Taiwan's population is 84% Taiwanese, 2% aboriginal and 14% Chinese. The official language is Mandarin, though in informal situations many people communicate in Taiwanese, a spoken language derived from the Fujian dialect of Southern China. The key religions are Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.

However modern Taiwan may seem to the observer, it remains a strongly traditional region, steeped in Chinese culture. The family reigns supreme and both religion and superstition feature strongly in everyday life, in more-or-less equal measure.

The Taiwanese are a refreshingly friendly people and welcome foreigners with ease. Don't be offended by blunt questions about your marital status or age - queries like these are commonplace among their own conversations and occur from curiosity, not rudeness.

The issue of "face" is one that foreigners sometimes find hard to understand. Face is something you can "give", by making someone feel or look important, or "take" by anything as minor as entering a room first or raising your voice to full-scale humiliation. Throughout many Asian societies the concept is very important and partly explains the constant gift-giving and flattery you may encounter. For travellers though it is not without its pitfalls - getting flustered or angry at poor service will only lose face for whoever you are dealing with, making them uncommunicative and even less helpful. Getting directions can also be tricky as the person you ask may fake knowledge of a place he has never heard of to save losing face.

Do's and Don'ts

Don't lose your temper in disagreements - you'll get far more response from a Taiwanese person by keeping your cool and being polite.

While no-one is going to mind your clumsy ways with chopsticks, you should never stick them upright in your rice or food, as to Chinese eyes they resemble incense sticks used in funerals.

Along the same lines, you shouldn't give anyone white flowers, unless someone has died.

The number four is considered unlucky, as in Chinese it sounds similar to the word for death - some hotels don't even have a fourth floor. For this reason you should avoid giving gifts that contain a set of four of anything.


Bow and smile at people when you meet them, and show particular respect for the older members of a family.