what makes taiwan different?

[akikaki1]

(For those who lived in neighbor countries)

Why live in the 'wan from those other countires you lived in? What makes Taiwan different?

[Rabidpie]

Well for one, Mainland China's Shanghai and Taiwan (Taipei) are extremely different.

I can go on and on and on, but I think some of the highlights for me that affected me directly were the following:

Shanghai has few bookstores, Taiwan has many.
Shanghai has no night markets, Taiwan has many.
Shanghai has a lot of 外國人， Taiwan has few.
Shanghai has a lot of highly-skilled 外國人, Taiwan does too but of course much fewer.
There is no Japanese manga in China.
Video games are hard to access in Shanghai.
The food you can get in Shanghai is international and you can get Chinese food from all over China, Taiwan is more limited.
Taiwanese girls are more attractive and less demanding.
Taipei has a lot of temples, Shanghai has one or two.

[headhonchoII]

It's funny, if it's living Chinese culture you want to see don't go to the big cities in China.

[Rabidpie]

It's funny, if it's living Chinese culture you want to see don't go to the big cities in China.

Exactly

[akikaki1]

Well for one, Mainland China's Shanghai and Taiwan (Taipei) are extremely different.

I can go on and on and on, but I think some of the highlights for me that affected me directly were the following:

Shanghai has few bookstores, Taiwan has many.
Shanghai has no night markets, Taiwan has many.
Shanghai has a lot of 外國人， Taiwan has few.
Shanghai has a lot of highly-skilled 外國人, Taiwan does too but of course much fewer.
There is no Japanese manga in China.
Video games are hard to access in Shanghai.
The food you can get in Shanghai is international and you can get Chinese food from all over China, Taiwan is more limited.
Taiwanese girls are more attractive and less demanding.
Taipei has a lot of temples, Shanghai has one or two.

I'm not just if I confused anyone I wasn't picking specific place just nehigboring countries.

[Stephenchiu]

(For those who lived in neighbor countries)

Why live in the 'wan from those other countires you lived in? What makes Taiwan different?

Dude, how many questions do you plan to ask and how many threads do you plan to start before you finally make a fucking decision about getting on a plane to Asia?

And stop saying 'The 'wan', every time I read that I wanna e-slap whoever wrote it.

[mike029]

I think you should go to South Korea because I don't want to run into you here. We don't need more 18 year old dumbass Americans running around Taipei picking up stupid TW girls and telling taxis "我要去hotel" making the rest of us look bad.

Better yet, there's a perfect place for you. Beijing Language and Culture University. That place is full of fresh out of high school "I'm gonna master Chinese in six months" kids that just go out clubbing every night. You can live in the dorm-hotel, have maid service, satellite TV, decent internet for Mainland China, and go over to Propaganda (10 minute walk) after you pick up some chocolate fish from the guy on the corner on the southwest gate of the campus and Chengfu Rd. and get your VIP card because you're a foreigner and get half price off everything. You can pick up a Korean girl every night of the week (Korean girls are better than Chinese ones), and on weekends you can head over to Sanlitun and make the run. First, go to Nanjie and get your 10 kuai shots, then go over to main street to grab some chuanr and beer while the original 12 shots you had take effect. Then you grab your qingdao and walk over to Gongti north, west, or east gate (mix it up each time) where you will get free entry to any club just by being rude to them. After you're done with your night, you try to leave but there are no cabs around for some reason. Only black cabs. But you can't speak Chinese. So you motion to them what you think is fair because you are counting in dollars and pay 3x as much when they won't go any lower than 120, even though a cab fare should be around 45.

Our reputations in Beijing are nonexistent because everyone is so transient there that it doesn't matter at all what you do. I had to go pick up my friend from a police station because he got arrested for public intoxication and punching a security guard. Another guy got cocked out of his mind then started doing heroin in my LIVING ROOM until I put a firm stop to that. Some Chinese couple gave me a ride home and after driving 160 on 3rd ring road and getting pulled over twice by the same cop tried to get me and my friend to accompany them to KTV. I got stranded once in the middle of Houhai when our paddle boat broke. Got kicked out of many clubs for "lewd behavior" (I just went back again a few weeks later, they didn't remember me). My student caught me smoking weed after class when I was sitting next to the lake nobody was allowed to go in because it's so nasty and said he would tell on me so I threatened to get him socially excommunicated in Virginia (where he goes to high school). I could continue with my anecdotes about life in Beijing, but the point is: if you want to just fuck off, that's fine, have a great time, but go do it over there please. It's more fun over there, anyway.

Living in Beijing gives you this crazy high and this massive sense of entitlement, and it feels great.


I agree, "the 'wan" is the stupidest thing ever. Make a friggin decision already. Not for you? Try somewhere else. You're not even old enough to do anything without parental consent, anyway.

[akikaki1]

I think you guys misunderstood the purpose of me writing this thread. Its nothing to do on my decision of coming to Taiwan, I'm already planning to start MTC in July. It was just to get more general understanding of how expats experinece is.

The 'wan is here to stay

[akikaki1]

I think you should go to South Korea because I don't want to run into you here. We don't need more 18 year old dumbass Americans running around Taipei picking up stupid TW girls and telling taxis "我要去hotel" making the rest of us look bad.

Better yet, there's a perfect place for you. Beijing Language and Culture University. That place is full of fresh out of high school "I'm gonna master Chinese in six months" kids that just go out clubbing every night. You can live in the dorm-hotel, have maid service, satellite TV, decent internet for Mainland China, and go over to Propaganda (10 minute walk) after you pick up some chocolate fish from the guy on the corner on the southwest gate of the campus and Chengfu Rd. and get your VIP card because you're a foreigner and get half price off everything. You can pick up a Korean girl every night of the week (Korean girls are better than Chinese ones), and on weekends you can head over to Sanlitun and make the run. First, go to Nanjie and get your 10 kuai shots, then go over to main street to grab some chuanr and beer while the original 12 shots you had take effect. Then you grab your qingdao and walk over to Gongti north, west, or east gate (mix it up each time) where you will get free entry to any club just by being rude to them. After you're done with your night, you try to leave but there are no cabs around for some reason. Only black cabs. But you can't speak Chinese. So you motion to them what you think is fair because you are counting in dollars and pay 3x as much when they won't go any lower than 120, even though a cab fare should be around 45.

Our reputations in Beijing are nonexistent because everyone is so transient there that it doesn't matter at all what you do. I had to go pick up my friend from a police station because he got arrested for public intoxication and punching a security guard. Another guy got cocked out of his mind then started doing heroin in my LIVING ROOM until I put a firm stop to that. Some Chinese couple gave me a ride home and after driving 160 on 3rd ring road and getting pulled over twice by the same cop tried to get me and my friend to accompany them to KTV. I got stranded once in the middle of Houhai when our paddle boat broke. Got kicked out of many clubs for "lewd behavior" (I just went back again a few weeks later, they didn't remember me). My student caught me smoking weed after class when I was sitting next to the lake nobody was allowed to go in because it's so nasty and said he would tell on me so I threatened to get him socially excommunicated in Virginia (where he goes to high school). I could continue with my anecdotes about life in Beijing, but the point is: if you want to just fuck off, that's fine, have a great time, but go do it over there please. It's more fun over there, anyway.t

Living in Beijing gives you this crazy high and this massive sense of entitlement, and it feels great.


I agree, "the 'wan" is the stupidest thing ever. Make a friggin decision already. Not for you? Try somewhere else. You're not even old enough to do anything without parental consent, anyway.

That was beautiful,
I realize this was a mad rant (I think) I truly never laughed so hard in a long time. From start to finish. Defiantly recommending

[tommy525]

I think the OP has to get the award for "most posts before setting foot on taiwan"

I find myself wanting to bitch slap him too at times and say just get the flock over there already

im waiting for the threads hes gonna start when hes actually over on "the wan".