Taiwanese aborigines are optimistic. They accept life as it is, and live in harmony with nature. Their languages are also the very origins of Austronesian languages. However, as the Dutch East India Company, set its foot on Taiwan in the early 16th century, a succession of ethnic conversion, integration, and changes was introduced. The Taiwanese aborigines were ruled under external forces for 500 years; from the colonization of the Netherlands in 1922, the Qing Dynasty in 1683, and the Japanese, under whose rule they have been persecuted, oppressed, and controlled. When the KMT (Kuomintang, often translated as the Nationalist Party of China) retreated to Taiwan from China, the aborigines continued to try to survive and to coexist with other ethnic groups.
Taiwan (Formosa) was an extremely beautiful island, and is said to be the origin of Austronesian languages. The ancestors of the aborigines were the guardians of Formosa; they lived on this land with modesty and discipline. They were humble, optimistic, simple, and courageous. However, the lack of opportunities for education had left them at a disadvantage when faced with one after another invasion. In the course of history, they were used, oppressed and slaughtered.