In the winter the weather is influenced by the nearby continent, and in the northern areas the temperature can go as low as 8 °C at night. The best time of year to visit is from Oct-Dec, although even then occasional typhoons can spoil the fun. During the typhoon season, the east coast bears the brunt of the damage as it is facing the Pacific Ocean. The Republic of China Armed Forces takes its roots in the National Revolutionary Army, which was established by Sun Yat-sen in 1924 in Guangdong with a goal of reunifying China under the Kuomintang.
Also, this very brief sketch of Taiwanese politics obscures a large amount of complexity. Taiwan has both Chinese physicians and Western doctors, both of which are taken equally seriously. However, as a foreigner, the assumption would generally be to direct you to a Western doctor. The quality of the hospitals in Taiwan is excellent and on par with, if not better than those found in the West.
- Mainland Chinese citizens residing in Fujian residents can travel to Matsu for tourism.
- Many parents who send their children to schools to be taught English expect the teacher to look like they are from the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and so on, and so the decision on the part of the school managers is mainly about economics.
- Substantial Japanese influences can be seen in modern Taiwanese culture because of 50 years of Japanese rule, and this can be seen in its cuisine and in its pop culture.
- After wreaking havoc in the Philippines as a super typhoon on Sunday, Fung-wong — still holding tropical storm energy — brought record rains to the mountainous east coast and triggered floods with water level rising neck-high in places.
- The domestic airport in Taipei is Songshan Airportdead link, which is in the north of the Taipei and easily reached by MRT or taxi.
These are sold at most major TRA stations, and on board most long distance TRA trains. Both meat and vegetarian options are available, with the pork chop bento being particularly famous and iconic. Some smaller towns that do not have TRA bento stalls at in their stations have privately-owned shops selling bentos near to the railway station, and these often feature some local specialties. The towns of Fulong and Chishang are particularly famous for their local versions of the railway bento. Citizens of mainland China residing in Hong Kong, Macau or overseas, can apply for the entry permit online for multiple purposes including tourism.
Night markets are also a good place to try some delicious local Taiwanese fare at attractive prices. Examples would be the Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) in Taipei and the Ruifeng Night Market (瑞豐夜市) in Kaohsiung, each of which has its own special dishes not to be missed. In place of tips is a 10% service charge when dining at most full-service restaurants which is automatically added to the bill. Your card will be directly charged NT$; LINE Pay does not automatically convert to your account currency.
Taiwan’s healthcare system is considered to be one of the best in the world. Legal residents with a National Health Card can avail themselves of the very convenient and efficient national health service, which covers treatment and medication using both Western and traditional Chinese medicine. However, this service is not available to short term visitors on tourist visas; nor does it cover major hospitalization expenses. Still, hospital visits and medicine in Taiwan tends to be far less expensive than in Western countries.
Political parties
Many KTV establishments partner with restaurants and buffets to form all-encompassing and elaborate evening affairs. Tour busses that travel around Taiwan have several TVs, primarily for singing karaoke. The ROC is able to participate as “China” in organizations in which the PRC does not participate, such as the World Organization of the Scout Movement. Chen Shui-bian of the DPP was elected as the first non-KMT president in 2000.247 However, Chen lacked legislative majority. More than 1,000 homes were flooded in the harbor town of Suao, which received 648 millimeters (25 inches) of rain on Tuesday, a record for the month, weather officials said.
Should you bring American currency, bring newer bills as the banks and exchange centers (such as in department stores) will only accept the newer notes (notes from 1996 and 2003 are not accepted at most places, due to a high proportion of forgeries bearing these years). Domestic air travel in Taiwan is primarily for outlying islands, as Taiwan is fairly compact with a modern and efficient rail network. There are also routes that connect the east and west coasts, since there is a geographical barrier between the two.
- The country’s multilingualism is an important part of its identity, with efforts to preserve and promote regional and indigenous languages alongside Mandarin.
- Announcements are in English, but hopefully the driver will remember to tell you when to get off in case you miss it.
- Traditional music, including Chinese opera and indigenous music, is also an important part of the country’s cultural heritage.
- Taiwan has a well-developed education system, with high literacy rates and a strong emphasis on academic achievement.
- When reporting a major crime, it is advisable to contact the Foreign Affairs unit in addition to officers at the local precinct.
- Taiwanese people are very friendly and helpful, so striking up a conversation with someone at a transport café or freeway service station may well see you on your way.
- While a regular 3-day pass must be used in 3 consecutive days, the 3 days in a flexible 3-day pass may be spread out over any 7-day period.
Recent Political Developments
While driving may be the best way to get around the countryside, in larger cities, traffic jams are a problem as is the difficulty of finding a good parking space, especially during the rush hour and traffic tends to get chaotic. Other larger cities, such as Taichung, can be a tricky case – while the downtown traffic may as chaotic as in Taipei and Kaohsiung, their public transport, which usually relies on buses, isn’t as convenient as in Taipei and Kaohsiung. For such cities, a scooter, or public transport with rental bicycles is a choice in downtown.
Names for the island
Taiwanese Minnan and Xiamen Minnan are both mixtures of the Zhangzhou and Quanzhou accents, so as a result, Taiwanese Minnan sounds very similar to Xiamen Minnan. There is also dialectal variation in Taiwanese between different parts of the island; the Tainan dialect is generally considered to be the prestige dialect. An increasing number of pro-independence Taiwanese are opting to speak Taiwanese exclusively and shun Mandarin as a political statement, though they completely understand if foreigners are not able to speak Taiwanese.
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
Hotel beds in Taiwan are generally much harder than in the West because of the old Asian tradition to sleep on a wood board. Modern mattresses can be found in most hotels, but only in the most upscale Western style hotels will you find beds in a real western style. Small fruit-juice bars make them fresh on the spot and are experts at creating fruit-juice cocktails (non-alcoholic, of course). Zong-he (mixed) is usually a sweet and sour combination and mu-gwa niou-nai (木瓜牛奶) is iced papaya milk. If you don’t want ice (though it is safe in Taiwan, even at road side vendors) say, chu bing (去冰) and no sugar (wu tang (無糖)). The cafe culture has hit Taiwan in a big way, and in addition to an abundance of privately owned cafes, all the major chains, such as Starbucks, have a multitude of branches throughout major towns and cities.
Primary and secondary education is compulsory, and the country boasts some of the best universities in the world, such as National Taiwan University. Taiwanese students are known for their high performance in international assessments, particularly in mathematics and science. The sole English-language print newspaper is the Taipei Times (founded in 1991). Its main competitor Taiwan Newsdead link (founded in 1949 as China News) is no longer available in print, and now is exclusively published online. Mobile phone coverage is generally excellent in Taiwan, with the exception of some remote mountainous areas. Among the major providers are Chunghwa Telecom (中華電信), Taiwan Mobile (台灣大哥大), Far EasTone (遠傳電信) and Taiwan Star Telecom (台灣之星).
Population distribution
Banknotes come in denominations of NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000, while coins come in denominations of NT$½, NT$1, NT$5, NT$10, NT$20 and NT$50. The NT$½ coin is rarely seen or accepted because of its low value, and the price of raw materials used to make the coin is more than the face value of the coin. The NT$20 coin, the NT$200 banknote, and the NT$2,000 banknote are not as common as others. The 20, 200, and 2000 are legal currencies that should be accepted, but stores that are unfamiliar with them sometimes do not accept them. In international sporting competitions, such as the Olympic Games, Taiwan is called “Chinese Taipei” (中華臺北) for political reasons. An attendant will put a payment slip under your windscreen wiper, you can pay at convenience stores.
Urban transit systems include Taipei Metro, Kaohsiung Metro, Taoyuan Metro, New Taipei Metro, and Taichung Metro. Duties of local governments include social services, education, urban planning, public construction, water management, environmental protection, transport, public safety, and more. The East China Sea lies to its north, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south and the South China Sea to its southwest. Smaller islands include the queenwin casino Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait, the Kinmen, Matsu and Wuqiu islands near the Chinese coast, and some of the South China Sea islands. Music in Taiwan reflects its multicultural influences, with traditional Chinese music, folk songs, and pop music being central to Taiwanese culture.
It is brewed with fragrant penglai rice in addition to barley giving it a distinctive flavor. The beer is served cold and recognized as an especially suitable complement to Taiwanese and Japanese cuisine, especially seafood dishes such as sushi and sashimi. While a relatively newcomer to the scene, Taiwanese whisky (威士忌) has been making waves in the 21st century, with local whiskey brand Kavalan having emerged from obscurity to win numerous prestigious international awards. The usual traditional Chinese taboos when eating with chopsticks apply in Taiwan as well. For instance, do not stick your chopsticks straight up or into your bowl of rice.
Water Bodies
Several bike paths have been built, and recreational cycling has become quite popular amongst locals, especially on weekends. However, you should also be aware that local drivers have a well deserved reputation for recklessness. As such, you should exercise extreme caution when cycling outside of designated bicycle lanes and trails. Google Maps is a quick way to find a route to your destination, but is not always reliable, especially for trips with changes and for longer distance (like in the south and southwest). Often it will highly overstate bus travel times, because it will consider each stop while the bus might only stop at every third or fourth.