The Power of Extended Contact: The Attitudes of National Quemoy University Students Towards China

With the current tense cross-strait relations, Taiwanese people generally have a more negative perception of China, except in Kinmen. Interestingly, more than 90% of the students at National Quemoy University (NQU) are from Taiwan. After they spent a few years in Kinmen, their attitude towards China became similar to that of the locals. This paper explores the factors that influence the attitudes of NQU students towards China, with NQU students as the research object. The study finds that extended contact is the critical factor. In qualitative research, this paper also confirmed that extended contact influences the attitudes of NQU students toward China through three mechanisms: ‘reducing negative impressions of China’, ‘increasing positive perceptions/reconstructing the imagination of China’, and ‘aspiring to establish cross-border friendships’.