SOCIAL Culture in Taiwan The culture of Taiwan is a blend of Confucianist Han Chinese, Japanese, European, American, global, local,

and Taiwanese aborigines cultures, which are often perceived in both traditional and modern understandings. Most people in Taiwan have traditional values based on Confucian ethics; however, pressures from industrialization are now challenging these values. However, some traditional values remain strong, including piety toward parents, ancestor worship, a strong emphasis on education and work, and the importance of "face." Since industrialization, women enjoy greater freedom and a higher social status. Individual creativity is regarded as equally important as social conformity and recognition is increasingly important.

Language The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese. However, as many Taiwanese are from southern Fujian, Min-nan is also widely spoken. The smaller groups of Hakka people, who make about 10 percent of the population and aborigines have also preserved their own languages. Many elderly people can also speak some Japanese, as they were subjected to Japanese education before Taiwan was returned to Chinese rule in 1945 after the Japanese occupation which lasted for half a century. English is taught universally, starting with middle school.

Night Markets Taiwanese cuisine itself is often associated with influences from mid to southern provinces of Mainland China, most notably from the province of Fujian, but influences from all of Mainland China can easily be found. A notable Japanese influence exists due to the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. Taiwan's best-known snacks are present in the night markets, where street vendors sell a variety of different foods, from finger foods, drinks, sweets, to sit-down dishes. In these markets, one can also find fried and steamed meat-filled buns, oyster-filled omelettes, refreshing fruit ices, and much more. Aside from snacks, appetizers, entrees, and desserts, night markets also have vendors selling clothes, accessories, and offer all kinds of entertainment and products. In recent years, many of the night markets have become popular tourist destinations among sightseeing foreign travellers. It is common to see many travellers with cameras, snapping photographs amidst the crowds within the streets. Some of the night markets, such as the Shilin and Shida night markets are among the first places that Taiwanese students will bring international students for a cultural experience.

In addition to food, night markets feature various forms of entertainment and a lot of shopping. Numerous products for sale include clothes, bags, shoes, trinkets, kitchen items, etc. Carnival-style games are typically available to play for the price of a few coins. The night market in Tamsui is especially well known for featuring traditional carnival games such as balloon shooting, net fish, shooting marbles and an assortment of mini games that could only have otherwise been seen many years ago. Night markets are always the attractions for foreign tourists who intend to experience Taiwan's authentic and popular cuisine.

Convenience Store Culture With 9,800 shops in its 36,000 square kilometres of territory, Taiwan has the highest concentration of convenience stores of any country in the world. The Fair Trade Commission of the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's cabinet, published a survey showing that there is one convenience store per 260 square meters in the country. The numbers of customers who pass through the country's 7-11s and the stores of its competitors have reached 2.7 billion each year in a country of under 25 million. Convenience stores in Taiwan do far more than sell sundries. Shoppers can withdraw money, book train tickets, collect goods ordered online, eat and even send their clothes for a wash. According to another survey, people in Taiwan have become dependent on convenient stores over the past few years. More than 40% of people in the country visit a convenience store at least once per day, while more than 70% pay their bills there. More than 20% eat meals in the stores, and some parents even ask stores to babysit their children when they are not available. The most frequently used services are, according to the survey, payment of bills and traffic tickets. Convenience stores in Taiwan are a source of wonder for foreign visitors and are also what Taiwanese people miss when they go abroad. A 20 second walk to Family Mart and a 30 second walk to 7-Eleven, a 24 hour convenience store that sells everything you might need. ATM machines are easily accessible at banks or most of the 24-hour convenience stores which is a great convenience for foreign tourists. These convenience stores, which are spotless, attractive, and nicely lit, offer much more than necessities of life. Customers can take their dirty laundry to a 7-Eleven and they will send it out to be cleaned. Items ordered from Amazon.com can be delivered to local 7Eleven, where customers can retrieve them. These stores are also a social gathering place in the evening; all seats are taken and it is standing room only after dark. The convenience stores provide great convenience and assistance for tourists which need any help or services.

Tea Culture Tea is not only a common drink in Taiwan, it is also a culture. It is grown and sold in many regions of the island. Tea is served in restaurants, business occasions, wedding banquets, and funeral services. Serving tea is a way to make guests and clients feel welcome. Tea is part of the social fabric of Taiwan. "Come in and drink tea," is a standard greeting to guests. The strength of the Taiwanese tea market is due to the long tea culture which is kept alive at the grass roots level and by organizations which are dedicated to tea research and education. Traditional teahouses play a role in this culture: aside from being popular leisure spots they also conducts seminars in tea production and tea preparation. Tea is also promoted by cultural exchanges such as the Summer 2006 Taipei Tea Culture Expo, when participants

from Korea, Japan, India, and other countries gave demonstrations about their native tea cultures. The Tourism Bureaus Taiwan Tea Adventure tours are selling well in the Asia market. The Tourism Bureau created the Taiwan Tea Tours as a theme tourism product, and had been promoting the tours overseas. So far, the tours have sparked a lot of interest from international tourists and have generated a warm response from Asian tourists. In particular, tour groups from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of Asia will visit Taiwan to experience the Taiwan Tea Adventure. These overseas tourists will transform themselves into tea picking ladies and visit Taiwans famous tea farms to experience a different side of Taiwanese scenery and culture. The Taiwan Tea Adventure tours take tourists to tea farms in the northern, central, southern and eastern parts of Taiwan. The tours will focus on introducing tourists to famous Taiwanese teas such as oolong and black teas. Five tea tour routes have been planned to cater specifically to international tourists. On the tours, the tourists will get to experience tea picking, tea making and tea tasting. They will also be able to try the special cuisine and see the unique cultural performances of the local areas where they will be visiting. Taiwan Tea Adventure is the first activity created by the Tourism Bureau that features tea as a theme for sightseeing. Through these tours, Taiwans beautiful tea scenery and culture will become a tourism product that international travel agencies will sell on a longterm basis.

Tourism Ambassadors Taiwanese entertainer Show Luo and actress Ivy Chen were chosen as the nation's tourism ambassadors to Japan and South Korea respectively, with the goal of attracting specific groups of tourists from these two key markets. Rather than launch one massive campaign for the two countries, the Tourism Bureau undertook separate campaigns this year based on the differences in these two markets. Japanese are interested in celebrities and are always up to date on what is fashionable. In South Korea, trends spread quickly through the Internet, it said. Luo, also known by his nickname hsiao chu (little pig), was last year chosen through an online survey of Web portal Yahoo-Kimo as the most popular entertainer. He released his first Japanese single, Dante, last year, which reached No. 10 in the Japanese Oricon music chart within a week of its release. Luo was the first Taiwanese singer to make it into the Oricon chart. Chen is known for featuring in a number of Taiwanese films, TV dramas and advertisements, including a popular TV series Black & White and the newly released film Ripples of Desire. She and South Korean actor Jo Jung-suk were also featured in Putong. Putong Taiwan, a short film produced by the bureau to promote Taiwan as a tourist destination in South Korea. Since 2007, the bureau has selected boybands F4 and Fahrenheit as tourism ambassadors. The bureaus statistics showed that about 1.4 million Japanese tourists visited Taiwan in 2011.