According to the sole water company of Taiwan, tap water is in general safe to drink. However, most locals prefer to boil the tap water before drinking in order to eliminate residual chlorine and bacteria. Taiwan is also on the Pacific Ring of Fire, which means that earthquakes are a common occurrence.
Confucianism serves as the foundation of both Chinese and Taiwanese culture. The majority of Taiwanese people usually combine the secular moral teachings of Confucianism with whatever religions they are affiliated with. Each province is subdivided into cities and counties, which are further divided into townships and county-administered cities. Some divisions are indigenous divisions which have different degrees of autonomy to standard ones. In addition, districts, cities and townships are further divided into villages and neighborhoods.
While not as highly regarded as the food from Hong Kong due to the traditionally high status Cantonese cuisine holds in Chinese culture, Taiwanese food has become more respected. However, it is possible to get a discount of NT$ when renting a motorbike/bicycle, searching for accommodation or such, depending on the circumstances and time of day. While you might miss a general bargaining culture and be bewildered by the general bargain inflexibility of Taiwanese, it can on the other hand be calming to know that no one will try to rip you off as it is common in other less-developed Asian countries. Every city has at least one night market; larger cities like Taipei may have a dozen or more. Shops selling the same items tend to congregate in the same part of the city. If you want to buy something, ask someone to take you to one shop and there will probably be shops selling similar things nearby.

TRAVEL

Reduced price applies to children (age 7-12), senior citizens (age 65+) and disabled people. In addition, “standing tickets” may be purchased on trains with assigned seating that have no available seats. Standing tickets are 80% the original ticket price and may be useful for last-minute travelers. However, you will be required to stand for the duration of your trip if there are no free seats. All high-speed trains consist of two seating classes; economy class and business class. Although economy class is already clean and comfortable by international standards, paying extra for business class snags you a slightly wider seat, more leg room, as well as a complimentary non-alcoholic drink and snack.

People and Society

Taiwan is home to major technology companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which is the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer, and Foxconn, which assembles products for companies like Apple and Sony. Taiwan is religiously diverse, with a mix of traditional Chinese religions, Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity. Many Taiwanese practice a blend of Buddhism and Taoism, with elements of Confucianism also influencing cultural practices, particularly around family life and rituals. Temples dedicated to various deities are common throughout the island, and religious festivals, such as the Lantern Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, are widely celebrated.
Most of Taiwan’s rivers originate on the slopes of the Chung-yang Range, and those that flow east are steeper and have faster flowing currents than those that flow west. Riverbeds of the west-flowing streams, after leaving the mountains, tend to be wide and shallow and that, together with the fact that those rivers carry considerable silt, makes managing water resources difficult. The Cho-shui (Zhuoshui) River in central Taiwan is the island’s longest, at 116 miles (186 km), and the Kao-p’ing (Gaoping) River in the south has the largest drainage basin. Most of the farmland and consequently most of the population are to be found on the western part of the island.

Economic Challenges and Development

It is issued by the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which has offices in Taipei and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. If landing at other airports, a temporary entry permit will be issued, and holders must apply for a visa on arrival in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, or Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Citizens whose place of birth is listed as mainland China must have lived outside China for over four years.

Public debt

Scooters with an engine size of 50cc require a license to drive, and should be insured and registered in the owner’s name. Foreign nationals with stay less than 30 days do not have an easy way to get a scooter license. Many of the scooters within cities are only 50cc and incapable of going faster than 80 km/h (50 mph). The more powerful versions known as zhongxing (重型, heavy format) scooters are now quite common and can be rented for short-term use, or found for sale at English In Taiwan if you’re going to need it for a while.

• The Lowland groups were the first to come in contact with the Dutch while the Highland groups were only truly subjugated by the Japanese.
• In addition, Taiwan’s high-tech industry plays a significant role in global supply chains, particularly in the semiconductor industry.
• The EasyCard can be bought at the airport, in any of stations of Taipei MRT and most convenient stores.
• Initially very repressive, the government began to loosen control in its fourth decade under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek’s son, Chiang Ching-kuo.
• As with Chinese cuisine elsewhere, food in Taiwan is generally eaten with chopsticks and served on large plates placed at the center of the table and shared among multiple people.
• Also be aware that motorcycles often travel through areas typically considered pedestrian-only spaces, like the night-markets.
• Importantly, if continuing on to mainland China later, these travel SIMs or Taiwan Mobile’s roaming plans do not censor data there as a local SIM would.

In practice, many schools that advertise ‘American English’ and claim that their teachers are all from Canada or the United States, actually employ teachers from anywhere. Some universities in Taiwan have Chinese Promoting Programs (華語文推廣中心) that offer Chinese lessons to foreigners who wish to live in Taiwan or to learn Mandarin Chinese as their second or foreign language. The romanisation system taught here nowadays is Hanyu Pinyin (漢語拼音), whereas in the past they taught Zhuyin (注音), or BoPoMoFo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). The writing system taught is Traditional Chinese and the form of Mandarin is based on the Beijing dialect but the Taiwanese accent is quite noticeable. Taiwan Beer has won international awards, including the International Monde Selection in 1977 and the Brewing Industry International Awards in 2002. A wide variety of imported beers are available, but the standard is Taiwan Beer (台灣啤酒), produced by a former government monopoly.
Drivers generally cannot converse in English or any other foreign language (such as French, German, Japanese, etc.) or read Westernized addresses (except for special Taoyuan airport taxis). Get the hotel staff or a Taiwanese friend write out your destination in Chinese, and also take a business card from the hotel. Taiwan Tourist Shuttle is a set of distinctly branded bus routes (some intercity, some local) that serve tourist sites, and are generally easier to use than regular routes. The official website offers route maps, timetables and recommended itineraries, but is somewhat confusing to navigate. The Alishan Forest Railway is an 86 km narrow gauge railway running from Chiayi to Alishan, with branch lines running from Alishan to Chushan and Shihou. Originally build by the Japanese for logging in 1912, it is today operated as a heritage railway for tourists, taking about 5 hours to get from Chiayi to Alishan and 4 hours for the return journey.

• Do not get in if the driver doesn’t have a license with picture clearly displayed in the cab.
• When entering Taiwan, present your Taiwan Entry Permit to Taiwanese immigration officer.
• The more powerful versions known as zhongxing (重型, heavy format) scooters are now quite common and can be rented for short-term use, or found for sale at English In Taiwan if you’re going to need it for a while.
• They are not allowed on freeways even if they are capable of going faster than 100 km/h (62 mph) unless used for certain police purposes, but that just means you have to take the scenic route.
• Besides baseball, basketball also has a sizeable following in Taiwan and is quite popular among teenagers.
• Music in Taiwan reflects its multicultural influences, with traditional Chinese music, folk songs, and pop music being central to Taiwanese culture.

Also, very few schools will arrange an ARC without at least a year-long contract being signed. Frankly, with all this inflexibility, it’s no wonder so many teachers opt for the non-legal route. The majority of travelers who work in Taiwan pick up temporary jobs teaching English.
Although the two sides briefly united against Japan during World War II, they quickly began fighting again after the war was over. The Nationalist government, remnants of their army, and hundreds of thousands of supporters then fled to Taiwan, but also retained control of several offshore islands of Fujian. From Taipei, they continued to assert their right as the sole legitimate government of all China.
Try to keep some smaller denomination notes on hand to avoid the hassle of fighting with the driver for change. Only on Saturday morning/noon and Sunday afternoon faster trains are packed, and it might make sense to buy a more expensive reserve-seat ticket, if you do not want to stand for 3 hr, depending on your destination. Otherwise, you can freely use the EasyCard for fast connections without worrying (except for THSR). Early Bird tickets are sold from 28 days before the day, and the discount is up to 35% off.
Referring to the PRC as “mainland China” (中國大陸 zhōngguó dàlù) rather than simply China will tend not to offend anyone, as the term is generally used to exclude Hong Kong and Macau as queenwin casino well, making it less subjective. Referring to the Republic of China as a whole as “Taiwan Province” will draw a negative reaction from most Taiwanese. Keep in mind, however, that there are so many subtleties and complexities here that if you are talking about these things, you’ve already wandered into a minefield.
There are also the standard fast food places such as McDonalds (a standard Big Mac Meal costs NT$140), KFC and MOS Burger. In addition, there are large numbers of convenience stores (such as 7-Eleven and Family Mart) that sell things like tea eggs, sandwiches, bento boxes (便當) and drinks. Michelin publishes a guide to restaurants and covers major cities in Taiwan. That said, many locals take the Michelin guide with a pinch of salt because of a gap between the guide and the locals.