Current scholarly work looks at Taiwanese history through a wide spectrum of ideological viewpoints and theoretical paradigms. At the extreme ends of this palette, the 'Pro-China' disposition which views Taiwan as an integral part of China "since ancient times" is challenged by the 'Pro-Taiwan' proposition which argues that the inhabitants of Taiwan were basically always autonomous and averse to the Mainland. In ongoing recent discussions, researchers now thrive to overcome dichotomies on questions of methodology, theory, and interpretational perspectives. They aim to establish dialogue between different historical viewpoints and to establish consensus.This paper argues that consensus building first requires appraisal of the differences in argumentation before spatial-bound dichotomies can be overcome. Therefore the objective of this paper is to identify the major differences in 'Pro-China' versus 'Pro-Taiwan' historical viewpoints as they unfold from the Aborigines' origin to the Japanese colonial period and to relate their assessment to the latest insights of the ongoing discussion.
