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Rongmin

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Honorary Citizens (Chinese: 榮譽國民; Wade–Giles: Jung2-yü4 kuo2-min2),[1] commonly abbreviated as Rongmin (Chinese: 榮民; pinyin: Róngmín; Wade–Giles: Jung2-min2),[2] refers to discharged officers and soldiers of the Republic of China Armed Forces in Taiwan who meet specific service criteria. In contemporary Taiwanese society, Rongmin often historically referred to Mainlanders in Taiwan who served in the Second Sino-Japanese War or the Chinese Civil War and relocated to Taiwan following the retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan. However, the number of these "senior veterans" has decreased over time, and the majority of Rongmin today are "Taiwan-enlisted veterans", with the total Rongmin population standing at approximately 330,000. Matters such as employment, education, medical care, retirement care, and general welfare for Rongmin, their dependents, and surviving family members are managed by the Veterans Affairs Council (VAC).

Definition

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Honorary Citizen

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To enhance the sense of honor among discharged military personnel, the Veterans Affairs Council promulgated the "Regulations for the Management and Use of Honorary Citizen Cards" in 1960. Eligible officers and enlisted personnel may apply for an "Honorary Citizen Card". Eligibility for Rongmin status was gradually expanded in subsequent years: in 1994, discharged personnel from military arsenals and naval shipyards were included; in 1999, conscripted soldiers who participated in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis (823 Artillery Battle) were included; and in 2001, members of the Kinmen-Matsu Civilian Defense Corps who served during the 823 Artillery Battle were also granted status.[3] The design of the card originally varied according to rank, but was standardized in 1990.[4]

According to the VAC regulations, individuals eligible to apply for an Honorary Citizen Card include:

  1. Officers, NCOs, and enlisted soldiers who served on active duty for at least 10 years, or those who completed their active duty service, voluntarily remained or re-enlisted, and served for a combined total of at least 10 years before discharge or retirement.
  2. Active-duty military personnel who became disabled due to combat or duty-related injuries and are certified as requiring long-term medical care or retirement care after discharge.
  3. Personnel who enlisted prior to the amendment of the Enforcement Rules of the Act on Assistance for Retired Servicemen on August 9, 2005, or students enrolled in military academies at that time, who completed their original required service term.
  4. Military personnel who participated in the 1958 Second Taiwan Strait Crisis or other key national security battles designated by the Ministry of National Defense.
  5. Members of the Kinmen and Matsu Civilian Defense Corps who participated in the 1958 battle.
  6. Individuals designated under special assistance projects, including:
    • Mainland-born soldiers and military civilian staff who left the service before 1955 and relocated to Taiwan, or technical workers with military civilian status who served in military factories prior to the repeal of the Temporary Regulations for Military Civilian Employment on October 30, 1959.
    • Former military officers who retired on the Chinese mainland or re-entered military service and were subsequently discharged or removed from service.
    • Personnel discharged as unassigned military officers.
    • Taiwanese military personnel stranded in Mainland China who later returned to settle in Taiwan.
    • Former ROC military personnel stranded in the border regions of Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam (such as the Kuomintang loyalists in Burma).
    • ROC military personnel captured in combat and later returned to Taiwan.
    • Individuals who voluntarily enlisted and served for at least 3 years in response to the 1955 naval fleet reconstruction campaign.
    • Selected personnel certified under special military reserve officer programs administered by the Ministry of National Defense between 1990 and 1993.

Senior veterans and Taiwan-enlisted veterans

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Honorary Citizens are categorized into "senior veterans" (born before the end of 1934) and "Taiwan-enlisted veterans" (born in or after 1935). Senior veterans previously constituted the majority of the Rongmin population, but their numbers have declined over time. In 2009, the number of Taiwan-enlisted veterans surpassed that of senior veterans. According to statistics from late 2019, senior veterans accounted for 23% of the total, while Taiwan-enlisted veterans accounted for 77%.[3]

Senior veterans mostly accompanied the Nationalist government from Mainland China to Taiwan around 1949. Compared to Taiwan-enlisted veterans, their military careers and backgrounds differed significantly from those of the general population; a higher proportion remained unmarried, and due to low pay during their military service, many belonged to low-income households in civilian society.[5]

Dependents

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Rongmin dependents include parents, spouses, minor children, and children with physical or mental disabilities. As of late 2019, there were 705,042 registered dependents receiving assistance and services from the VAC.[3]

Demographics

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The VAC began publishing demographic data on Rongmin in 1983, when the population stood at approximately 547,000. It peaked at 597,000 in 1991 before steadily declining. By late 2019, the surviving Rongmin population was 349,333. Based on five-year averages, approximately 3,000 new Rongmin are registered annually, while the population decreases by about 14,000 per year due to deaths.[3]

By age distribution, elderly Rongmin aged 65 and above accounted for 47.9% of the total in late 2019, those aged 50 to 64 accounted for 40.3%, and those under 49 made up 11.9%. By gender, men comprised 95.4% and women 4.6%. By rank upon discharge, the distribution was: enlisted soldiers and NCOs (44.3%), junior officers (23.6%), senior officers (31.4%), and generals (0.7%). Among enlisted personnel and NCOs, more than half were conscripts from the 823 Artillery Battle or Kinmen-Matsu civilian defense forces.[3]

Inheritance issues

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When a Rongmin passes away without heirs or designated beneficiaries, their estate is transferred to the national treasury after a three-year period. Because widows of Rongmin are eligible for half of their spouse's military pension, and many single senior veterans in Taiwan lacked legal heirs, estate inheritance disputes have been common. Issues include fraudulent marriages involving elderly veterans to claim inheritances and pension benefits, fraudulent claims from fake heirs in Mainland China, and disputed wills.[6] Cases of embezzlement and fraud involving funeral service operators or VAC personnel mishandling veteran estates have also been reported.[7][8][9]

Culture and literature

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Literature

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Numerous Taiwanese literary works focus on the lives and experiences of Rongmin. Notable works include short stories by Zhang Dachun (such as "Chicken Feather Chart", "Four Joys and Country", and "General's Monument"), works by Su Jin-chiang, Wu Chin-fa, and Ku Ling, as well as accounts of old veterans' struggles written by Zhou Xianjun.[10]

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Efforts to document the history of Rongmin have produced numerous oral history projects and memoirs published by the VAC, Academia Sinica, and local governments. These publications detail the veterans' post-war resettlement and their contributions to major national projects, such as the construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway.

To support the medical and economic needs of retired personnel, the VAC established specialized public institutions and state-operated enterprises. Healthcare facilities such as Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital [zh], and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital were founded to provide medical care for veterans, later expanding services to the general public. The VAC also operated various state enterprises to provide stable employment for discharged soldiers, including the RSEA Engineering Corporation, the Veterans Pharmaceutical Plant, and several forestry management divisions.

Rongmin in Indigenous communities

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Soldiers who came to Taiwan in 1949 were provided with housing primarily if they were high-ranking officers, while low-ranking officers and soldiers relied on VAC placement programs upon retirement. Beginning in the 1950s, the VAC established agricultural and forestry farms—such as Wuling Farm, Fushoushan Farm, and Cingjing Farm—where veterans engaged in farming, livestock, and cash crop cultivation.

Because these farms were often situated within the traditional territories of Taiwanese indigenous peoples, many veterans settled in remote areas, introduced through matchmakers or fellow soldiers, and married Indigenous women. While veterans possessed monetary and legal standing, many were socially marginalized and displaced individuals; their marriages to Indigenous women reflected survival strategies in remote regions. Some veterans opened local grocery stores and integrated into tribal life.[11] Unlike the derogatory term "Lao Yuzai" (老芋仔) used in mainstream society[12], Indigenous communities referred to these veteran husbands using various terms, such as gongguan, koaping, taulu, or ciukuku.

Media and literary works depicting marriages between veterans and Indigenous women include the film Old Mao's Second Spring (1984), as well as documentaries like Stone Dream.

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Enforcement Rules of the National Health Insurance Act" (PDF). Ministry of Health and Welfare (Taiwan). Retrieved 13 August 2026. Veterans referred to in Item 1 of Subparagraph 6 of Paragraph 1 of Article 10 of the Act refer to those who hold the Republic of China Honorary Citizen Certificate (hereinafter referred to as the "Honorary Citizen Certificate") or Patriot Certificate issued by the Veterans Affairs Council (hereinafter referred to as the "VAC").
  2. ↑ Hu Tai-Li. "Ethnic identity and social condition of Veteran-mainlanders in Taiwan" (PDF). Documentary Educational Resources. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 國軍退除役官兵輔導委員會 (2020). 中華民國108年退除役官兵輔導統計要覽. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  4. ↑ "流光遁影．再展風華─第四章 就養安置". 國軍退除役官兵輔導委員會. Archived from the original on 2021-06-06. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  5. ↑ 朱慧凡、吳肖琪 (2004). "臺灣六十五歲以上榮民住院之相關因素分析". 台灣衛誌. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  6. ↑ 黃詩淳 (2014). "涉訟榮民遺囑之特徵與法律問題" (PDF). 臺大法學論叢. 43 (3). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  7. ↑ "榮民服務專員 搾乾單身榮民遺產". 自由時報. 2017-03-25. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  8. ↑ "收賄洩漏榮民資料 桃園榮服處專員遭判撤職". 中央通訊社. 2020-03-01. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  9. ↑ "女組長涉盜領老榮民300萬 退輔會北市服務處爆醜聞". 鏡周刊. 2021-02-20. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  10. ↑ 彭瑞金，《台灣新文學運動40年》，高雄市：春暉出版社，2004年9月再版，頁225。
  11. ↑ 夏黎明 (2002). "〈國家支配、個人遭逢與池上平原三個外省榮民的地方認同〉". 《東臺灣研究》: 45-66.
  12. ↑ 胡台麗 (1990). "〈芋仔與蕃薯：臺灣「榮民」的族群關係與認同〉". 《中研院民族所集刊》 (69): 107-132.
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