Taiwan’s identity has been hidden, rewritten, and suppressed by the imposition of culture during periods of both Japanese and Chinese rule — symbolised by Taiwan’s architectural history; erasures and restorations of street names and infrastructure, hiding the historical and cultural context in which they were created.

Reflecting on its colonial past, modern Taiwan once again faces an external danger — the looming threats of the One China Policy. This thesis is not merely an historical retracing, but an urgent documentation of the formation of Taiwanese national identity, against a future where Taiwan might be spoken of in the past tense.