ABSTRACT
This chapter examines postwar Taiwan's cartographic development and consists of the following dimensions: an examination of the state's monopoly on cartographic data and stringent control over map production; an assessment of possible causes for the poor quality of the maps made in Taiwan; a presentation of several cases to illustrate the serious consequences of any unauthorized possession or usage of large-scale maps; and an investigation into the emergence of the 'map fever' and new cartographic discourse in recent decades. This chapter is not simply a historical account of modern cartographic history in Taiwan. It will not only reflect on the ways in which cartographic knowledge is used to represent the ROC and to construct a national imagination that is ideologically laden. It will also investigate the politics and power relations inscribed in maps and map-making practice in postwar Taiwan. This chapter, however, concentrates mainly on these postwar maps and map-making practices that are generally frowned upon.
