Tai, who described himself as an "independent-minded Chinese born in Taiwan," never lost his affection for China proper, and these sentiments set him apart from most historians of Taiwan.
尤其這位一生以「台灣出身的獨立自主的中國人」自許的歷史學者，對中國原鄉始終懷有深情，也和台灣史學界的集體氛圍扞格不入。