5 Common Misunderstandings about Taiwan
Hi, my name is Yun Hua. Call me Donna if you find Mandarin pronunciation tricky. Well, I’m a native Mandarin speaker, but that doesn’t mean I’m from China. In fact, I’m from an island around that area. I’m from Taiwan.
You might know something about this place. At first, it was where everything made of, including Buzz Lightyear. Then director Ang Lee made a plenty of spiritual films and won the Oscar. Upon the baseball field, Chien-Ming Wang and Wei-Yin Chen keep striking out the side. Now, according to “Billions” the TV series, the Taiwanese make better whiskey than the Scots these days. Often ranked as “Top 10 Most Underrated Travel Destination”, it sure has a lot to offer.
To know more about Taiwan, let’s start with a couple of common misunderstandings about this place.
- We DON’T speak Cantonese
Despite the fact that we are good friends with HongKong, we don’t speak Cantonese here. The official language in Taiwan is Mandarin. Besides Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka are the two commonly used dialects. They are both originated from southern China, just like Cantonese.
Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka and Cantonese may sound similar to those who don’t speak any of the Chinese languages, but they are mutually unintelligible. Perhaps you can guess some of the words, but not the full sentences.
2. We DON’T use Pinyin either
Spelling Mandarin with Latin alphabets is unnatural to the Taiwanese people. We have a unique “注音 (Zhuyin)” system which is designed especially for Mandarin.
If you want to perfect your Mandarin pronunciation, the Taiwanese Zhuyin system will make your dream come true. But if you are a traveler trying to show the taxi driver where to go with Pinyin, you probably won’t get there. Use Google Map instead. Google is not banned here.
3. Things are more expensive than you expected
Major cities in Asia such as Tokyo, Shanghai, HongKong, and Singapore are pretty expensive in general. Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, doesn’t fall behind the cost of living competition. Just check the price of your hotel booking confirmation again. It’s pretty close to the price in Tokyo and HongKong, isn’t it?
Enjoying at a fine dining restaurant in Taipei can cost you more than you thought, too. Even if I don’t have an exact number in mind, my experience around Asian cities tells me so. Taxi, another example, is more expensive than that in Shanghai. For the same distance, you have to pay approximately 1.5 times more in Taipei than you do in Shanghai.
By the way, we have our own currency, the “New Taiwan Dollar”. You can’t use RMB here.
4. NO Food in Taipei Metro
Can’t find a kiosk or a coffee stand on the platform? That’s because we don’t have it here! Food and drinks are not allowed in the Taipei Metro System, not even water. So put away your night market snacks and bubble tea as soon as you enter the metro station.
Even though the “no food policy” can be inconvenient sometimes, it is what makes Taipei Metro unbelievably clean. It is cleaner, more spacious, and more organized than some of the international airports I’ve been to. I mean it.
5. We are more than just the “small China”
It’s frustrating to have a loud neighbor who often makes us feel insignificant. Yes, we have a lot in common in terms of language, tradition, and stuff. However, Taiwan has always been more open to the world since it is the nature of an island. People come and go. They take something away and bring something new here at the same time. You will see the cultural diversity in both the history and the modern life of Taiwan.
There’s something unique about what Taiwan has evolved and created. We don’t know exactly how to describe it yet. We are working on that. And that is why I decided to tell stories about my home using a language I’m not so familiar with.
Follow me to learn more about this charming place.
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For those who can read Mandarin, feel free to visit my Mandarin Blog: Donna Wang, 多拿王拿很多
For those who want to explore Taipei, sign up for the walking tours provided by TourMeAway. We are the coolest people in the city.
