question: Why is aboriginal people a recognized people in Taiwan but not in Mainland China, where there are only ethnic minorities?
comment: It's because there were a separate peoples who lived on Taiwan first, before it was settled by mainland Chinese people (Han). They may have initially come from the mainland when there was a land bridge, or were early ocean navigators, but the point is that they developed separately from the mainland Chinese culture . From wikipedia, there was about 5,500 years of Taiwanese Aboriginal settlement before the Han arrived. & #x200B; Whereas the other Chinese ethnic minorities developed within, or adjacent to a dominant Chinese culture, sort of like how there are different cultural traditions and languages across England, like Cornish for example.
passages: Other indigenous groups or subgroups that have pressed for recovery of legal aboriginal status include Chimo (who have not formally petitioned the government, see ), Kakabu, Makatao, Pazeh, Siraya, and Taivoan. The act of petitioning for recognized status, however, does not always reflect any consensus view among scholars that the relevant group should in fact be categorized as a separate ethnic group. The Siraya will become the 17th ethnic group to be recognized once their status, already recognized by the courts in May 2018, is officially announced by the central government.
   Since 2005, some local governments, including Tainan City in 2005, Fuli, Hualian in 2013, and Pingtung County in 2016, have begun to recognize Taiwanese Plain Indigenous peoples. The numbers of people who have successfully registered, including Kaohsiung City Government that has opened to register but not yet recognized, as of 2017 are:
  
  Section::::Recognized peoples.
  
  Section::::Recognized peoples.:Indigenous ethnic groups recognized by Taiwan.
   The Council of Indigenous Peoples consider several limited factors in a successful formal petition. The determining factors include collecting member genealogies, group histories and evidence of a continued linguistic and cultural identity. The lack of documentation and the extinction of many indigenous languages as the result of colonial cultural and language policies have made the prospect of official recognition of many ethnicities a remote possibility. Current trends in ethno-tourism have led many former Plains Aborigines to continue to seek cultural revival.
   In a ground-breaking 1997 decision involving the Ainu people of Japan, the Japanese courts recognised their claim in law, stating that "If one minority group lived in an area prior to being ruled over by a majority group and preserved its distinct ethnic culture even after being ruled over by the majority group, while another came to live in an area ruled over by a majority after consenting to the majority rule, it must be recognised that it is only natural that the distinct ethnic culture of the former group requires greater consideration."
   The pattern of intermarriage continued, as many KMT soldiers married aboriginal women who were from poorer areas and could be easily bought as wives. Modern studies show a high degree of genetic intermixing. Despite this, many contemporary Taiwanese are unwilling to entertain the idea of having an aboriginal heritage. In a 1994 study, it was found that 71% of the families surveyed would object to their daughter marrying an aboriginal man. For much of the KMT era the government definition of aboriginal identity had been 100% aboriginal parentage, leaving any intermarriage resulting in a non-aboriginal child. Later the policy was adjusted to the ethnic status of the father determining the status of the child.
   The Government of the Republic of China recognises 16 distinct Indigenous Taiwanese tribes or ethnic groups, but there are several more unrecognised "plains tribes", which have largely been assimilated into the Han Taiwanese, living along the eastern plains of Taiwan. The Government of the Republic of China, under the administration of Tsai Ing-wen and the Democratic Progressive Party, gave a formal apology to the Indigenous Taiwanese for the first time in history on August 1st, 2016, with a Pan-Green perspective. Previously, the Kuomintang had avoided the Indigenous Taiwanese worldview, though having officially recognised them.
   Among the Plains groups that have petitioned for official status, only the Kavalan and Sakizaya have been officially recognized. The remaining twelve recognized groups are traditionally regarded as mountain aboriginals.
   The insulting name "fan" was used against Plains indigenous peoples by the Taiwanese, and Hoklo speech was adopted by indigenous peoples like the Pazeh. Hoklo Taiwanese has replaced Pazeh and driven it to near extinction. Indigenous status has been requested by Plains people.
  
  The deep-rooted hostility between Taiwanese indigenous peoples and (Taiwanese) Hoklo, and the indigenous communities' effective KMT networks, contribute to skepticism against the DPP and the indigenous people's tendency to vote for the KMT.
   At the end of 2014, Cheng Wen-tsan, then mayor of Taoyuan City, appointed her as the first female director of the Aboriginal Administration of the Taoyuan City Government; and revised the name of the institution which has been used for 14 years to “Indigenous Peoples Administration Bureau”. It took effect on March 11, 2015 and required the name card to be include aboriginal scripts.
  
  Section::::Political career.:Legislative Yuan.
   In 2003, the Supreme Court of Canada prescribed three similar criteria for determining who is a member of a Métis people, reflecting the customary aboriginal definition (with the addition of objective verifiability, which was not an issue in the pre-colonial context).
  
  Section::::Laws.:China.
  
  In China, distinct ethnic groups have been officially defined since 1949. The criteria for recognition of an ethnic group are: a territory in China from which it originated, a distinct language, distinctive customs and a sense of collective identity.
  
  Section::::Laws.:New Zealand.
   To some degree the movement has been successful. Beginning in 1998, the official curriculum in Taiwan schools has been changed to contain more frequent and favorable mention of aborigines. In 1996 the Council of Indigenous Peoples was promoted to a ministry-level rank within the Executive Yuan. The central government has taken steps to allow romanized spellings of aboriginal names on official documents, offsetting the long-held policy of forcing a Han name on an aborigine. A relaxed policy on identification now allows a child to choose their official designation if they are born to mixed aboriginal/Han parents.
   Section::::Assimilation and acculturation.:Current forms of assimilation.
  
  Many of these forms of assimilation are still at work today. For example, when a central authority nationalizes one language, that attaches economic and social advantages to the prestige language. As generations pass, use of the indigenous language often fades or disappears, and linguistic and cultural identity recede as well. However, some groups are seeking to revive their indigenous identities. One important political aspect of this pursuit is petitioning the government for official recognition as a separate and distinct ethnic group.
   The Government of the Republic of China officially recognizes distinct people groups among the indigenous community based upon the qualifications drawn up by the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP). To gain this recognition, communities must gather a number of signatures and a body of supporting evidence with which to successfully petition the CIP. Formal recognition confers certain legal benefits and rights upon a group, as well as providing them with the satisfaction of recovering their separate identity as an ethnic group. As of June 2014, 16 people groups have been recognized.
   Unrecognized Taiwanese aboriginal peoples may include extinct peoples (mostly Plains indigenous peoples) or communities currently classified with other groups. There are also 25,943 indigenous people who are currently not classified in any group.
  
  Section::::Ethnicity.:Han Taiwanese.
   Researches on ethnic groups of Taiwanese indigenous peoples started in late 19th century, when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. The conducted large amount of researches and further distinguished the ethnic groups of Taiwanese indigenous peoples by linguistics (see Formosan languages). After the research, the household registration records remarks of "mountains/plains indigenous peoples". The governmental statistics also listed 9 recognized subgroups under mountains indigenous peoples. However, after World War II, the government refused to recognize the plains indigenous peoples.
   Plains indigenous peoples have not been officially recognised by the Taiwan government, apart from the Kavalan. It was not until the mid-1980s that plains indigenous peoples started gaining interest from historians and anthropologists, leading to increased public attention to this group. Various anthropological studies have emerged in recent years arguing that circa 85% of Hoklo and Hakka Taiwanese are actually descendants of plains indigenous peoples through intermarriages with Han immigrants. This is still an ongoing debate and has been used as political leverage to promote Taiwan independence and ethnic consciousness. An increasing number of Hoklo and Hakka are beginning to search for plains indigenous bloodlines in their genealogy, and many are starting to claim themselves as plains indigenous peoples. These indigenous groups are currently continuing to fight for its identity, rights and recognition as Taiwanese indigenous peoples. In 2016, the Tsai Ing-wen administration promised to grant official recognition to the plains indigenous peoples, and draft bill is being reviewed by the Legislative Yuan as of June 2018.
   Officially, Taiwan (ROC) is home to two main native ethnic groups, the Han Chinese (aka "Han Taiwanese") and the Taiwanese indigenous peoples (who are ethnically Austronesian). Additionally, these two main native ethnic groups can be classified into several subdivisions. Regarding the Han Chinese, they can be divided into the Taiwanese Hoklo people, the Taiwanese Hakka people, and the somewhat outdated term "Mainland Chinese in Taiwan (ROC)" (which refers to Mainland Chinese who immigrated to Taiwan (ROC) up to 74 years ago). Regarding the Taiwanese indigenous peoples, there are currently sixteen officially recognized tribes, and perhaps several more which are officially unrecognized. 
   After centuries of acculturation, plains indigenous peoples are almost completely sinicized. It was already noted in the early 20th century that careful observation was required to note their deeper eyes as compared to the Chinese; also, the women did not practice foot binding. It is now nearly impossible to distinguish plains indigenous peoples without careful inspection. Through the process of acculturation, much of the language, culture and identity of plains indigenous peoples have become non-existent in modern Taiwanese society. The Republic of China government currently only officially recognises one (Kavalan) of all the plains indigenous peoples.
   Before the establishment of what was then called the Council of Aboriginal Affairs, there were nine aborigine tribes recognized by the government of Taiwan. These tribes had been classified by Japanese colonial authorities, and the designations had been kept in independent Taiwan. The Thao became the first new tribe recognized in 2001. The next year, the Council of Indigenous Peoples approved the Kavalan in becoming the eleventh recognized tribe, as well as the first plains aborigine tribe. The next tribe to be recognized, in 2004, was the Truku, who had been classified as Atayal. This recognition was controversial, however; some Seediq, also classified as Atayal, did not consider the Truku to be distinct from them, and claimed that giving Truku independent tribal status was a political move. In 2007, the Sakizaya, who had been classified as Amis, gained recognition. The fourteenth recognized tribe was the Seediq, who were officially split from the Atayal in 2008. The most recent additions were in 2014, when both the Hla'alua and the Kanakanavu were recognized.
   Prior to 1788, Australia was an independent realm from the United Kingdom and from the "Old World" as a whole, and was home to diverse indigenous peoples who are now collectively known as the Aboriginal Australians. From the perspective of these people, Australia's cultural history dates back at least 50,000 years. However, the British colonisation of Australia has caused the Aboriginal Australian history and culture to have been largely eradicated. In the modern day, the Aboriginal Australians have transitioned from making up most of Australia's population (alongside the Torres Strait Islanders) to making up around 3.1% of the population, as of 2016.
   Section::::CIP Ministry.
  
  Section::::CIP Ministry.:Hla’alua and Kanakanvu tribes recognition.
  
  Speaking at Legislative Yuan plenary session in February 2014, Lin said that the Hla’alua and Kanakanvu tribe of Taiwanese aborigines can be recognized as the 15th and 16th aboriginal tribes, stating that those two groups are still currently treated as part of the Tsou group of Kaohsiung.
  
  Section::::CIP Ministry.:Declining of the aboriginal language use.
   Section::::Aborigines in the democratic era.:Aboriginal political movement.
  
  The movement for indigenous cultural and political resurgence in Taiwan traces its roots to the ideals outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Although the Republic of China was a UN member and signatory to the original UN Charter, four decades of martial law controlled the discourse of culture and politics on Taiwan. The political liberalization Taiwan experienced leading up to the official end of martial law on 15 July 1987, opened a new public arena for dissenting voices and political movements against the centralized policy of the KMT.
   Efforts have been under way by the Siraya and related plains aboriginal peoples to gain official recognition from Taiwan's national government. In 2010 the Siraya enlisted the aid of the United Nations. Siraya and Taiwan government representatives have noted a flaw in the language of the law: the Chinese term employed for indigenous peoples literally means "mountain people." A literal reading of the law excludes coastal groups from recognition automatically. Government officials have proposed changing the law to ensure accuracy and inclusion of all indigenous groups.
  
  Section::::Culture.
   In 2010, representatives of plains indigenous peoples in Taiwan sent an official complaint to the United Nations in Geneva; the complaint outlined the unfairness caused by plains indigenous peoples not being formally recognised under the current Republic of China administration. The representatives of plains indigenous peoples demanded for the group to be recognised formally as Taiwanese aborigine and Austronesian. The complaint was later rejected by the United Nations. As a result, a dedicated committee under the name 'Pingpu Affairs Task Force' (平埔族群事務推動小組) has been created by the Executive Yuan to deal with plains indigenous issues.
   Ethno-political activities and Nativist Cultural Movements flourished after the 1990s, and a “Plains Aborigine Name Correction Movement” (Plains Indigenous Peoples Recognition Movement) emerged. Several protests occurred in 2001 and 2010, and a formal complaint was sent to the United Nations in 2010, demanding the ROC government to formally recognise plains indigenous peoples. Descendants of plains indigenous peoples today continue to fight for the official recognition of their status as Taiwanese indigenous peoples.
  
raw_presuppositions: Aboriginal people developed in Taiwan simultaneously with their development in Mainland China.
raw_corrections: Aboriginal people developing in Taiwan were a separate group of people independent of those in Mainland China.