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serenesam
09-09-2017, 07:19 PM
I'm curious. What are your views on Taiwan?

Iloko
11-04-2017, 06:49 PM
I know very little about it and its history/workings, though I do know that the Austronesians and all their descendants originated from that Island based on the infamous expansion theory...like those of the Philippine/Insular and Micronesian/Polynesian genepools--- all related with Taiwanese Aboriginals sharing the same essential genetic component.

Latinus
01-14-2018, 08:06 PM
A successful country that I wish Mainland China would leave it alone.

Teutone
01-14-2018, 08:25 PM
I wish everyone would collectively recognize it, so Peking could go fuck themselves.

zhaoyun
01-15-2018, 03:41 AM
Probably one of the overly nicest societies I've been to. People in general were very kind and considerate, kind of naive.

wvwvw
01-15-2018, 06:03 AM
No opinion whatsoever. You might as well ask me what's my opinion on Martians :D

Zroota
01-15-2018, 08:36 AM
Very liberal and prosperous. An improved China, if you will.

wvwvw
01-15-2018, 09:26 AM
Fun facts about Taiwan

They’re super hard-working

This is generally true not only of Taiwan, but of many East Asian countries, particularly highly modernized ones like Japan and South Korea, whose kids are constantly studying and get some of the world’s best math scores. But wow is it hard.

It’s not just the kids who study all day (and I really mean all day), but also the workforce who spend all day on the job. Working 70 hours a week seems like a perfectly normal thing to do here, and, somewhat surprisingly, no one ever seemed annoyed when I showed up to buy something. I expect this has something to do with the fact that a huge number of Taiwanese people own their own businesses, even if it’s just a noodle cart on the sidewalk.

It was quite a challenge adjusting to those 12 hour days, and even though the kids had done it for years, all they ever wanted to do was take a break. 8AM to 8PM is an intense schedule for anyone, and breaks were short. East Asian school schedules don’t leave much time for fun, and you can tell the kids just want to go run around for a while. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I let them.

https://i1.wp.com/snarkynomad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Taiwanese-kids-napping.jpg

A 7-11 is on every corner

I would never have expected this particular quirk, but Taiwan is absolutely filled with 7-11s. They’re all over the place, from big cities to small towns, and often can be found located so close to each other than you can see multiple 7-11s at the same time. No country has more 7-11s per person than Taiwan.

https://i2.wp.com/snarkynomad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/7-11-in-Taiwan.png

Generally you don’t see Western retail brands with this sort of market saturation in other countries; in many major European cities, for example, there’s a McDonald’s and a Starbucks in the center of town, and that’s it. This keeps them special, and people think it’s a fancy foreign activity to go there.

But 7-11 is different. First of all, it’s owned by a Japanese company anyway, which acquired it from its former American owners in 1991. It’s also a convenience store, meaning it’s good for business to have them all over the place, which builds brand loyalty and market dominance.

But 7-11 also provides a number of unique services in Taiwan that its American stores don’t. At a Taiwanese 7-11, you can pay your bills, send a fax, call a taxi, ship packages, get a bus pass, print photos and documents, and lots more. For a country that doesn’t always have widespread access to online services, this is incredibly convenient, especially if you only have to walk a block or two to get there.

Teenage boys cry like little girls

Of all the surprises Taiwan had to offer, this was by far the biggest one. Every single camp ended exactly the same way: With a room full of thousands of Taiwanese children crying their eyes out, because the camp was over, and their guest teachers that they had known for maybe a week were leaving forever.

But this happened whether they were kindergarteners or high school kids, and whether they were boys or girls. The 17 year old tough guy kids were crying right along with the 5 year old girls. All in front of their moms and dads, who showed up for the closing ceremonies. I’ve never seen anything like it.

https://i1.wp.com/snarkynomad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Taiwanese-tough-guys.jpg

It wasn’t just “tough guy” culture, either, because even the tough guys who sat in the back of the class and were way too cool for whatever was going on would cry too. Gender roles seemed pretty strong in Taiwan, with a clear split between quiet, well-mannered girls, and louder, athletic guys. But they’d all cry together in the end anyway.

I don’t really know what this says about a culture, and I’m not saying this is necessarily good or bad, but it was quite a surprise. American kids aren’t nearly this emotional in public, and it really raises the question of what’s “normal,” since this was a clear cultural difference, rather than a universal facet of human nature. We’re clearly doing something totally different in the US, even if we don’t know what it is.

Three Is A Magic Number.

http://www.mysahana.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/friends-talking.jpg

Taiwanese people tend to speak quickly and repeat things multiple times. Words such as "thanks," "okay," and "it's okay" are typically said three times quickly during conversational exchange.

Everyone Is Family!

The way Taiwanese people address one another makes it feel as though everyone is family. While Americans typically address individuals as "Ms." and "Mr.", Taiwanese people refer to one another using family titles such as sister, brother, aunt, uncle, etc.

Star of David

https://img1.etsystatic.com/045/1/10164263/il_fullxfull.679882625_7zji.jpg

While the Jewish star is a symbol of Judaism, it's embedded in a lot of Taiwanese clothing with no religious meaning. It is just another popular artistic design people like to sport.

Goodbye Janitors, Hello Students.

http://www.todayonline.com/sites/default/files/styles/photo_gallery_image_lightbox/public/photos/43_images/img_1938.jpg?itok=GNWQOZ2D

With no janitors, Taiwanese students are responsible for the cleanliness of their school. In addition to tidying up the classroom every day, they are assigned days in which they must report to school and clean the whole building, even in the summer.

Their school uniforms are weird

So when I was a kid, we had discussions over whether or not professional-looking school uniforms would make students more productive, studious, and accepting of others. Some people argued that students would be less judgmental, since they wouldn’t be able to judge other students based on how they dress. I think this is just plain stupid, because it basically implies that students don’t have memories good enough to remember who’s who.

But I never thought school uniforms would look like this:

https://i1.wp.com/snarkynomad.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Taiwan-English-camp-graduation-day.jpg

They weren’t all like that, of course. Many of the uniforms I saw in Taiwan were the professional kind that sort of looked like office clothing, but plenty of others looked like athletic outfits, with fluorescent colors and snazzy styling. I guess wearing uniforms to school wouldn’t be so bad if they’re comfy, right?

Only the teachers switch classes, not the students

So most of us who grew up in the Western world are probably accustomed to the massive migration patterns of students wandering from one class to the next, bumping into each other in a sea of confusion several times per day, forming circles of friends in the halls that block everyone else from moving, and slowing everything down.

Some Asian countries have figured out that a much better way to handle this situation is to have the teachers switch classes instead of the students. So instead of thousands of students wandering between the halls, you just have a few dozen teachers going back and forth. It’s a million times easier.

It also means that a student’s class is far more important, because it’s the student’s only class. They sit next to the same students, all day, every day, and in some schools, even eat lunch inside the classroom. I’m not so sure how I feel about this, since it’s nice to have some variation throughout the day, so you can interact with different people. Taiwanese students basically get stuck sitting next to the same people all year long.

The number four is unlucky.

The pronunciation of the word "four" is similar to the pronunciation of "death." Therefore, it is extremely unlucky to have four of something in your life. Hospital buildings normally do not have a 4th floor (seriously, who wants to stay on that floor?). Mobile carriers even offer a discount to people whose phone numbers have the number four in them.

It's not polite to open gifts in front of the gift-giver.

It is considered rude to open gifts right away in front of the people who brought them. You should do it after everyone leaves. The only exception is when attending a wedding. It is customary to give a red envelope as a wedding gift to the receptionists. They will open it right away and count the money inside the envelope in front of you.

Showers are taken at night.

Showers are taken at night, before we go to bed, so we are clean and cozy before laying on the bed.

Traditional Chinese

Taiwan is one of the few countries that still use traditional Chinese characters in the written form of the language. These days, in almost every country where people speak Chinese, simplified Chinese characters are used. However, Taiwan and two autonomous parts of China (Hong Kong and Macau) never adopted these and still continue to use traditional characters.

Garbage trucks play music

Normally, trucks that play music are associated with ice creams and kids running behind them. In Taiwan, you’ll be disappointed if you hear music and hope to buy an ice cream. Here the garbage trucks play music to prompt people to bring their garbage to the truck. Beethoven's Für Elise can be heard in the streets on a regular base and during the holidays you can expect Christmas songs.

White symbolises death

The colour white symbolises death and is used at funerals instead of the black common in the West. You will not see white weddings either. The colour red represents good luck and is often used at weddings and other celebrations.

Aboriginals

In Taiwan there are 14 recognised aboriginal tribes. Together they make up 1.8% of the country's population. It is estimated that aboriginals had been living in the country for 8,000 years before mass immigration by the Han Chinese commenced in the 17th century.

wvwvw
01-15-2018, 09:49 AM
Taiwan is reminding you of Hawai:

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Tyler-in-Taiwan.jpg

Taiwan Also Has Some Of The Best Night Markets

Taiwan is one of the best places in Asia to eat at a night market. The variety of foods here is amazing, offering something for everyone.

For pickier eaters there is a variety of fresh fruit, sushi, noodle soups, and grilled meats. There are plenty of Taiwanese style foods, such as minced pork rice, dumplings, and more elaborate rice and noodle dishes. For those more adventurous eaters, there are pig intestines, pig blood soup (been there, done that!), and stinky tofu.

I loved wandering the night markets. Where else can you try such a variety of foods as cheaply and easy as a night market in Taiwan?

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Taiwan-Food-Market.jpg

Taiwan has the Best Temples

Visiting Lungshan Temple in Taipei was an awesome experience, watching people chanting and praying, smelling the incense in the air.

Even without setting foot in the temples, they look amazing from the outside. We love the Chinese architecture, the rainbow of colors on the roofs, and the most awesome looking dragons and wise men decorating the temples.

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Temple-Dragon.jpg

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Temple-Art-Taiwan.jpg

Taiwan Is Beautiful


When the Portuguese saw the island of Taiwan back in the 16th century, they called it Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Island). The name was the official name for the island until the Second World War and nowadays Formosa is still informally used as a name for Taiwan.

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Taiwan1.jpg

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Taiwan-in-April.jpg

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Sunflowers.jpg

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Taiwan-coastline.jpg

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Tim-in-Taiwan.jpg

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Sanxiantai.jpg

aja675
08-28-2019, 01:29 PM
Will be going there in 4 months.

Pater Patota
09-02-2019, 04:23 PM
Taiwan reminds me Cyprus.Turks/Turkish government must take their hands/military from Cyprus and Cyprus must be 1 nation instead of Turkish Republic of north Cyprus(fake nation) and Cyprus(so called south Cyprus).