Last updated on April 18th, 2019
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. It has a total area of 35,980 square km. Its capital city is Taipei and largest city is New Taipei. Mandarin, Formosan languages, Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka are its national languages. Its official currency is New Taiwan dollar (NT$) (TWD). It has no land bordering countries. Taiwan is an amazing island nation that is nestled in the middle of the ocean off the coast of Mainland China. It is so unique because of its history and a number of unique cultural factors. Taiwan is influenced by Japan, Korea and Mainland China. It also has a democratic system influenced by the West and the UK.
14 Facts About Taiwanese Culture
1. Taiwan is an eclectic mix of enterprises and individuals, including governmental officials, farmers, small business owners, and artisans. The working class is one fifth of the population, and the middle class makes up another fifth.
2. Taiwan had a time period recently of economic reform that uplifted residents to the middle and upper classes.
3. Many students wear school uniforms. They are comfortable, athletic looking and have a fluorescent colour to them.
4. The condominiums resemble the average Taiwanese person in that they are vertical, tall, and skinny. Many people take the stairs to get up to their flats. Each apartment is typically quite small, and very expensive.
5. Most Taiwanese don’t like the rain. It rains often; however, walking in a bit of rain is a no no in the culture, even if it is only for a few seconds. This typically has to do with pollution and fears of acid rain on their skin.
6. Taiwanese girls like to have fair skin and therefore stay away from the sunshine at all costs.
7. Everybody works hard all the time. Kids study so much that they have the world’s best math scores. Most people love to work, and they are at their jobs up to 70 hours per week. This is also a high-IQ area of the world.
8. There are no garbage cans outdoors. Garbage cans are usually kept inside of a house or place of business. The garbage is tossed into a garbage truck when it arrives. These trucks play loud music to indicate their arrival in the streets.
9. There are bats in the parks that fly around all over the place.
10. Politeness, honor and respect for elders is of major concern in this culture.
11. People from this country are happy to see their guests.
12. 7-11 convenience stores are everywhere, and they are basically open all night with various amenities. These stores are owned by a Japanese company. In these stores, you can print a document, call a taxi, send a parcel, pay your bills and do much more.
13. Some of the kids have funny English names like King, Circle or Lion.
14. Crying or expressing emotions at school to each other is not an issue whether you are a teenager, boy or a girl.
10 Facts On Taiwanese History
15. Taiwan has a history that goes back many thousands of years to the earliest evidence of humans existing on the planet.
16. By around the 1700s, the Dutch colonized the island. The Han Chinese and Hakka immigrants from Guangdong and Fujian provinces made it across the Taiwan Straight to also inhabit this small island country.
17. The Spanish tried to inhabit the country also by the 18th century, but this endeavor was not successful.
18. By the late 17th century, a Ming Dynasty loyalist called Koxinga lost mainland China. Instead, he defeated the Dutch to establish a base on the island. The Qing dynasty then conquered him and his efforts, and Qing dynasty influence was integrated into Taiwanese culture.
19. In the First Sino war of 1895, the Empire of Japan conquered the island. The main exports to Japan were rice and sugar. During World War Two, Japanese imperial education systems were started in Taiwan. The Taiwanese became Japanese soldiers during the Second World War.
20. After the Second World War, the ROC, led by the KMT or Kuomintang, took Taiwan. Chiang Kai Shek introduced martial law in Taiwan and ruled Taiwan including the islands on the Taiwan Straight called Kinmen Wuchiu and Matsu.
21. After the Second World War, Taiwan had great economic growth and industrialization. It became known for its economic strength.
22. A democratic period and reforms occurred in the country after the Second World War.
23. The first presidential election was held in 1996. This was also the time of the Taiwan Missile Crisis.
24. In the year 2000, the election ended Kuomintang’s status as a ruling group. Democratic processes continued to grow.
5 Taiwan Facts for Kids
25. Kids are normally asked to learn math and a musical instrument at an early age.
26. There are about 23 million people who live in Taiwan. This is a small island country that is quite densely populated.
27. It takes roughly eight hours to drive around the whole island.
Taiwan on the map
28. Most people in Taiwan are Buddhist or Taoist. They love to draw upon the wisdom of nature.
29. Ninety-six percent of adults in Taiwan can read.
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