| dc.description.abstract | After annexing China in 1644, the Great Ch′ing in China proclaimed itself the legitimate master of China and regarded the Tang-ling government in Taiwan as a specter of Ming Dynasty haunting China’s sea coast. The Great Ch’ing in China and Tang-ling in Taiwan possessed different beliefs of their own terms. The international environment China and Taiwan faced was shaped by the interplay of their material variables and information variables that is their military capability and motives. Emperor Kang-hsi as a minority ethnic group in China governed the Empire comprising Han, Manchurian and Mongolian societies with distinctive approaches. The Great Ch’ing disciplined the body and thought of Han Chinese subjects with harsh measures. The referent of political, military, economic and societal security is the Empire itself instead of the subjects. Hence in the context of security the Great Ch’ing ’s policy is determined by the subjective judgement of the emperor. China failed in its military attempt in the early rein of Kang-his. China and Taiwan maintained peace with implicit agreement without ending war, which suggests materials are not the sole determinant of the relations of amity or enmity in anarchy. Emperor Kang-hsi is the decision maker with final say on Taiwan issue as he indicated. His perception on security is affected by embedded belief, immediate concern or evoked sets and deep expectations as well. Emperor Kang-hsi, as normal man, use his front mind to perceive and interpret the incoming stimulus. To infer his behavior from fragmented information, one has to appreciate the recent problems he encountered and information received. While making decisions, Emperor Kang-hsi remains affected by the most front in mind. The fall of eight provinces in China to Three Feudatories impacting regime security has been a dramatic event on affecting the Emperor and thus changed his security perception threshold. He interpreted the information with his bias during negotiation. The way he interprets the information enables him to maintain his cognitive consistency, which results in turning perception to misperception. The war with Three Feudatories has changed his security threshold and has made him more sensitive to issues regarding security. The change is not only on his policy towards Taiwan but also on the treatment of captive decedents of Mongolian royal family, Dalai Lama the Fifth, the emerging Mongolian leader, Galdan Boshigt and encroaching Russia. Emperor first opted for peaceful coexistence and later waged with Taiwan both are in the name of world peace. The Great Ch’ing ’s policy toward Taiwan is shaped by its strength and motives. The interplay of material and information variables shaped the international environment Taiwan and China faced. Emperor Kang-hsi’s policy decision is made in this dynamic context. For Emperor Kang-his, the Manchu emperor, in his innermost thoughts, the ＂Taiwan issue＂ was actually a ＂China issue＂ that threatened the security of Han Chinese society within the Ch’ing Empire. | en_US |