Orthodox China in Taiwan?

The year 1966 presented one of the most surreal and tragic juxtapositions. In Beijing, Mao unleashed the Cultural Revolution, a campaign to eradicate the “Four Olds,” old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits. Temples were smashed, ancient texts and books were burned in the streets, and millennia of intellectual heritage were subjected to violent destruction.Meanwhile, just across the Taiwan Strait, an entirely different spectacle was unfolding. Observing the chaos on the mainland, Chiang Kai-shek seized what he perceived as a historic and strategic opportunity. In November 1966, the Kuomintang (KMT) government in Taipei officially launched the “Chinese Cultural Renaissance Movement” (中華文化復興運動). If the mainland was determined to sever its roots, Taiwan would position itself as the sole, legitimate sanctuary of traditional Chinese civilization.Subscribe for deep, weekly dives into the Chinese mind.The Battle for OrthodoxyWhen the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan in…