雖然清帝國統治台灣的最後十年決定把台灣升格為省，並且任命劉銘傳為台灣第一任巡撫，而劉銘傳也想讓台灣走上現代化，但清帝國終於還是放棄了這個當初認為是化外之地的邊陲小島。依據馬關條約，清帝國將台灣、澎湖割讓給日本，台灣已成為日本領土的一部份，日人則一再藉口台灣的歷史文化、語言、風俗習慣及社會型態迥異於日本，乃仿效當時列強統治殖民地的方法。
Although the Qing Empire decided to elevate Taiwan to a province during its final decade of rule and appointed Liu Mingchuan as its first governor, who also sought to modernize Taiwan, the Qing ultimately abandoned this remote island, once considered a foreign land. Under the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Qing ceded Taiwan and Penghu to Japan, making Taiwan a part of Japanese territory. The Japanese repeatedly used the excuse that Taiwan's history, culture, language, customs, and social structure were distinct from those of Japan, emulating the methods used by the then-powerful powers to rule their colonies.
