Whenever there is a new government, they tend to want to start with a clean slab, perhaps they feel it would be better if there's no comparison. And you're spot on with the older generation. Many of them in Taiwan felt life was much better under the Japanese colony days as the Japanese really treated Taiwan as part of their country. When the new KMT came along, there was a lot of me vs you, which resulted in Taiwan entering decades of martial rule. Its no wonder that today there are still many here who reminisce the old days.