Since the establishment of the Republic of China, the interaction between ethnic groups has been an issue critical to maintaining a harmonious social environment. Sun believes that the development of ethnic groups in the society vary through the Japanese rule, Martial Law period, and current status, due to the changing of rulers and policies, bringing impact on historical and cultural development of Taiwan.

          During the Japanese rule, Taiwanese people were the colonized people, discriminated against the Japanese in all situations: education, welfare, work, and governmental positions. However, it would be misleading to think that colonization brought about a collective Taiwanese spirit. On the contrary, the Japanese rulers purposefully maintained the distinction between the Hakka, Holo, and aboriginal groups to rouse rivalry and discord among these ethnic groups. Controversially, the Japan government also enforced Japanese language and culture education on inhabitants of Taiwan to cultivate national spirit as well as loyalty to the Japanese. On the other hand, Taiwanese people, regardless of ethnicity, were still treated inferior to the Japanese, bringing about inner discontent as well as mixed criticism from the suppressed and the Japanese alike.

         Before Japan could completely take over Taiwan, WWII brought the Japanese defeat, and Taiwan was returned to the rule of the Republic of China. This change that was initially applauded, but turned to rage as the Chinese government continued to treat Taiwan’s inhabitants as 2-nd class citizens. The 228 Incident further opened rivalry between Taiwanese and mainlanders. Many Taiwanese criticized the incident as a political repression of the Taiwanese by mainlanders. After the ROC government ransferred to Taiwan, tensions continued to rise under the Martial Law rule and the “White Terror” period. Sun pointed out evidence that though mainlanders suffered no less injustice and loss than the Taiwanese, because the ruling party was composed mainly of mainlanders, mainlanders as a group were often held responsible for the suffering the people endured. 

          During the presidency of Teng-Hui Lee and Shui-bian Chen, a new “Taiwanese consciousness” developed to incorporate not any specific ethnic group, but all people who immigrated to Taiwan both before and after, giving to Taiwan both heart and soul. Yet there still exists a gap between the understanding of those who love Taiwan as an independent country and as a part of the integrated Chinese culture. President Chen coined the term “Son of Taiwan” as a representation of the ideal Taiwan ethnicity, and worked hard to build up the military dependents’ villages for retired mainland soldiers for the purpose of establishing a cultural identity between various groups. However, Sun believes that some of these policies and actions, though well intended, may have misled and deepened the misunderstanding between ethnic groups. What remains is a feeling of diaspora among various ethnic groups of Taiwan, some who feel at home, and some who believe their home is on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.  

           Finally, Sun opens the issue of the Hakka people in Taiwan, and their existing cultural identity problems. Due to the prominent amount of Holo people in Taiwan, Min Nan, the language of the Holo people, is now also known as “Taiwanese,” and the ethnic group as “Taiwanese people.” This caused controversy among the Hakka people, and though the minority, they call out for more serious preservation of Hakka language and culture as part of Taiwan’s cultural diversity. Various policies, associations, and programs were established to raise public awareness to the importance of preserving the culture of the minority.

        With the coming of new immigrants into the gradually opening Taiwan society, cultural identity issues continue to be discussed. New terminologies and concepts try to explain these changes, but are often found insufficient to incorporate all the various new lifestyles, thoughts, and cultures that come with the immigrants. With the switching of various rulers, different criteria are also introduced to understand the diverse ethnic environment of Taiwan, and will continue to be a topic of discussion.