Taiwan
Suit and tie are normally worn for business meetings and the environment is somewhat formal. Formal business introductions in Taiwan are not complete without an exchange of business cards. It is advisable for foreign visitors to have their cards printed in both English and Chinese. There are numerous printers in Taiwan that specializes in printing these indispensable business aids. They offer accurate, low-cost service, with card orders normally being filled within only a few days. Since cards are required on nearly every business occasion, it is a good idea to carry sizable numbers of them at all times. English is by far the most popular foreign language, and large numbers of people speak it with fluency. In particular, those working in hotels, business, or public organizations are likely to have a good command of the language. Moreover, many people, especially those educated before the Second World War, can also speak Japanese. Office hours are typically 0900-1700 Monday through Friday and 0900-1200 Saturday.
The overall crime rate in Taiwan remains relatively low. Nonetheless, there has been intense public concern in Taipei resulting from several violent crime cases in recent years. Residential burglaries and thefts are the predominant crimes affecting foreigners in Taiwan, but other more serious crimes do occasionally occur. Generally visitors to Taiwan should follow the basic security precautions that would apply in any large city. Women should exercise caution when traveling alone in taxis, especially at night, as there have been incidents reported involving violence directed towards unaccompanied female taxi passengers; calling for a radio-dispatched taxi is an option.
Local police departments have foreign affairs sections which are normally staffed by English-speaking officers.
Taiwan has a large number of international- and domestic-standard hotels, hostels, and inns. For those who plan to stay in Taiwan on a long-term basis, a wide selection of apartments and houses is available. Rental costs vary considerably, depending on location and size. Typically, rents in Taipei and environs are far higher than those in other parts of the island. Landlords frequently require deposits of up to two-months' rent, and tenants are usually responsible for utilities.
Full telephone IDD is available. Country code is 886 and outgoing international code is 002. In general, Taiwan's telecommunications systems are efficient and convenient. Cities in Taiwan are plentifully supplied with blue public phones that can be used for both local calls and domestic long-distance calls. Phone-card telephones have recently proliferated. Cards can be purchased from the convenience stores. Facsimile is widely used everywhere in Taiwan. Direct transmission is available to many countries in the world as well. Most major companies, hotels and business service centers have facsimile and telex services. Telex and facsimile facilities are also available at the Chungwa Telecom-International Business Group (CHT-I), while an electronic mail service that enable users to send their own facsimile messages can be found in every post office on the island. In addition, CHT-I also has extensive video-conference facilities in its Taipei Communications Building. A commercial network called Hint has been set up by Chunghwa Telecom to provide Taiwan users high-speed access to the Internet. Meanwhile, many networking companies provide various Internet services to satisfy the demand from domestic businesspeople and firms. In addition, the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), which provides end-to-end and non-voice services, is now available from Chunghwa Telecom in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.
Electricity is 110 volts AC, 60Hz.
110 volts AC, 60Hz.
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The Chinese, never at a loss for vivid description, describe their cuisine as an 'ancient art of ultimate harmony: pleasing to the eye; mouth-watering; and a delight to the palate'. Culinary styles come from all over China including Canton, Hunan, Mongolia, Peking, Shanghai, Szechuan and Taiwan. Most hotels have restaurants offering both Western and Chinese cuisine and some of the larger hotels offer several styles of Chinese cooking (the Chinese word for hotel, fan-dien, means 'eating place').
Things to know: Restaurants almost always have table service although some hotels
have buffet/barbecue lunches. Most bars have counter service. There are no set licensing hours and alcohol is widely available.National specialties:
•Cantonese food: Fried shrimp with cashews and deep-fried spring rolls and tarts.
• Pekinese food: Peking duck, steamed prawns, eels with pepper sauce and ham marrow sauce.
• Szechuan food: Mother Ma's bean curd, aubergine with garlic sauce, fried prawns with pepper sauce, minced chicken with Gingko nuts and fried breads.
• Shanghai food: Shark's fin in chicken, mushroom with crab meat, ningpo (fried eel), shark's fin soup and West Lake fish.
• Hunan food: Steamed ham and honey sauce, diced chicken with peanuts and smoked duck.
• Mongolian food: Huoguo ('firepot' - meat dipped in a sauce based on sesame paste, shrimp oil, ginger juice and bean paste) and barbecue (various slices of meat and vegetables cooked on an iron grill and eaten in a sesame bun).
• Taiwanese food: Spring rolls with peanut butter, sweet-and-sour spare ribs, bean curd in red sauce, oyster omelette and numerous excellent seafoods. Tipping:
Tipping is not an established custom, although it is on the increase. Taipei hotels and restaurants add 10 per cent service charge and extra tipping is not expected. It is not customary to tip taxi drivers. The standard tip for porters is NT$50 per piece of luggage.Nightlife
Taiwan has an abundance of nightlife, and Taipei in particular is lively at night. Western-style entertainment can be found in hotels, and in the many discos, clubs, restaurants and cinemas in Taipei. Popular amongst local people are KTVs, a type of sing-along club modeled on Japanese karaoke bars; and beer houses, which sell draught beer and snacks. The northern district of Tienmu contains a street of open-air beer houses. The visitor can also sample both traditional and modern tea houses, open all day and in the evening. In the tea-growing countryside around Mucha, it is possible to visit all-night tea houses and sip locally produced teas such as 'iron Buddha' tiehkuanyin tea. High-quality meals and snacks are also provided. These tea houses are popular with local families, particularly on special occasions. Back in Taipei, there are night markets selling a variety of items, both modern and traditional. These are bustling with browsers and bargain hunters, whose persistence can be spectacularly rewarded. It is advisable to take a pen and paper to assist in the bargaining process, as most vendors speak only Chinese. Taipei's largest night market is probably Shihlin Night Market, famous for its good-value clothing and food. Snacks such as oyster omelets, pork liver soup and papaya milkshakes are available. Many shops are open at night.
