I’m a master’s student in social anthropology at the University of Zurich. I’ve been living in Switzerland for more than 7 years, but my main research interests still focus on Taiwan, especially Taiwan’s culture (inland and output) as a form of soft power. Thank you for creating this video! It has provided me with new inspiration for my master’s thesis 😆
Greetings. From an Aussie who has never been to Taiwan. Cheers. I guess I'm a rare breed here :) Taiwan is on the front lines when it comes to the war against Chinese Communism. It's incredibly important that it continues to stand against tyranny! And all freedom/democratic countries should help Taiwan to do that.
Nice view of points. As I was a child, the society atmosphere did not allow you to be a proud Taiwanese. Till recent decades, the real Taiwanese culture is forming. A mixture of multi cultures. We can see many young generations show their talents on the world stage. They do introduce Taiwan to the world by their amazing skill/achievement. It will take time to let the whole world know about Taiwan. But I still keep positive that somedays there are more people know the beautiful country. And also thanks for Allan, Prozzie and many other foreigner RU-vidrs, you do mamme a great job to promote Taiwan. Millions thanks!
Dear Wendy, thank you for sharing! We (my wife and I) just came back from Taiwan and experienced exactly as you mentioned here. We all love Taiwan so much! (A retired engineering professor lives in VA and FL).
Wow! It's a very serious topic, and I respect that your point of view is neutral. Also, Prozzie is a good guest to talk about this topic since he has ever lived in China for several years and he can compare the discrepancy between China and Taiwan in more details. Thank for your sharing 😊
As a one of the major semiconductor producers, Taiwan is producing the extension of human neurons. It will be recognised internationally sooner or later. Carry on Taiwan. I will see you soon. 🎉❤
As a waiguoren, you will never experience Taiwan like a local. I can assure you that if a local put up the same kind of content as you, he wouldn't get anywhere near as many views. Western "foreigners" are treated very well in Taiwan. Your quality of life is in reality far better than that of an average Taiwanese person.
You may feel kind of "separation"with the "foreigner appearance"in Taiwan.Fun fact is that we tend to be impartial when encountering foreigners in different color of skin,you can still find out some minor discrimination amid it.
I think Taiwan has a marketing (itself internationally) problem, which is sad because we know it's an amazing country because we live here. I think most people don't realise bubble tea is from Taiwan or basically all the technology they use is thanks to the chips and semiconductors from this country. It's sad that the world doesn't give Taiwan the recognition it deserves, and that it's more than just Taipei (which seem to be the only place in Taiwan that popular travel youtubers show in their visiting Taiwan videos). That's part of the reason I travelled around Taiwan to show what those videos don't, I'm not popular, it's like Prozzie said, less people around choose to just watch videos about Taiwan, but I want the world to know more about what this country has to offer! But I do appreciate having a bit of a Taiwanese audience. I like it when Taiwanese thank me for showing them part of their country even they didn't know about! I agree that, in a way, it is a bit of a perk that foreigners don't flock to here as much, it makes Taiwan seem so much more "exclusive" to us that chose to live here. But, I still hope the world eventually sees Taiwan for the wonderful country that it is and it gets the recognition it deserves.
I am a Taiwanese but working and living in China for over 20 years up to now. Year over year, I feel myself a true Taiwanese which means I DO NOT want to be considered as a Chinese. It is hard to tell you as a whole what is the difference but everyone can feel if he/she ever lived in these two places. Indeed, Taiwanese is not able to convince people from other countries Taiwan is a country or at least not a part of China. We know who we are and we desire to be recognized as a country but we are even more eager for peace and self growth. Like the semicon chips, we make it and ship it but we don't expect people remembering our name. Maybe one day with more and more people like you know us, understand us and want to support us, Taiwan will be no longer a name of an island but a real country in the world. God bless Taiwan and you guys!
中华人民共和国在1971年获得联合国合法席位之前台湾可不是孤儿吧,是谁一直派战机骚扰福建和沿海,是谁派间谍策划反共活动,是谁派刺客在飞机上放炸弹啊?两边都流氓装什么可怜啊,不就是看谁强吗,以前是蒋匪有飞机军舰,现在是中共实力碾压。九二共识之后谁管你干什么,要不是这几年一直炒作台独,who care you???别扯什么中共想武统,就他那说好听点是战略定力,说难听点就是怂。台湾不炒作乱七八糟的台独,保持现状谁会管你,统一了让你们当大爷?就一点,你们爱咋样咋样,但是不能完全倒向美国,也少在国际媒体上炒作台独膈应人,中共绝对就光嘴上说说统一,必定不会武统。别给自己加戏,看的我反胃。
Hi Allen, I'm currently doing my phd research on this exact topic, so it's really interesting to see a video about it. Once I have completed my research I will give you the answer ;) (Might take a few years...)
I’m Singaporean but I love Taiwan. There was a time where Taiwan Culture was everything. Taiwan Pop, Idol movie/tv shows is everywhere in places where there is Chinese. They now have too many studios/station, not able to compete with budget like China/Korea.
I cannot get my mind around the fact that all most all the countries don't want to follow the international Treaty they signed and recognize Taiwan is a self-guided country. After ww2 the delegates from 48 countries gathered in San Francisco US to sign the Treaty of Peace with Japan in 1952. According to the Treaty Japan only gave up the sovereignty over Taiwan but Japan never transferred the sovereignty over Taiwan to any country including China. Thus the ownership and sovereignty of Taiwan should be reserved for 23.5 million of citizens currently living in Taiwan. Taiwanese have elected their president and congress members every 4 years since 1996. Most countries should follow the international Treaty they signed and shouldn't accede to China's peremptory and unlawful demand. Do they yield to China's illegal request and throw Taiwan under the bus just because they want China's huge market or they're just afraid of china's retaliation ?
Almost every country in the world make a profit in China, everything is about profit. We can see the government officials from different countries visiting Taiwan frequently,and the only reason is profit, having nothing to do with help Taiwan recognized by the world.
Taiwanese culture is Chinese culture. Whether it is basic food, clothing, housing and transportation, or abstract moral ethics and language expression, Taiwan has no essential difference from Chinese culture.
You finally revived the series Instead of eating and drinking ~~ Without its own unique culture and industry, it cannot attract the attention of people from other countries. Taiwan is an immigrant society with complicated cultures. It is difficult to have unique cultures, such as Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Europe. But Taiwan’s greatest advantage is the unique high mountains in East Asia. In just one hundred kilometers, you can go from flat to high mountains, just like Hawaii. If Taiwan wants to develop tourism and attract attention, Hawaii is a good example. Taiwan’s taxes are actually quite low Because Taiwan’s taxes will be included in other places For example, if you buy a car, one in foreign countries may cost 500,000, but in Taiwan it will cost more than one million. You haven’t paid 500,000 in income tax a year, right? There is an important point. I think Taiwan should include English as an official language. This can make Taiwanese people have a more international outlook, instead of always hiding in their own island and caring about the small stuff.
In the 60s and 70s the Taiwanese were not even allowed to speak their mother tongue. Everyone in school was supposed to speak Mandarin and learn the history and geography of China by heart. It was a very harsh time for my generation born in Taiwan due to the martial law implemented by the KMT. I didn't realize that we were living under an authoritarian regime, until someone mentioned it to me during my graduate study in the US. We were too poor to have a book of family tree. We just knew that our male ancestors came to Taiwan from China generations ago and very likely married local Taiwanese women. So we've had an identity crisis for a very long time until the last 10 years or so. Now I do call myself a Taiwanese living in Europe and can be proud of my origin. It is an amazing feeling to tell people here that I'm a Taiwanese, as long as they don't mistaken me as someone from Thailand. I visited China a few times and was surprised to find out that I could communicate better with a westerner than a Chinese. It was not the language, but the difference of mindsets that shocked me.
I think Taiwan has its’ own appeal, like 九份、 which inspired Spirited away. There are many native villages that teach their artwork to tourists. For those who likes hiking and scuba diving is great as well! We are also very famous for our food. 🎉 I try to go back to Taiwan every year. Medical care is fantastic compared to all the other countries. I am proud being Taiwanese. Thank you for loving Taiwan Allen
Sad but true and a very fair point to make. It’s a perspective from a UK expat which Taiwan people can also learn from. Thanks for pointing it out! Very interesting!
Despite Taiwan’s gigantic semiconductor industry mentioned in this video, it should not be an excuse for the weak tourism of the country. South Korea is the perfect example to back up this argument. In the four Asian tiger era (1960s-1990s), when Kpop/Kdrama wasn’t a thing, South Korea actually plays the same role as Taiwan in the global stage, manufacturing electronics components and investing in semiconductor industry (many well-known SK companies are found in this period). However after developing the entertainment industry, its soft power has become world famous in just 20 years, even stronger than Japan in some sense, which is mind-boggling. Also keep in mind that SK government plays a huge role in promoting their entertainment and tourism business. So no, I don’t think Taiwan has any leisure or excuse to “not care” what others think about it. To strengthen Taiwan’s international visibility is definitely not an easy job, especially when there’s big bully beside trying to strike you down. However I do believe there’s plenty of job could be done by local Taiwanese. For example, developing a sense of Taiwanese characteristics is a good way to start, Prozzie address this topic in the video “Why no one comes to Taiwan?” ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gcZAa_6oCCU.htmlsi=xpYTYfV2Gt-OYdKl Taiwanese government could also improve its tourism policies by recruiting more foreigners who live in Taiwan (i.e. Allan and Prozzie) and Taiwanese who have abroad experiences. Anyway, as a Taiwanese living abroad, I’m genuinely glad that you guys brought up this topic, which should be taken seriously and deserves more discussion from Taiwanese, especially from the government.
Agree. SK govt. had the foresight to diversify - policies need time to come to fruition; Taiwan's govt.'s eyesight, on the other hand, merely lasts 8 years, at most. To develop and prosper, a society needs a stable govt. This is History 101.
I suggest that the British Uncle consider utilizing English as the primary language for both the main title and subtitles in the video. This approach could potentially enhance the channel's appeal to a broader international audience. Additionally, incorporating Chinese as an attached subtitle would provide an opportunity for ethnic Chinese individuals to learn English through your content.
Being a Taiwanese who works in Europe, I am thinking to move back if I can find the relevant job which matches my profession. The income tax is soooo low in Taiwan!
Howzit Allan! Been subbed for a few years now and was wondering. In China (even in big cities), we often get the "你看!老外!" Is this something that happens in Taiwan?
I got about 2 mins into the video disagreeing with the its only Taiwanese who watch this channel and i was like, no hang on a flipping min! i love watching and im not Taiwanese then you hit with the darn truth bomb... i used to live in Taiwan as a foreigner and its partly why i watch. P.S still love you and your vids mate #getwillaimtotaiwan
Yeah i kind of stopped telling people i lived in Taiwan because they immediately thought it was Tailand. (rude comments always commenced) Ignorant people@@lifeintaiwan
To be honest, as a Taiwanese myself, the main reason that Taiwan isn’t known by the world widely is because most of people in Taiwan and other countries didn’t think Taiwan is a country, at least in the past. For example, the old Taiwanese people likes to use the word “中華”, which in English is “Chinese”. So “中華” equals to “ Chinese” and equals to “中國人”. Taiwan needs to stand out for its own, not under the name of China.
@@brucehehehe one china policy 可沒談台灣主權地位的問題,美國說不支持台獨,僅表示立場中立而已,不是“反對”台獨,只說台灣前途由台灣人決定。會玩文字遊戲的不只有中國而已,西方也是高手,西方表面順著中國,實際行動卻是一直幫助台灣主權獨立的狀態。 其實早在老蔣時期,美國與西方各國的意思,就是要台灣留在聯合國裡,但不是以代表中國的身份,像是南韓一樣,但老蔣硬要台灣代表中國,所以才有了之後退出聯合國與斷交的事件
Again I will say you fail to mention the bicycle industry and the fact that Taiwan exports $billions to the US and the world. It is also an untapped revenue opp for you. There are so many mfgs within a few miles of you you could be connecting with.