A lifestyle expat travel blog about culture, history, Brexit, the Royal Family, travels around the world, Europe, and being British in Berlin!
So last week, I told you that even though I have a lot of future posts coming up about my FAM/Press Trip to the Philippines, I was going to divert to writing about Taiwan!
Taiwan?
Yes. Taiwan!
Aha!
?/%$!!?%$§!
Now let’s be honest. A fortnight ago, I told you that western travellers tended not to choose the Philippines when travelling to Asia, and with Taiwan, it gets distinctly worse because.
Nobody knows where it is!!!
There are murmurs of:
Taiwan?
Do you mean Thailand!
or
Taiwan?
Is that in Turkey or something!
In fact, until last year, I thought that Taipei – the capital of Taiwan – was somewhere in Korea!
Yes. Korea!!
Was it any wonder that when I decided to add another Asian destination to my trip, I opted to choose Taiwan!
But if you’re just following my blog, and you haven’t a clue why Taiwan even came up in the first instance, here are a couple of links to remind you:
Gosh!
So let’s do some history.
Taiwan, otherwise known as, the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. It was founded in 1912, making it the first democratic republic in Asia!
Neighbors include the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taiwan is the most populous non-UN state and the largest economy outside the UN boasting a per capita income of over $45,000!
Despite its contentious relationship with China, Taiwan has thrived over the last four decades as one of the strongest economies in Asia, a population of just 23.4 million people, and a GDP of over $1.1 trillion!
The history of Taiwan can be traced back to at least 7000 years!
Between 7000 and 400 years ago, Austronesians, (the ancestors of the island’s indigenous people), arrived in small groups and became the earliest known inhabitants of Taiwan.
Taiwan was initially colonised by the Dutch in the 17th century, followed by an influx of Han Chinese, including Hakka immigrants from the Fujian and Guangdong areas of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait.
The Spanish built a settlement in the north for a brief period, but were driven out by the Dutch in 1642.
In 1662, Koxinga, a loyalist of the Ming dynasty who had lost control of mainland China in 1644, defeated the Dutch and established a base of operations on the island. His forces were also defeated by the Qing dynasty in 1683, and parts of Taiwan became increasingly integrated into the Qing empire. Following the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, the Qing ceded the island, along with Penghu, to the Empire of Japan.
The island became a colony of Japan and remained under Japanese rule for 50 years, during which time it evolved from a traditional society into a modern one.
In 1945, following the end of World War II, the Republic of China (ROC), led by the Kuomintang (KMT), took control of Taiwan.
The KMT ruled Taiwan (along with Kinmen, Wuqiu and the Matsu Islands on the opposite side of the Taiwan Strait) as a single-party state for forty years, until democratic reforms in the 1980s.
During the post-war period, Taiwan experienced rapid industrialization and economic growth, and was known as one of the Four Asian Tigers.
Wow!
How intriguing!
I was enormously impressed by Taiwan and here’s why:
That’s all for now!
This article is not sponsored and even though I received a part-complimentary stay at amba Taipei Ximending and amba Taipei Songshan, all opinions and the magnificent time that I had, are my very own!
Next week I’ll be writing about what I did in Taiwan, and then returning to the Philippines again later!
On November 24th – 26th, I’ll be attending the Berlin-Premiere and the 10th anniversary of British musical comedy duo – Carrington Brown at Bar Jeder Vernunft in Berlin.
On November 24th – 26th, I’ll be joining my American friends to celebrate Thanksgiving!
On November 27th, the Berlin German Christmas Market will open, and the furore of mulled wine, German sausages and green cabbage, will begin!
In December/January, I’ll be going to Holland.
The British Shorts Fillm Festival will take place from 12th – 18th January, 2017
Berlin Fashion Week will take place from 17th – 20th January, 2017.
At the end of January, I’ll be skiing in the Czech Republic.
Save the Date!
November is going to be compulsive!
Watch this space!
Please also note that there is now a Booking.com affiliate link (for the very first time) connected to my hotel. Every time some sort of accommodation is booked via my link I get a little percentage, but at no extra cost to yourself! A win-win for all!
See you in Berlin.
I have never been to Taiwan, it looks like a great place to visit? Love your photos
Thanks so much Gilda! You’re awfully sweet! And yes, one of the reasons that I wanted to go to Taiwan was because I knew no-one who had been there, except for one British blogger lol!
Ok, I’ll admit I’m guilty of thinking of Korea in my mind when I hear Taiwan. 😳 But your pictures are beautiful, and I thinks it’s less expensive than Japan, so hopefully I get a chance to visit soon. Enjoy your Thanksgiving with your friends. Or as the cool kids say, “Friendsgiving!”
Thanks so much Stephanie! Embarrassingly I too thought that Taiwan was connected in some way, to Korea!!
Taiwan isn’t one of your cheap South-East Asian destinations, but it’s definitely cheaper than Japan, and I met a few travellers who were uncomforrtably shocked at the prices lol!
Thanks for the great wishes. Enjoy your Thanksgiving too! 😀
I’m happy you liked your Taiwan experience as much as I did. I went there in September and believe me, that was one of the kindest countries I’ve ever visited. I loved the local food and how friendly Taiwanese were for us. Hospitality there is just AMAZING!
Thanks so much Agness! I loved it!
And you’re so right. The people were so kind, friendly, and very helpful.
My husband isn’t too hot on the “unfamiliar”, but I can see myself bringing back the family, coming again quite soon, and then making a proper trip of it. It’s just so amazing that nobody seems to go there lol!
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I knew where Taiwan was, and a bit of its history, but had never thought about going there …. till now! Thanks!
Thanks so much Rachel!
You were one step ahead as I didn’t have a clue before last year, but so glad that I went. It’s a really nice place to go on holiday lol! 🙂
Never thought about going there but you offer some terrific reasons to explore this land.
Thanks very much Phil! Up until last year, I hadn’t heard of Taiwan either lol! But very much thinking of going again! My German husband would love it as it’s very clean & organised!
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thank you for share
Taiwan is an island nation located off the coast of southwest of Okinawa, Japan and north of the Philippines that is governed by the Republic of China since …
Thank you for your comment.
I couldn’t see where I got my facts wrong was it here…”Neighbors include the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south” or somewhere else in my article?
Thanks! 😉
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