Life in Taiwan: interesting facts and important details. Residential property tax
Today, in addition to the dominant Chinese population, about half a million aborigines live in Taiwan. They are divided into a couple of dozen mostly mountain tribes who speak their own languages (although, thanks to compulsory secondary education, everyone knows Mandarin) and largely maintain cultural isolation from the Chinese.
Throughout the civilized history of Taiwan, attempts have been made to culturally (and sometimes unculturally) assimilate them. First the Dutch, then the Chinese, after them the Japanese, then the Chinese again. By the way, the Japanese (1895-1945) did the best job, who did not shy away from using aviation and toxic substances, but more on that a little later.
After the Second World War, warlike tribes, especially the Taiya (Ayatoll) and Bunun, were raised to the banner as fighters against Japanese occupation. In this case, a standard set of epithets familiar to all of us was used: freedom-loving rebels, fighters for the preservation of cultural identity and the right to self-expression, innocent victims of Japanese bloodthirstiness. There are even monuments to particularly distinguished leaders. Stories have been written about military operations.
As for the fighting, there are no questions - they really fought, and very decently, cleverly using the steepness of their native slopes. We, however, are not burdened by opportunistic considerations, and therefore we will not forget about what self-expression consisted of. There were two main scenarios for cultural events. According to the first, freedom-loving aborigines descended from the mountains, attacked Chinese peasants peacefully growing rice and tied up everyone they could reach. According to the second, at night they approached a lowland village, set it on fire and grabbed people who managed to run out of the burning houses. The outcome in both cases was the same - the captives' heads were cut off, which were then boiled and dried. The skulls prepared in this way were officially invited to join the tribe as equal members, and if they agreed (and the offer was one that was difficult to refuse), then they were hung from tree branches or placed on special shelves. From that moment on, the skulls kept order in the village, protected its inhabitants from evil spirits and hostile foreigners.
If there were small children among those abducted, they were raised as equal members of the community.
Overall, there's nothing special about it. Standard actions of mountain people in all parts of the world throughout history. Due to their dominant occupations - hunting and cattle breeding - they are much more aggressive, more accustomed to blood and more experienced in battle than lowland farmers, and the mountains allow them to hide even from a significantly superior enemy. Raids by mountain tribes on lowland settlements are commonplace. But in light of the fact that the main victims of the highly civilized search for new guardians of the village were not Japanese soldiers, but Chinese peasants, the cult of freedom-loving mountaineers looks somewhat strange.
By the way, it’s worth talking about the relationship between the Japanese and the aborigines separately.
Japanese versus aborigines.
The first close acquaintance occurred on the southwestern coast of Taiwan in 1871, when a ship from Okinawa was wrecked. All crew members were captured by the Paiwan tribe. The freedom-loving aborigines, already at that time, cut off 54 heads. Another 12 heads remained on the shoulders, rescued by the Chinese who arrived in time, and later, having made a short detour through Beijing, they returned safely to their homeland.
The Japanese demanded compensation from the Chinese government, but the Chinese refused. Like, it’s not our business to keep an eye on all the barbarians in all sorts of fly-by-nights. The Japanese decided that if this was the case, they had to get down to business themselves, and so they did. True, the names of these determined Japanese sound somewhat unusual: Charles le Gendre and Gustave Emile Boissonade. One is a military adviser from a little-known provincial country called the USA, the other is a French lawyer. Taking a closer look at the geopolitical situation of that time, this allows us to suspect something, but let’s not rush things and slander people.
As a result, in 1874, an expedition consisting of 3,600 people was organized, which won a decisive victory in the so-called Battle of Stone Gate, where about 30 Aborigines and 6 Japanese were killed. In total, the losses of the Japanese expedition amounted to 531 people, most of whom died from disease.
In the end, the Chinese government, fearing developments, agreed to pay compensation. Sir Harry Smith Parkes, another Japanese patriot, described the payment as “China's willingness to pay for invasions.”
Yes, yes, you read that right, this is the same Sir Harry who was an active player in British foreign policy in China during the Opium Wars. Look into the honest, open face and wise eyes of this old fox. Interesting details of European influence are being revealed, aren't they?
Revenge on the Aborigines, of course, was not the main goal. In the context of the territorial dispute over the Ryukyu Islands, the Japanese clearly demonstrated China's inability to control even the territory of Taiwan. In 1879, the dispute over the ownership of the Ryukyu Islands was submitted to international arbitration, and the British handed them over to the Japanese.
In addition, the operation was a prelude to the landing of Franco-Japanese troops on Taiwan and the transfer of the island to Japan in 1895. And a little later, in 1905, the Japanese Empire, gaining momentum under the strict supervision of Franco-British advisers, overwhelmed Russia.
Well, I’m already a little distracted by history, the lessons of which, as always, are instructive, but they don’t teach anyone anything. Let's return to the aborigines.
Let's return to the aborigines.
The Japanese took a scientific approach to assimilation. Of course, they did not hesitate to use either naval artillery, aviation, or chemical weapons, wiping out entire villages from the face of the earth. But at the same time, they paid great attention to ethnographic expeditions, studying the culture, religion and customs of numerous tribes. The most complete and systematized works on the study of Taiwanese aborigines belong to the Japanese.
The main role in taming did not belong to weapons, but to a change in values. With the help of weapons, headhunting was made completely unprofitable and dangerous both for the hunters themselves and for their villages. In return, bonuses were introduced for those who attended educational courses and collaborated with the administration. The Japanese protected customs that did not pose a danger in every possible way. The rest were mercilessly uprooted. Elements of Japanese culture, Japanese traditions and rituals were gradually introduced. By 1930, headhunting had completely disappeared; in the 40s, some of the aborigines were already serving in the imperial army. Many older people, both natives and Taiwanese Chinese, still remember Japanese rule with respect and gratitude.
By the way, contrary to popular belief, after the end of World War II, the people of Taiwan were not at all happy about the departure of the Japanese. The Kuomintang government that replaced (or rather, brought in by the Americans) demonstrated a complete inability to effectively govern and indifference to the needs of the people, which led to mass unrest. On February 28, 1947, during the brutal suppression of popular uprisings, in one day, according to various estimates, from 10 to 30 thousand people were killed. Machine guns mounted directly on fire trucks were used as means of suppression. The period of the so-called “White Terror” began.
Today, almost all aborigines are Christians - Catholics and Protestants. The success of Christian missionaries was largely ensured by the crude assimilation methods used by the Kuomintang. A natural reaction was the desire to dissociate culturally, which led to the widespread spread of Western religion.
The main occupations of the aborigines now are serving tourists, hunting and farming. Firearms are prohibited on the island, so hunting is carried out using the same old-fashioned methods - bows, spears and traps.
In the last decade, after the democratic government of Taiwan became convinced of the futility of hopes to win back the PRC, and even moreover, began to fear increasing Chinese economic pressure, they tried to use the aborigines in a political game, emphasizing that Taiwan is not part of China, but seems to be completely separate a state with its own history and culture. That is, at first for fifty years they called themselves the real, the only competent Chinese government in exile, and suddenly - “the moped is not mine, I just posted an advertisement.” This trick of the ears caused bewilderment among everyone, including the aborigines themselves (although their situation has improved significantly due to government support), but especially among the Han Chinese living in Taiwan, for a significant part of whom cultural self-identification is more important than ephemeral island independence.
Population
About 22.8 million people. The vast majority of Taiwanese residents are Chinese (up to 98%, “Han”), and there is also an indigenous population (“Guoashan”, up to 350 thousand people). About 90% of the island's population lives on the western coastal plain.
Political state
Democratic Republic of Chinese Taipei (Republic of China). The head of state is the president. The head of government ("Executive Yuan") is the Prime Minister. The legislative branch is the unicameral Legislative Yuan (Li-Fang-Yuan), 225 seats - 168 deputies elected by popular vote, 41 elected by proportional representation from political parties, 8 elected from representatives of overseas Chinese communities, 8 from representatives of ethnic minorities. All deputies are elected for a three-year term) and a unicameral National Assembly (300 delegates nominated by the country's main political parties), assembled only to make emergency decisions.
Language in Taiwan
The official language is Chinese, from the many dialects of which the northern (Beijing) dialect has been chosen as the “national language”. But in everyday life, locals use the Fujianese dialect. Most Taiwanese speak fluent English (it is taught as a first foreign language in many schools), while the older generation speaks Japanese.
Religion in Taiwan
The most widespread and officially recognized religion is Buddhism (it is professed by about 4.9 million people). Also widespread are Taoism (3.64 million), new religious movements (over 1 million), Protestantism (over 374 thousand), Catholicism (296 thousand), Islam (52 thousand people). Confucianism retains a strong position as a moral and ethical teaching, although there are also temples of Confucius.
Taiwanese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine is a rather unusual combination of many traditions, primarily Chinese. But if we take into account that even in mainland China there are literally countless styles and traditions in cooking, then the island cuisine, which for a long time developed in isolation from the main territory, can be considered an example of traditional Chinese cuisine. Many Taiwanese believe that it is here that the culinary traditions that the Chinese used more than 2 thousand years ago have been preserved. But the abundance of immigrants from all corners of China has brought here many variants of modern Chinese cuisine - here you can find many restaurants and cafes representing Cantonese, Hunan, Guangdong, Beijing, Shanghai, Yanzhou or Sichuan variations of the Chinese tradition.
Among the national features, one can note the widespread use of rice, soybeans and vegetables. A variety of porridges made from rice, kaoliang, corn or millet are used both as a bread substitute and as the main “carrier” for other dishes. Soy, the main meat substitute on the Chinese table, is also used to prepare butter, soy milk, salted soybean paste, doufu or tofu cottage cheese (there are dozens of types) and numerous sauces. No less popular are products made from flour and dough - dozens of varieties of noodles and vermicelli, flatbreads and crispbreads, dumplings and ravioli, mantou dumplings and baozi pies, wontons and numerous battered products.
Vegetables play a huge role; they are served in various combinations with many dishes, as well as pickled, salted in soy sauce, fermented and dried. Particularly popular are young bamboo shoots (served boiled, side dishes and as an independent snack), all kinds of cabbage, sweet potatoes, potatoes, radishes of various varieties, green onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, spinach and green beans, as well as dozens types of vegetables and herbs for which there are simply no names in Russian. There are also quite unusual combinations of products, such as bean curd in red sauce, eggplant in soy sauce, boiled rice with the blood of some animal, omelet with radish, pancakes with onions and peppers, the ubiquitous “tea eggs” - “cha-e-dan” ", a classic Taiwanese dish of congee, vegetables and roots, rice balls in bamboo leaves "zong zi", pickled cucumber salad "sao huang kwa liang ban" and other snacks ("shiao chief").
The meat is extremely popular, but due to its relative, until recently, high cost, poultry and pork are mainly used. Popular dishes include Taiwanese steak, always served “straight from the fire” with noodles, grain side dish and carrots, traditional Peking duck, chicken marinated with onions, beef with oyster sauce, fried and boiled pork in sweet and sour sauce, minced poultry with gingko nut sauces, noodle soup with poultry "ji-si-tang-mian", fried noodles with vegetables or meat "chow mein", fried egg "dan chao fan" with rice in dozens of variations , Chinese vermicelli with pork "ma yi shang shu", meat in a sauce of butter, seafood paste and soybean paste "huguo", fried chicken "gongbao" or specially fried chicken "san pei ji" (served in three separate pots with different sauces), "Mongolian barbecue" of various types of poultry, meat and vegetables, fried meat with radish balls and soy sauce, salt baked chicken, ham with honey, dumplings with pork or vegetables "jeng jiao" ", boiled pork with greens "dongpo-rou" or the country's simplest dish - "ju-yu-ban-fan" (rice balls with lard and soy sauce). Poultry meat is often replaced with frog, fish and other unusual ingredients (including insects), without detracting from the other advantages of the dish.
The dominant role of fish and other seafood, once a hallmark of Taiwanese cuisine, continues to be an important feature of the local cuisine today. The Taiwanese still place an important emphasis on dishes made from fish and other seafood, with a special reverence for oysters and an endless variety of soups. Worth trying are boiled fish with herbs, fried shrimp with cashew nuts, eel in pepper sauce, Xian Yu fish soup, fried small fish in peanut sauce, fish with chips or rice, stir-fry mushrooms with crab meat (often mushrooms are simply stuffed with the meat of some sea creature), fried eel "ningpo", jellyfish salad, the famous shark fin soup, a traditional appetizer in the form of an omelette with oysters, octopus or other representatives of marine fauna and other excellent seafood. Recently, the country has used many dishes borrowed from Japanese cuisine - sushi (sushi), sashimi (sashimi), wasabi, miso, teppanyaki and others.
Taiwanese cooking uses many ingredients that seem wild and exotic - dog meat, snake meat, insects, seaweed and so on. In principle, these are very colorful and completely safe dishes. The only thing you should pay attention to when consuming such products is the huge amount of spices that are not always familiar to the European stomach. It is simply useless to talk about them - every master of oriental cuisine makes his own sauces and seasonings according to his own recipe, therefore, although they are generally similar to traditional curry or soy sauce, local seasonings are noticeably different from their “ancestors”. And, of course, a huge amount of local and imported fruits are served on the table. Unlike mainland China, chefs in Taiwan rarely use yellow wine, which is so popular on the mainland. Here, for boiling, frying and preparing sauces, they use clear and light rice wine, very similar to the Japanese “murin”.
The most common drink in China is green tea, which is drunk very hot and with almost no sugar. But the Taiwanese have a special attitude towards tea. Black and green tea are drunk much less frequently than various flower and herbal teas in all sorts of combinations with regular tea. A local invention is considered to be “foamy” or “pearl” tea, prepared from tea, milk, sugar and cassava or yuca (mainly from its starch). This tea is first brewed and then infused in the same container for half an hour, which gives it a special taste and color.
Vodka is a traditional drink in China, but it is usually infused with various ingredients, has an unusual taste and has a specific smell, although it is quite strong. Light and strong rice or millet beer is very widespread - quite cheap and of high quality. Also popular are the alcoholic drink made from sorghum "Kaoliang" and rice wine "Shaoxing". Many types of imported alcoholic beverages are sold everywhere.
Customs and traditions of Taiwan
Local residents are extremely friendly and supportive, especially towards visitors. Taiwanese especially respect island visitors who are interested in their culture. As in mainland China, for the Taiwanese the basis of relationships between people is “face,” that is, reputation. A lot of things are built on this concept, from doing business in business to relationships between people on the street. Therefore, “to save face,” the Taiwanese try to minimize the manifestation of their emotions or openly express their feelings. Many guests of the island are also struck by the seeming deceit of the locals - it is believed that they never say what they think. But this is not true - like the Japanese, in order not to upset their interlocutor with a refusal, local residents try not to say “no,” only in a more veiled form. But sincere smiles and amazing politeness are the everyday norm. Therefore, similar behavior is expected from tourists. When meeting, local residents, as a rule, shake hands quite Europeanly. When a group of people meets, the oldest ones are greeted first (the cult of respect for elders is generally very developed on the island).
This also leads to another feature of the Taiwanese - the absence of duplicity or grasping in real relationships. No matter how the two sides bow, no matter how they practice rhetoric, any issue is resolved in the correct form. If an agreement or transaction has taken place, its terms will be observed impeccably. As a result, this leads to the same prices in different parts of the city, the same exchange rate everywhere, or even paying in a taxi strictly according to the meter.
A separate aspect of local relationships is gift giving. Since, according to local norms, it must be deeply symbolic and reflect the respect of the donor for the recipient, the gifts themselves carry some kind of set of symbols. Accordingly, they are selected (and evaluated!) with special care. Some flattery, ostentatious self-condemnation and flowery rhetoric are a common part of gift-giving interactions between local residents. Together with “saving face,” this entourage creates the basis of “guanshi” (“connection”) - a system of bilateral obligations of two or more people, which is the unshakable foundation of local society. At the same time, both “face” and “guanshi” are fickle concepts. They must be constantly developed or nourished, otherwise a person’s “weight” in society decreases.
A gift should be given and accepted with both hands, in a slight half-bow (it is impolite to open a gift in front of the giver). Moreover, the very procedure of giving and accepting a gift is part of the “mian jie” (“exchange of persons”) ceremony, which is expressed in the persistence (sometimes excessive) of the donor. Based on the same principle, disputes constantly arise - who will pay the bill at a restaurant or a joint entertainment event (the one who paid has a higher reputation). Under no circumstances should you give handkerchiefs, as well as wall or table clocks, as this is a bad omen. However, any unsuccessful gift can be “evened out” with a coin - in this case, it is already a purchase and numerous taboos do not apply to it.
When meeting people, local residents show remarkable curiosity, literally bombarding the guest with a lot of questions, often of a rather personal nature. This is a sign of attention, and not a desire to interfere in private life, so such questions should be treated calmly. Reciprocal curiosity is also acceptable, which is usually pleasant (and understandable) to the Taiwanese himself. At the same time, the locals are quite funny, which also often confuses people. Laughter performs quite a few functions in local etiquette - it is sincere joy, and regret about a small failure, and the desire to make amends or soften some awkward situation.
The cult of food is an important part of the country's culture. Traditionally, Chinese lunch is served at a round table, in the center of which there is a flat circle on a rotating stand. Food is served on large plates and transferred in the required quantity onto small plates by the guest himself. First, cold appetizers are served, then hot dishes, and only after them the so-called main courses (“zhushi”). At the end of the meal, soup or broth is served. There is no dessert as such - fruits and sweets are on the table throughout the entire meal and are often even used in the main dish. Eating also takes place in compliance with many rules and traditions.
Almost all dishes are supposed to be taken with chopsticks, although most restaurants have European cutlery and it is not forbidden to use them. After finishing the meal, you should not leave chopsticks stuck into food and under no circumstances sticking out of the cup. A bowl or plate can be brought to the very chin and eaten by weight. It is not recommended to knock chopsticks or cutlery against the edge of the dish. Do not point the spout of the kettle at a person. Bones can be placed directly on the tablecloth, under the edge of the plate - a dirty tablecloth is considered a sign that you liked the treat. The portion sizes are usually quite large, so it is recommended to order one for several people. As a sign of gratitude for the poured wine or tea, you can knock on the table three times with your middle finger. You can refuse this or that dish or drink, but in general it is recommended to follow the instructions of the owner of the table.
In most cases, clothing is quite informal. Most local residents dress in European style, and following fashion trends is not an empty phrase for them. Business attire and evening dress are subject to European etiquette standards. Many restaurants simply won’t let you in without a tie and jacket, although there are many lower-level establishments where entry in casual (but not sports or beach) clothing is not limited.
When entering someone else's house, you should always take off your shoes. Usually, slippers are prepared for guests in any home. But in public places (except for some traditional restaurants) it is extremely indecent to take off your shoes. Moreover, sandals or flip-flops are considered the shoes of a redneck and are unpopular in urban environments - many establishments simply won’t let you wear them (although there are exceptions).
Taiwan is a Pacific island with a complex but interesting history. Taiwan's population as of 2017 is estimated to be approximately twenty-four million.
Currently, Taiwan is one of the countries with an advanced economy and developed infrastructure. When planning to visit this island or move there for permanent residence, you need to find out what language is spoken in Taiwan, because, as you know, the island is part of China, and was formerly part of Japan.
Features of the Chinese language
Ninety-eight percent of Taiwan's population is of Chinese nationality (the people's self-name is Han). To understand what the Taiwanese language is, you need to start from the huge number of dialects of Chinese.
When people say the phrase "Chinese", they usually mean Northern Chinese. This is the official standard in both China and Taiwan.
Most Chinese dialects are almost incomprehensible to a speaker of another language. Thus, “Chinese” is really a family of languages, for example, like the Romance language family (which includes French, Portuguese, Romanian, Italian). Within this there are several languages, some scholars say eight or nine, and some say much more. Within these languages there are actual dialects, as well as linguistic adverbs, that are different from each other, but for the most part understandable to each other.
What languages are spoken in Taiwan?
For Taiwan, the situation is relatively simple: there are three Chinese dialects. (North Chinese) is the official national language and is spoken by almost all residents. The second dialect, often referred to as Taiwanese, is widely spoken, especially outside of the island's capital Taipei. The third dialect, Hakka, is spoken by a distinct group of people (also called Hakka) who live mainly around Hsinchu, Taoyuan County and rural areas of Kaohsiung. The vast majority of Taiwanese communicate in Taiwanese and Hakka in their daily lives.
Writing of Taiwan
It is important to note that the Taiwanese use traditional ones, unlike mainland China, where a simplified system of writing characters is common. Many Chinese believe that the conventional writing system is quite difficult to use. Traditional characters are used outside of China, mainly in Taiwan, Singapore, Macau and other overseas communities. It is known that the Chinese language has more than three thousand different characters.
Austronesian languages
If you ask yourself which language in Taiwan is the most ancient, then it is a group of Taiwanese aboriginal languages. Two percent of Taiwan's population is the local autochthonous indigenous population of the island. Their native languages are a variety of dialects belonging to the Austronesian language family. Aborigines have lived in Taiwan perhaps as early as 10,000 years ago. While the Chinese only started arriving in large numbers a hundred years ago. Today, the indigenous people constitute a minority of the population, and their languages are in danger of becoming extinct.
The aborigines on the east coast of the island are commonly known as "Gao Shan" and make up the majority of the indigenous population. In some cases, there are only a few living native speakers left, and even the most common local dialects are in danger of becoming extinct unless steps are taken to encourage young people to learn them. The languages of the people of Taiwan, which belong to the Austronesian language family, are gradually falling out of use and do not have government support.
Taiwanese language
Sometimes the dialect of the majority of Taiwanese is also called Minnan, Hokkien, Fujian, Hoklo. Additionally, Taiwanese is the native language of the Holo, a group of Han Chinese who make up about 70% of Taiwan's population. Throughout most of the island it is the language of everyday communication, trade, home and hearth. This is the language of friendship and struggle of the inhabitants of this mysterious island.
Hoklo has no official status. Some advertisements in the capital's metro are written on it. Non-state newspapers, online publications, and books are published. Both traditional and developed by Western researchers writing systems based on the Latin alphabet are used.
Hakka language
The Hakka are a Chinese clan group whose name translates to "guest". Long journeys from their home in northern China, fueled by hostility from other groups, had molded them into a resilient and self-reliant people. Their language is also different from standard Chinese, although to the casual listener it may sound a bit similar to While there are still a few million speakers of this dialect of Chinese left, there is a danger that Hakka will become just a village dialect and disappear from the pages of magazines, books and television. At the moment there is only one TV channel that broadcasts in this dialect.
Official Chinese (Mandarin)
In 1945, after the end of World War II, Standard Chinese (Mandarin) was introduced as the official language and became compulsory in schools. Until 1945, Japanese was the official language and was taught in schools.
Since then, Mandarin has been used as a lingua franca among various groups in Taiwan, a language that is understood by the majority of the population. Thus, Mandarin is the basis of mutual understanding for:
- Most native speakers of the Taiwanese language (or, as it is also called, Hoklo (Hokkien)).
- Groups of Chinese speaking the Hakka dialect.
- Visitors from mainland China whose native language can be any Chinese dialect.
- Aborigines who speak indigenous languages of the Gashoa group.
Influence of official Chinese
Mandarin is spoken fluently by almost the entire Taiwanese population, with the exception of some older people who were educated under Japanese rule. In Taipei, where there is a high concentration of expatriate Chinese whose first language is not Taiwanese, official Chinese is used more often than in southern Taiwan and rural areas where there are fewer expatriates. Many of them, especially those under 45, speak Mandarin better than Hakka or Hokkien. Taiwanese Mandarin is spoken at different levels according to social status and situation. Formal occasions require speakers to have a high level of proficiency in Standard Chinese. Less formal situations may allow for basic level communication that has more uniquely Taiwanese characteristics.
Bilingual Taiwanese may switch between languages while speaking, sometimes within the same sentence. By the unique tonality of each dialect of Chinese, you can immediately guess what ethnic group a person belongs to and what language he speaks. In Taiwan, great importance is attached to learning the official language.
Conclusion
When answering the question of what languages are spoken in Taiwan, we can briefly say that the vast majority of the population communicates in various varieties of Chinese.
Scientists are still arguing whether these dialects are independent languages or just dialects.
A couple of years ago I visited Taiwan for the first time, but it was a very quick trip, only four and a half days. I saw a lot in that short time, but I realized that I wanted to explore the island in more detail. So this time I came for a week and a half, and during that time I looked around a little.
2. Temples are always guarded by statues of not quite lions (). For the Chinese, the classic lion must hold a stone ball in its mouth. These balls do not fit into the opening of the mouth; they are hollowed out from one piece of stone, already in the mouth of the statue.
But in Taiwan there are often others, without a ball. Japanese influence again?
3. The temples inside are all bright and colorful, there is no Japanese restraint here. The more colorful the better. Light bulbs, neon lights, and electronic displays are often found.
4. Look - it's Bowser, the main villain from the Super Mario games! I also got caught in the temple.
5. There are tables and stools in the squares in front of many temples; local residents come here to drink tea and have lunch. They combine spiritual food with ordinary food. Here you can meet large, cheerful companies.
6. Domestic tourism is developed in Taiwan, and the authorities support it in every possible way. In large cities there are tourist offices where both locals and foreigners will be happy to tell you about nearby attractions. There are also special stamps to mark your visit.
7. Residents of Taiwan buy these cloth maps of the entire island.
8. And they put stamps on them in the places where they come.
9. It turns out to be a kind of passport for an internal tourist. Taiwanese are more willing to travel around the country collecting such stamps.
10. The main attractions of the country also have their own seals - for example, in the Taipei 101 skyscraper, where our office is located.
11. Like throughout Asia, overpasses are very popular here. Subways, highways and railways - everything is built on these elevated roads above the ground.
12. In some places you can come across crazy concentrations of these roads in the air.
13. Along the river embankment that separates downtown Taipei from the new areas is a high wall.
14. The island is located on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, in this region, and thus the capital is protected from tsunamis.
UPD: In comments vovachan suggests that the wall protects not from tsunamis, but from floods during typhoons.
15. To somehow brighten up this gray view, in some places a mosaic was applied to the wall with views of lawns and trees on the shore (all this really is on the other side).
16. Passage through the wall is possible with the help of these heavy gates, which close in case of danger.
17. It turns out there is a limit. This is how the lanes are fenced off, where two-wheeled beasts are not allowed to enter.
18. Surprisingly, Taiwan is perhaps the country in which I have met the fewest non-Asians. Outside the capital, there are none at all (maybe I saw about five in a few days of traveling), but even in Taipei, seeing a European face is a huge rarity.
19. The exception is the Taipei 101 skyscraper area, it seems that all the white people are crowded here.
Also, it’s interesting that now in the Taiwanese capital it’s almost 20 degrees Celsius, but all the locals dress as if the weather is almost zero. Look at the difference between this white guy's clothes and everyone else's!
20. Japan controlled Taiwan for half a century (1895 - 1945), and if not for World War II, it would most likely have integrated the island into its possessions forever. But even 70 years after the Japanese left these lands, their influence is felt in everyday life. Taiwanese people view the Japanese occupation much more calmly than those in mainland China, and willingly adopt various Japanese habits. For example, stores like 7-Eleven and Family Mart in Taiwan are much closer to those found in Japan.
21. And the “French” bakeries, which are so popular in the Land of the Rising Sun, have also taken root here. The temptation to run in and quickly grab some baked goods is very great.
22. But the main thing that came here from Japan are super-sophisticated toilets. It is known that . And in Taiwan you often come across shocks with heating, washing and God knows what else!
Except that I haven’t met it here yet.
23. In Taipei, transformer boxes are painted. Why just put iron boxes in the middle of the street if you can make them a little “prettier”?
24. Although I think they could have been decorated in a more interesting way. Get real graffiti writers involved in this cause.
25. Finding unpainted boxes in the capital is almost impossible, but I tried for you. This is the only place where they were just green. And even then, they hide under the stairs.
26. And these are mailboxes. Two different ones, and each has two slits. That is, four different options for leaving a letter. I've never seen so many.
The inscriptions on the slots (from left to right): Fast Delivery, Airmail, Local, and Outgoing. I don’t know what all this means and what the difference is between them.
27. Some of Taipei's main streets are beautiful leafy boulevards. There are many trees, paths and benches. It's nice to walk and relax.
Local residents walk their dogs here and go jogging.
28. Outside the cities, Taiwan has beautiful nature.
But I'll tell you about it another time.
I still have a few days left in Taiwan - if there is something interesting to see (or meet someone) in Taipei or beyond - write!
With a brief excursion into its history.
Local residents are extremely friendly and supportive, especially towards visitors. Taiwanese especially respect island visitors who are interested in their culture. As in mainland China, for the Taiwanese the basis of relationships between people is “face,” that is, reputation. A lot of things are built on this concept, from doing business in business to relationships between people on the street. Therefore, “to save face,” the Taiwanese try to minimize the manifestation of their emotions or openly express their feelings. Many guests of the island are also struck by the seeming deceit of the locals - it is believed that they never say what they think. But this is not true - like the Japanese, in order not to upset their interlocutor with a refusal, local residents try not to say “no,” only in a more veiled form. But sincere smiles and amazing politeness are the everyday norm. Therefore, similar behavior is expected from tourists. When meeting, local residents, as a rule, shake hands quite Europeanly. When a group of people meets, the oldest ones are greeted first (the cult of respect for elders is generally very developed on the island).
This also leads to another feature of the Taiwanese - the absence of duplicity or grasping in real relationships. No matter how the two sides bow, no matter how they practice rhetoric, any issue is resolved in the correct form. If an agreement or transaction has taken place, its terms will be observed impeccably. As a result, this leads to the same prices in different parts of the city, the same exchange rate everywhere, or even paying in a taxi strictly according to the meter.
A separate aspect of local relationships is gift giving. Since, according to local norms, it must be deeply symbolic and reflect the respect of the donor for the recipient, the gifts themselves carry some kind of set of symbols. Accordingly, they are selected (and evaluated!) with special care. Some flattery, ostentatious self-condemnation and flowery rhetoric are a common part of gift-giving interactions between local residents. Together with “saving face,” this entourage creates the basis of “guanshi” (“connection”) - a system of bilateral obligations of two or more people, which is the unshakable foundation of local society. At the same time, both “face” and “guanshi” are fickle concepts. They must be constantly developed or nourished, otherwise a person’s “weight” in society decreases.
A gift should be given and accepted with both hands, in a slight half-bow (it is impolite to open a gift in front of the giver). Moreover, the very procedure of giving and accepting a gift is part of the “mian jie” (“exchange of persons”) ceremony, which is expressed in the persistence (sometimes excessive) of the donor. Based on the same principle, disputes constantly arise - who will pay the bill at a restaurant or a joint entertainment event (the one who paid has a higher reputation). Under no circumstances should you give handkerchiefs, as well as wall or table clocks, as this is a bad omen. However, any unsuccessful gift can be “evened out” with a coin - in this case, it is already a purchase and numerous taboos do not apply to it.
When meeting people, local residents show remarkable curiosity, literally bombarding the guest with a lot of questions, often of a rather personal nature. This is a sign of attention, and not a desire to interfere in private life, so such questions should be treated calmly. Reciprocal curiosity is also acceptable, which is usually pleasant (and understandable) to the Taiwanese himself. At the same time, the locals are quite funny, which also often confuses people. Laughter performs quite a few functions in local etiquette - it is sincere joy, and regret about a small failure, and the desire to make amends or soften some awkward situation.
The cult of food is an important part of the country's culture. Traditionally, Chinese lunch is served at a round table, in the center of which there is a flat circle on a rotating stand. Food is served on large plates and transferred in the required quantity onto small plates by the guest himself. First, cold appetizers are served, then hot dishes, and only after them the so-called main courses (“zhushi”). At the end of the meal, soup or broth is served. There is no dessert as such - fruits and sweets are on the table throughout the entire meal and are often even used in the main dish. Eating also takes place in compliance with many rules and traditions.
Almost all dishes are supposed to be taken with chopsticks, although most restaurants have European cutlery and it is not forbidden to use them. After finishing the meal, you should not leave chopsticks stuck into food and under no circumstances sticking out of the cup. A bowl or plate can be brought to the very chin and eaten by weight. It is not recommended to knock chopsticks or cutlery against the edge of the dish. Do not point the spout of the kettle at a person. Bones can be placed directly on the tablecloth, under the edge of the plate - a dirty tablecloth is considered a sign that you liked the treat. The portion sizes are usually quite large, so it is recommended to order one for several people. As a sign of gratitude for the poured wine or tea, you can knock on the table three times with your middle finger. You can refuse this or that dish or drink, but in general it is recommended to follow the instructions of the owner of the table.
In most cases, clothing is quite informal. Most local residents dress in European style, and following fashion trends is not an empty phrase for them. Business attire and evening dress are subject to European etiquette standards. Many restaurants simply won’t let you in without a tie and jacket, although there are many lower-level establishments where entry in casual (but not sports or beach) clothing is not limited.
When entering someone else's house, you should always take off your shoes. Usually, slippers are prepared for guests in any home. But in public places (except for some traditional restaurants) it is extremely indecent to take off your shoes. Moreover, sandals or flip-flops are considered the shoes of a redneck and are unpopular in urban environments - many establishments simply won’t let you wear them (although there are exceptions).