https://www.quora.com/What-do-people-di ... n-the-most
I live in Taiwan. I don't get much into political discussions; these are personal things that bother me about living here.
The weather is a big nuisance, it's always too warm for the season and too humid.
The social atmosphere is not one that encourages independent thinking or creativity, which are bread and butter to me, so it's a damper on my own flourishing. The education system is seriously flawed, truly deeply screwed up, and controlled by people who do not understand how people, especially young people, learn. There is too much emphasis on rote memorization and conformity, rather than practical understanding and ability to use what one learns.
People have a bit of an internal conflict about identity. When comparing themselves to western culture, they brag about China's 5000+ year history, but at the same time they don't think of themselves as being part of the PROC and its people, per se. So their own government is barely over a century old, and they're laughing at Americans with more than 200 years of self government; pretty ironic.
For someone who is an expatriate like me, living here is frustrating. It's a dirty, polluted, cramped, anti-cultural place. Piano is taught as if it were a typing class, with no sense of musicality in most cases. Art classes are mere imitation, as are the nearly-useless Chinese calligraphy classes. Art that is mere imitation of someone else's lines, and criticized for any difference, is not art at all, but just copying. That's what a Taiwanese person is: a facsimile of some previous example. They're gradually shucking off the senseless superstitions and cultural traditions in young generations, but older generations can't see past the end of their childhood training, and people are not encouraged to forge their own paths.
It's a nation of greedy, slobby automotons. I dislike the culture and I dislike living here. With the low salaries here, I can't save and earn enough to get off this "ROC", either.
The main good thing here is the national healthcare, which is great unless you seldom need health remedies. Some of the local food is delicious, but it's almost all deep fried or cooked for health and nutrition at the cost of flavor.
Teaching English here is, at every level, like teaching kindergarten English, which is terribly discouraging when teaching college kids. They sit in classes but learn nothing that sticks with them.
You can take a walk in town, nothing more, and come home with a face that's coated with dirt and dust and sweat. Living here is a filthy activity.
