UC Santa Barbara

The traditional Chinese and modernized Gregorian calendars represent vastly different ontics of time and have been framed by the Chinese government as being in intractable, existential conflict with one another. "The time of modernity" in general is regularly described as being defined by conflict. This thesis explores the philosophical implications of the differing ontics between the calendars, including an overview of the Stems and Branches system and its implications of time being inherently full of meaning, and an investigation into the unexamined features of the modernized Gregorian calendar including the implication that time is inherently open, empty, or full of potential. It includes a brief visual analysis of each calendar to support these claims.Through ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and open-ended interviews, the research also explores the lived, on-the-ground experiences, beliefs, and behaviors that Taiwanese-Chinese and mainland Chinese people have and display in relation to each of the calendars. Nationalism and cognitive aspects of temporal understanding are briefly discussed.