ABSTRACT
Emigration has long been considered an important issue among middle and upper-middle class people in Taiwan. The influx of emigration from Taiwan is closely related to the island's political instability. Despite the rapid economic growth, which has brought prosperity to Taiwan, the Taiwanese are still worried about their country's long-term prospects, especially with regard to its relationship with the People's Republic of China. Following the Kuomintang government's retreat to Taiwan, the hostility between the Taiwan and Beijing governments has become a major threat to the island's security and stability. Influenced by two events in the 1970s, which dramatically changed Taiwan's political status, the Taiwanese people began to employ emigration as a solution to their uncertain future. First, in 1971, Taiwan withdrew from the United Nations, in reaction to the United Nations' acceptance of the People's Republic of China (PRC) as the sole legitimate government in China. Then, in 1978, many Taiwan people grew worried that Taiwan might be reclaimed by Communist China as a result of the normalization of relationships between the PRC and the U.S., which symbolized the end of the U.S. support for the Kuomintang in Taiwan.
