8 ms·

On a related note, TSMC is based in Taiwan. Ben Thompson (who wrote this article) chose to live there. It's cheap/friendly/modern/safe/connected to all asia/awe

• joaogui1 6y ago
  How hard is it to live in Taiwan speaking only English? Is their official language Mandarin or is it some different Chinese dialect? How safe are Taiwan streets?
  • hellofunk 6y ago
    The main problem, when I was there, as with many places throughout Asia, is the poor air quality. You’ll definitely notice it, my eyes were burning to get through the adjustment period.
    • komali2 6y ago
      Really? I found air quality even within Taipei to be comparable to San Francisco or even better, at least according to my nose, sinuses, and tear ducts.
      • hellofunk 6y ago
        Perhaps you were there during a weather pattern that minimized the effects. Unless you are saying you had a long-term low pollution experience there, which I think is impossible.
        • komali2 6y ago
          > Unless you are saying you had a long-term low pollution experience there, which I think is impossible. Over a year of anecdotal data using my own senses, which I consider extremely sensitive to allergens. Maybe some pollution data will indicate otherwise? It's certainly no rural Kansas, and I bet industrial hot spots in Taiwan suffer (like near TPE), but yea I felt great in Taipei. Far better than most Asian cities, perhaps comparable to Tokyo.
          • hellofunk 6y ago
            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution_in_Taiwan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution_in_Taiwan > based on reports by the World Health Organization, that the air quality in Taiwan is generally the worst of all of the Four Asian Tigers, in particularly drawing attention to the annual mean PM10 level of Taiwan (54 micrograms per cubic meter). The annual mean PM10 level of the country's capital Taipei (47.1 micrograms per cubic meter) made the city rank only 1,089 among 1,600 included cities around the world. Based on 2004 data by Taiwan's Department of Environmental Protection, the annual mean PM10 level for Taiwan had, for the last decade, been worse than the European Union limit value (40 micrograms per cubic meter) every year.
        • monting 6y ago
          Taipei is actually pretty OK. Other cities in Taiwan, not so much.
    • tasogare 6y ago
      Happened to me in the throat in Kaohsiung. Otherwise I approve the qualities listed by the the grand parent post. I didn’t know about the Gold Card but I’ll definitely look into it. I always enjoy taking a break from Japan and going there. People are more spontaneous, food is more varied, it’s refreshing.
    • andrewflnr 6y ago
      Yikes. That's a hard no from me.
      • komali2 6y ago
        Well, you can always ride a bicycle for 10 minutes and find yourself in a thick jungle on top of a mountain, far removed from any hint of smog.
        • andrewflnr 6y ago
          Can I just live in the jungle instead?
          • komali2 6y ago
            Absolutely! Apartments (luxury and otherwise) line the roads up into the mountains.
  • eric_khun 6y ago
    By far the most english-speaking country in Asia (after singapore). You wouldn't have issue to communicate with people, have a normal daily life. Might have issue to communicate with the old generation, but most of the people will go out their way to help you. Mandarin is the official language, but they are now making a huge push to become a bilingual language[1] For safety, from 0 to 10, I'd give it a 9.5. I like to joke about the daily biggest national news being a grandma who lost its cat, since not much "bad things" happens here. Most of the thing I lost were returned, for example I thought I've lost my bag with my ipad few years ago in a bar, but someone returned it the day after x) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/06/13/2003738132 https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2020/06/13/2...
    • DarmokJalad1701 6y ago
      > By far the most english-speaking country in Asia (after singapore) I would've thought that was India.
      • komali2 6y ago
        At least in the USA it's my experience that when people say "Asia" they mean maybe what some other people would describe as "East Asia." This has been true my whole life, despite there usually being someone there to say "but what about India?"
      • macleginn 6y ago
        In my exp, an average Indian person without a university education does not really speak or understand English.
      • simonebrunozzi 6y ago
        Not by a long shot. You read that in India English is sort of an official language. But in truth, a big chunk of the population still doesn't speak it, and the ones that do often have a thick accent and not a very rich vocabulary. Source: been to India ~25 times.
  • khuey 6y ago
    It's not that hard to survive on English in Taipei. The official language is Mandarin (though the typical local accent is different from the Beijing-esque prestige dialect). The streets are safe from crime, if that's what you mean, though the competency of the average vehicle driver leaves something to be desired.
    • komali2 6y ago
      > competency of the average vehicle driver As long as you give a WIDE berth to blue trucks you should be fine.
  • doom2 6y ago
    It would probably be a little difficult. Outside of big cities / tourist attractions, I found few people that spoke decent English (thankfully I speak a passable amount of Chinese). The most widespread dialect is Mandarin, but you'll hear a lot of Hokkien and Hakka (for example, transit system announcements). I found safety to be a non-issue the last time I was there. Taipei feels like any other big Asian city and even on smaller side streets I didn't feel unsafe. In smaller towns and such, I also wasn't nervous.
  • komali2 6y ago
    Taiwanese people are weirdly cautious for a country with absurdly low crime - there's massive, ugly (imo) bars on all the windows, to prevent burglars (and also hang your clothes off of). Despite that, I've never felt safer at night than I have in Taiwan.
  • acdha 6y ago
    I spent a month there in 1998 working with a software development partner. Language was a complete non-issue in the office but I definitely would have liked to have some conversational Chinese for dining, shopping, taxis, etc. but I’d assume the generational shift I saw then has continued in the last 20 years, too.
• novaRom 6y ago
  Also some disadvantages: rains and clouds almost 24/7, street noise, overpriced real estate.
  • sct202 6y ago
    You can rent things for pretty cheap compared to the purchase price, like the buy vs rent calculation there is so heavily skewed to rent that it's insane that people still buy property.
  • eric_khun 6y ago
    The 24/7 rain is exaggerated. I'd say it's getting quite rainy during the rainy season (I admit I also don't like this season much), but we have quite a bit of beautiful sunny days, especially when you head to south.
    • freeopinion 6y ago
      I've lived in places where people hide in their homes with the furnace for four months out of the year. I've lived in places where people hide in their homes with the A/C for three months out of the year. I've lived in places where it rains 24x7 for two months out of the year. Each of these places has a stereotype. Each are amazing the vast majority of the year. Pick your poison for the rest of the year.
  • realdlee 6y ago
    These are pretty inaccurate or exaggerated statements. Real estate in Taipei is expensive to buy, but reasonable to rent. To buy, price per square feet is comparable to a high priced US city (SF, NY). It rains a lot in winter and has typhoon season, but can be nice otherwise.
• vaxman 6y ago
  No Taiwan, the future is in America. Taiwan needs to open branches of all production in US and plan for mass evacuation of its population, so it doesn't wind up wasting it's time like Hong Kong must do.
  • komali2 6y ago
    I feel this is representative of a lack of understanding of how a people can feel pride and attachment to a location, that is, the territory itself, and also of how insanely fortified the nation is. A land invasion of Taiwan would quite possibly be the most painful land invasion imaginable.
    • vtail 6y ago
      Where Would you suggest I can read about it more?
      • komali2 6y ago
        Unsure why you got downvoted, it's a fair question https://warontherocks.com/2018/10/hope-on-the-horizon-taiwans-radical-new-defense-concept/ https://warontherocks.com/2018/10/hope-on-the-horizon-taiwan... > The first phase is the decisive battle in the littoral, extending up to 100 kilometers from the island. Key capabilities at this phase will include sea mines, and large surface vessels equipped with Taiwan’s capable, domestically manufactured anti-ship cruise missiles, the Hsiung Feng 2 and 3. Taiwan’s surface fleet includes larger vessels from the legacy force, such as French-built Lafayette class frigates, U.S.-built Kidd-class destroyers, and U.S.-designed Perry class frigates armed with both Hsiung Feng and Harpoon missiles, as well as a new class of fast attack Tuojiang class catamarans that carry 16 missiles. Taiwan also fields anti-ship Hsiung Feng missiles mounted on trucks that will disperse in order to survive initial strikes. While evading detection in Taiwan’s urban and mountainous terrain, they will launch strikes at surface ships throughout an invasion. > The second phase seeks to annihilate the enemy at the beach area, which extends approximately 40 kilometers outwards from anticipated invasion beaches. This phase calls for Taiwan’s navy to lay mines in deep and shallow waters off suspected landing beaches. A new fleet of automated, fast minelaying ships are being built for that mission. In the interim, mine-launching rails can be installed on several classes of surface vessels. While invading ships are slowed by mine fields, swarms of small fast attack boats and truck-launched anti-ship cruise missiles will target key ships in the invasion force, particularly amphibious landing ships carrying the initial wave of PLA assault troops as well as roll-on-roll-off vessels carrying follow-on vehicles and armor. On top of that, hike along the west coast at any time. As you hike along mountain paths you'll stumble upon bunker after bunker.
• yingw787 6y ago
  What does the security situation look like in Taiwan, and how might it change within the next decade or so? Besides that I <3 Taiwan!! As a tourist I loved pineapple cakes, beef noodle soup, night markets, high-speed trains, and plenty of fresh mangoes and coconuts!
  • yingw787 6y ago
    Sorry, pineapples, not coconuts. I don't remember having coconuts but the pineapples had no bitterness and the mangoes melted in your mouth!
  • newsclues 6y ago
    Taiwan is safe, except the threat of Chinese invasion.
    • yingw787 6y ago
      Yeah, that was what I was worried about. Given how the past four years prove you can purchase a major U.S. political party for clearance prices, the bilateral security agreement underpinning Taiwan’s freedom may be gone when it’s needed most. Beijing is much richer than Moscow is, and smarter too. I sense the opportunity is just too good to pass up. I love Taiwan and its people, and I hope everything stays peaceful and will do my part to keep it that way like voting and writing policymakers, but if I’m an expat I wouldn’t be emotionally invested in a total war for survival.
• fumar 6y ago
  What cities do you recommend to visit to get a sense of living there?
  • eric_khun 6y ago
    I'd say Taipei for a "big" city. Hualien or Taidung for smaller ones
    • monting 6y ago
      I’d actually recommend Taichung as well. Much more affordable than Taipei, and more spacious. Air quality has regressed though, because they shut down the nuclear power plant after Fukushima.
• komali2 6y ago
  My partner and I are planning a move there and somehow were totally unaware of the gold card visa. This is super helpful, thank you!
  • burgerquizz 6y ago
    Taiwan is happy to welcome you :)
• digianarchist 6y ago
  "The Gold Card does not provide for a work permit for dependents of the card holder. Your spouse should get their own work permit." Just like the TN visa. That's a deal breaker right there.
  • ashtonkem 6y ago
    Same problem in a lot of countries. I looked into this for Germany as a backup option; my technical expertise and low level of German proficiency would get me and my wife easy residency, but she wouldn’t be allowed to work. Then again, given the right mix of COL and wages, that might be tolerable, especially in a situation where something makes me willing to follow through on that plan.
    • owenwil 6y ago
      Interesting that this is not the case in Canada. My partner is the main visa-holder here, and is tied to her employer in the same way a H1B would in the US, but it also provides a full 'open' visa for her spouse, which allows me to work anywhere without restrictions. It seems like a smart move, as it definitely tipped the scales in Canada's favor for us.
      • digianarchist 6y ago
        When I moved to Canada we both got Canadian "Green Cards" as soon as we landed. Technically possible in the US but show me an employer that will sponsor an EB-2 unless you work for them already.
        • convivialdingo 6y ago
          A French friend of mine was recently denied a visa to Canada. His wife got a job there working in public policy, and he was going to work there in software (film industry). I figured it would be easy for him, but it's a mess!
        • mataug 6y ago
• elpakal 6y ago
  Does anything happen to a current citizenship (I'm US) if I do this? Seems awesome!
  • ashtonkem 6y ago
    No, getting a visa is just something that allows you to stay and work (in this case). You’d only need to worry about citizenship if you were planning on becoming a citizen of Taiwan, which is a much longer and harder process. You will however need to continue file US taxes at a lower rate. America is one of the few countries that expects its expats to do that. Retain an accountant who specializes in this.
    • digianarchist 6y ago
      Looks like this could lead to PR and eventually citizenship although Taiwanese law requires you renounce any existing citizenships. Weirdly enough though once you have it you can resume your previous citizenships.
• cgh 6y ago
  Some comparative info for Canadians: Taiwan is slightly larger than Vancouver Island but has roughly 2/3 the population of all of Canada.
• jlu 6y ago
  Software engineer living on and off in Taipei for the past 20 years, if you like outdoor activities, especially road cycling, this is a mountain-climbers heaven, riding any direction for 30min will hit a gorgeous and cool mountain with spectacular views, on top of that most of the days including fall and winter it’s sunny and suitable for ride. Drop me a line if you were ever here and longing for a joy ride ;)