The Dilemma of Native Elites

In the early post-war period, native Taiwanese elites faced an agonizing choice: cooperate with the new regime to secure space for reform, or resist unjust rule? Many intellectuals, local gentry, and professionals who had been active during the Japanese era initially chose to collaborate with the Nationalist government, hoping to improve governance through institutional channels.

However, as Chen Yi's administration increasingly deviated from the public will, the space for cooperation gradually vanished. Some elites turned to criticizing the government, while others were forced into silence. This struggle between collaboration and resistance was not merely an individual moral dilemma but reflected the collective anxiety of Taiwanese society amid regime change.

This volume traces the life trajectories of several native Taiwanese elites to present this history full of contradictions and struggles.