Over time, the salience of Waishengren identity has faded through intermarriage and democratization. Today, they are largely integrated into the Taiwanese social fabric, yet the historical legacy of the "Mainlander" as a political elite class remains a subtext in debates over transitional justice and national identity.
In modern Taiwan, when the term "Mainlander" is used in public discourse, it almost exclusively refers to citizens of the PRC ( Dàlù rén ). This represents a sociological rupture. Unlike the Waishengren of the 20th century, who saw the mainland as a lost homeland, the contemporary view of the Mainlander is often framed through the lens of economic competition and geopolitical threat. mainlander
Residents of archipelagos, such as those in Sweden, use the term to distinguish their lifestyle and resource management from those on the continent. For islanders, "mainlanders" might be perceived as less accustomed to the environmental constraints—like water and energy scarcity—typical of island life. 2. The Taiwanese Context: Waishengren Over time, the salience of Waishengren identity has
This paper examines the term "Mainlander" as a fluid, contested, and politically charged identifier within the Sinophone world. While ostensibly a geographic descriptor for residents of mainland China, the term functions as a complex sociological signifier that delineates boundaries of belonging, class, and national identity. By analyzing the distinct usage of the term in Taiwan and Hong Kong—the two primary contexts where the identity is salient—this study illustrates how "Mainlander" serves as a "othering" device, a marker of historical trauma, and a barometer for cross-strait and cross-border relations. The paper argues that the definition of "Mainlander" is not static; rather, it is continuously reshaped by shifting political sovereignty, migration patterns, and divergent paths of modernization. This represents a sociological rupture
The "Mainlander" Construct: Identity, Migration, and Socio-Political Stratification in the Sinophone World
of Duncan's disappearance and what Colin finds.