Student blog
Fun Facts About Taiwan
By Jade Khieu, Class of 2023
Are you an international student who has just been in Taiwan for a few months? Are you still new to the new living environment? In this article, I would like to share with you some interesting facts about Taiwan with 36,000 square kilometers and 23 million people on the island. This small yet vibrant country has a lot of fascinating aspects that you may not know. Let’s find out shall we.
Convenience stores are everywhere
Asian countries tend to have famous convenience stores chains like Family Mart. 7-Eleven, OK
Mart, however, the number of convenience stores in Taiwan is far beyond your expectations. Here there is no difficulty in finding convenience stores that open for 24 hours; there are often two or
three convenience stores on one road.
Unlike convenience stores in other countries, Taiwanese
convenience stores are well-stocked, you can get literally everything you need for your trip such
as shampoo, shower gel, USB cable, charger, detergent, slippers and even shoes! Furthermore, you
can top up your travel card, buy concert tickets or even pay the tuition bill at the counter in the
store.
What makes Taiwanese convenience stores even more unique is that they have spacious
areas for customers to dine in. Almost every convenience store has seating areas, they are perfect
for tourists to get a rest or eat quick meals during the trip.
Garbage trucks play music
When you are wandering around the city, you may suddenly hear a funny sound tuning from
nowhere. If it is the first time you are in Taiwan, you will be surprised where that sound came
from. In fact, the fun music is coming from garbage trucks!
The trucks play music quite loud and they run through the town very slowly. Soon after people in the town hear the sound of music, they
come out to throw the trash into the trucks. This fun loud music plays an important role for both
garbage picking staff and locals to know the time of collecting the trash in Taiwan.
Even if you are inside the apartment or building, it’s not easy to miss this typical sound coming from the trucks.
They are just very loud! Seeing the garbage trucks running and playing music on tiny streets is
quite fun.
Taipei 101: the fastest lifts in the world
If you are in Taiwan, no matter as a student or visitor, you must visit Taipei 101. This building is
Taiwan’s iconic tower and a symbol of Taipei City. Many people want to visit the observatory
deck to enjoy the spectacular view of the city, but how many know that Taipei 101 has the fastest
lifts in the world?
Their lifts are manufactured by Toshiba, and its highest speed is 1,010 meters
per minute (about 60.6 kilometers per hour). It only takes 37 seconds to travel from the 5th floor
to the 89th floor - top floor of the tower.
While you are traveling up high, you would feel like you
are floating in space inside the elevator as the lights are changed to led lights to resemble the star galaxy along with the video on the ceiling showing the real image of the space. And before you
even realize, you are already on the top of the city!
The popularity of KTV box
Have you ever tried karaoke before? If you have ever been to karaoke, you might know that it’s the place that people (often over three people) sing and dance in a big enough room, sometimes eat and drink together. Taiwan’s karaoke is a bit different. First of all, people in Taiwan call karaoke “KTV”, which stands for Karaoke TV. The normal KTV shops in Taiwan are similar to others, however, Taiwan also has an interesting facility called “KTV box”.
It looks like a public telephone box, but once you enter the box, it’s your own stage to perform. What you do in the box is basically the same as normal karaoke, but it’s the place only for yourself and your friends while you are there. It’s usually for people up to two or three people. Like a telephone box, it’s transparent, so people walking along the street can see you singing. You may need a bit of courage to use it first, but it’ll surely be an unforgettable memory in Taiwan and fun with friends after class.
Various types of convenient restrooms
I don’t know how many people are comfortable using a public toilet, since it is not so clean and tidy? However, you’ll be surprised by public toilets in Taiwan. Taiwan has a wide range of convenient restrooms with many types such as breastfeeding room, kids’ restroom, disable restroom. Besides, the restrooms in the malls are very nicely designed to match with the building’s theme. Another plus point is that they are very clean with sufficient hand sanitizer and towels. You can easily catch sight of these restrooms in big department stores or public transportation stations. The best thing is that they are free of charge and you can use them anytime as long as the malls or stations are open.
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