ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at Taiwan's evolving national identity through the prism of its electoral politics. The elections are the best way to see if the ethnic Taiwan consciousness that began in the Chianan Plains has been transformed into a national Taiwan consciousness that can unite all regions and ethnic groups on the island. Recognizing the importance of labels, many pro-democracy and human rights advocates have emphasized Taiwanese identity since the early days of Chinese Nationalist rule. The discourse asserting that the Taiwanese people represent Chinese culture and that the "Taiwanese miracle" would have been impossible without that heritage is the main storyline in a development narrative that justified Chinese Nationalist rule over Taiwan. During the presidencies of Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian, public discourse began to shift from hegemonic Chinese nationalism to a fiercely contested battle between Chinese consciousness and Taiwanese consciousness.
