Sweet Potato: Han-chî-á as a Symbol of Taiwanese Resilience

Taiwan's aerial silhouette itself resembles a sweet potato—even the island's very shape mirrors this crop that was first domesticated in Central and South America 5,000 years ago and has profoundly shaped the island's trajectory over the past four centuries.

Botanically classified as Ipomoea batatas of the morning glory family, the sweet potato is a perennial vine of hardy constitution. Thriving in warm climates, it proves remarkably easy to cultivate and grows with impressive speed. Both its tuberous roots and leafy greens are edible—a crucial characteristic that made it a lifesaving sustenance during times of scarcity and material hardship.

According to historical accounts, when Zheng Chenggong's forces advanced through Tainan's Luermen waterway, the retreating Dutch troops withdrew to Fort Zeelandia, burning their rice stores before abandoning their positions. As the siege prolonged, it was the cultivation of sweet potatoes that ultimately sustained Zheng's army, providing the vital provisions needed to maintain their campaign.

The Conflict between Sweet Potatoes and Taros

In the early years of the Republic of China, when rice was scarce, older generations of Taiwanese consumed sweet potatoes in large quantities. The leaves and discarded stems and vines were fed to pigs—sweet potato leaves were then commonly called pig fodder. Shredded and sun-dried sweet potato strips became essential emergency rations stored in households, demonstrating the thorough utilization of every part of the plant.

According to Wikipedia, Taiwanese people began calling themselves sweet potatoes (han-chî-á) during the Japanese colonial period, using the sweet potato's tenacious survival in barren soil as a symbol of the Taiwanese spirit. The widespread adoption of this self-designation intensified after the Kuomintang forces retreated to Taiwan. When conflicts arose between mainlanders and local Taiwanese, mainlanders would derisively call locals "sweet potatoes," while Taiwanese would retort by calling the mainlanders "taros" (ô͘-á)—referencing a similar root vegetable in a tit-for-tat exchange.

From 1907 onward, the Japanese colonial authorities began importing various cultivars from China, Japan, the United States, Java, and Borneo for domestication trials and promotion of superior varieties. Taiwan subsequently developed an increasingly diverse array of sweet potato varieties, creating a dazzling market selection.

Leaves once relegated to pig fodder have now become a common ingredient on family dinner tables. Moreover, the tuber itself has evolved into a trendy health food, prized for its wellness benefits and nutritional value.