ABSTRACT
While structures set up in advanced welfare states in Europe and North America have served as a blueprint for the development of social welfare in Taiwan, conceptions of social welfare or social security in Chinese society were not products of Western influence. The ideal of a Utopian society in firmly rooted in traditional Chinese culture, as evidenced in the often quoted axiom, 'Extend filial piety for your parents to other parents, and extend the love for your children to other children. Let the old be taken care of. Let the strong put their talents to use. Give the young the opportunity to learn, and let the widowed, lonely, handicapped, and sick be taken care of. Political systems in China through the ages have also focused on eradicating poverty among the people.
