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101 Reasons why Taiwan is the best place in the world to live - Part 2
Recently I’ve been enjoying writing articles about my job (headhunting) and the job market in Taiwan. I had the idea to write a love letter to Taiwan in the form of a list of things I think are wonderful about the country.
Read the 101 Reasons why Taiwan is the best place in the world to live - Part 1
Convenience
46. Scooter and car repair
I remember the first time my scooter broke down and I took it into a local mechanic in Taichung. At the time I spoke no Chinese, but the mechanic looked at my scooter and fixed something quickly. When I tried to pay, he said no and wouldn’t accept any money.
Since then, I’ve paid various amounts for various car and scooter repairs, but never any amount that I felt was expensive. In the UK, even walking into a mechanic’s garage will cost you £250. There doesn’t really seem to be a culture of grifting naïve customers here, and what a wonderful phenomenon that is!
47. Convenience stores
No list about the convenience of Taiwan would be complete without mentioning the multitude of convenience stores around the country. Between 7-Eleven, Family Mart, OK Mart and Hi-Life there were a staggering 11,564 stores throughout Taiwan (in 2019).
There are six within five minute’s walking distance from my apartment. These places have everything; snacks, full meals, FMCG products, alcohol, stationary, fresh coffee and probably anything else you can imagine. You can also pay bills and send/receive packages. Doesn’t get more convenient than that!
48. E-commerce
E-commerce is a growing trend in Taiwan just like in most parts of the world. The big players here are PChome, Shopee, Momo and Yahoo locally as well as having access to the big American and Chinese channels. I feel like my wife buys something online almost every day. I don’t know if this is true, but it certainly feels like it is ;)
49. Technologically advanced, great internet and telecom
Taiwan is also a technologically advanced country. There is access to wifi everywhere on the island, although you rarely need it with affordable “all you can eat” data packages from the major telecom providers. I pay around 1000 NTD per month for my cell package and am on the phone all the time.
In February of 2020, Website Tool Tester ranked Taiwan’s internet speed as the fastest in the world and third in 5G download speeds. According to Audrey Tang, Taiwan views access to broadband as a right rather than a privilege. Wow!
50. Food delivery companies
My wife and I had a baby about 6 months ago and online food delivery platforms like Foodpanda and UberEATS have been an absolute lifesaver for us. Especially in Taipei there are so many good options for delivery and although we feel bad about the waste we are creating in terms of packaging and boxes, it has been really nice not to have to go out to restaurants with a newborn or have my tired wife cook a meal after a long day of being shouted at by our little guy! If me cooking for the family was our only option for dinner, I think I’d probably already be single.
51. Shared bikes, scooters and cars
Access to shared service transport is again, super easy and affordable here in Taiwan. For renting bicycles there is O-Bike and the government Ubike program. I use the Gogoro Goshare APP and WeMo for renting scooters for one-way journeys (to the bar usually, don’t drink and drive people) and iRent for cars. Getting around town keeps getting easier.
Travel
52. Great beaches
Taiwanese are spoilt for choice when it comes to beautiful beaches. Some personal favorites would be Baishawan on the North Coast and Lintou and Jibei beach in Penghu. The North, East and Southern coasts all have a selection of stunning beaches for those who enjoy being close to the ocean. Surf, snorkel or just chill in the sun, Taiwan can provide you with some of that soul refreshing white sand.
53. Center of Asia for travelling
I don’t know if I really need to elucidate this point too much. One of the frequent positives I hear from people based in Taiwan for short periods of time (pre-Covid) was that it is easy to use Taiwan as a jumping point to visit lots of other Asian countries.
Taiwan also has some solid local airlines like Eva and China Air as well as access to the cheaper Asian airlines like Air Asia from Malaysia. So far, I’ve visited Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Australia and South Korea. We also had two beautiful villas in Bali booked before Covid hit. Boooooo Covid!
54. Lots of great Minsus, hotels and places to stay
Taiwan also has lots of great hotels, Minsus (BnB’s) and AirBnb properties around the island. We will often book a night or two in Baishawan or Yilan for the weekend and go out there with friends. Taiwan has so many great places to stay overnight and we have very rarely had any bad experiences with bookings or hosts.
55. Love motels
I don’t think Love motels are common in other parts of the world. These are (very) private hotels where you can go and party. Some of the bigger rooms have swimming pools inside and you can make as much noise as you want. I don’t want to talk too much about the industry being largely funded by extra-marital affairs… we use them for birthday parties. My personal favorite is OHYA in Linkou because they let us bring our dogs.
56. Songshan airport
It would be normal to live in Taiwan without ever using the inner-city Songshan airport in Taipei. However, I live within walking distance of it, so I’m putting it on the list! I can walk to Songshan airport and jump on a flight to Penghu with my Subway sandwich in-hand and be on the beach an hour later. We also bought a large carrier so we take the dog with us on the flight. (Our dog was our baby, now our baby is our baby and the dog is his big sister).
57. Shopping in Xinyi
I work in the Xinyi area of Taipei so I’m there five days a week. I think the modern buildings are beautiful, with lots of good food, shopping and of course the iconic Taipei 101. I’ve been to the top of 101 about five times and honestly after a few earthquakes here, will probably never do it again. I get less brave the older I get.
58. Shopping for cheaper clothes
The night markets in Taiwan are everywhere and often have large sections devoted to cheaper fashion. I’m quite an average size in Taiwan so I’ve been able to buy skinny jeans there for years. You can also find some really funny t-shirts with “Chinglish” on them, always good for a chuckle.
59. Taiwanize brand
This is my favorite fashion brand in the world, I honestly don’t really wear anything else if I’m going out. Taiwanize is a Taiwanese fashion brand started by some designers in Taipei. They mix modern and traditional Chinese designs on incredibly high-quality fabric. Their clothes are quite expensive, but the quality is the best I’ve ever worn. Check them out online or at one of their seven stores around Taipei.
Food
60. Great food in general
Taiwan has such a fantastic selection of food that it is hard to do it justice without a visit. I will say, it is the one thing every visitor I’ve entertained has said, “the food here is so delicious.” There are of course differences in price, but in general eating at restaurants is pretty cheap.
I think in the West it would be normal to only eat one meal per week in a restaurant. In Taiwan, some people will eat 7 or 8 meals per week outside. For cheap lunches, my absolute favorite is bian dang shops where you fill your lunch box from the many buffet items available. It usually costs between 2-3 USD and is healthy, quick and delicious.
61. Expanding diversity of foreign food
Alongside the many different kinds of Taiwanese cuisine available, there is a growing number of restaurants serving all kinds of international food. It is easy to find Italian and American restaurants here but these days there are plenty of Indian restaurants and other less typical international options like Polish, Danish, Turkish and British food.
I order Churchill’s online for comfort food like meat pies and sausages. Personal favorites in Taipei include Sababas (Lebanese), Saffron (Indian), Toasteria (Mediterranean), Macho Taco (Mexican) and Hooters (best spicy chicken in Taiwan). Long gone are the days where Grandma Nitti’s in Shida was the only place you could find a hamburger.
62. Night markets
The Taiwanese night markets are fun in general and definitely a must-see for any tourists. I think the food is the coolest part, with hundreds of independent food vendors all preparing easy-to-snack-on delicacies. You can walk around slowly choosing a variety of things to try. My favorite night market is Rao He if anyone is interested!
Author’s note: I’m not adding stinky tofu to this list.
63. Japanese and Korean food
I’d say the most abundant food available outside the various Chinese style cuisines is Japanese. It is super easy to find sushi, Japanese BBQ, ramen, Japanese curry, teppanyaki, etc. Korean food is also very popular and easy to find. Nothing quite beats a good bibimbap.
64. Re Chao’s
If this was a list made by a Taiwanese person, they would definitely include hot pot as a famous favorite. I’m personally not a huge fan (although I know if my wife requests hot pot for dinner I have to say yes because it means she wants comfort food and denying her is asking for trouble).
My Taiwanese favorite would be the ubiquitous re chao. These types of restaurant are everywhere, and always involve lots of cheap fried food and beer. I’d say the rule is the dirtier the restaurant, the tastier the food. These types of meals are perfect for socializing with a bigger group of friends around the traditional circle table.
One of the things I love about Taiwanese food culture is that meals are often shared. The food is in the middle of the table and everyone picks and chooses their next bite according to their preference. I think there is something wonderfully collective about this as opposed to the “this is my plate of food” alternative that is most common in the West.
65. Snack House in Taichung
My favorite re chao restaurant, and probably my favorite restaurant in Taiwan, is a place called Da 1 Chiao in Taichung city. It used to be called “The Snack House” leading to the nickname “The Crack House” because the food there was so addictive. Everything on the menu is good but the sweet and sour chicken is ridiculous. They also stay open super late.
66. Fruit
When I started making this list, I asked friends for some suggestions I might not have thought of. My good friend Christine Orchard suggested the local fruit as something to highlight and she is absolutely right! Taiwan grows a lot of tropical fruit and it is generally fresh and cheap.
I can’t list out everything, but mangos, pineapple, pomelos, guavas, strawberries, melon, papaya, dragon fruit, passion fruit…ok I should stop, I said I wasn’t going to list everything. But genuinely, it is all delectable! I’ve also tried a handful of fruits that I had never seen or heard of before, custard apple being one that stands out in my mind as an exotic new culinary experience.
67. Great for vegetarians
I think this point can definitely make it onto the list, Taiwan is a good place to be a vegetarian or vegan. Thanks mostly to the Buddhist belief in a vegetarian diet (although also not eating garlic and onion is a bit baffling to me), Taipei has a huge number of solid non-animal options for food. Google tells me Taiwan has more than 6000 vegetarian restaurants and some cool vegan spots have been doing well in Taipei like Ooh Cha Cha and Red Room Rendezvous.
68. Great place for tea lovers
One of the things Taiwan is famous for is the local tea production. There are so many good options for tea drinkers, with specialist types of green tea particularly popular. My friend Andy runs a tea company called Eco-Cha, selling premium oolong tea globally if anyone is interested in supporting small businesses!
There are also tea shops everywhere offering hot and cold beverages, getting drinks from these places is a big part of the culture here. This is especially true for the younger generations, with Taiwan’s famous bubble tea (includes tapioca balls) becoming a global meme sensation.
69. Breakfast shops
Another staple in Taiwan is the breakfast shops. They are literally everywhere; I have eight within a three-minute walking distance from my apartment. They usually serve things like sandwiches, black tea and the famous dan bing.
Dan bing is a rolled up savory pancake often eaten for breakfast. Add a little bacon and cheese with the special dan bing sauce and you have the best start to the day ever. I’m also a big fan of the iced milk tea, especially when a little hungover.
Fun
70. Good local music scene
This might not be something that everyone cares about, but for me personally, a huge plus of living in Taiwan is the thriving local music scene. I play in a band called Aurora Jiguang (find us on Spotify) and have been lucky enough to play hundreds of shows in a variety of cool places and with a variety of excellent musicians.
There are a ton of cool Taiwanese indie bands as well as some excellent foreign bands to go listen to. I’d say in terms of favorite venues for live music I’d mention James Joyce, Revolver, Pipe, Bobwundaye’s, Rocks, Sound Live House and the now closed 89k.
My favorite local bands would be Vulner, Constant and Change, Fire Extinguisher, We Save Strawberries and Greedy Black Hole. Favorite foreign bands would be .22, Collider, Soul Almighty, Moss and Shapemaster.
71. Good bars
Taiwanese are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a bar to enjoy some revelry in. There is literally something for every different taste, be that fancy wine bar, gritty local Taiwanese bar, English style pub or sports bar to watch the soccer kick ball.
Again, I don’t want to start naming every good bar but if I was pushed to give a recommendation I’d probably say Triangle, Redpoint, Carnegies, Parklife, On Tap and Brass Monkey. Most bars are open and friendly environments and you rarely see any confrontations or people who are too drunk (drunk enough to be worrying.)
72. Fun nightclubs
When I arrived in Taiwan as a 23-year-old, nightclubs were one of the things that I found most in contrast to my experience in Scotland. I actually felt safe and relaxed in the nightclubs here. The bouncers are less aggressive and there isn’t the same tense atmosphere that I had experienced in other countries.
I don’t want to exaggerate too much, but in the UK you have to be quite aware and careful in nightclubs. There is always some guy looking for a fight and bumping into someone accidentally can sometimes escalate into violent confrontation. I don’t really go to nightclubs anymore (I’m too old) but the old Luxy and Roxy were fun.
73. Hundreds of events
One of the many advantages to having a large group of friends is that someone is always doing something fun. In Taiwan there are events every weekend and usually I’m lucky enough to know quite a few people at any event I go to.
My favorite events recently have been hip-hop competitions hosted by Daniel Black from Level Up Experiences and “I love the (decade)” events hosted by the talented Brandon Thompson. I also really enjoy the parties hosted on Tiger Mountain like Tiger Mountain Ramble and Urban Nomad Film Festival.
74. Golf courses
Again, this inclusion might be something most people don’t care about, but as an avid golfer, I really enjoy the 70 golf courses that Taiwan has to offer. Land is in short supply in Taiwan thanks to the high population density and large mountainous regions, so having the option of playing on several beautiful course is a real plus for me.
I’m Scottish (we invented golf) and went to St. Andrews University (home of golf), so personally this is a part of Taiwan I really enjoy. I’m a member of the IGST (International Golf Society of Taipei), which is a lovely group of people who arrange rounds most weekends.
75. VR golf
Playing real golf on one of the many courses can be time consuming and expensive. With a newborn baby in the family, it isn’t something I can do too often. So, I feel extremely grateful to have a VR golf complex about 10 minutes away from my house. My friends and I play indoor golf on a Korean simulator called Golfzon every Friday night and it is definitely the highlight of my week.
It costs about a sixth of the price of a real round and you can choose any golf course in the world to play on. My handicap on the machines is also +5 compared to the +19 outside on the grass, so that might also have something to do with it.
76. Sports facilities
If you have no interest in golf, there are opportunities to play just about any sport you can think of. The great thing about Taiwan is also that cheap and open-access public sports facilities are everywhere.
Tennis, badminton, soccer, rugby, petanque, ping-pong and basketball are super easy to find as well as many public swimming pools and gyms for exercise. Specifically, the many outdoor tennis and basketball courts are a great resource for sports enthusiasts and playing is totally free and open to anyone.
77. Music festivals
One of the first things I did after arriving in Taiwan in 2009 was go out and try to find fellow musicians. Thankfully I was able to do this pretty quickly, I think I played in my first music festival (up a mountain in Puli) within the first few months of living here.
Since then, attending music festivals all around Taiwan has been something I’ve really enjoyed doing. Spring Scream (not to be confused with Spring Wave) in Kenting has always been my favorite as the founders of the festival are two of my best friends (hello Jimi and Wade).
Other excellent music festivals include Beastie Rock, Rock in Taichung, Unlimited Freedom Festival, Chopfest and Love Stock, all of which I’ve played at with my band multiple times. Much like the nightclubs, the music festivals here are a lot more wholesome and friendly. I’ve found music festivals to be one of the easiest places to make new friends and chat with strangers.
78. Y2K in Taichung
Y2K in Taichung only recently became open to the public for some guest food nights, but for years this has been my home away from home. It is a little basement music studio next to Sogo in Taichung that hosts drinks and chats most weekends.
I’ve spent way too much time there, hanging out with friends, jamming and drinking silver asahi (brining other types of beer is seriously frowned upon). My band spent ten long months recording our first album there and the place has so many special memories and associations for me.
79. Pub quizzes
Growing up in Edinburgh, this was a favorite activity of my parents and their friends. For anyone unfamiliar with pub quizzes, they are basically team competitions involving lots of random questions. At the end is usually a cash prize. Questions vary from pop culture, geography, science, music, anything really.
I absolutely love pub quizzes; I can’t get enough of them. My team in Taipei, “On the Spectrum” regularly participates in the Carnegies quiz hosted by the wonderful Steven Harrison but I also love a bit of Gus Yeates’ quiz at Redpoint or The Local. With around ten or more teams each time, they do get a bit competitive but are always super fun.
80. Venues for touring bands to play
It is true that foreign touring bands and musicians don’t often stop in Taiwan on the Asian legs of their touring schedule. This is a little disappointing, but this list is all about positives, so I will say that some of the concerts and concert venues here are excellent.
I’ve seen Bon Iver, Passenger, Stars, Mumford and Sons and Bombay Bicycle Club in Taiwan and they have all been excellent. Legacy in Huashan is a super cool venue and every time I go to see a band I like, I usually pop around the corner of the venue to meet them.
I’ve hung out with everyone on the list above apart from Mumford and Sons. To be honest, the famous band members I’ve met here are usually more interested in learning about Taiwan than talking about how cool they are and how awesome their show was.
81. Super awesome yet casual Sunday football
This was the name given to the Facebook group that hosts football (soccer) games every Sunday in Taipei. The group has a massive array of players from around the world and we usually just pick teams once people turn up. It isn’t competitive and the differences in talent level between players is sometimes huge. This is what makes it fun though, rather than the often too competitive Sunday league teams here.
82. KTVs
Taiwanese sure do love their KTVs (Karaoke), although unlike in the West, Karaoke is done in private rooms with the reverb and echo turned up on the microphone until it sounds like a ghost is serenading you from beyond this physical reality.
I personally love KTVs although the English song selection can be a bit limited. In my eleven years living in the country, I’ve also taken the time to master three different songs that I can sing in Mandarin, which is a must-do for any foreigner living here for a longer than a year. Taiwanese people usually love it when the foreigner gets up to sing a song in Chinese.
Work
83. Business is easier because people are friendly, lack of sneakiness
My job in recruitment is a very people-focused occupation that involves constant interaction with candidates and clients in Taiwan. I specialize in placing senior level Taiwanese into marketing and sales roles. I must say that this job is made a whole lot easier by the general friendliness of people here.
I have client partners in places like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, and from personal experience, the HR in those cities are far more aggressive and impatient with headhunters. There is also a lack of sneakiness in people.
You rarely get the suspicious feeling that someone is trying to con you or take advantage of you. Again, this makes doing business a lot easier. Let me share a short story that I feel explains this point a bit. When I first arrived in Taiwan, I saw a watch that I wanted to buy at the night market.
I asked the seller, “how much?” to which he replied, “350 NT”. After I agreed to buy it, he responded with, “No! for you 250 NT.” For anyone used to haggling in the markets of Europe or North Africa, this story should leave your jaw suitably on the floor. The point I’m making is that in Taiwan, you rarely feel like someone is trying to trick you into paying more money, this is true in both business and everyday life.
84. Lots of big foreign companies have offices here
Almost every big multinational company has a presence in Taiwan, although of course, some bigger than others. It is important for the economy and Taiwan in general that these large businesses invest and build their brands in the Taiwan market. We want to be a part of the global economy and I hope that businesses like Microsoft, Google, Dell, Apple and Facebook continue to expand their offices and staff here.
85. Hub for highly talented software and hardware engineers
Taiwan has always been a major center for hardware development and continues to show dominance in this field with companies such as TSMC, Foxconn, Asus, MediaTek, Acer, Wistron, HTC, Pegatron, Quanta and the major networking equipment players all going strong.
These days however, Taiwan also has a growing reputation for software development as evidenced by Microsoft investing in an AI R&D center and Google recently opening a brand-new office in Banqiao. I have two colleagues in Paul Wright Group who specialize in hiring senior software engineers here and they both do very well!
86. The start-up scene
The start-up scene in Taiwan is relatively small but still has some potential. Especially within the technology sector, there are some interesting companies trying to make their mark and achieve success. I’ve also noticed a large increase in start-up networking events and societies. Building a company from the ground up is a tough thing to do and I wish everyone the best of luck!
87. Government funded incubators
The Taiwanese government has an invested interest in helping Taiwanese entrepreneurs develop and has funded some interesting alternatives to the obvious venture capital avenues. Most notably TSI have the remit to fund academic professors’ journey of taking their University research and making it into a commercial product.
They mostly operate within the technology and medical device industries, but I think these kinds of projects are highly interesting. Start-up Stadium and Taipei Tech Arena are other semi-government funded projects that aim to help Taiwanese companies expand their market internationally. The advantage of these types of incubators is that you have the advantage of government money without the disadvantage of government bureaucracy.
88. High potential tech companies
Taiwan also has some very high-potential new companies making their way in modern industries such as AI, programmatic media, Native ads and big data. The three that stick out for me are Appier, Vpon and iKala, all of which have decent amounts of funding and some excellent employees. The founders of these companies are all very impressive people and I’d recommend keeping an eye on all three if you have an interest in the next Taiwanese unicorn!
For Foreigners
89. The foreign community is open and accessible
I wanted to leave the “for foreigners” section till last as I didn’t want to make this list about how amazing Taiwan is for expats. Although let’s be completely clear, Taiwan is an incredible place to live as an expat/immigrant.
I think the foreign community here is, like the Taiwanese locals, incredibly open and friendly. It is easy to meet new people and talk to strangers. The rule seems to be, “a friend of a friend is my friend”, so getting introduced to strangers and bonding with them can be a very easy to do. Outside of Taipei, foreigners will usually say hello to each other if they pass on the street.
90. Taiwan is welcoming and generous to foreigners
As mentioned in the last point, the foreign community is open and warm in Taiwan. However, this wouldn’t matter if the local Taiwanese population had a general dislike of foreigners. I have always felt like a welcome guest in Taiwan and have positive interactions with Taiwanese people all the time.
I have never been the victim of racism here or felt like I was being treated badly because I was not Taiwanese. This is even true of people’s response to the relationship I have with my wife. In some countries, cross-cultural relationships are frowned upon by the more conservative or traditional elements of society.
Although I’ve heard some stories about this happening in Taiwan, my wife and I have never experienced anything but positivity when out together. My wife’s immediate and extended family have also been incredibly welcoming to me, even from the first meeting.
I feel like I need to address the fact that the South East Asian immigrants in Taiwan might not be as warmly welcomed as I have been. But nonetheless, I have nothing but positive personal experience to draw on from my time here.
91. Scholarships to study, reasonably priced higher education
The Taiwanese government also offers numerous scholarships to foreigners who want to study Mandarin full-time or complete their full Masters or Bachelors degrees here. My American ex-girlfriend was paid about 1000 USD per month by the government to study her Masters at Cheng-Chi University (one of the best in Taiwan).
In a world where further education and University prices are skyrocketing, especially in America where a one-year Masters can cost up to 50,000 USD, actually making money while studying seems like a dream come true.
I would highly recommend looking into government scholarships to either study Chinese or a Masters degree in Taiwan. This is true especially if you are from one of the countries in the world that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan. There are hundreds of students here from Central America for example as a direct result of generous scholarships to come study.
92. Taiwan makes an effort to make the bureaucracy easy to navigate
I’ve spoken about how easy the tax filing system is here, but I’d also add that in general the Taiwanese bureaucracy is made clearer and easier to navigate every year by the government. Getting the mandatory health check in a designated hospital is easy, as is the visa process.
Other examples would be getting scooter and car licenses, both of which I was able to pass first time (the key is practicing on the test course).
### 93. Taiwan collects some weird and interesting foreigners
This might seem like a strange point to highlight, but I genuinely believe it to be one of the many cool things about Taiwan. Because the island isn’t super well known in the same way Thailand or Japan are, it seems to attract a more unique and quirky group of expats. I personally like people who are a little strange or eccentric, flavor is the spice of life.
94. Lack of snobbish business mindset in the foreign community
This is an advantage of Taiwan in contrast to personal experiences I’ve had in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong. In those cities it would be normal for your introductory question to be, “who do you work for, what is your job?” This might seem innocuous but actually I think the underlying question is, “are you good enough for me to talk to you?”
I found the connotations of this first question to be snobbish and rude. As an example, I once attended a networking event in Shanghai where I overheard a gentleman start with this opening, to which the response was “English teacher”, at which point the guy turned his back and walked away to find a “better” person to talk to.
Witnessing this really unsettled me and I think it is the standard mode of being for foreigners in HK, Singapore and Shanghai. In Taiwan, this kind of behavior is quite unusual and often foreigners don’t even ask each other what their job is.
I’d argue foreigners in Taiwan are defined more by their hobbies than their job. It is common to hear someone say, “DJ Scottie” or “Dave the photographer” or “Sean the musician” rather than “George the banker”.
95. Gig economy
The gig economy, or what has recently been called the “slash / ” generation is to do with having other paid projects alongside your full-time job. In Taiwan as a foreigner, there are definitely several options for this type of thing.
A common one is modelling or acting in TV commercials, I’ve done quite a few with the Youtube video above definitely my most Oscar worthy (I come in about 3:22). You can also do art, photography or live music for a bit of extra money.
I also know people who have written articles on the side as part-time content marketers or done voice-over work for example (my friend Ryan is the English voice you hear on the MRT in Taipei).
96. Foreigners come and stick around
One of the major complaints about expat life is that it can feel quite transient. It is sad when your friends regularly leave to go home or onto a new international adventure. This is another major plus for Taiwan, in that foreigners often never leave (or leave and come back like me).
It isn’t unusual to meet expats who have been here for 10+ or even 20+ years. Actually, a lot of my friends in Taiwan have been here longer than me, and I’m getting close to twelve years here. The cliché in the foreign community is that Taiwan sucks you in, for reasons listed extensively above.
A lot of people marry Taiwanese and start families. You will still have the experience of good friends leaving every now and then, but at least you don’t have to totally rebuild your friendship group every summer like in some places.
97. Good place to study Chinese Mandarin language
Taiwan is a good place to study Mandarin, apparently because the pronunciation and accent are well regarded. Taiwan also uses traditional characters for writing, which can be argued is more elegant and traditional (pre-communist).
Mandarin is also the most spoken language on the planet and will undoubtedly continue to be so for many years. Having English and Mandarin at your disposal are great passports for future success and where better to learn than here.
Be a little careful though, a lot of foreign men learn their Chinese from girlfriends and end up speaking very “girly” Chinese, which the taxi drivers in Shanghai found hilarious.
98. Taiwan is a hidden gem
My cousin in the UK once sent me a newspaper story about a tourist drowning while drunk in Thailand with the warning, “be careful out there!” Everyone in Taiwan probably has a similar story. Either people from back home don’t know anything about Taiwan or think that you are saying Thailand.
I would argue that this does have its advantages however, Taiwan can remain a hidden gem, a secret that we don’t tell anyone about lest we ruin the country for everyone. Now that I think about it, writing a 101-point list about its advantages might be a little counter-intuitive.
99. All Hands Taiwan
If you haven’t heard of this organization, I would suggest checking them out. It is a group originally set up to provide networking, expert advice, community and fun to the foreigners in Taiwan who were interested in professions other than teaching.
It has since matured into a business networking group for locals as well as foreigners, and they run monthly events with interesting speakers (like myself) who come and share expertise or opinions on a certain topic.
Actually tomorrow (as of writing) I will be attending the “Empowering women in business” All Hands event, the speakers all have incredibly impressive CVs and I’m really looking forward to it. The community is a nice bunch of folks as well, I always have a blast meeting new people there.
100. Tricky Talks
I haven’t been to a Tricky Talk recently, but similar to All Hands above, they are fun networking events with a variety of key speakers. The crowd is usually quite hipster and I’ve enjoyed listening to some interesting talks. I really like these types of networking events and alcohol is usually encouraged in the pursuit of social lubrication.
101. My family is here, including little baby Finn
Most of all I love Taiwan because my family is here. My wife Lori, my dog Woolfie and my 6-month-old baby Finn. Home is where the heart is, and family is where the home is, and heart is where the family is. I don’t know, you get my point.
The original article :101 Reasons why Taiwan is the best place in the world to live
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