The Minnan (also known as Hokkien or Taiwanese) are descended from immigrants who began migrating to Taiwan from Fujian Province in China in the 17th century. Fifty years of Japanese occupation suppressed the use of the Minnan dialect, as did over thirty years of martial law rule by the Nationalist government. Today, however, there is a growing pride in the heart language of Taiwan`s majority people.

Ethnicity

The Minnan people are Chinese and originate from Fujian Province in China, south of the Min River.

Location

Fujian Province and Taiwan are the two major homelands of the Minnan people, although sizable numbers also live in Guangdong, Hainan and Jiangxi Provinces. About 2 million speak the Minnan dialect (called Fukien) in Malaysia. The Minnan people also live in Singapore (Hokkien), Indonesia and Hong Kong (Fujianese).

Population and Language

Approximately 29 million Minnan people live in Asia. Minnan (known in Taiwan as Taiwanese) is the heart language of about two-thirds (14.5 million) of Taiwan`s population. Linguistic experts differentiate at least eight dialects of Minnan as well as a few distinct subdialects, including Hokkien, Fukienese, Fujianese and others. Almost all Minnan-speaking people also speak the Mandarin dialect to some degree.

Livelihood

Most of the Taiwanese, Hokkien and Hakka speakers are working class. They work in factories, run small shops or restaurants, or offer various services. Many have only a junior high or high school level education. They work primarily as hourly wage earners rather than in salaried positions. Their earnings are siginificantly less than the more highly-educated workers who are mostly Mandarin speaking.

History

Taiwanese-speaking people make up about 70 percent of the population of Taiwan. The late 17th and early 18th centuries saw a massive immigration of people from Fujian Province into Taiwan. These immigrants settled on the western coast and forced the plains tribes to adopt Chinese language and customs. From 1623-1664 the Dutch occupied parts of Taiwan. In 1683 Taiwan became an official part of the Chinese empire for the first time. It was considered to be a county of Fujian Province. In 1895, after China was defeated by Japan in Korea, the Treaty of Shimonoseki ceded Taiwan to the Japanese. Taiwan was ruled by Japan for the next 50 years. In 1945 Taiwan returned to Chinese rule as the Kuomintang Party, under Chiang Kai Shek, fleeing Mao's Communist Party on the mainland, landed in Taiwan. They established the "Republic of China on Taiwan." About 15 percent of the population can trace their ancestry to this migration. In 1987 martial law was lifted and in 1996 Taiwan elected its first democratically-elected president. The second presidential election in 2000 resulted in the ruling Kuomintang Party losing power for the first time in 54 years to the opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

Religion

Many Minnan are atheist, but the majority of Minnan practice a mix of Daoism, Buddhism and animism. Although each religion has its own deities and teachings, they are often mixed so thoroughly that it becomes impossible to differentiate between what is Daoist and what is Buddhist. Taiwan has more than 16,000 registered temples - the most temples per capita than any country in the world. Taiwanese Minnan aggresively export Buddhism and Daoism throughout Asia and the world. The Taiwanese also believe in ghosts. They believe that every person who dies becomes a ghost - either a happy ghost or a hungry ghost. Happy ghosts are those who are "fed" or worshipped with offerings of incense, food and "spirit money." Hungry ghosts, conversely, are those who are not worshipped. Hungry ghosts will wreak havoc upon an individual or family in the form of sickness, family trouble, or financial loss. Though the Taiwanese people are extremely religious, all the religious activity provides no assurance for fulfillment in life or death. Rather, it leaves people in fear and uncertainty. Perhaps as a result of this, many Minna have also embraced materialism as they search for meaning to their lives.

Christianity

Missionaries from Holland came briefly in the 17th century, but consistent work was not begun until the late 19th century. Only about one percent of Minnan-speaking peoples worldwide are Christian, while 1.77 percent of the Minnan in Taiwan are Christian. Taiwan's church is mostly middle-class. Christians tend to be well-educated and there are a number of growing and vibrant middle-class churches. Yet, Christianity has had little impact on the working-class population and few churches are seeking to reach these people. Less than 0.5 percent of the 13-15 million working-class people of Taiwan (mostly Minnan) know Christ.

Taiwan is politically open for mission work, and opportunities about in society, schools, hospitals, prisons and other institutions for evangelism. Most Taiwanese people also have a positive attitude to all religions including Christianity. However, the strength of traditional folk religion and especially the obligations brought by ancestor worhsip mean that very few people are willing to consider Christianity for themselves. There is a spiritual hardness that requires much prayer and sowing of the gospel.

OMF Involvement

OMF began work in Taiwan in 1951 after leaving Mainland China. OMF has been instrumental in pioneering many ministries in Taiwan, including organizations and churches reaching students, factory workers and the urban poor. Current priorities include church planting and evangelism among Taiwan's working-class people; evangelism among urban marginalized people (prisoners, homeless, prostitutes, AIDS sufferers, "at risk" children); and youth evangelism, discipleship and training. There are many opportunities for more people to help further develop these ministries.