Taiwan:
The Silicon Island Society
BY:
Dana Billings, Jacob Broadhurst, Brendan Coughlin,
Madelyn Doychinov, Joan McDonald, Katherine Schley
& Vanessa Vandersys
ANT2410 Section 3, Group #7
April 15, 2004
Silicon Island Society
-Katherine Anne Schley
Silicon Island is a nickname given to the island of Taiwan because of its technological hub located in the city of Hsinchu, which is a near replica of Silicon Valley in California. Hsinchu is located on the Northwest coast of the island and is bordered by mountains and the ocean. The city has a population of 370,000, which is made up of various ethnicities (www.taipei.org). Hsinchu is comprised of indigenous Taiwanese, Southern Fujianese (Chinese), Hakka immigrants, Japanese and a few Dutch and Spanish immigrants. The ethnic group’s cultural differences and traditions are respected and encouraged. The principle religions in Taiwan are 93% Buddhism, Confucian, and Taoist, 4.5% Christian and 2.5% other (Business Source Premier, 88). The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese yet many other ethnicities speak their native languages. English is taught in schools and is spoken by most of the employees involved in the “Silicon Island” culture.
Silicon Island was conceived in 1981, when the Hsinchu Science-Based Industrial Park was constructed (Kim, 181). Many Taiwanese had worked in Silicon Valley in California and had grown accustomed to the lifestyle that was offered. In order for the government to lure back its scientists and industrial intellectuals, tax breaks and low cost housing were offered to them if they returned to Taiwan. Hsinchu became a replica of Silicon Valley, from the architecture of the houses to a beach volleyball court located outside one of the businesses. Native Taiwanese came back to Taiwan to work and revolutionize their high tech industry. Over 72,000 people are employed by more than 270 companies in the “Silicon Island” region of Hsinchu (Kim, 181). Though ethnically and culturally diverse, Taiwan has become a major player in the global high-tech market, and is currently ranked number three behind only the United States and Japan (www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw).
Overview of the Technology
- Jacob L. Broadhurst
Through his declaration to make Taiwan a “Green Silicon Island” on his inauguration day, Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian’s intent was to develop Taiwan into a technologically advanced, world-renowned electronics exporter. Thus far, nearly four years later, Shui-bian appears to be a man of his word as Taiwan is proving to be a consistent world power in the information technology field.
Nationally, Taiwan is the world’s top supplier of many staple office technologies, such as notebook computers, modems, motherboards, monitors, power supplies, computer cases, scanners, keyboards, mouse-like pointing devices and hubs. The “Green Silicon Island” supplies over one-half of the world’s market of these products.
In terms of individual manufacturers, such names as Acer, the world’s third largest producer of personal computers, Macronix International Co., Sunyen Co., and Sony Corporation stand out. Macronix International Co., who already has established three such facilities, is looking to construct a new semiconductor factory in the Hsinchu Science-Based Industrial Park. In addition, Sony Corporation has shown interest in Taiwan for the future. Sony plans to establish two computer chip design centers over the next three years in the heart of the “green silicon island”, Taipei. From these new centers the world can expect digital photography chips, display chips, and system chips for use in mobile devices such as cellular phones, personal-digital assistants, and notebook computers. Of particular interest is Sunyen Co., which recently unveiled quite an intriguing piece of equipment – a mechanically operated electricity generator designed for use in the mobile phone. For cellular phone batteries around the world, the end is in sight. Such technologies are only the beginning for the up-and-coming information technology industry of Taiwan, the “green silicon island”.
The Uses of Technology
-Vanessa Vandersys
The government in Taiwan has worked out a program aimed at establishing Taiwan as a science and technology island in the future. In order to achieve this goal, the government in Taiwan in recent years has increased its budget for science and technological development at an annual average growth rate of 10%, and it has committed to continue doing so in the coming years.
Taiwan is being noted as one of the leading countries among the newly industrialized countries with good performance in high-tech industries. For example, Taiwan is ranked third in computer production in the world and fourth in semiconductor production. In many products in the information industry—such as monitors, motherboards, and notebook computers—Taiwan has the leading position in world market sales.
Helping Taiwan become even more powerful in the technology market, System-On-a-Chip (SOC) technology has become the most attractive and vital technology for the next decade for Taiwan. Through SOC technology, the digital convergence of computing, communication and consumer technologies is accelerated to develop the content, carriage and computing in the science, technology and industry (STI) field over the next decades. The development of the integrated fields of computer, communication, and consumer electronics in the STI realm in the 21st century will make commerce, community and classroom seamlessly connected so that everyone can access information and communicate with one another at any time and any place to enjoy comfortable and convenient connection services.
Close linkages and cooperation among universities, the government and industries are profitable, as well as crucial, to innovation and technology transfer in this environment of rapid change and stiff competition. Mastering cutting edge technology before their competitors are able to is the key to Taiwan’s dominance in the electronics industry of the world.
The Impacts of Technology on the Culture of Taiwan
-Madelyn Doychinov
The technological superiority that Silicon Island has given Taiwan has lead to a cultural uprising. People have increased feelings of national pride, due to the great strides Silicon Island has accomplished. Formerly ruled by China, the people of Taiwan now have greater confidence and desire independence.
Since coming into office, Chen Shui-bian-led Taiwan authorities have been promoting "gradual Taiwan Independence." They do so by pursuing a "de-China" method, which involves antagonizing China, shunning Chinese culture, and removing Chinese attributes. The Chen Shui-bian authorities have been rather desperate in their measures. They alter and segregate history by rejecting Taiwan as a part of China's territory since ancient times. Any history of a post-Ming dynasty era (1368-1644) is dismissed as being a "foreign history." They have been making universities place the Chinese language into a foreign language category. Premier Yu-Shyi-kun and the cabinet have created a plan for national development called "Challenge 2008." Inspired by the success of Britain's moves to emphasize the development of creative and cultural industries, the Taiwanese government has adopted a similar approach. The goal is to create domination in these industries. The Premier hopes and believes that this will create an abundance of jobs for college graduates.
This entire movement can be viewed as negative in its hostile approach to separate Taiwan from China; however the movement can be viewed positively. The people of Taiwan now feel that their culture is more important, and there is much less reliance in China for culture. There are new cultural centers created to support local traditions. Bookstores are getting overloaded with works by Taiwanese authors, dance groups perform with native themes, and pop stats are now singing and rapping in Taiwanese dialects. More significantly, TV stations have begun broadcasting talk shows and dramas in Minnanese and Hakka (the most common dialects spoken in Taiwan), and not just Mandarin Chinese. All of this is gradually changing the view of those who feel that Taiwan is just a sovereign country. Ultimately, the goal of greater national pride and culture is worth all the effort.
Ethnological Comparison of Culture & Output at
Silicon Valley and Silicon Island
-Joan E. McDonald
The term ‘Green Silicon Island’ was first coined by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian in his initiative to increase the technological standing of Taiwan in the world. Based upon ideological principles such as the protection of environment (therefore Green) and the expansion of education, his program was an attempt at national change. This stands in stark contrast to the nature of technological development in the United States which is mainly based upon the competition of companies. Taiwan has in effect tried to make itself one technological powerhouse, and to this date has succeeded.
Taiwan, the Green Silicon Island, was established to replicate itself as another Silicon Valley. And in many ways, it achieves this ‘cloning’, especially in terms of its geographic location:
Taiwan’s PC and IC industries are geographically clustered in a pattern that closely resembles that of Silicon Valley. The majority of the island’s approximately 10000 IC and PC related firms are located within a 50-mile region linking the Taipei metropolitan area and the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park…This geographic separation from Taiwan’s traditional industries…has facilitated the creation of new financial and technical institutions to support entrepreneurship. As in Silicon Valley, the advantage…lies in the opportunity to create new institutions… (Saxenian 10)
Furthermore, much like Silicon Valley, California, Taiwan’s Hsinchu is “characterized by high rates of entrepreneurship, intense competition--as well as collaboration--among specialized firms…” (Saxenian, 12). However, it is the wider presence of this collaboration among its innovators that sets Silicon Island apart from Santa Clara County. As a general rule, Silicon Valley workers, although from highly diverse regions of the world, tend to adapt to an Americanized sense of individualism. In other words, they work primarily for the betterment of self. In a place like Taiwan, which has been labeled a ‘collectivist culture’, workers produce for the prosperity of the companies in which they are innovators (Hockenbury 322).
This predominantly collectivistic cultural adaptation probably owes itself to Hsinchu Industrial Park being made up of a vast majority of native Taiwanese workers and Asian immigrants, with a significantly small number of European immigrants. Collectivist cultural trends characterized by socially oriented motivation, rather than individualistic achievement, are typical to many Asian cultures, such as in China, Japan, and of course, Taiwan (Hockenbury322).
Albeit Taiwan’s population of technological innovators is nonetheless a diverse one, Silicon Valley still has it outnumbered in terms of identity diversity, which includes incoming workers from more diverse regions of the world. Taiwan’s main objective, on the other hand, is primarily to produce collectively and for its surrounding Asian cultures (English-Lueck 173).
Works Cited
Business Source Premier, ICON Group International Inc. San Diego: Taiwan Economic
Studies. Sept. 2000/ p. 88.
Einhorn, Bruce. “THE BIG SQUEEZE.” Business Week. Volume 3723 (2001): 57.
English-Lueck, J.A. Cultures at Silicon Valley. Stanford University Press: Stanford, CA.
2002.
Hockenbury, D.H. Psychology. Worth Publishers: NY. 2000. 2nd Ed.
Hsieh, H. Steve. Newsletter of Science and Technology in Taiwan, R.O. Taipei: Planning and Evaluation Division National Science Council, Republic of China. Jun. 1999 / Issue 3
Kim, Vivien. Insight Guides: Taiwan. Singapore: Apa Publications GmbH & co.,
2003. Pg. 181.
Ribao, Renmin. "Chinese paper comments on 'gradual Taiwan independence.'" British
Broadcasting Corporation. 12 February, 2004. Lexis-Nexis. 6 Apr. 2004 .
Saxenian, A. Taiwan's Hsinchu Region: Imitator and Partner for Silicon Valley.
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~anno/papers/hsinchu.pdf. Stanford University,
CA. 2001.
"Taiwan, China rift widens; Islanders' culture has given them a separate identity."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin). 8, Apr., 2004.Lexis-Nexis. 6 Apr. 2004.
Taiwan Headlines: www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw
“The ‘Green Silicon Island’.” Rising to the Challenge, Embracing the Future. May 2002.
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/ad/win/012/html/silicon.htm
The Republic of China: Taiwan: www.taipei.org
The University Office of Technology Transfer: Taiwan. www.law.washington.edu.
“What’s New on the Green Silicon Island.” Newsletter: Taipei Representative Office in
Hungary. 26 February, 2003. Pg. 3. http://www.roc-taiwan-hu.com.
Wu, Sofia. "Premier vows to promote Culture & Creative Industries." Central News
Agency - Taiwan. 2, Nov., 2003. Lexis-Nexis. 6 Apr. 2004 .
Silicon Island society:
Business Source Premier, ICON Group International Inc. San Diego: Taiwan Economic
Studies. Sept. 2000/ p. 88.
Kim, Vivien. Insight Guides: Taiwan. Singapore: Apa Publications GmbH & co.,
2004. Pg. 181.
Taiwan Headlines: www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw.
The Republic of China: Taiwan: www.taipei.org.
Overview of Technology:
“What’s New on the Green Silicon Island.” Newsletter: Taipei Representative Office in
Hungary. 26 February, 2003. Pg. 3. http://www.roc-taiwan-hu.com.
“The ‘Green Silicon Island’.” Rising to the Challenge, Embracing the Future. May 2002.
http://www.gio.gov.tw/taiwan-website/ad/win/012/html/silicon.htm
Einhorn, Bruce. “THE BIG SQUEEZE.” Business Week. Volume 3723 (2001): 57.
Uses of Technology:
Hsieh, H. Steve. Newsletter of Science and Technology in Taiwan, R.O. Taipei: Planning and Evaluation Division National Science Council, Republic of China. Jun. 1999 / Issue 3
The University Office of Technology Transfer: Taiwan. www.law.washington.edu.
Impacts of Technology on the Culture of Taiwan:
Ribao, Renmin. "Chinese paper comments on 'gradual Taiwan independence.'" British
Broadcasting Corporation. 12 February, 2004. Lexis-Nexis. 6 Apr. 2004 .
"Taiwan, China rift widens; Islanders' culture has given them a separate identity."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin). 8, Apr., 2004.Lexis-Nexis. 6 Apr. 2004.
Wu, Sofia. "Premier vows to promote Culture & Creative Industries." Central News
Agency - Taiwan. 2, Nov., 2003. Lexis-Nexis. 6 Apr. 2004 .
Ethnological Comparison of Culture and Output at Silcon
Valley and Silicon Island:
English-Lueck, J.A. Cultures at Silicon Valley. Stanford University Press: Stanford, CA.
2002.
Hockenbury, D.H. Psychology. Worth Publishers: NY. 2000. 2nd Ed.
Saxenian, A. Taiwan's Hsinchu Region: Imitator and Partner for Silicon Valley.
http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/~anno/papers/hsinchu.pdf. Stanford University,
CA. 2001.
Works Cited- Pictures
Slide #1- Taiwan Science and Technology- http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/taiwan-
story/science/images/est_inedx.jpg
Slide #2- Taiwan map- china.worlds.ru/maps/ graph/taiwan.gif
Slide #3 -Hsinchu Night- www.hccg.gov.tw/english/ lk11/image/11_1_3d.jpg
Slide #4- Natural Hsinchu- www.lonelocust.com/.../ freshly_swept_tombs.jpg
Slide #4- Core Pacific City Mall- http://taipeitimes.com/images/2001/11/20
/20011119184923.jpeg
Slide #5- Taiwan Technology Fair- http://www.computex.com.tw
/cebit2003/cebit2003picture.asp
Slide #6-Taipei-Hsinchu Map- http://www.english.hsinchu.edatexpo.com/
IMAGES/Taipei-Hsinchu.gif
Slide #7- Taiwan Snoopy - www.shan.org.hk/peanuts/ snoopy99/taiwan.jpg
Slide #7- Taiwan Gator- onisci.com/bananawani/ taiwan.gif
Slide #8-Silicon Valley Layout- http://www.menlo.edu/about/map/valley.jpg
Slide #8- Hsinchu Layout- http://www.atip.org/public/images/taiwan-1-96-074.jpg
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