Asia: Lure of mainland China proving irresistible for many Taiwanese

BY HIDEHITO FUJIWARA, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

LIOUGUEI, TAIWAN--Wax apples, a fruit originating from Southeast Asia that looks like red peppers, are popular in Taiwan, mainly due to their crisp, sweet taste.

Liouguei, located in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan, is a key center for producing wax apples, which are marketed under the brand name of Black Diamond.

Apples that are as large as an adult's fist sell for more than the equivalent of 2,000 yen each.

Parts of Liouguei are awash with bright green trees--even in winter. Cultivation of wax apples here started more than 20 years ago.

"In those days, farmers were not able to make sufficient profits from rice cultivation alone. So they considered raising other agricultural products and decided to grow wax apples," said Lai Shih-fa, 37, a member of Liouguei's agricultural cooperative.

The rich soil and abundant water in this subtropical area apparently offered ideal conditions. After they started growing the fruit, farmers tried various techniques to improve the quality and taste of the apples. Thanks to those efforts, people in the area became more prosperous.

But cultivating the apples is no easy business.

Wax apples are easily damaged by rain and wind, so each has to be covered in a bag during cultivation. Slight mistakes in the control of soil and water and in the use of fertilizers can also affect their taste and shape.

To make matters worse, the number of young people helping with the cultivation effort is steadily decreasing.

With this in mind, He Wen-yuan, 50, a Liouguei native who took over his family's apple cultivation business after graduating from junior high school, decided to move the business to mainland China in 2000.

"Even if I work hard in my small farmland of less than 1 hectare (in Liouguei), there is a limit (to what I can achieve). Besides, the market in Taiwan is too small," He said.

He cleared a forested area in the Longhai district of suburban Zhangzhou in Fujian province, southeastern China, to start his wax apple cultivation.

His distant ancestors had lived in Zhangzhou before they moved to Taiwan about 300 years ago.

"My ancestors had a hard time succeeding in Taiwan. But I decided to return to their native land and hew out a living here," He said.

At present, He is raising about 300 wax apple trees on 20 hectares of land, located at an altitude of 230 meters. Because he employs local farmers, labor costs are about one-10th of those in Taiwan.

His new apples are branded as "Longhai Black Diamond." They are shipped to department stores in Beijing and other outlets.

"As the language here is almost the same as that in Taiwan, I have no problems communicating with local people. The air is also clean. My favorite pastime here is drinking while looking at the stars," He said.

Fujian province, which faces Taiwan over a strait, has strong historical ties with the island.

Huang Chieh-hui, 59, raises moth orchids in Zhangzhou. He came from Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. Zhangzhou is the site of his ancestral land.

Huang first discovered the flower while walking on a mountain in Kaohsiung. Impressed by its beauty, he left his company, moved to mainland China and started cultivating the flower last year.

"My wife opposed the idea of moving to mainland China, saying that it was dangerous there. But I thought there was a business chance," Huang recalled.

He is now targeting the gift market, which is expanding amid China's economic growth.

When China's Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) fled to Taiwan in 1949, direct exchanges between the people of mainland China and those of Taiwan ceased.

The exchanges resumed in 1987 when the Taiwanese government, led by the Kuomintang, allowed former soldiers who had fled to Taiwan to visit their homes in mainland China.

In those days, Beijing was already undergoing reform and open-door policies. However, its relations with the United States and European countries collapsed in 1989 as a result of the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square.

Then, as if to fill the vacuum, a large number of Taiwanese companies started making inroads into mainland China. At first, many of them were textile and food manufacturers looking for cheap labor costs. Gradually, however, they were taken over by high-tech companies.

Today, this advance into mainland China has spread to farmers from southern Taiwan, the traditional stronghold of people who had been living in Taiwan since before the Kuomintang fled to the island.

China is a huge market and manufacturing center not just for Japan, the United States and countries in Europe, but also for Taiwan. Therefore, it is natural for Taiwanese companies and farmers to try their luck in mainland China.

However, there is a difference between Taiwan and Western countries. As Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian said, "China is always the biggest threat for Taiwan."

China has proposed a peaceful unification with Taiwan. However, it has not ruled out the possibility of using armed force to achieve unification. According to the U.S. Department of Defense and other sources, China is thought to have deployed about 1,000 missiles along the Taiwan Strait.

Despite occasional saber-rattling, China is also welcoming the advance of Taiwanese people and companies.

"When I was a university student in Taiwan, I was invited to mainland China and went to many places with Chinese people serving as my guides. At that time, I realized how big and deep China is," said Yang Yung-chi, 23, who had come from central Taiwan.

She is now doing media studies in the graduate course of prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Taiwanese authorities do not accredit academic degrees acquired in universities in mainland China. Even so, around 5,000 Taiwanese are studying in mainland China.

Chinese universities give Taiwanese students preferential treatment by offering them the same tuition fees as Chinese students.

As many Taiwanese companies have shifted their operations to mainland China, it is not rare for Taiwanese students to seek employment in Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities.

Chinese authorities have also started to allow Taiwanese people to take certificate examinations to become doctors, architects and public accountants, among other professions.

At the same time, in Taiwan, the number of books that offer tips on how to live in mainland China, such as "Don't talk about politics," and "Behave like people of mainland China," is increasing rapidly.

Another field in which China is welcoming Taiwanese people is entertainment.

Jay Chou, 29, from Taiwan, was the most popular singer among the young audience on China Central Television's entertainment program on the old calendar's New Year's Eve this year. The show, titled, "Chunjielianhuanwanhui," has a more than 90-percent audience rating.

"In addition to the lyrics and melodies (of his songs), he is also stylish. (Compared to him,) singers from the mainland look dowdy," said one fan.

Xiao Xiayong, director of the Ministry of Culture's Taiwan Affairs Division, said, "Promotional methods in the Taiwanese entertainment industry are advanced."

However, the ministry does not seem in any hurry to catch up with Taiwanese methods. The reason for this is that China considers Jay and other Taiwanese as Chinese simply because China regards Taiwan as one of its provinces.

In mainland China, Taiwanese singers and other artists are always introduced as being from "China Taiwan."

"They cannot be separated from Chinese culture. I want Taiwanese singers to introduce Chinese culture onto international stages," Xiao said.

Taiwanese people or companies are also quite open to the idea of being treated as part of the "China brand."

"I will never lose the spirit of being Taiwanese. But in order to earn money, it is easy to pretend to be Chinese," said an executive of a Taiwanese company in Beijing.

The criticism that Chen Shui-bian's administration too often provoked China has been spreading in the Taiwanese business world.

"If Taiwan and China clash militarily, both sides will suffer losses. We are taking safety measures by, for example, making investments through an American subsidiary," said the executive, who asked not to be identified.

What China is seeking is to maintain the "one China" policy. The rules of an association for Taiwanese companies in China state that they will protect the country's unification, safety and the people's solidarity. To those who can accept such principles, China offers many opportunities.

About 1 million Taiwanese are already living in mainland China. They are seeking fortune and happiness by depending on their "biggest threat." The move, although full of contradictions, is unlikely to stop.(IHT/Asahi: March 27,2008)