1868 | 20 November | Camphor War:British Navy occupiesAnping over rights to exportcamphor without regard for Chinese regulations[66] |
| 1 December | Camphor War:Qing dynasty gives in to British demands for reparations, freedom of missionary activity, and trade rights[66] | |
| John Dodd calls in British gunboats to forceQing authorities to apologize and pay reparations for being accosted by an angry crowd[66] | ||
| 1869 | Government troops are decreased from 14,425 to 7,621[67] | |
| 1871 | November | Mudan Incident:Ryukyuan sailors shipwreck off of southern Taiwan andPaiwan people mistake them for enemies, causing the death of 54 mariners[68] |
| 1874 | Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1874):Japan sends a punitive expedition to Taiwan in retribution for theMudan Incident and forces theQing dynasty to pay indemnities[69] | |
| Shen Baozhen has three roads constructed linking eastern and western Taiwan[70] | ||
| 1875 | Taiwan is divided into two prefectures,Taipeh Prefecture and a modifiedTaiwan Prefecture[71] | |
| 1881 | Government troops are decreased to 4,500[67] | |
| 1884 | August | Keelung Campaign:French forces try to land atKeelung but are forced to withdraw by Chinese troops[72] |
| October | Keelung Campaign:French forces captureKeelung[72] | |
| 8 October | Battle of Tamsui: AFrench attack onDanshui is defeated[72] | |
| 1885 | 22 June | Keelung Campaign: TheFrench evacuate fromKeelung[72] |
| 1886 | June | Cadastral reform survey begins[73] |
| 1887 | Taiwan is reorganized asTaiwan Province withLiu Mingchuan as its first governor[70] | |
| April | Construction on a road fromTaipei toKeelung begins[74] | |
| 1888 | Construction on aTaipei-Hsinchu road begins[75] | |
| 1890 | January | Cadastral reform survey is completed[73] |
| 1891 | Construction of theTaipei-Keelung road is completed[75] | |
| 1893 | Construction of theTaipei-Hsinchu road is completed[75] | |
| Han Chinese population in Taiwan reaches 2,545,000; 30 percent in the north, 27 percent in central Taiwan, and 43 percent in the south[60] | ||
| 1895 | March | Pescadores Campaign (1895):Japan seizesPenghu (Pescadores)[76] |
| 17 April | Taiwan andPenghu (Pescadores) are ceded by theQing dynasty toJapan in theTreaty of Shimonoseki[77] | |
| 20 May | TheQing dynasty orders all officials to evacuate from Taiwan[76] | |
| 25 May | TheRepublic of Formosa is formed withTang Jingsong as its leader, who secretly leaves for the mainland a few days later, and is succeeded byLiu Yongfu[78] | |
| 29 May | Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895):Japanese forces land nearKeelung[78] | |
| 7 June | Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895): Japanese forces occupyTaipei[76] | |
| October | Liu Yongfu leaves for the mainland[79] | |
| 21 October | Capitulation of Tainan:Tainan surrenders; so ends theRepublic of Formosa[78] | |
| 1896 | June | Yunlin Massacre: 6,000 Taiwanese are massacred by theJapanese atYunlin[79] |
| 1897 | More than 6,400 (23%) registered Taiwanese residents leave for mainland China[80] | |
| 1899 | TheBank of Taiwan established to encourage Japanese investment[81] | |
| Taiwanese are recruited as policemen after a lower rank is created[82] |
| Year | Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Sun Zhongshan visits Taiwan[83] | ||
| 1902 | Some 12,000 "bandit-rebels" are killed by the Japanese[79] | ||
| 1905 | Population census records 2,492,784 Chinese, 82,795 "mountain people", and a total of 3,039,751 Taiwanese residents[27] | ||
| 1907 | Beipu uprising:Hakka people andSaisiyat indigenouss rebel against Japanese rule unsuccessfully[84] | ||
| 1911 | Liang Qichao visits Taiwan[83] | ||
| 1913 | Japanese forces engage in a campaign bring indigenouss on the east coast under government control[85] | ||
| Hakka people rebel inMiaoli and are defeated[86] | |||
| 1914 | May-August | Truku War: TheTruku people rebel against Japanese rule unsuccessfully[87] | |
| December | Itagaki Taisuke creates theTaiwan Doukakai, a Taiwan assimilationist movement with popular support from Taiwanese[88] | ||
| 1915 | January | Taiwan Doukakai comes under attack byJapanese residents and authorities in Taiwan, and it is quickly disbanded[88] | |
| Tapani Incident: Marks 20 years of resistance againstJapanese rule[85] | |||
| 1921 | TheTaiwanese Cultural Association is founded[89] | ||
| 1925 | Population of Taiwan grows to 3,993,408[27] | ||
| 1927 | TheTaiwanese People's Party breaks from theTaiwanese Cultural Association[90] | ||
| 1930 | Wushe Incident: 300Seediq people led byMona Rudao raid a Japanese police station and attack an elementary school, killing 134 Japanese and two Han Chinese (by mistake); in response the government intensifies their efforts to subjugate theAtayal indigenous people[91] | ||
| 1935 | Population of Taiwan grows to 5,212,426;[27] Chinese population of eastern Taiwan increases to 70,000[92] | ||
| 1937 | April | Chinese language in newspapers is banned andClassical Chinese is removed from the school curriculum[93] | |
| 1943 | Compulsory primary education begins. Enrollment rates reached 71.3% for Taiwanese children (including 86.4% for indigenous children) and 99.6% for Japanese children in Taiwan making Taiwan's enrollment rate the second highest in Asia after Japan.[94] | ||
| 1943 Cairo Declaration: TheAllies of World War II demand the restoration of all Chinese territories lost toJapan includingTaiwan andPenghu[95] | |||
| 1944 | Taiwan is bombed byAmerican forces as part of Allied effort to defeat Japan[96] | ||
| 1945 | 14 August | Hirohito surrender broadcast:Hirohito announcesJapan'ssurrender[96] | |
| 25 October | Retrocession Day:Rikichi Andō signs documents "restoring" Taiwan andPenghu (Pescadores) to theRepublic of China withChen Yi appointed as Chief Executive.[96] | ||
| Population of Taiwan grows to 6,560,000[27] | |||
| 1947 | 14 February | Taipei's rice market closes due to a riot[97] | |
| 28 February | February 28 Incident: Six officers attempt to arrest a woman selling cigarettes illegally inTaipei, a Taiwanese man is killed, and as a result mass riots break out all over the island[97] | ||
| 8 March | February 28 Incident: Reinforcements from mainland China arrive inKeelung[98] | ||
| 13 March | February 28 Incident: The Taiwanese resistance is defeated by KMT[98] | ||
| 22 April | Chen Yi is replaced byWei Daoming[99] | ||
| 25 December | TheConstitution of the Republic of China takes effect. | ||
| 1948 | November | More than 31,000 refugees enter Taiwan per week[100] | |
| 30 December | Wei Daoming is replaced byChen Cheng as the Taiwanese officier appointed by theRepublic of China.[101] | ||
| 1949 | Approximately 5,000 refugees enter Taiwan each day[100]KMT retreat to Taiwan | ||
| 19 May | White Terror (Taiwan): KMT begins imposing 38 years ofMartial law in Taiwan[102] | ||
| June | TheNew Taiwan dollar is introduced at an exchange rate of one NT to 40,000 old Taiwan dollars[103] | ||
| 1 October | Chinese Civil War:CCP ChairmanMao Zedongproclaims the formation of the People's Republic of China inPeiping (Peking) which became their national capital.[104] | ||
| 10 December | Chinese Civil War: The ROC relocates its government toTaipei.[105] | ||
| 1950 | 1 March | Chiang Kai-shek admits that he is personally responsible for the loss of mainland China at his inaugural ceremony for resuming the presidency of theGuomindang[106] | |
| Elections are held at local and provincial levels, but not at the national level[107] | |||
| 1 May | Landing Operation on Hainan Island:Hainan falls to the Communists. | ||
| 1951 | Land Reform in Taiwan: The government starts selling public land to tenant farmers, nearly a fifth of Taiwan's arable land[103] | ||
| 1952 | Agricultural exports reach U.S.$114 million[108] | ||
| 28 April | The president of the Republic of ChinaGeorge Yeh and the governor of JapanIsao Kawada sign documents renouncing Japan's rights and claims onTaiwan andPenghu (Pescadores).[109] | ||
| 1953 | January | Land Reform in Taiwan: Amount of land available to landlords is restricted and excess land is sold to tillers[103] | |
| 1955 | 20 January | Battle of Yijiangshan Islands:People's Liberation Army forces ROC forces off theYijiangshan Islands[108] | |
| Population of Taiwan grows to 9,078,000[27] | |||
| 1958 | Second Taiwan Strait Crisis:People's Liberation Army attacksKinmen and theMatsu Islands but fail to take them[110] | ||
| Population of Taiwan reaches 10 million[111] | |||
| 1960 | Chiang Kai-shek's presidency is extended past two terms[112] | ||
| Institutions of higher education increase to 15, primary schools rise to 1,982, and secondary schools to 299[113] | |||
| 1961 | Slightly over half of Taiwan's population lives in urban areas[114] | ||
| 1964 | Taiwanese Hokkien language is banned in schools and official settings[115] | ||
| 1965 | Population of Taiwan grows to 12,628,000[27] | ||
| 1968 | Compulsory education is extended from 6 to 9 years[116] | ||
| 1970 | Taiwan'sGini coefficient falls to 0.321[116] | ||
| 1971 | China and the United Nations: TheUnited Nations recognizes thePeople's Republic of China as the government of China. The Republic of China withdraws from theUnited Nations. | ||
| 1975 | Population of Taiwan grows to 16,150,000[27] | ||
| 1979 | TheUnited States withdraws recognition of the Republic of China and recognizes thePeople's Republic of China. Four months later, theUnited States Congress passes theTaiwan Relations Act which establishes unofficial relations. | ||
| 1980 | Hsinchu Science Park founded[117] | ||
| 1985 | Population of Taiwan grows to 19,258,000[27] | ||
| 1987 | 7 March | Lieyu Massacre wascovered up on thefrontline ofKinmenDefense Command[118] | |
| 15 July | Martial law in Taiwan:Martial law is lifted from Taiwan[119] | ||
| The Environmental Protection Administration reveals that 15 percent of farmland is contaminated by heavy metals[114] | |||
| 1990 | Wild Lily student movement inChiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. | ||
| Number of farm households fall to less than 20 percent[114] | |||
| 1991 | Legislative Yuan andNational Assembly elected in 1947 were forced to resign. | ||
| The first democratic election ofNational Assembly. | |||
| 1992 | Fair Trade Law enacted. | ||
| The first democratic election of theLegislative Yuan. | |||
| 1992 Consensus | |||
| 1994 | National Health Insurance begins. | ||
| 1995 | US government reverses policy and allows PresidentLee Teng-hui to visit the US. The People's Republic of China responds with theThird Taiwan Strait Crisis by launching a series of missiles into the waters off Taiwan. TheTaiwan stock market loses one-third of its value. | ||
| February 28 Incident monument erected; PresidentLee Teng-hui publicly apologizes on behalf of the KMT. | |||
| Population of Taiwan grows to 21,300,000[27] | |||
| 1996 | PresidentBill Clinton dispatches theUSS Nimitzsupercarrier to patrol theTaiwan Strait. | ||
| The first direct presidential election;Lee Teng-hui elected. | |||
| 1997 | Private cellular phone companies begin services. | ||
| 1999 | Resolution on Taiwan's Future | ||
| Chi-Chi earthquake. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Chen Shui-bian, the opposition candidate from theDPP,elected president by a lead of 2.5% of votes marking the end of theKMT status as the ruling party. Voter turnout was 82.69%; firstpeaceful transfer of power. | |
| Four Noes and One Without | ||
| 2001 | Three mini-links betweenKinmen,Matsu and the mainland ofFujian begins. | |
| Private fixed-line telephone companies begin services. | ||
| September | Serious flooding caused byTyphoon Nari. | |
| 2002 | Entry into theWorld Trade Organization. | |
| Penetration rate of cellular phones exceeds 100%. | ||
| 2003 | SARS outbreaks. | |
| North-link line railroad electrified. | ||
| 2004 | Second north-south freeway completed. | |
| February 28 | 228 Hand-in-Hand rally.[120] | |
| PresidentChen Shui-bian isre-elected by a margin of 0.22% votes afterbeing shot the day before. | ||
| December 31 | Taipei 101 becomesWorld's Tallest Building. | |
| 2005 | The first direct commercial airplane flights from Beijing to Taipei for theChinese New Year. | |
| The PRC passes an "anti-secession law" authorizing the use of force against Taiwan and the ROC government should it formally declare independence. In response, 1.6 million people marched in Taipei against China's "anti-secession law". Similar marches occur across the world by Taiwanese nationalists. Protests against the PRC were held worldwide, including, but not limited to: Chicago, New York City, Washington DC, Paris, and Sydney. | ||
| March-April | Pan-Blue leaders visit to mainland China | |
| President Chen is invited and attends the funeral ofPope John Paul II. He is the first ROC president to visit theVatican. | ||
| TheNational Assembly of the Republic of China convenes for the last time to implement several constitutional reforms, including single-member two-vote districts, and votes to transfer the power of constitutional reform to the popular ballot, essentially abolishing itself. | ||
| 2006 | Rename "Chiang Kai-shek International Airport" toTaiwan Taoyuan International Airport. | |
| 2007 | January | Taiwan's first high-speed rail line,Taiwan High Speed Rail, begins operation.[121] |
| Rename Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall toNational Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. | ||
| Taiwan applies for membership in the United Nations under the name "Taiwan", and is rejected by the General Assembly. | ||
| 2008 | March 9 | Red Line of theKaohsiung MRT completed. |
| March 22 | presidential election; with 58.48% of the vote, KMT candidateMa Ying-jeou defeats DPP candidateFrank Hsieh. Many voters boycott the referendum on whether and how to join UN so the level of voter participation required for referendum to be considered valid is not achieved. | |
| May 20 | Ma Ying-jeou sworn into office as the 12thPresident of ROC. Second peaceful transfer of power.Tsai Ing-wen inaugurate as the Chairperson of DPP. | |
| July | For the first time in nearly 60 years, the firstdirect China-Taiwan flights are opened.[122][123][124] | |
| October 25 | 1025 rally to safeguard Taiwan | |
| November 3–7 | Chen Yunlin visit Taiwan.[125][126] | |
| November 6 | Wild Strawberries Movement.[127][128] | |
| Lien Chen representsMa Ying-jeou meetsCCP General SecretaryHu Jintao atAPEC Peru 2008 | ||
| 2009 | July | World Games 2009 inKaohsiung |
| August | Typhoon Morakot | |
| October 17 | Ma Ying-jeou inaugurates as Chairperson of Kuomintang. | |
| 2012 | January 14 | presidential election; with 51.6% of the vote, KMT candidateMa Ying-jeou defeats DPP candidateTsai Ing-wen. |
| 2013 | Ma Ying-jeou meetsPope Francis, the first ROC president to meet with the pope. | |
| 2014 | March 18 | Sunflower Student Movement, students occupy theLegislative Yuan force to halt the enforcement ofCross-Strait Service Trade Agreement. |
| November 29 | Regional election; DPP elects 13 mayor and magistrates. | |
| 2015 | Ma Ying-jeou meets withCCP General SecretaryXi Jinping, thefirst Cross-Strait leader meeting. | |
| 2016 | January 16 | presidential election; with 56.3% of the vote, DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen defeats KMT candidateEric Chu. |
| May 20 | Tsai Ing-wen sworn into office as the 14th and currentPresident of ROC. Third peaceful transfer of power. | |
| 2020 | January 21 | FirstCOVID-19 casein Taiwan.[129] |