[TAIWAN] An Outsider’s Introduction to Taiwan

Our journey begins in Taiwan. For those unfamiliar, Taiwan is that sweet-potato shaped island near mainland China’s southern coastline. To avoid confusion, Taiwan is regarded as an independent country by some governments, whereas others consider it part of China. When I order items from Amazon Canada, for instance, my shipment is marked “Taipei, Taiwan Province, China”.

Tip #1: In Taiwan, don’t ask about China.

Politics aside, Taiwan is a very industrious, wholesome place. Despite its vast rural areas (20-25% of total Taiwan), it is likely where the semiconductor in your computer-chip came from. Here is a fun-fact: one in every six screws in the world is made in Taiwan. More pertinent to adventure seekers, however, is that Taiwan is the world’s “Bicycle Kingdom”, leading the global bicycle industry since the 70s. Secondly, Taiwan is the “Kingdom of Fruits”. So, if eating exotic fruits on a bicycle appeals to you ~look no further!

There are many reasons why Taiwan is often championed as one of the best places for expats and visitors. Overall, Taiwanese folks are exceptionally friendly (coming from a Canadian, who often hears that about Canada!). Sometimes Taiwanese people can be a little too friendly. On all the occasions I thought I was about to witness a physical fight, for instance, it was merely friends scuffling over a restaurant bill, trying to hurl money into each other’s pocket.

Furthermore, while alcohol is sold everywhere and you can stroll the sidewalks with a beer-in-hand, one rarely sees public drunkenness —and I look for it! Ever since I became aware that large percentages of (Eastern) Asians “blush” when drunk, due to some genetic enzyme, I have been adamant to see it as often as I can. Rather than red cheeks, however, I tend to catch females taking Selfies with intended-to-be-cute “blowfish” cheeks, instead.

Liquor aside, the only prevalent drug in Taiwan is betel nut —a harmless “upper” almost exclusively consumed by taxi-drivers (read our Betel Nut article). To put it in a “nutshell”, Betel Nut can either be described as “bad weed” or “very low-quality cocaine”, though it remains the fourth most popular intoxicant in the world —after alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Nevertheless, the Betel Nut dispensaries in Taiwan are a far more regular, recognizable sight, than seeing someone actually consuming it.

Let’s address one of Taiwan’s best features: It has the safest cities I can imagine. The only other places that are comparable, perhaps, are Singapore and Japan. Women can walk alone at night, without worrying. In two years, the only hostility I ever felt was when I once disobeyed the “No eating or drinking” sign on the train. My innocent accident was met with dozens of disgusted looks as if I had publicly peed myself. It was a strange spectacle. Here, in this code-following Confucian culture, RULES ARE COOL.

Tip #3: Do not eat or drink on the Taipei train.

In addition to being awed by Taiwanese friendliness, I am also amused by some eccentricities. One example is the impression that most Taiwanese love lineups. A lot. In almost all other places, potential shoppers balk at the sight of a lineup extending out the door of an establishment. In Canada, everyone has shared the collective anger of a long Tim Hortons line. We sigh. Roll our eyes. Fidget in place. Make snide comments. In Taiwan, however, Taiwanese flock at the sight as if to all agree “It must be good!”. Sometimes I wonder if everyone actually knows what awaits them at the front of the line. On the other hand, Taiwanese abhor empty restaurants —often unfairly, in my opinion.

Tip #4: Sit in an empty restaurant —you can single-handedly make it busy.

A large source of interesting Taiwanese eccentricities are the old inherited Chinese superstitions, with their explanations. Almost all of these I learned the hard way and the majority can be reduced to things being “lucky” or “unlucky”. During specific months, for instance, you must never whistle at night. If you do, it is said that you may attract ghosts into your home. The same is said to explain why you should never pick up a coin on the street. If you see money on the street…keep walking! Similarly, if you hear someone call your name from behind you, do not turn around. Why? A ghost might trap you in an illusion (see the Tagalong (紅衣小女孩) movie recommendation, below). Other rules include wearing white to a funeral (rather than black) and/or never buying an umbrella as a gift (unless you’re breaking up with your lover!). It is also quite important, in certain areas of everyday life, to be aware that some numbers are unlucky.

In any case, despite the boundlessness of these customs, the most important one relates to red ink. Never write someone’s name with red ink, especially children. Never. Red ink resembles the font commonly used on gravestones, so it is very bad luck. In fact, don’t even purchase a red pen.

Tip #5: Heed the ancient superstitions.

Let’s return to the industriousness of Taiwan. As an outsider, it often makes me feel like I have had an exceptionally lazy existence. Taiwanese children, by way of example, typically toil at school from 7 am to 5 pm, with only a 30-min lunch break and 30-min nap. When they finish school, many children attend after-school school (“cram-school”) for another 2-4 hours, learning English or improving their math skills, etc. By 8 pm or 9 pm (when the trains are often packed with students going home), they finally get to address their homework, which takes another hour or two, before enjoying the first leisure-time they have had all day. Soon, inevitably, their daily routine requires that they take their evening shower, turn off the lights by 11 pm and repeat it all again the following morning.

Alternatively, adults are expected to be punched-in at work from 8 am-6 pm, and sometimes work overtime until 11 pm ~or even overnight! To cope with these hours, the majority of Taiwanese adults continue the practice of taking catnaps, which is more of a kindergarten drill in the West (with maybe France or Italy as exceptions). It is a common occurrence to see a businessman (or group of businessmen), sleeping on folded arms in a Starbucks, on any weekday afternoon.

Tip #6: Keep your lazy, empty-schedule non-Taiwanese lifestyle to yourself.

On the flipside of industriousness, is the Taiwanese tendency to be economical. Thrifty. Similar to many other Asian cultures, Taiwanese, generally speaking, are very good at saving, and not being wasteful. Once, for example, when the world headlines announced a potential rise in toilet-paper prices, there were literally toilet-paper “riots” in the supermarket (friendly “riots” in typical Taiwanese fashion, mind you). Shelves were emptied within minutes of the broadcast. In their defense, who can poo-poo that?

Of course, it cannot always be All Work and No Play for Taiwanese folk. In addition to taking catnaps to alleviate stress, I have noticed how much they love to sing. Rather than singing publicly, such as in an “Open Mic” night in an American bar, however, Taiwanese KTV (Karaoke-TV) is a secluded affair between friends in a privately rented room, which are fully-serviced. Inside, people order drinks, food, you even smoke cigarettes and/or chew betel nut. Time-wise, KTV is not delegated to any particular hour. If you are invited in the evening, it can easily last until 4am or the morning. It is also not uncommon for friends to KTV on a Saturday morning, from 9am until late afternoon. Be aware, though, that most of the songs (and all the flashy music videos!) are in Chinese.

Tip #7: If you KTV in English, expect to brush up on your Beatles.

To conclude, an introduction to Taiwan would be incomplete without, at least, a small mention of Mahjong. This 100-year old tiled board-game took 2000 years of historical development and probably consumes that many hours of an average Taiwanese person’s life —every year. I cannot think of any equivalent to Mahjong in Western culture except, perhaps, particularly fanatical poker players. Mahjong is everywhere, and everyone, on occasion, plays it. Sometimes it involves gambling, but oftentimes not.

Tip #8: Be aware that there are different rules for Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese Mahjong.

As you may guess, I have always been quite impressed with Taiwan, and Taiwanese culture in particular. In terms of visiting, it is not a place where you must speak Chinese, although it is certainly more convenient —especially outside city-areas, like Taipei. For Westerners who may be inexperienced in Asia, it is an ideal place to start. For myself, coming from Vancouver ( a “Canadian Hong Kong” if there is one), the culture clash was very minimal.

After everything has been said, don’t take this “outsider’s introduction” as gospel! Though each country has its charms and challenges, it is always the people of any country that will have you return —or stay. In my case, I came for the job opportunities and never left.

I love you Taiwan!