WI: A Buddhist or Hindu Taiwan

Is it possible for Taiwan to be a Buddhist or Hindu territory or at least have an Aristocracy that adheres to Buddhist or Hindu religions.
 
I don't see why not. Just have a Buddhist mission from Japan or China do some converting. Hinduism is a little harder; but perhaps if a powerful Hindu Thailand or a Hindu state in Indonesia (pre-Islam) trades a lot with Taiwan, they could convert.
 
Taiwan today is quite strongly Buddhist. The Chinese immigrants were mostly Buddhist or a mix of Buddhist/Daoist/Folk religions so you don't really need to change anything.
 
I guess you mean as a Buddhist State, like in Bhutan, where the
government is partly religious. Sure, probably in a 1500 POD or so.

Hindu would be probably related to the dispora such as in the Champa
state or Thai Hindu epochs. The Chams lost power in 1785, I recall,
a small rump of what was all of coastal South Vietnam and then some.

If a scenario had earlier success for the Vietnamese, instead of fleeing
to Cambodia (to later be exterminated by Pol Pot, many figures say,
at much higher rates of death) have them float up to Taiwan when the
Hakka had but a few coastal trading and fishing forts. Or a little earlier,
in the Pescadores/ Penghu Islands, before the Chinese got there. No
problem for mixing, but being first is a big plus to maintain a strong
identity.

The dynasty in charge might not appreciate a non chinese Taiwan,
though, and could lead to interference or destablization.
 
Champa was preceded in the region by a kingdom called Lin-yi (林邑, Middle Chinese *Lim Ip) or Lâm Ấp (Vietnamese) that was in existence from 192 AD, but the historical relationship between Lin-yi and Champa is not clear. Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries. Thereafter began a gradual decline under pressure from Đại Việt, the Vietnamese polity centered in the region of modern Hanoi. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor. In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng annexed the remaining Cham territories.The capital city is now heritage listed.


Looks like they did not get down to VungTai/Saigon, except to
raid and war, as well as in this map having deeper inroads in
the interior regions. Surely it was a loose arangement over
the tribes, still.
 
The island now called Luzon had a buddhist aristocracy even the chinese annals point that out, I think them having good relations with the Tibetans can turn Taiwan into a buddhist country..
 
Champa was preceded in the region by a kingdom called Lin-yi (林邑, Middle Chinese *Lim Ip) or Lâm Ấp (Vietnamese) that was in existence from 192 AD, but the historical relationship between Lin-yi and Champa is not clear. Champa reached its apogee in the 9th and 10th centuries. Thereafter began a gradual decline under pressure from Đại Việt, the Vietnamese polity centered in the region of modern Hanoi. In 1471, Viet troops sacked the northern Cham capital of Vijaya, and in 1697 the southern principality of Panduranga became a vassal of the Vietnamese emperor. In 1832, the Vietnamese emperor Minh Mạng annexed the remaining Cham territories.The capital city is now heritage listed.


Looks like they did not get down to VungTai/Saigon, except to
raid and war, as well as in this map having deeper inroads in
the interior regions. Surely it was a loose arangement over
the tribes, still.

A Cham influenced Taiwan would be interesting..
 
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