Fu'lang people

The Fu'lang (Fu'langese: 人ᑕ福蘭; RFL: socang ke Fu'lang; Chinese: 福蘭; pinyin: Fú lán) is one of 23 recognized indigenous group of Tseng. It is the largest indigenous group of Tseng, with a population of 282,117. As of 2024, it represents 1/4 of Tseng's aboriginal population.

Pre-modern
The Fu'lang were one of the first peoples that came from Taiwan to Tseng Island a few thousand years ago via the Austronesian migration. They originally settled in modern St. Joseph and Tseng City, however they moved east to Meihua and Qishan due to Han colonization.

Few Fu'lang lived in the Five Kingdoms (400 BC-1394), which were situated at the southwestern end of the island, and Han dominated. The area with most Fu'lang at the time was Kaso in Yan Kingdom, a town at the eastern border of Yan, with 70% of the population Fu'lang.

Under colonization
The Fu'lang were discriminated against by the Ming and the Europeans because they were "different". Many Fu'lang and other native tribes like the Hazaki and Tanan were slaves or worked in low-paying jobs and were given the worst education. The Treaty of Geneva of 1894, signed in, , ordered all indigenous peoples to be moved to a specific land. That land, known derogatorily as "Savage Land", was minuscule, and disorder occured in that area, mainly due to territorial claims. Worse of all, they weren't allowed to leave.

During Japanese rule, the Savage Land was dissolved and Fu'lang could go any where they want. Many Fu'lang were still being discriminated against. The Savage Land was re-instated de jure during the AFJAT period, but in reality was administered by Dutch Tseng.

Tseng (1946-1989)
In 1948, Fu'lang and other native tribes, along with women and non-Han/European Tsengians, were allowed to vote. The Fu'lang finally got an education after the Education Law of 1951, forcing all Tsengians to get an education. However, many Fu'lang were still being held back and discriminated against. The Fu'lang had one of the worst life expectancies in the world.

The first Fu'lang president was Guo Ming-wang (PDP), serving from 1976-1980. Guo had Fu'lang and Kanding ancestry.

Tseng (1989-present)
The Fu'lang group was recognized as an ethnic minority in 1989. Previously Fu'lang, with all other indigenous groups, were classified simply as "Indigenous".

The Fu'lang Museum was opened on June 20, 2001, in Tseng City, becoming the first museum solely focused on indigenous topics.

There were 6 politicians out of 159 in the National State Assembly who are Fu'lang or have Fu'lang ancestry. 4 are PDP while 2 are NPP.

Language
"Main article: Fu'lang language"The native language of the Fu'lang is Fu'langese, an Austronesian language. About 100,000 people speak this language, with many more L2 speakers. Due to Chinese influence, the language and phonology has Mandarin characteristics. The Fu'langese writing system uses a mix of Chinese characters and the Fu'lang alphabet.

The RFL (Romanization of Fu'langese) or Rokain ke fu'lang is the official romanization of Fu'langese.

In modern times, almost all but a few elderly Fu'lang use Mandarin, and fewer and fewer Fu'lang youth can understand and speak the Fu'langese language. As such, there are mandatory Fu'langese language classes in schools in eastern Tseng with a high Fu'lang population.