TAIWAN'S BEST FACTS & FAQs
What really is Taiwan? Old timers tell you all about it!
Q & A
YES!
- Taiwan is an island - and a free country.
- The capital of Taiwan is Taipei.
- Taiwanese people speak Mandarin Chinese (Mandarin is the standard, national Chinese language).
- Mandarin is the same as spoken in Mainland China. Only accents and expressions are different.
- A lot of Taiwanese can speak English (if only it were the same in our countries!).
- There are 22 millions people in Taiwan with a gross national product of 12.500 US$ per head.
- Chinese people are a melt of ancient Chinese tradition and modern concepts.
- Chinese people in Taiwan are extremely nice.
- Cities in Taiwan are rather ugly, but the island is beautiful; you just need to find the right guide to show you around.
- The climate in Taiwan is tropical and humid. Very hot in the summer (over 35 C) and cool in winter (10~15 C).
- It is easy to do business in Taiwan as long as you are a buyer.
- The money unit is the NT$ (new Taiwan dollar). The value is about 1US$=32NT$.
- Visitors from many countries do not need visa for stay under 30 days.
- It is easy to get a tourist visa from most countries to Taiwan (more difficult is to get an ARC, or alien resident certificate).
- Life in Taiwan is quite expensive (however, food is really cheap).
- You can find almost everything you need in Taiwan, whether imported or locally made.
NO!
- Taiwan is not Thailand (many people still do mix up)
- Taiwan is located in the Pacific ocean, East of China and South of Japan
- Chiang Kai Check is not the president, he died in 1975.
- You should not come to Taiwan with preset ideas, it is different from anything you can imagine.
- It is not easy to establish a local business (local market is very competitive).
- Taiwanese people are not dumb, they just have a different culture, so take it or leave!
RECOMMENDED PUBLICATIONS:
- English guide published by the Community Service Center - Tel/Fax: 8862 - 2836 8134 & 2835 6907)
- Bienvenue a Taiwan (French guide published by the French Association - Tel: 8862 - 2514 7959 Fax: 2514 7522)
- Directory of Taiwan (English publication of the China News - Tel/Fax: 8862 - 2768 6002 & 2768 6773)
- Taiwan "Le Petit Fute" (guide in French)
- The Taipei Gourmet Guide (English publication of Mon Jardin - Fax: 8862 - 2325 0489 - E-mail: 888@ettis.com)
- LIFESTYLE Magazine - Free monthly publication of Mon Jardin in Chinese/Japanese/English - Available in public places islandwide and downloadable from: bluebook12
RECOMMENDED ENGLISH WEBSITES ABOUT TAIWAN:
