10 reasons to visit Taiwan

1. Taiwan ranked world's 2nd safest country
According to Lifestyle9.com based on crime statistics from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Taiwan ranked world's 2nd safest country! Taiwan is one of the best places to live in terms of low exposure to violent crimes and robbery. People are friendly, tender-hearted and welcoming. Believe it or not, most people of Taiwan are honest. It is the country where you can see people helping you before you approach. Taiwan as a stable country where women feel perfectly safe and not nerve-racking about what could occur, particularly going out at late night. Many tourists reviewed that they never felt worried or scared in Taiwan. In this established country, every citizen feels very safe.

View of Taipei City from Elephant Mountain

2. The capital city Taipei 
Taipei is the ultimate showcase. It's a place full of contrast. It's got quiet parks encircled by hectic streets and traditional markets right next to the trendiest boutiques. It's old enough so you can feel its past, modern enough to get Wi-Fi coverage all over the city. 
The convenience level in Taipei will definitely amaze you! Taiwan has the highest concentration of convenience stores of any country around the globe, You can easily find them in every corner of Taipei. Convenience stores in Taiwan can do far more things than simply selling food or snacks like their foreign counterparts. Shoppers can withdraw money, book train tickets, make payments to prepaid phones or even send their laundry. In the 24 hour convenience stores , you can get most of the things you need, and this includes a variety of hot food.  A recent online survey shows that each of these shops offered an average of 300 to 700 services to customers. You can literally do anything in a convenience store. Taipei City has a very clean, efficient and safe Mass Rapid Transit system, known most commonly as the MRT or Metro Taipei. Stations and trains are clearly identified in English, so even for those who cannot read Chinese, the MRT system is very accessible and it reaches almost all the tourist attractions in Taipei.
Taipei 101, also known as the Taipei Financial Center is a 509-m, 101-story landmark skyscraper located in Xinyi District of Taipei. Upon completion in 2004, the mega building had been the tallest building in the world until Dubai's 828m-tall Burj Khalifa overtook it in January, 2010. 

3. Dramatic Scenery
The cities might be a concrete jungle, but as soon as you escape to the countryside, stunning landscapes are all-around. When Portuguese sailors first set eyes on Taiwan more than 500 years ago, they named it "Ilha Formosa" which means beautiful island. Whether it’s the Pacific Ocean crashing into jagged sandstone cliffs, remarkable Taroko Gorge with its raging rivers and mystical ambiance, or the striking white sand beaches of the south, chances are you will find vistas that evoke inspiration and awe.

 Sunrise over Jade Mountain

4. Easy traveling 
Taiwan is a good place because it is very convenient to go there. You have direct flights from Europe. You do not need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days if you have a valid passport. Also traveling around the island is easy, because the infrastructure is good and the distances relatively short. There are very good overland bus connections with which you can travel around the whole island. Also an overland train connection, which is the same. On the Western part there is a high speed railway connection, which, for example, brings you from Taipei in the north down to Kaohsiung in the south within 2 hours!

Taiwan HSR train

5. Multicultural cuisine
With influences from the Polynesians, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, and Chinese, Taiwan is the exotic hidden gem of East Asia. Even though Taiwanese cuisine draws its culinary heritage from China, calling it Chinese food is oversimplifying it. Taiwanese cuisine is the infusion of Chinese cooking with local aboriginals' ingredients and culinary traditions. And later it was influence by the Japanese who ruled the island for 50 years. Taiwan is truly a culinary paradise; the selection of cuisines available ranges from local Taiwanese to the many regional cooking styles of mainland China to international cuisines such as Japanese, Italian, and French. 
Night markets are an iconic element of Taiwanese culture, and while at first they can be a bit overwhelming, they certainly transform into many travelers favorite part of Taiwan. Streets are lined with food stalls of every variety, serving up everything from chicken hearts to stinky tofu. Be prepared to mingle with the crowds to find what you want and you will leave with a full stomach and authentic Taiwanese experience.

Keelung night market

6. Preservation of Chinese culture
You might think it'd be in Beijing or Shanghai, but the National Palace Museum in Taipei houses the largest collection of Chinese artifacts and artwork in the world. The impressive permanent collection comprises more than 650,000 items. Chinese history is told through bronze statues, jade carvings, calligraphy, lacquerware and other historical pieces including an intriguingly life-like, meat-shaped stone and a jadeite cabbage. Taiwan is the only country in the world where traditional Chinese writing is widely taught and used. A mastery of traditional Chinese characters provides access to an enormous body of ancient Chinese literature, key to understanding the origins of Chinese culture.

National Palace Museum

7. Fascinating customs
Taiwan is rich in culture and traditions. During Imperial times, Tainan was the capital of Taiwan. Today, several fascinating buildings and attractions are still open to the public commemorating the times. From Chinese New Year celebrations to Dragon Boat race, there are numerous activities to immerse yourself in Taiwan culture and customs and the plus side of it all is foreigners are welcomed to partake with open arms.

Ping Xi Sky Lantern Festival 

8. Aboriginal cultural tourism
Taiwan’s aboriginal people comprise about 2% of the total population. They scatter from the north to the south, particularly in mountains. Generally, the men are skillful in hunting and women weaving. However, each tribe has unique language, tradition, and structure. Until present, 14 aboriginal tribes are recognized in Taiwan. Some of the tribes have developed cultural tourism for years, they not only showcase the values, lifestyle, and the traditions of tribes but also provide new information and experiences to satisfy tourists’ cultural needs.

 Aboriginal cultural performance

9. Taiwanese tea culture
Taiwanese tea culture includes tea arts, traditional tea ceremonies, and the social aspects of tea consumption. Many of the classical arts can be seen in the tea culture, such as calligraphy, flower arts, and incense arts. Taiwan produces the best oolong tea in the world thanks to its mature tea culture and ideal growing conditions: high mountains in a subtropical climate create the cool humid conditions that oolong tea thrives on.

Tea Farms in Taiwan

10. The fruit kingdom
Taiwan is located in a subtropical zone and is well suited for the cultivation of many tropical fruits. In addition, Taiwan has mountains rising almost 4,000 meters above sea level, and the cool climate of these mountains allows Taiwan to also produce temperate-zone fruits. These unique natural geographical attributes not only give Taiwan's fruits a distinctive flavor, but also enable northern fruits such as persimmons, apples, Asian pears, and nectarines to coexist with such tropical fruits as bananas, lychees, mangoes, and pineapples on an island only 400 kilometers long. Almost all of the fruits cultivated on the island of Taiwan today originally came from somewhere else. These fruits originated in different parts of the world and arrived on the island at different times. Taiwan's location along important travel routes has given it a complex history and has also provided opportunities for exotic fruits to take root in its soil, sometimes even outshining native varieties.

Traditional fruit stand

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References and photo credits:
lifestyle9.com
wikipedia.org
taiwan.gov.tw
taiwan.net.tw
trtc.com.tw
sixstar.moc.gov.tw
louisch.com
worldpreservationfoundation.org
iamazing-places.com
travelhdwallpapers.com

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