The Scouts of China or the General Association of the Scouts of China (Taiwan) in full, is the National

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

Organization (NSO) of the

Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and represents the Scouting organization in Taiwan. It is a member of the

World Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest and, after the Order of World Scouts (formed in 1911), is the second-oldest international organization in the Scout Movement, having been established in 1922. It has 176 members. ...

since 1937. In 2021, the Scouts of China had 53,972 members.

History

Mainland China (1912–1949)

Following the birth of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, the first

Scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...

troop was organized by

Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

Yen Chia-lin in

Wuchang Wuchang is one of 13 urban District (China), districts of the prefecture-level city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province, China. It is the oldest of the three cities that merged into modern-day Wuhan, and stood on the right (southea ...

on February 25, 1912, and the Scouting movement spread rapidly all over the country. The General Association of the Scouts of China was formally established in

Nanking Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yan ...

, the former capital of the

in 1934, and became a member of the International Scout Bureau in 1937. Many Scouts actively participated in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

from 1937 to 1945. There were 570,000 registered members in 1941. Japanese military authorities did not consistently encourage the Scouting movement in occupied territories. Where local conditions were favorable, authorities would permit local Scouting or introduce Japanese-style Scouting, or ''Shōnendan'', and sometimes even made this compulsory. On the other hand, where conditions were not favorable, and anti-Japanese sentiments were likely to be nurtured through Scouting, the authorities would prohibit it entirely. Taiwan was a colony of the Empire of Japan from 1895 until 1945, and Taiwan Boy Scouts/''Shōnendan'' and other forms of pro-Japanese youth education had been introduced. Conversely, a number of Taiwanese boys were formed into a ''Shōnendan''-style boy corps called Taiwan ''Shaoniantuan'' from 1939 through the 1940s to assist in Chinese resistance in the

Scouts of China in Taiwan (1945–)

In 1945, Chinese administration of Taiwan began. A few years later, in 1949 the ROC government relocated to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, where it remains today. However, Scouting has continued in Taiwan to this day under the name Scouts of China.

Program

There are five programs or sections in the Scouts of China. They are Beaver Scout (), Cub Scout (), Scout (), Senior Scout () and Rover Scout (). Beaver Scout is served for the children aged 6 to 8 including three ranks: Star (), Moon () and Sun (). Cub Scout is served for the children aged 8 to 12 including four ranks: Anor now, Scouts of China are promoting the development of

Sea Scouts Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

Footnotes

References

External links

The official website of the General Association of the Scouts of China
{{WOSM, asia World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations Scouting in Taiwan Youth organizations established in 1912 1912 establishments in China