Question

When Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan from China he established the "People's Republic" in Taiwan following the three principles of Sun Yat-sen. The first principle is minzu.

What does it mean?

Answer 1

Minzu means nation in Chinese, and refers to the Chinese nation as the collection of five large ethnicities: the Han Chinese, the Man Chinese or Manchus, the Meng or Mongols, the Hui or Muslim Chinese, and Zang or Tibetan Chinese.

Minzu is a recognition of the multi-ethnic character of the Chinese nation, but it is also a nationalist concept that is used to suppress any attempt of secession.

Both Taiwan and Mainland China were founded under this principle.