People
There is a saying in Chinese to describe a large crowd, “People mountain, people sea.” Twenty three million souls crowded into little over a third of an island roughly the size of Wales makes Taiwan one of the most densely populated parts of the earth’s surface. The People theme includes portraits, both isolation style and environmental, but also demonstrates how people interact with one another and their environment. Subthemes will eventually cover a rich tapestry of human experience on the island. Some images will also appear under the Poetic Theme which explores some of the deeper currents of existence, sometimes seriously and sometimes lightheartedly.
Han Chinese make up by far the largest ethnic group on the Island. Although Mandarin is the official language, well over 70% have Taiwanese as their mother tongue. Their ancestors, along with those of the roughly 10% who are Hakka speakers, mostly settled on the Island over the last 400 years or so. Another 10% are made up of the families of those who accompanied Chiang Kai Shek and his government when they moved from the Mainland after the communist takeover there.
The aboriginal Peoples of Taiwan, numbering around 300,000 in some 14 ethnic groups, have been here the longest. They are closely related to the Malay/Polynesian Peoples of South East Asia and studies of their languages suggest that those groups are descended from the ancestors of Taiwan’s original inhabitants.
Select a subtheme and enjoy the images.
