The culture of Taiwan is a blend of traditional Chinese with significant East Asian influences including Japanese and Western influences including American, Spanish and Dutch. The Taiwanese aboriginals also have a distinct culture. Fine arts, folk traditions, and popular culture embody traditional and modern, Asian, and Western motifs. One of Taiwan's greatest attractions is the National Palace Museum, which houses over 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting, and porcelain. This collection was moved from mainland China in 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Party (KMT) fled to Taiwan. The collection, estimated to be a tenth of China's cultural treasures, is so extensive that only 1% is on display at any one time. A Rukai village Chief visiting the Department of Anthropology in Tokyo Imperial University during the Japanese rule. ... Overview of the National Palace Museum. ... The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as mainland China. Mainland China (Simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; Traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; Pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù, lit. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Chiang Kai-shek (October 31, 1887–April 5, 1975) was a Chinese military and political leader who assumed the leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT) after the 1925 death of Sun Yat-sen. ... The Chinese Nationalist Party (Traditional Chinese: 中國國民黨; Simplified Chinese: 中国国民党; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chung-kuo Kuo-min-tang; Tongyong Pinyin: Jhōngguó Guómíndǎng), commonly known as the Kuomintang (KMT), is a conservative political party currently active in the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan. ...

Convenience store culture

Two 7-Eleven stores opposite each other on a crossroad. Taiwan has the highest density of 7-Eleven stores per person in the world.

Boasting 8,058 convenience stores in an area of 35,980 km² and a population of 22.9 million, Taiwan has the Asia Pacific’s and perhaps the world’s highest density of convenience stores per person: one store per 2,800 people or .000357 stores per person ^[1]. In Taipei, it is not unusual to see two 7-Elevens across the street or several of them within a few hundred meters of each other. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (906x600, 81 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): 7-Eleven Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (906x600, 81 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): 7-Eleven Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... 7-Eleven is an international conglomerate which operates the largest chain of convenience stores in twenty countries including: India, Canada, United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico in the Americas; Norway, Sweden and Denmark in Europe; Peoples Republic of China, Republic of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan... A convenience store is a small store or shop, generally accessible or local. ... Map of the Pacific Rim and List of the Pacific Rim Nations The Pacific Rim is a political and economic term used to designate the countries on the edges of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the various island nations within the region. ...

Because they are found everywhere, convenience stores in Taiwan provide services on behalf of financial institutions or government agencies such as collection of the city parking fee, utility bills, traffic violation fines, and credit card payments. Eighty percent of urban household shoppers in Taiwan visit a convenience store each week. ^[2] The idea of being able to purchase food items, drink, fast food, magazines, videos, computer games, and so on 24 hours a day and at any corner of a street makes life easier for Taiwan’s extremely busy and rushed population. Fast food is food prepared and served quickly at a fast-food restaurant or shop at low cost. ... This article is about the magazine as a published medium. ... This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ...

Convenience stores include:

• Circle K (Called OK in Taiwan)
• FamilyMart
• Hi-Life
• NikoMart
• 7-11

Circle K South-Terakata East Shop（Osaka Moriguchi Japan） Circle K is a trademark owned by the ConocoPhillips oil company to designate a chain of company operated and franchised convenience stores in the United States. ... Family Mart Osaka City Sekime Station Shop FamilyMart (Japanese: ファミリーマート) TYO: 8028 is a konbini or convenience store franchise chain in Japan. ... 7-Eleven is an international conglomerate which operates the largest chain of convenience stores in twenty countries including: the United States, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. ...

Cram school culture

Main article: Education in the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Taiwan, like Hong Kong, mainland China, Japan, and South Korea, is well-known for its buxiban (補習班), often translated as cram school, and literally meaning "make-up class" or "catch-up class" or to learn more advanced classes. Nearly all students attend some sort of buxiban, whether for mathematics, computer skills, English, other foreign languages, or exam preparation (college, graduate school, TOEFL, GRE, etc). This is perpetuated by a meritocratic culture that measures merit through testing, with entrance into college, graduate school, and government service decided entirely on testing. This has also led to a remarkable respect for degrees, including Ph.D.s and overseas Western degrees (US and Great Britain). Educational oversight Minister of Education Ministry of Education Tu Cheng-sheng National education budget NT$ 608. ... Cram schools (also known as crammers) are specialized schools that train their students to meet particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schools or universities. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ...

English teaching is a big business in Taiwan, with Taiwan, as part of its project to reinvigorate the Taiwan miracle, aiming to become a trilingual country--fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese, and English. Many teachers come from English-speaking countries, such as the US, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, and enjoy salaries of about $30,000-$50,000 per year at a low cost-of-living, with opportunities to manage or open one's own school and make several times that amount a year. History The Taiwan Miracle (台灣奇蹟) refers to the rapid growth of the Taiwanese economy in the latter half of the twentieth century. ...

See also: Teaching English in Taiwan Teaching English in Taiwan is a big business among the wealthy. ...

Pili puppet show culture (TV series)

Pili (Traditional Chinese: 霹靂) is a puppet show made by Pili International Multimedia. The TV series started in 1985, and it still continues today. It is one of the most popular TV shows in Taiwan. Pili puppet show is performed by many kinds of puppets, some of them are cool, some are intelligent, and some are funny. Unlike traditional puppet show, Pili puppet show uses state-of-the-art animation to help present it's fighting art. The delicate design of the appearance and charcteristic of each puppet has made Pili puppet show a well-known entertainment in Taiwan. In Polynesian mythology, Pili is the gecko-god, and was considered an ancestor of many Polynesian peoples. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ...

In 2000, the Pili movie The Legend of the Sacred Stone was released. It was also released on DVD in the United States, but it was very difficult to find.

In February 2006, a company called Animation Collective showed an edited version of Pili on Cartoon Network. This version of the show was called Wulin Warriors. Because of the changes done to the series, many fans from Taiwan were angry. Most Americans didn't like the show not only because of the editing, but because in the west, puppet shows are associated with TV shows for young children. Wulin Warriors was cancelled after only two episodes.

Religion

Yin and Yang symbol of Taoism.

Main article: Religion in Taiwan

A majority of the Taiwan's population can be considered religious believers, most of whom identify themselves as Buddhists or Taoists. At the same time there is a strong belief in Chinese folk religion throughout the island including ancestral worship. These are not mutually exclusive, and many people practice a combination of the three. Confucianism also is an honoured school of thought and ethical code. Christian churches have been active on Taiwan for many years, a majority of which are Protestant and with Presbyterians playing a particularly significant role. Image File history File links Yin_yang. ... Image File history File links Yin_yang. ... A wide diversity of religions can be found on Taiwan, due to its multicultural history, and religious freedom written in the constitution. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... Folk religion consists of beliefs, superstitions and cultural practices transmitted from generation to generation. ... Confucianist temple Thian Hock Keng in Singapore Confucianism (Chinese: 儒学, Pinyin: Rúxué‚ [ ] , literally The School of the Scholars; or, less accurately, 孔教 Kŏng jiào, The Religion of Confucius) is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese sage Confucius. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recounted in the Gospels. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... An issue of the Taiwan Church News, first published by Presbyterian missionaries in 1885. ...

Food

Pearl milk tea

Main article: Cuisine of Taiwan

Taiwanese culture has also influenced the west: Bubble tea is a popular tea drink available in both Europe and the United States. Download high resolution version (1316x1888, 1634 KB)Pearl milk tea: taken by Richy of Chinese Wikipedia File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (1316x1888, 1634 KB)Pearl milk tea: taken by Richy of Chinese Wikipedia File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... There are several cuisines in Taiwan. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tea leaves in a Chinese gaiwan. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ...

Language

Main article: Languages of Taiwan

Most people in Taiwan speak both Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese (a variant Minnan dialect of southern Fujian province, China). Mandarin is taught in schools, however most spoken media is split between Mandarin and Taiwanese. Speaking Taiwanese under the localization movement has become a way for the pro-independence Taiwanese to distinguish themselves from the Mainlander. The Hakka, who make about 10 percent of the population, have a distinct Hakka dialect. The aboriginal minority groups still speak their native languages, but most of them can also speak Mandarin and Taiwanese. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Standard Mandarin is the official Chinese spoken language used by the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Singapore. ... See alternative meanings for other possible definitions. ... Mǐn N n (Chinese: 閩南語), also spelt as Minnan or Min-nan; native name B ; literally means Southern Min or Southern Fujian and refers to the local language/dialect of southern Fujian province, China. ... Fujian (Chinese: 福建; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Fu-chien; Postal System Pinyin: Fukien, Foukien; local transliteration Hokkien from Min Nan Hok-kiàn) is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. ... Localization (本土化, POJ: pún-thó·-hòa, Pinyin: Běntǔ huà) is a political term used within Taiwan to support the view of Taiwan as a centered place rather than as solely an appendage of China. ... Mainlanders are Chinese people who live, or were born, in mainland China as opposed to Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, or Taiwan. ... The Hakka (Traditional Chinese: 客家; Simplified Chinese: 客家; Pinyin: kèjiā, lit. ... Hakka (Simplified Chinese: 客家话, Traditional Chinese: 客家話, Hakka: Hak-ka-fa/-va, pinyin: Kèjiāhuà) is a Chinese dialect/language spoken predominantly in southern China by the Hakka ethnic group and descendants in diaspora throughout East and Southeast Asia and around the world. ... A Rukai village Chief visiting the Department of Anthropology in Tokyo Imperial University during the Japanese rule. ...

Media

Main article: Media in Taiwan

Ang Lee is a famous Taiwanese movie director that is very popular in the west. The media in Taiwan is one of the freest and most competitive in Asia. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Sports

Popular sports in Taiwan include:

• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Golf
• Martial arts
• Pool
• Swimming
• Table tennis
• Tennis
• Volleyball

The Danish Olympic badminton player Peter Gade Badminton court, isomorphic view Badminton is a racket sport played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles). ... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 For other uses, see Basketball (disambiguation). ... Cheerleaders warming up for competition Cheerleading is an activity that uses organized routines made up of elements from dance and gymnastics to cheer on sports teams at games and matches, and/or as a competitive sport. ... Golf (gowf in Scots) is a sport where individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and is one of the few ball games that does not use a fixed standard playing area. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Pool can have several meanings: Look up Pool in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A breaststroke swimmer Swimming is a technique that humans, and other animals, use to move through water using only movements of the body. ... Wang Liqin winning a forehand drive against Jörg Rosskopf. ... The Australian Rod Laver, a candidate for the greatest player of all time This article is about the sport. ... Volleyball is an Olympic sport in which two teams separated by a high net use their hands, arms, or (rarely) other parts of their bodies to hit a ball back and forth over the net. ...

Recreation

Entrance hall of a K-TV in Taipei.

Karaoke is incredibly popular in Taiwan, where it is termed KTV (Karaoke Television). This is an example of something the Taiwanese have drawn, on scale, from contemporary Japanese culture. Pachinko is another example. During typhoons, many young Taiwanese will spend the day away singing karaoke or playing mahjong. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1840x1232, 727 KB) Description: de: Eingangshalle eines K-TV in Taipei. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1840x1232, 727 KB) Description: de: Eingangshalle eines K-TV in Taipei. ... A Karaoke machine Karaoke (Japanese: カラオケ, from 空 kara, empty or void, and オーケストラ ōkesutora, orchestra) is a form of entertainment in which an amateur singer or singers sing along with recorded music on microphone. ... KTV, meaning karaoke television, is a variant of karaoke that is popular in East Asia, particularly in Taiwan, Hong Kong. ... Pachinko parlor Pachinko players Entrance to large pachinko parlour in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, Japan. ... Mahjong (Traditional Chinese: 麻將; Simplified Chinese: 麻将; Hanyu Pinyin: májiàng; Cantonese: màhjeung; or Chinese: 麻雀; Hanyu Pinyin: máquè; Cantonese: màhjeuk; other common English spellings include mahjongg, majiang, and hyphenated forms such as mah-jong or mah-jongg) is a game for four players that originated in China. ...

Since 1999 hot springs, known as wēnquán in Chinese and onsen in Japanese, has been making a comeback thanks to efforts by the government. Over 100 hot springs have been discovered since the Japanese introduced their rich onsen culture to Taiwan, with the largest concentration to the northernmost part of Taiwan island. Closer view of hot springs on Seven Star Mountain located in Yangmingshan Taiwan is on the fault line where the Euro-Asian and Philippine continental plates meet. ...

Anime and manga, is very popular in Taiwan. About 92 percent of teenagers read mangas on a daily basis. Manga are called Manhua in Taiwan. It is common to see a Manga rental shop or an Manga store every couple of street in larger cities. // A scene from Cowboy Bebop (1998) Anime ) is the Japanese contraction and pronunciation of the English word animation, most popularly referring (but not limited) to the medium of animation originating in Japan, with distinctive character and background aesthetics that visually set it apart from other forms of animation (e. ... For other uses, see Manga (disambiguation). ... Manhua (Traditional Chinese: 漫畫; Simplified Chinese: 漫画; Pinyin: ) is a general term for comics produced in China, often including Chinese translations of Japanese manga. ...

Popular Culture

Cell phones are very popular in Taiwan, it is not uncommon for people to have two cell phones. Taiwan has one of the worlds hightest rate of cell phone per people. It is refered as the Sho ji. Because of the high use of cell phones, phones in Taiwan have many functions and costs are getting lower. Cellular redirects here. ...

Internet cafes Wan ka are very popular amongst teenagers, in large cities, it is easy to access one of these cafes. Usually food can be purchsed in the cafe, many gamers would eat while using the internet. There have been many concers about internet cafes by parents and teachers. An Internet cafe or cybercafe is a place where one can use a computer with Internet access for a fee, usually per hour or minute; sometimes one can have unmetered access with a pass for a day or month, etc. ...

See also

• Cuisine of Taiwan
• Music of Taiwan
• Cinema of Taiwan
• Photography of Taiwan
• Taiwanese opera
• List of Taiwanese authors