Because of increasing popularity among tourists, Taiwan isn’t as mysterious of a place as it was two decades ago. Mainstream US shows like “Fresh off the Boat” and renowned directors like Ang Lee have slowly put Taiwan on the map.
But just because people can locate where Taiwan is on a world map and know that the Taiwanese are not from Thailand, doesn’t mean people know much about the country.
Taiwan is truly a unique and interesting Asian country with a rich culture that’s considerably different from any other country in the world.
And if you’re planning to travel to the country in the future, these are some great Taiwan facts you should know before going. It’ll give you new perspective on the country.
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1. Taiwan is also known as the “Butterfly Kingdom.”
Calling all butterfly lovers. Taiwan exports about 10 million butterflies every year. At the peak of the industry, they exported 30 million butterflies. Most of them went to nearby countries, such as Japan.
The country even has a national butterfly – the Papilio Maraho. I’d say the title of Butterfly Kingdom is pretty accurate for this lush Asian country.
In addition, about 700,000 butterflies migrate south to the Miaolin Country every winter. To see this magnificent natural event taking place, head on over to Miaoli National Scenic Area between the months of December and February.
Next trip you take to Taiwan, make sure to make a stop at Miaoli if butterflies are your thing!
2. Mandarin is Taiwan’s national language, but many speak a different Taiwanese language.
Speaking the Taiwanese dialect isn’t as common as it once used to be, even on the island of Taiwan. Unfortunately, it’s considered a dying language that only the older generations use today.
Less kids these days are learning the native language. It’s quite a shame because the Taiwanese language is often regarded as one of the most beautiful languages in Asia.
Even if your’e not familiar with Mandarin Chinese, you may be able to pick out a person speaking Taiwanese in this country. Generally, there are less Taiwanese speakers in big cities and more in rural regions of the country.
3. Garbage trucks are like ice cream trucks. They play a song to let everyone know to bring out their trash.
When I first arrived in Taiwan, this was one of the first things that really caught my attention, literally. I didn’t know what was going on until a local friend pointed it out for me.
The garbage trucks in Taiwan play the same tune as you’d expect from an ice cream truck in the United States, no joke. They’ll stop a few times a week in a designated area at a specific time.
All the nearby residents will then bring their trash to these trucks to throw away. Some residents need to walk a few blocks to get to the nearest garbage truck stop.
But according to Global Citizen, Taiwan has one of the most efficient recycling systems with a 55% recycling rate.
4. Taiwan convenience stores are literally the most convenient stores in the world.
The multi-purpose convenience store in Taiwan can really do it all. You can send your mail packages there, buy concert/event tickets, pay your electricity bill, add money into your Easy card and so much more.
To top that off, you aren’t ever more than a couple blocks away from a convenience store. According to Forbes, Taiwan has the second highest density of convenience stores in the world (2017).
There is so much to the convenience store that we felt it deserved it’s own article.
5. Taiwan is a mountainous island with the largest number and density of mountains in the world.
With that many mountains, it’s no surprise that hiking and mountaineering are popular pastimes here in Taiwan. It’s so accessible to even residents of big metropolitan cities like Taipei!
There are over 200 mountains soaring up to 2,900 meters high with Yushan (Jade Mountain). As a result, Yushan takes the cake for tallest mountain in both Taiwan and East Asia.
And for the record, the 200 mountains doesn’t even include popular mountains like Yang Ming Shan and Xiang Shan because they aren’t high enough.
6. There are 14 recognized aboriginal tribes located in Taiwan. They make up fewer than 2% of Taiwan’s population.
The 14 tribes are: the Ami, Atayal, Bunun, Kavalan, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Saisiyat, Tao, Thao, Tsou, Truku, Sakizaya and Seediq.
It’s amazing that there were that many different tribes located on such a small island before the mass immigration by the Chinese or colonization by various countries. In fact, they lived on this island for over 15,000 years before the Han settlers arrived!
Many descendants of Taiwanese aborigines now live in modern society and can usually be differentiated by their look (i.e. natural darker skin).
Some of them have even reached massive success and stardom in Taiwan, such as iconic superstar musician A-mei.
7. Almost 700 thousand “stolen” ancient Chinese artifacts are kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
Yes, that’s right. The National Palace Museum in Taipei has all the best artifacts from China’s long history. How did this happen?
In 1925, the artifacts were displayed at Beijing’s Palace Museum in the Forbidden City. However, when the Japanese invaded China, General Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the artifacts to be moved to various cities down south to keep safe.
Shortly after, when the Chinese Nationalists fought with the Communists, Chiang Kai-Shek sent 3,000 crates of high quality Chinese artifacts to Taiwan. They were never returned.
8. Some people in Taiwan choose not to eat beef out of respect to cows and not because of religion.
The Taiwanese people are very grateful to cows because they help with farming, and agriculture is important to Taiwan. Therefore, they see cows more like companions and friends (think: dogs and cats).
This mindset and choice is not exclusive to just farmers, but can be found in people living near farmlands.
However, beef is still very popular in Taiwan. There’s a reason why restaurants like Lawry’s Prime Rib and Ruth’s Chris have survived in Taipei.
9. Taiwan is also known as the Kingdom of Fruits.
This one shouldn’t really be a surprise to many people since this country is so green. Taiwan is home to one of the largest variety of species of fruits in the world.
Taiwan’s climate and rich soils allow it to grow even the most difficult non-native fruits from around the globe. This is the reason why you see fruits selling everywhere on the streets, left and right. It really is a fruit paradise here.
Some Taiwan specialty fruits include the: wax apple, starfruit, sugar apple, dragon fruit, mango, pomelo, papaya, lychee and longan.
10. Baseball is Taiwan’s National Sport
The Taiwanese people love to play baseball. In fact, Taiwan holds the record for most little league world series titles with 17 championships. The last championship Taiwan has won was back in 2013.
Many people believe their love for the sport was because of heavy influence by the Japanese when they colonized Taiwan.
11. Taiwan is home to a friendly indigenous mountain dog you can find everywhere.
These awesome dogs are called Formosan Mountain Dogs (also called Taiwan dogs), but you can find them on the streets of Taipei, mountains of Hualien or beaches of Kenting. They are everywhere!
For the most part, they’re quite friendly dogs. Just be careful and not go too close. At least in Taipei, they’re desensitized to humans but they are still wild dogs after all.