The author uses Norbert Elias' sociological relationalism perspective to explore the social implications of "the Zhu Tianxin phenomenon" in academic circles, highlighting the relatedness of the phenomenon and its connection to current debates on identity issues in Taiwan. Many researchers perceive Zhu's works as a special ideal type of waishen ("mainlander") identity, and variously use it as a reference to identify themselves, to define a specific ethnic group ("waishen-ren"), to analyze the politics of nationalism, and to engage in dialogue focused on Taiwanese/Chinese social identity. Zhu's work reinforces the idea that confronting the complexity and tension of identity issues in Taiwan are unavoidable.