1. Introduction
Historical / Cultural / Social
Senior Veterans
According to the Definition of VAC, veterans who were born
before 1934/12/31, and had already enlisted in the army in
Mainland China. The group has a population of 271,495, the
statistics of 2009/12.

2. Historical Perspective
The ROC Government relocated to
Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War in
1949; meanwhile, the movement of
millions of people during the great
migration to Taiwan, and the largest
was a group of the military and
dependents.
Mainland China
The population of the great
migration in 1949
Military & Dependents Others Tatal
1.21 million people
1,210,000 Taiwan
930,000
270,000
Military & Others Tatal
Dependents
The great migration in 1949

3. Cultural Perspective
1. They came from different provinces
of Mainland China.
2. They spoke in diverse accents by
their own dialects and eating habits
were quite different.
3. The local Taiwanese called them
the “Mainlanders” .
Mainland China Taiwan
The great cultural integration from 1949

4. Social Perspective
1. In the general impression, the senior veteran is a special group of Taiwanese society.
2. Most of them were students or farmers with genuine before they were forced to took part in the Chinese Civil
War.
3. They were lacking of attention and better treatment during their early years in the army.
4. Because of the age or complex reasons, most of them left the military with receiving quite a small amount of
pension then entered the local Taiwanese community one after another.
5. The majority of bachelors got married with local Taiwanese wives.
6. Some other singles went in the company of building illegal houses to live which made of the iron, wood and
other simple materials throughout the city.
Mainlanders Local Taiwanese
2010 1949 The trend of social resource
The new social changing after 1949

5. Main Discussion
The value of senior veterans’ culture during the social change

6. The social shift and be neglected in new Taiwanese society
1949 2010
High
The Capitalist
The Mainlander
Government
Estate
The senior veteran
The middle class
group
The local Taiwanese The senior
Low veteran group
( Farmers, Laborers, Merchants )
The population of senior veterans (65 years & over)
More than 10,000/year decreasing
332,053 318,816 306,866 295,265 283,225 271,495 270,500
End of 2004 End of 2005 End of 2006 End of 2007 End of 2008 End of 2009 Jan. 2010

7. First-hand historical experience of senior veterans
1. History is an important and vivid reflection for the human development, and senior veterans alive in Taiwan now
are indeed the only live-history of the contemporary world.
2. New generations of Taiwanese understand that it was cruel and despairing to born in a war era from realizing
senior veterans’ sad memory.
3. The most authentic teaching material of the society by the change from had a temporary refuge first to finally
settle in Taiwan.
4. How to deal with the plight, help each other, and cherish the friendship between their fellows from their simple
living attitude and philanthropy.
The great migration
The 2nd Party alternation
2008/05/20
Second Sino-Japanese War The 1st Party alternation
1937~1945 2000/05/20
Pacific War Direct Presidential Election
1941~1945 1996/03/23
Chinese Civil War White Terror
1945~1949 1945~1987
Mainland China Taiwan
1937
1941
1945
1949
1996
2000
2008
2010

8. Unsung heroes who quietly constructed the initial stage of Taiwan
1. In the early days of Taiwanese social development, the Government needed a large numbers of manual labors to
invest in many major public construction projects while most of local Taiwanese residents usually engaged in
farming for their livelihood.
2. The Government drafted many of veterans who were single or just could work as the manual labor again to
engage in these projects throughout Taiwan.
3. Taiwanese complete mainly major infrastructures now actually were established by their great contribution.
4. They paid their loyalty and contribution whole their life much more than obtained the respect as the feedback.
Central Cross-Island Highway, Zeng-Wun Dam,
1956.7.7~1960.5.9 1967.10.31~1973.10.31
•It’s the first highway through the rugged central •To supply the irrigation and general living water for
mountains and connected the eastern and the western the main farmland and both for power generation of
Taiwan. the southern Taiwan.
•Mobilized more than 10,000 senior veterans •Mobilized more than 3000 senior veterans
•The length is190.830km •The catchment area is 481km2
•Total storage capacity: 608.317 million cubic meters

9. Integrate the foreign culture into the local culture
1. The senior veteran’s was a kind of foreign culture for local Taiwanese residents.
2. Taiwan has indeed become the new homeland for these senior veterans after passing by more than half a century
of cultural communication.
3. Many senior veterans married local women and have their descendants.
4. Most of locals and mainlanders live together in common communities, and have a peaceful fusion with their
lives.
5. A part of them who have higher educational level became teachers in schools under the governmental assistance
and created their new career, and furthermore took the heavy responsibility of popularizing the national
education throughout Taiwan during the most difficult period.
6. The so-called foreign culture has completely integrated into the local culture and already become a new one that
is full of new Taiwanese characters.

10. Relative disadvantaged under the capitalist & political manipulation
1. Senior veterans played the role of the core for Taiwanese social stability in the past half-century.
2. It has tended to over-utilitarianism as the main social value of Taiwanese society during recent decades.
3. Through some politicians adopted abominable and extreme manipulations and radically aroused many locals’
exclusion of senior veterans’ original culture in the process of Taiwanese democratic progress and development.
4. The Veterans Hospital is in a different form as their regular meeting place for many senior veterans nowadays.

11. Conclusion

12. 1. Topreserve and continue the senior veteran’s culture in
order to reduce the defect of generation gap for overall
Taiwanese culture.
2. Theintegration of ethnic and cultural and the model of
selfless social values.
3. The improvement of Veterans Affairs commission and positive
policies.

13. Intentions in the further work with the project
Veterans Arts and Friendship Development Centre
The cultural resource of Taiwanese society
Preservation / Continuity / Popularization

14. Veterans Arts and Friendship Development Centre
To remodel the unoccupied public building for reviving the pre-existing culture
From “re-” to “pre-”
It’s a concept of continuity and sustainability.
To infuse the senior veteran’s cultural resource into the unoccupied public buildings.
To reuse the pre-existing building and reviving the pre-existing culture both.