Ask This Taiwanese: Can I Be Taiwanese if I Don’t Spend Summers in Taiwan?

Ask “This” Taiwanese is an advice column dedicated to pesky and uncomfortable questions about Taiwan or about being Taiwanese. August’s question is about spending summer breaks in Taiwan.

Send us your questions in the form here: https://forms.gle/t4ddFbfqWKoRstn2A

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Dear Ask This Taiwanese,

“My parents are from Taiwan but I was born in the States. I see a lot of my friends go to Taiwan during summer break and they seem to have so much fun. This is really embarrassing to admit, but I’ve never been to Taiwan. Can I still call myself Taiwanese American?” 

Feeling Stuck in America

Dear Feeling Stuck in America,

The great philosopher Grace Lee Boggs wrote, “History is not the past. It is the stories we tell about the past.” Heritage is a version of history that is personal.  The past is not always just a physical place, but a lot of times it is more about a mental place.

So, we think it is of course possible to be Taiwanese even if you’ve never been to Taiwan! Inversely, simply being in Taiwan for more days doesn’t automatically make you more “Taiwanese.”

As with many things we covered in Ask This Taiwanese, it’s the thought that counts. It’s not about how many times you’ve been or how many weeks you’ve spent physically in Taiwan, but about how willing you are to connect with your heritage.

Because it is the summer, we picked this question in honor of the stereotypical image of kids who were born in the US going to Taiwan to visit their grandparents during summer vacations from school (when Taiwan is the hottest and most humid). Often, they probably stay with their grandparents, making summer memories in Taiwan having huge banquets with relatives they’ve never met, and doing a bit of sightseeing.

Maybe some go to summer camps. Or Love Boat. A few of us might have had internships in Taiwan or even had part-time or full-time jobs. We may have been exchange students or taken language classes for a few semesters. These experiences in contrast to life in the United States can definitely help with building a stronger connection to one’s Taiwanese heritage.

Although if you are there and actively being part of the social fabric there, whether you are just soaking up the excitement of election season, or trying foods you’ve never had, we really think there are transformative experiences you can have in Taiwan.

But, being Taiwanese American is not really the same thing as being Taiwanese. We say being a first or second generation Taiwanese American is like launching season two of a great series.  When a sequel is done well, there is always room for more character development and a chance for better storytelling by diving into the rich dimensions of history and context.  Knowing and having connections to our past can help bring more focus to who we are.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to build connections through various Taiwanese and Taiwanese American organizations in America. In a lot of ways as a Taiwanese American, you don’t have to travel all the way to Taiwan to be part of a common civic community or to have shared cultural and ethnic heritages too.

A few other thoughts though.

Many of our parents or grandparents left Taiwan for the United States and settled here. Whatever the reason (for better education/career opportunities for themselves, or for their children, political refugees, etc), there was a pull factor that pulled them away from Taiwan. While some of our parents or grandparents are concerned about giving us the chance to experience Taiwan first-hand, some other parents may have reservations about doing so. “We came to America so you can have a better life, why do you keep wanting to go back?”

Following the previous metaphor, if season one of the heritage show is about the journey to America, season two can be just as good in developing stories embracing the heritage past. Conversations about how that past shaped all of us – even when it explores the darker side – are what makes the story keep growing and become ever more interesting!

In short, hours being physically in Taiwan isn’t some neat badge for being Taiwanese or not. Nor does identity work on a point system. It’s deeply personal, at the same time very intricately woven with factors in our surroundings and circumstances. That said, if you can actively participate in Taiwan’s social fabric in any way, we really encourage you to give it a shot!

Can’t wait for season three of our saga!

Always in celebration of our heritage,

Ask This Taiwanese

(Feature photo by Clement Souchet on Unsplash)