From the inside jacket of the book: Taiwan (Ihla Formosa) has long experienced the fate and of being an "island in the stream." Caught up and by numerous historical, cultural and physical crosscurrents running between the East and South China Seas, the people of this island have struggled with identity and survival. Outside forces have had their shaping influence. Strong also has been the influence of the island's many immigrants and indigenous peoples. Taiwan's history is a story of struggle and adaptation. In the new millennium the people have directly elected a new president in a democratic transference of power; but the island faces new challenges, that of membership in the United Nations and the World Trade Organization and the unresolved "one China question" with the People's Republic of China.
