In Taiwanese culture, a Taijian (traditional Chinese: 台奸 or 臺奸; simplified Chinese: 台奸; pinyin: Táijiān) is a highly derogatory and pejorative term for a traitor, especially to ethnic Taiwanese. Literally, it means traitor of Taiwan or one who betrays Taiwanese people, and traces its roots back to the Republic of China's rule over Taiwan during the martial law period (starting from the infamous 228 massacre to the Wild Lily student movement) (1947-1990).
History
After the surrender of the Japanese Empire, Taiwan unsuccessfully made a plea to self-determine its future. However, the pro-Chiang Kai-shek government of the United States ignored the wishes of the Taiwanese, many of whom fought in the Imperial Japanese Army against China and were legally Japanese citizens prior to the end of World War II, and handed Taiwan over to the Republic of China.
After the end of Japanese rule on Taiwan, many members of the Republic of China administration arrived on Taiwan with fresh images of Japanese atrocities on mainland China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. As a result, anti-Japanese sentiment caused many to view the native Taiwanese who had been brought up and educated under the Japanese system as politically untrustworthy traitors. At the same time, some Taiwanese viewed the Japanese Empire favorably and held anti-Chinese sentiment, thinking the mainlanders backwards and corrupt. As a result, many Taiwanese discriminate those mainlanders and their descendants. After the February 28 Incident in 1947 in which a nativist rebellion was suppressed, Taiwanese who collaborated with Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang party were commonly considered as Taijian.
With the beginning of democratic elections, Taiwanese nationalists now view Taiwanese citizens who collaborated with a hostile foreign power, especially the People's Republic of China, as Taijian. At the same time Chinese nationalists view these so called Taiwanese nationalists as hanjian for collaborating with a hostile foreign power such as Japan.