Taiwan plans to revise school textbooks to drop any reference that recognizes Chinese historical figures, places and artifacts as "national [guo]." Some 5,000 alleged "inappropriate" references to"China [zhong guo]" will be revised in Taiwanese textbooks. "National opera," "the Ming Dynasty," and "this nation's historical figures" will be changed to "Chinese opera," "China's Ming Dynasty," and "China's historical figures" respectively. Other revisions include "national language" to "Chinese language," "well-known in China and abroad" to "well-known in the nation and abroad," and "Chinese and foreign tourists" to "domestic and foreign tourists."
The textbook changes are in line with the current thinking of Chen Shui-bian's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favors Taiwanese independence and opposes identification with China.
Taiwan's school textbooks have traditionally given heavy weight to China's 5,000 years of history and works of ancient Chinese poets and philosophers, leaving little space for Taiwan's own history. (Source: sina.com, Jul 22, 2007; Annie Huangm Apm Washington Post, Jul 23, 2007).