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.
• There are NO more rickshaws. People here rather drive Mercedes Benz....
• 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!