5 reasons foreigners find it easy to be friends with Taiwanese people 外國人覺得台灣人友善的五個原

5 reasons foreigners find it easy to be friends with Taiwanese people 外國人覺得台灣人友善的五個原因

9/26/2023

Coming to Taiwan as a foreigner can be a lonely and scary experience. Luckily most foreigners that come to Taiwan find out that it is easy to make friends with Taiwanese people, who are mostly friendly and curious towards foreigners in general. Here are the five main reasons that foreigners find it easy to make friends with Taiwanese people.

Basic Taiwan Travel Tips:

There is no need to tip in Taiwan. It is not part of the culture here.
Taiwan uses the New Taiwan Dollar, and many transactions such as for street food still require cash. For more information, check out our guide to the New Taiwan Dollar here.
Get yourself a SIM card or portable WiFi such as from Gigago here so you can stay connected and don't get lost in the city.
If you are from a country that does not have a 90-day visa-free program with Taiwan, consider getting your visa sorted with Ivisa.com. You can also check out our immigration FAQ here.
Get travel insurance in case of unforeseen events. You can compare prices on Insubuy here.
The electrical voltage is 110V.
Get yourself an Easy Card, so you can travel easily on the MRT, Train, HSR, Youbike, and even shop at convenience stores. You can also book a Taiwan travel pass on Klook here.
For more travel tips, check out our foreigner survival guide here.

Hotels in Taiwan:
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Booking.com here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

Tours in Taiwan:
There are many tour itineraries that you can enjoy in Taipei that will take you to multiple destinations and arrange transportation. For more information, you can check out Tripadvisor here, KKday here or Klook here, which are both great tour websites that can connect you with the right tour and tour guide for you.
Here are some of the most popular tours of Taiwan on TripAdvisor:

How to get around in Taiwan:
Taiwan's transportation system is convenient and safe. There are many options you can consider to get around in Taipei below:
By Train: Gets you to the city center of all major cities in Taiwan. It is about 800NT to get from Taipei to Kaohsiung. Roughly half the price of the HSR. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
By HSR: (High-Speed Rail) – Gets you quickly from north to south. Besides Taipei and Kaohsiung, most of the stations are far from city centers. It costs about 1500NT to get from Taipei to Kaohsiung. You can book tickets to the high-speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here.
By MRT: (Mass Rapid Transit, Metro train, subway) – Easily gets you around Taipei and Kaohsiung. You can purchase a discount easy card to use on the MRT from Klook here or KKday here. You can also book an MRT travel pass on Klook here.
By Bus: Buses can be tricky. Long-range buses such as Ubus and King Bus are easier to understand and cheaper than the local train. They can take you to the city center of every city throughout Taiwan and to remote tourist destinations such as sun moon lake. A long-range bus from Taipei to Kaohsiung is about 500 NT. You can also book tickets to travel to Shifen via inter-city bus on Klook h ere. You can also book a Taipei Sightseeing: Hop On, Hop Off Open Top Bus on TripAdvisor here.
By Taxi: You can take short rides for about 150 NT, or hire a Taxi for a day for around 150 USD.
By Car: If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.
By Scooter: Looking for scooter rental in Taipei? You can search on Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can use Taiwan's many Youbike sharing stations, or search for rentals on KKday here, and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. â€‹You can also book a Sunset Riverside Bike Ride and Historical Tour, 4 Hour Cycling in Taipei, Ultimate 8-Hour Cycling City Tour, or Taipei City Bike Tour with Night Market Experience on TripAdvisor here.
For more information, check out our Taiwan transportation guide here.

Okay, now let's get this list started!

1. Learning English 學英文

Taiwanese people don't have a good English learning environment yet and many of them can't speak English well, even though they want to learn in order to improve their career development. In addition, the most common job for western foreigners in Taiwan is English Teacher, and learning English is a big business in Taiwan. Taiwanese people love to practice their English with and learn from foreigners.

2. Physical Appearance 外觀

Taiwanese people love the appearance of different-looking foreigners, from the clothes they wear to their physical traits such as big eyes, big noses, light skin, dark skin, body hair, or any physical characteristic that are different from their own. You get bonus points if you look even remotely similar to any Hollywood movie star. However, the same cannot be said for other Asian foreigners.

3. Taiwanese are honest, polite, and hospitable 台灣人很有禮貌,很熱誠

Taiwanese people are taught to be polite to strangers and be kind to others. Violent crime in Taiwan is almost unheard of. It is safe to walk on the streets at night. If you lose your wallet or your keys somewhere, chances are that the people will return it to a police station or try to contact you to return it. How can you not be friends with such kind and honest people?

4. Shared Democratic values 共同民主主義

Taiwan is a free democratic country. It values free speech and individual rights. It was the first country in Asia to allow gay marriage and is often noted as having the freest media coverage and basic rights. Democracy lovers should flock here.

5. Stinky tofu 臭豆腐

There is nothing that will garner the love and affection of Taiwanese people faster than scarfing down some Stinky Tofu and shouting that you love Taiwan. Stinky Tofu is the most beloved delicacy of the Taiwanese, and any well-meaning Taiwanese person will take their foreign friends to try it. If you pass the test by eating poop-flavored fermented tofu and shouting "Taiwan #1!" then you have made friends with most of the people in Taiwan. Bonus points if you make a YouTube video of your family trying it.

Attractions in Taiwan:
There are many attractions that you can enjoy in Taipei such as Taipei 101 Observatory, Taipei 101 460 Skyline Observatory, Taipei Children's Amusement Park, Maokong Gondola, National Palace Museum, Yehliu Ocean World, Yehliu Geopark, National Museum of Marine Science and Biology, i-ride 5D cinema, Astronomical Museum, Miniatures Museum of Taiwan, Double Decker Sightseeing Bus, Miramar Ferris Wheel Ticket, Taipei Zoo, Heping Island Park, Ju Ming Museum, Yuanshan Hotel Secret Road, National Taiwan Museum, New Taipei Gold Museum, Futian Leisure Farm, Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence, Chi Po-lin Museaum, Beitou Museum, Tsao Wonderland, Railway Museum, Fort San Domingo, 13 Levels Archaeology Museum, Austin Land, Museum of World Religions, Formosan Aboriginies Museum, ASE Parent-child Park, teamLab Future Park, Yukids Island, VR Experience, Bat Cave, Neidong Waterfall, Candlestick Islet, Jurassic Snow Park, Zhonghe High5 Amusement Park, Longshan Temple, Xingtian Temple, Ningxia Night Market, Yansan Night Market, Meteor Garden, Yingge Old Street, and many more attractions on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here.

Activities in Taiwan:
Don't forget that there are many activities available in Taipei such as Indoor Skiing, Rock Climbing, Hiking, Wakeboarding, Surfing, Speedboat Surfing, SUP / Paddle Boarding, Diving, Snorkeling Kayaking, Canoeing, Water Biking, River Tracing / Canyoneering, ATVing, Horse Riding, Cooking Class, Archery, Ice Skating, Roller Skating, Tree Climbing, Urban Camping, Glamping, Motorcycling, Motorbike Tour, Dragon Boat Racing, Escape Room, Shen'ao Rail Bike, Laser Gun Experience, Batting Cages, Bowling, Paintball, Flight Simulation Experience, Taipei Tram Driving Experience, Rail Simulation Experience, Taipei 101 Observation Deck activity, Strawberry Picking, Professional Photo Shoot, Body Relaxation SPA, Night Tour, Calligraphy Workshop, and more on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here.

Please like and share! If we forgot something, please tell us in the comments below!

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.

5 Comments

Kevin

10/31/2022 03:42:41 am

"However, the same cannot be said for other Asian foreigners.", why's that?Because I have an asian friend, who went abroad there and has trouble connecting with others.

Josh

11/7/2022 10:51:43 am

Learning English is the only reason actually. Or at least the ice breaker. If you're not a native English speaker or just want to speak Chinese then you're not going to make any friends. Asian foreigners in Taiwan can do it but westerners will be extremely lonely unless they speak English. We are worthless without offering English practice in this mainly Chinese-speaking country.

王八

11/17/2022 10:04:09 pm

TRUTH LOL

Chris

9/20/2023 07:28:20 pm

More people need to speak out like the previous posters who are willing to know "kiss butt" and repeat all the stereotypical things "white foreigners" continue to say about Taiwan which should be taken with a grain of salt.

A lot of people, myself included, have come to Taiwan and done our best to learn about the culture and language; yet feel ostracized by Taiwan society as virtually no one really sees us as just another human being, only a "foreigner."

People seen as a foreigner are never really allowed to fully be a part of Taiwan society. This is a sad fact that is propagated by the phenomenon of "saving face" in Chinese society - YES! Many facets of Taiwan's culture, including the language, are distinctly Chinese which some are moronically opposed to admitting.

So, if you are a person outside of Taiwan, I strongly urge you to reconsider actually living in Taiwan, because there are many people who came here enthusiastically wanting to make some kind of life here, but ultimately feel like they're only an outsider despite doing their best to assimilate.

If you are someone who just wants to contradict what I say, you need to realize that all those Youtube videos or other content you see are just used to attract Taiwanese viewers and pretend to be positive. If you're a Taiwanese person who can't stand hearing the truth, 你改變自己的想法，如果你閣人對所有外國人有偏見的話不要理睬他們啦! 管你屁事! 你不懂所謂民主的話就該滾回去祖國看你在另一岸是否生活很爽吧!

Johnson

10/31/2023 10:45:28 pm

Can try out this app called Otter Curiosity to make local friends, people are pretty chill there, messages are automatically translated, and you don't even need to worry about breaking ice!

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