and without a state, there could be no nation." Chai added that Ong and Thomas Liao were both perceived as Mainlanders in Taiwan and Chinese people in Mainland China, and hence were viewed as oppressors of Taiwanese people and non-Taiwanese. Chai explained that Ong placed emphasis on the "political construction" while Liao placed emphasis on "primordial criteria". In regards to reception to Ong's ideas, Chai said that Taiwanese people at the time of Ong's active period did believe they were a folk of Han people, even though they did have a strong provincial identity. Chai added that "Ong's argument was especially convincing to Holos, but it is problematic when applied to indigenous peoples. Following his rationale, the different indigenous tribes also have to right to build their state to form their own nations." References 1924 births 1985 deaths Linguists from Taiwan Taiwan independence activists Writers from Tainan University of Tokyo alumni Taiwanese expatriates in Japan 20th-century linguists