Mainland China (1912–1949)

Following the birth of the Republic of China, the first Scout troop was organized by Reverend Yen Chia-lin in Wuchang on February 25, 1912, and the Scouting movement spread rapidly all over the country.^[2]

The General Association of the Scouts of China was formally established in Nanking, the former capital of the Republic of China in 1934, and became a member of the International Scout Bureau in 1937.^[3][4] Many Scouts actively participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945.

There were 570,000 registered members in 1941.^[2]

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 Second Sino-Japanese War.^[5]

Scouts of China in Taiwan (1945–)

Hall of the Scouts of China in Zhongshan District, Taipei is the headquarters of the Scouts of China

In 1945, Chinese administration of Taiwan began. A few years later, in 1949 the ROC government withdrew to Taiwan, where it remains today. However, Scouting has continued in Taiwan to this day under the name of the Scouts of China.^{[2] [2][4][6]}