Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China three lands sharing the same culture and ethnicity. Yet, because of differing political structures, the people in these places have very different ways of thinking, value systems, and ideologies.
How are the Chinese in these three places distinct in the way they think? Since 1987, when restrictions that Taiwan had placed on travel to the mainland were lifted, a large number of natives of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China have been able to travel among the trio of locations. But after so many years of interaction and dialogue, why is it that Chinese from different places seem unable to comprehend one another? What is the possibility that in the future all Chinese will truly be "speaking the same language"? A good place to begin opening a window on the ideological perspectives of the three places is with the differences among their primary school textbooks.
Our reporters did research in Hong Kong and Taiwan to produce two articles on this topic. Of them, "Begonia Leaf or Old Mother Hen?" compares the way school books in the three places deal with the humanities and history. Meanwhile, "The Rise and Fall of 'China'" analyzes how political changes in Taiwan and Hong Kong are likely to affect textbooks for the future.