The Pros and Cons of Taiwan: What other sites don't tell you

[celery2010]

A few points:

In your "PROS" column

1. Nature & Beauty-
The island of Taiwan is beautiful. I'd say that it rivals California. The east coast of Taiwan is positively pristine. No pollution or trash anywhere (on the east coast.) A stunning coastline and surprisingly high mountains (higher than many in Colorado!) Even in Taipei, if you just take the train for 20-30 minutes, you can be right on the water in a nice seaside resort area.


2. Incredible amount of variety in the small island of Taiwan--
Both nature-wise and culture-wise the tiny island of Taiwan is more diverse than you'd think. Taipei and Kaohsiung are almost opposites: Taiwan is more temperate, modern and has a similar feel to a mainstream chinese city. Not only that but Mandarin is more common in Taipei and more people of northern/mainland chinese descent. In Kaohsiung, it feels like SE Asia. People hang out in the streets, weather is warm year round, people are more open and jovial. People also use Taiwanese language more and are more mixed looking or "Taiwanese" looking as compared to Taipei.

Weather and vegetation also change markedly on a north-south axis, where Kenting is warm year round and has tropical vegetation and Taipei has colder winters. The east and west coasts are markedly different, in look, feel and even weather which differ altogether from the mountainous and cold interior.


3. Weather
Although i have never been in summer, (I was there in early April, i was surprised how nice the weather is. Mild winters and still temperate in mid April (not hot) in Taipei. Beats the weather in SE Asia (always insufferably hot), and Korea/Japan/N China with their cold winters. Weather only beaten by SW China, or those who really dislike summer, but Taiwan offers many cool mountain escapes for the heat averse as well!

4. Taiwan does have some hallmarks of intellectalism/ intellectual freedom. Many books banned in mainland China have been published in Taiwan. Taiwan has also taken many "intellectual refugees", including those from the 1989 Tiannamen Sq protests. Many Chinese intellectuals also settled in Taiwan in 1949 after the Communists tookover.

5. Taiwan is one of the best places to see Chinese culture since it has been preserved (religion, traditions, morals, etc), that have been since destroyed in Mainland China due to the Cultural Revolution. Taiwan also has some of the best Chinese temples, artwork and museums around. (there's supposed more artwork in Taipei than Beijing, as the Nationalists brought them to Taiwan in 1949.

6. Perhaps just my personal opinion, but i find Taiwan to be a very NICE, RELAXING country. In general, (outside of Taipei) i found the people to be quite polite, friendly and relaxed. I think Winston needs to visit Mainland China, HK, Korea, Japan and Bangkok as a comparison to Taiwan. Taiwan really is positively relaxed compared to HK, Mainland China, Korea or Japan. Ask other people who have visited these other places. It seems to me that alhough the people in Taiwan work hard, they are not as stressed and competitive as the people in say, Korea.


Only in the Philippines are the people more relaxed, friendly and welcoming. Combine this with the low cost of living, high level of efficiency, relative lack of traffic (outside of Taipei & Kaohsiung), physical beauty and great food.



And why do you keep going on about how it sucks to drive in Taiwan? First of all, on the east coast of Taiwan, it IS a pleasure to drive. Secondly, in most of Asia, it sucks to drive, Asia is over crowded and caters to public transportation, otherwise there would be HORRID traffic.

And since Taiwan has excellent public transport, why don't you walk more? It will also have the side benefit of helping you to lose weight, which is a great first step towards fitness in your life.



Cons

1. Taiwan doesn't seem to have an active youth/alternative culture
Compared to Korea/Japan/Mainland China/Thailand/Philippines- Taiwan doesn't really seem to have much of a youth/alternative culture. Japan's youth and alternative culture is well known. Thailand has always been known as an open minded place- lots of alternative culture and different types there. Beijing and SW China is where intellectuals, punk rockers and artists thrive. Korea has some alternative/punk bands and a youth culture scene outside its mainstream "hallyu" culture. The Philippines has many great musician, singers and festivals.

Taiwan's great contributions to the world are bubble tea, vegetarian restaurants and its preservation of traditional Chinese rites/religions. Taiwan only seems to lead in religion based activities. On balance however, Taiwan is known for harboring mainland Chinese intellectuals and for publishing many books banned in China.

2. Although the women in Taiwan are attractive, i find them to be a little less attractive than women from some other Asian countries.

[zboy1]

Hi, i am an indian guy 25 years old, i knew a taiwanese girl for a year through chat... then one day i called her for a dinner. she met me at the restaurant with one of her friend. we had a good chat and dinner. but after she left she stopped chatting with me and replying to my mails. she started saying that she is busy with work and all. i just dont understand the girls over here... one of my other friend she is in her 40's she told me that taiwanese girls dont find indian guys so attractive but i see many of them married to the white skin indian boys... so does it prove that they like white skin guys?

Some Asian women are so white-washed and brainwashed, they see non-White men and minorities as inferior. I would avoid those White-washed Asian women and go find one that isn't racist.

[Jester]

Hi, i am an indian guy 25 years old, i knew a taiwanese girl for a year through chat... then one day i called her for a dinner. she met me at the restaurant with one of her friend. we had a good chat and dinner. but after she left she stopped chatting with me and replying to my mails. she started saying that she is busy with work and all. i just dont understand the girls over here... one of my other friend she is in her 40's she told me that taiwanese girls dont find indian guys so attractive but i see many of them married to the white skin indian boys... so does it prove that they like white skin guys?

Some Asian women are so white-washed and brainwashed, they see non-White men and minorities as inferior. I would avoid those White-washed Asian women and go find one that isn't racist.

Is it racist to have a dating preference?

[zboy1]

Hi, i am an indian guy 25 years old, i knew a taiwanese girl for a year through chat... then one day i called her for a dinner. she met me at the restaurant with one of her friend. we had a good chat and dinner. but after she left she stopped chatting with me and replying to my mails. she started saying that she is busy with work and all. i just dont understand the girls over here... one of my other friend she is in her 40's she told me that taiwanese girls dont find indian guys so attractive but i see many of them married to the white skin indian boys... so does it prove that they like white skin guys?

Some Asian women are so white-washed and brainwashed, they see non-White men and minorities as inferior. I would avoid those White-washed Asian women and go find one that isn't racist.

Is it racist to have a dating preference?

No! But when a vast majority of Asian women diss their own men, suck up to Whites, and look down on Black/brown men--then something is seriously wrong with that.

[Winston]

More Cons of Taiwan:

- If you are an Asian American, Taiwan is an awkward experience in that you are constantly expected by locals to be something you are not - one of them. They will constantly mistake you for being a repressed narrow Taiwanese, like them, so you constantly have to disappoint them. If you act like an American, like you do in America, it will weird them out. In Taiwan, you don't really have a place. You don't belong in the local category since you're not one, and you don't belong to the foreigner category either since you are seen and treated like a local. So you simply have no defined place. It's really weird and awkward.

- To make matters worse, in social groups and nightclubs in Taiwan, the guys usually outnumber the girls. This creates scarcity and makes meeting them doubly difficult, in addition to the cold ice wall around them. The guys the girls are with are usually either their boyfriends, guys who are pursuing them, or guy friends who will shield them from other guys outside the group. So like I said, when it comes to love, romance and dating, everything is against you in Taiwan.

The one above about guys outnumbering girls in nightclubs in Taiwan, is also attested to by Rock, who told me that it's usually like that in Taipei too. This majorly sucks, as it means that our major advantage overseas doesn't apply in Taiwan. Like I said, everything is against you in Taiwan.

So in summary, dating and meeting girls sucks in Taiwan for a combination of reasons, which combined give you an idea of why I find Taiwan to be the most BORING place on the planet, as well as the WORST place for dating girls in the world:

1) Taiwanese girls are extremely COLD and CLOSED. They are extremely stuck up and project an extreme cold wall around them that is very unnatural and inhuman. This is an inherent Taiwanese trait that makes them unapproachable, uptight and unwelcoming. They are not open or relaxed with strangers, like females in most countries are. Compared to Taiwanese women, even reptiles are warm-blooded.

2) The mentality of Taiwanese girls is very narrow, simple and primitive. Thus it's hard to connect or vibe with them. They are on a different wavelength, one that is far more insular than ours. They are the least capable of having intelligent deep conversations. The weird thing is, they expect me to be the same, but I'm not, so they don't know how to process that. This makes everything doubly difficult when combined with #1.

3) Taiwanese girls are very picky, shallow, superficial and judgmental. They have narrow standards and are very particular. It's hard to get them to respond on dating sites. They don't like guys who think for themselves or who are nonconformist in any way. In their mind, nonconformists are losers and intellectualism is weird and uncool. In my experience, as soon as I say something intelligent or deep, or show off that I am nonconformist in any way, many Taiwanese girls drop me and treat me as though I no longer exist to them. So much for being appreciated for being yourself. Add this to the above 2 problems, and the problems and obstacles to dating triple!

4) Taiwanese girls are extremely prudish and view flirtation as taboo and bad. Coming from a very prudish sterile culture, Taiwan girls are themselves very prudish. They won't let guys kiss their hand (like European girls would) and view flirting as a taboo, bad and negative. Taiwan is so prudish in fact, that movies made in Taiwan usually never show any kissing, whereas they do if they are made in mainland China. Thus it can be said that Taiwan is the most prudish country in Asia, and its women are indicative of that especially since women tend to conform to the culture. A culture where you can't even flirt simply SUCKS.

5) Taiwanese girls are very flaky and act like divas. Taiwanese females under 35 are anything but down to earth, and can flake out at any time for any reason, or even no reason. It's hard enough getting them to respond on dating sites. But even when they do, they can flake out suddenly. When they do, they disappear, forget you and ignore your emails/calls for trivial reasons or sometimes no reason.

6) Taiwanese girls tend to have this fake innocence and cheesy corny gay ass "hello kitty" expression. It's hard to explain what I mean. You have to be around them to see what I'm talking about. It's very unnatural, strange and inhuman. I have no idea how to jive with it. And I definitely wouldn't want to try to emulate it. Ewww! Ick! Weird!

7) In social groups and nightclubs in Taiwan, guys tend to outnumber girls, which creates scarcity. The guys who are in the group that the girls are in, are usually either dating the girls, or if not, then they are shielding the girls from being approached by other guys. Total cockblock. Again, this totally sucks, and when combined with the above, make the dating scene terrible beyond words and not even worth the effort.

So you see, all the above compounds to make Taiwan the WORST dating scene I've ever seen, as well as the most BORING uneventful place. It's like everything is against you. All Taiwan offers you is food and work. But for dating, love, romance and sex, it sucks and is very depriving. Terrible beyond words. In fact, no negative words in English that I can think of, can describe how terrible it is and how badly it sucks. Thus all I can say is that it is "terrible beyond words".

What's worse, you aren't allowed to say anything negative in Taiwan. The social culture is very politically correct. You are only allowed to say nice positive things about Taiwan. So you can't even tell the truth or express how you really feel without violating this social rule! Geez. At least let a guy have his free speech and honesty for crying out loud.

[keepingitreal]

And honestly, I wouldn't go to Taiwan for females if I were you, Winston. It's not worth being stuck at that place.

But since apparently you did managed to get yourself stuck over there (dumb ass lol.), let me give you a little advice so that way it makes your life slightly easier:

a. DO NOT go for long term relationships. This works almost for all relationships, but particularly true for dealing with Asians. The amount of bullshit you might get yourself involved is tremendous.

b. There are ways to know what type of Asian females you're dealing with. When you see her living with her family and she happens to be 25 years old and not considering getting her own place, DO NOT APPROACH, unless you really have that patience and initiatives to change her. I said this is because if she still stuck with her parents like that over the ages of 25, the chances are, she's having that "Asian mentality" kool aid all the way down her ass. You DO NOT want that, trust me. Not to mention you'll have to deal with her family.

c. Honestly, just get out of that place if females is really what you're about. Your life will be straight up miserable. But like I told you, you should make a blog or website or even write a book about the issue to let the world aware of it and offer a solution.

[Winston]

Check this out. My dad read my pros and cons of Taiwan list and agrees with most of it, even though he likes Taiwan. See what I mean? Regardless of who I am or how I fit in, my observations of Taiwan are pretty accurate, although taboo. Here are his comments:

Dear Win,

Most of what you said are true. I believe there are people feel the same way. I can feel your frustration. I am sorry that I can't help you to relieve your pain and frustration.

For me and many others are not concerned about how friendly or unfriendly of people here. All I am concerned about is whether the place I live in is safe and convenient and when I pay for something I want good service. I don't want to have eyes contact or how they look at me. So, basically, we have different expectation with people we encounter.

In the real world, many just try to get through the day. Many have to work 8 or even 12 hours a day in order to keep the job that provides them places to live and enough food to feed the family. Most of them don't like their jobs and have no other choices. So, most don't care about whether people are friendly or making eyes contacts.

I don't recall where I read this:

"Be especially kind to each person we meet. Each of them carries a burden we can't see"

Love,
Dad

[Rock]

Check this out. My dad read my pros and cons of Taiwan list and agrees with most of it, even though he likes Taiwan. See what I mean? Regardless of who I am or how I fit in, my observations of Taiwan are pretty accurate, although taboo. Here are his comments:

Dear Win,

Most of what you said are true. I believe there are people feel the same way. I can feel your frustration. I am sorry that I can't help you to relieve your pain and frustration.

For me and many others are not concerned about how friendly or unfriendly of people here. All I am concerned about is whether the place I live in is safe and convenient and when I pay for something I want good service. I don't want to have eyes contact or how they look at me. So, basically, we have different expectation with people we encounter.

In the real world, many just try to get through the day. Many have to work 8 or even 12 hours a day in order to keep the job that provides them places to live and enough food to feed the family. Most of them don't like their jobs and have no other choices. So, most don't care about whether people are friendly or making eyes contacts.

I don't recall where I read this:

"Be especially kind to each person we meet. Each of them carries a burden we can't see"

Love,
Dad

Just from his writings, I think your dad is a wise, humble, and responsible man. And he gives me the same impression in person. Perhaps you should strive to be more like him, especially in your thinking, and a lot of your problems might just fade away.