It's been 60 years since Taiwan and mainland China split during the 1949 Civil War and the rise of the People's Republic of China, but tensions are still high in Taiwan as pandas from China, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, which together means "reunion," are making their home in a Taiwanese zoo ( http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/26/asia/AS-Taiwan-China-Pandas.php ).
Taiwan had previously rejected the offer from China for pandas, wanting to avoid Chinese influence in Taiwan. It's interesting to think how these creatures, who generally bring a smile to people's faces as they munch on bamboo and well just look cool, could create mixed feelings amoung the Taiwanese.
While mainland China rose from the civil war into the communist People's Republic of China, Taiwan's indepedence, a sore point for the mainland, allowed the island nation to develop into a democracy. As recently as 2005 when China offered Tawain some pandas, the ruling party at the time refused the gift and still argue that its the mainland's way of pushing their influence and forcing unification.
All of these feelings were set into motion as modern China was taking shape. China has in the past made military threats towards Taiwan to force them back under mainland control, now they just want to share some "bear".
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