Hello Kitty trash cans contrasts the tacty with the sheer lack of discriminating tastes by rich Taiwanese. (This comes from Las Vegas, mind you.) These peasants with Mercedes is a result of spiraling property prices within a generation. Never associate wisdom with those with money is perhaps the moral of the story. The upper class is not so refined and could do with a brigade of British butlers instead of Filipina nagging nannies. This isn’t even the endearing traits of the New Money of the Americans in the last century in European social circles. This is dispicable, and it is the backbone of the Taiwan miracle. :x
Of course, there are classy Chinese. But they’re socioalite gems in a sea of affluent mediocrity. Most would not make the C-list!
If people are so clean and prefer tiles over carpets because carpets are full of bacteria, how come people use the same broom for outside their shops, inside their shops and the toilets as well? And why does my cleaning lady consider my floor “clean” after splashing dirty water on the floor and dispersing it with a mob that doesn’t even pick up the dirt? Why wouldn’t she once think of cleaning under the bed though the bed is so high, it’s very easy to clean underneath? Or why can’t she move simple, light things to clean in the corners?
Oh, and I don’t know about Japan, but I’ve lived in Korea and in Mainland China before. And I always considered Korean living environment much nicer than Chinese, especially the outside of houses.
I didn’t mean offense by the peasants in Mercedes comment. I think it’s a snappy way of remembering that things are the way they are here in part due to the developmental stage of Taiwan’s society – it’s not that Tawainese have less potential, it’s just that their country is in an earlier stage of development than others.
Recall Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow theorized that human needs can be conceptualized in a pyramid, with the most fundamental needs on the bottom. On the bottom are bodily needs such as food, air and water. After that are security needs such as safety and shelter. Next are social needs (finding friends and love) and ego needs (pride and self-empowerment at work). And only once all those lower needs are fulfilled can one reach the upper tier of self-actualization and spirituality.
I would suggest that in Taiwan’s development most people have fulfilled their bodily needs. Security is less certain with all the bars on the windows and the threat of missiles. Social needs we’ve covered to some extent in the psycho-xiajie thread. Ego needs remain unfulfilled by those who still lack BMWs and Mercedes. And beauty would surely be the upper rung. So, it is possible that people are still working on the lower levels and once the society is more developed the recognition and appreciation of beauty may come along. Just a theory.
I’m confused by the “Chinese are dirty” statement. To me it’s quite the opposite. I have never met a Taiwanese who didn’t shower at least once a day. I have never been inside “a dirty house” and I’ve been in many. I do agree there is a problem with any public areas, but a lot could be fixed by raising public awareness. A good beginning would be a massive increase in the public litter bins and fines for littering. Nothing focuses Chinese more than the possibility of having to spend unnecessarily.
So - yes - many parts of Taipei look shabby. But it’s changing fast - even in Taipei County. JUst take a look up Wen Wha road in Banchiao. All the neon signs have been “regularised” and all the new buildings have aesthetic appeal. All the shabby stuff will disappear eventually - but it takes time - and more time in a falling economy.
[quote=“Iris”] And why does my cleaning lady consider my floor “clean” after splashing dirty water on the floor and dispersing it with a mob that doesn’t even pick up the dirt? Why wouldn’t she once think of cleaning under the bed though the bed is so high, it’s very easy to clean underneath? Or why can’t she move simple, light things to clean in the corners?
Iris[/quote]
Perhaps she could care less about cleaning your place for piddly money. Go and check out her house and see if she does the same thing. By the way some of the the people that clean houses for a living are not what I would call successful especially in this society where people actually take care of all of their family members. Perhaps her work ethics and standards are not that high, therefore she is a house cleaner.
Most people here have quite limited interaction with people in Taiwan and have not visited so many persons homes or truly are close enough to get inside their minds. Over generalizations are simply racist. And Iris it seems your next statement is going to be about how you just can’t find good servants anymore and wax poetic about your families French maid that was much better than your hispanic or Portuguese maid before. Go home to daddy!
I have been here six years, am married to a Taiwanese woman, and also never eat food from a lubiantan. I consider this sensible. Most stalls use cheap oil to cook their wares, and from the looks of it, rarely change it. In addition, being “on the roadside” the vats, woks, pots, pans, water, what-have-you, collect dust (heavily leaded), soots, car exhaust, what-have-you.
I also don’t ever shop for meat or vegetables at the local markets. God knows where they are grown or on what bacterial infested board they were cut. Actually, in Mucha I know many vegetables are grown down by the Jingmei river which floods over once every two years. Very “fertile” soil, I’m sure.
I buy, whenever possible, foreign imports or organic from reputable shops. Likewise I eat little rice, as it is well known that too many fields are contaminated with heavy metals.
That said, I fequent museums and cultural events, enjoy the occassional chinese opera, and am a big fan of Cloud Gate, the local dance troupe. I also love to hike in the lush forests of this beautiful island. I love many things about Taiwan which is why I stay here. Don’t equate liking the fast food (street wares), the grubby traditional markets, the noisy hawkers of cheap goods, with understanding or appreciating the culture here.
not sure why everyone thinks the japanese all live in beautiful quaint homes. sure, they’re more meticulous about trash and you never see it tossed about on the street or piled up outside homes, but most domiciles in japan look like crap, as well. apartments in tokyo are almost as ugly as ones in taiwan. have several friends who live in tokyo and i wasn’t impressed at all at where they live.
also spent some time in the countryside. once again, less trash and less decay on the buildings, but asthetically nothing to write home about.
no, taiwan isn’t a pretty place. then again, i’ve never seen anything in taiwan resembling some of the hellholes i’ve had the pleasure to visiting in the us and other assorted western countries. but i guess since chinese people are dirtier, south central la would be even uglier if it were full of chinese, right? or does someone want to throw in a derogatory remark about hispanics and african americans to add to this wonderful thread? where exactly do hispanics and african americans rank on your cleanest ethnicities/races scale? anyone? come on now. if stereotypes are ok for chinese, they must be ok for other ethnicities, right?
it’s pretty amazing that otherwise sensible people on this board make such rash generalizations about chinese/asians that they wouldn’t dare with other races/cultures.
so once again, where do blacks and hispanics fit on your list of cleanest races/ethnicities? below whites, i’m sure. but better or worse than the chinese?
Almost every inner city area I’ve visited in this world has been ugly. Even beautiful San Francisco is a pit. (try driving around the Mission or South of Market).
It’s only the upper middle class residential areas, business centres or tourist districts which tend to be more attractive and manicured, and cleaner.
The difference is with a city like Taipei, there are no particular areas of town that are set aside as such.
There are no suburbs with grandiose homes and tree lined streets. No fantastic architecture to speak of, or an historic area that has actually been restored. There is no tourist district in Taipei. Taipei is a jumble. High rises suffice for the homes of the richer residents, so there are no sprawling upper class neighbourhoods to drive through as in many other cities in the world…including Manila and Bangkok, Shang hai, and Lima, Peru.
This was likely due to the traffic congestion and economic boom time of the 80s and early 90s when buildings were flung up with no regards to such considerations.
There is no downtown in Taipei, the whole city is a downtown. And, the class distinction in the neighbourhoods is minimal in comparison to anywhere I’ve been. This could even be considered a good thing as I can think of nowhere in Taipei where it’s particularly dangerous, full of street gangs, covered in grafitti.
There is no ‘bad’ side of town, just as there is no ‘good’ side.
That’s the truth. Right now I live just outside of Atlanta, and that’s pretty much where I stay. Downtown is dirty, full of choking smog and cars moving nowhere, and dangerous in most places. Very much like most cities in the USA I have visited.
My first time in Taiwan I felt very comfortable walking around Taipei alone at night. Had to dodge the occasional scooter, but all in all I liked it from the first moment. You’re right, there is no real good side (none in the city of Atlanta either) but I never felt like my safety was ever threatened. I can’t wait to come back to Taiwan.
