All these positive posts about Taoyuan have changed my mind. Taoyuan is the place to live. I would gladly give my left nut to rent a place near the train station.
Well, 25,000,000 people visit Taoyuan every year!! I think it must be pretty damn awesome to attract that many people!! :roflmao:
I actually like the post-modern urban grittiness of Taoyuan with all the factories, industries and endless sprawl. Although they should have used this in their tourism slogan:
Taiwan Touch Your Heart. Taoyuan, scratch your taint.
[quote=“Mucha Man”]When I first lived in Taoyuan there was this really cool restaurant out by the stadium in a giant old post and beam wood structure. Looked like a tavern in an old kung fu movie. Had the best gongbao jiding. Great place to hang out and have a few pints with some great food.
Out near Tigerhead is one of the few remaining intact Japanese-era Japanese temples.
So there.[/quote]
Agree on the Japanese-era Martyr’s Shrine. The fact that a completely wooden structure could still be standing in Taiwan after a century boggles the mind. Not only has it withstood typhoons and earthquakes, but it has resisted rot and fire, and been overlooked by thieves, bums, and truck drivers (who seem to have hit every single signpost in Taoyuan).
GIT, Carrefour corrupts even the strongest-willed. As far as I know, it’s the only place south of Wugu that sells sticks of French bread. And if you’re willing to try every single sample offered to you on a cocktail stick, you could probably walk out of there with a full stomach. What scares me is that one day, some time in the distant future, those obasans with the track pants and bouffant hairdos and are going to start looking hot.
It’s properly called blight in design circles.
How often can you collect stamps, look at butterflies, bird watch, hike the same trail, sleep with the same person? You are so limited.[/quote]
You’re right, but let’s be serious here, what are people generally going to look for in a place in terms of living? Restaurants, nightlife, sporting clubs, cinemas, outdoor activities… You could also have mentioned that Taoyuan has lots of shops selling really gaudy fashion, which would probably be a drawcard to someone (certain Taiwanese, perhaps?), but not to the average person.
What do you mean? Why is that scary? They are hot. Aren’t they?
As usual, a lot of Taipei people chiming in with responses. I’ve lived 10 years in the Taoyuan area-- from Taoyuan city itself, to Zhongli and Yangmei. It’s not nearly as bad as described. Granted, it doesn’t have the glitz of downtown Taipei, but I’d sooner choose Taoyuan over most of the cities in New Taipei, especially places like Banqiao and Xinzhuang (hell on earth, if I’ve ever seen it). Taoyuan city, itself doesn’t have much going for it at first glance. However, you quickly find you can get most things you want there with ease. Prices for most things, from rent to restaurants, are significantly lower. The price of a taofang in Taipei city will get you a 3 bedroom palace in Taoyuan (it’ll get you a whole house with a garden in Yangmei). Jobs are relatively plentiful and competition scarce, so you can find what you like at slightly higher pay. Nightlife? There are some places. I’m out of the loop these days. Nightlife for me is going to a friend’s house. However, Taipei is never too far away if you really want it (I usually find I’m happy to leave when I’m done with it). Green space? Taoyuan city has Tiger head mountain, really quite a large place with trails that go on in different directions. It’s a good light hike/walk place where you could stay all day exploring. As mentioned, there are the universities with their sports fields. National Central university is actually a nice walk in itself. If you want more, then you head out into places like Longtan and Daxi. There are plenty of mountains there. Yongan harbour offers a seaside destination close to town.
Taoyuan is not for everyone. It’s more for the kind of person who doesn’t want to live in Taipei. It takes a bit more effort. There isn’t MRT, so you either have to get yourself mobile quickly or learn the bus system. English appears far less often on menus and comes out of the mouths of people far less often than in Taipei. For some, this will be a hardship; for others (like those who write posts about having to trick locals into speaking Chinese with them), it’s more of an authentic experience-- a place to really use Chinese on a daily basis. It’s also a place to save money. As mentioned, most things are cheaper and work is plentiful. There are also fewer of the high priced distractions that Taipei has. It’s really up to the individual to decide what s/he wants out of a city/region. There are a small group of westerners who have lived in the area for quite a while and like it. Others can’t stand it. YMMV.
GiT, do you honestly think I am defending living in Taoyuan?
MM: Of course not. I know you and I are just doing this thing where we cannot be seen in public to agree with one another.
Am I supposed to agree with that? This is entrapment.
Am I supposed to agree with that? This is entrapment.[/quote]
Nice one. A comeback doesn’t spring instantly to mind. You win this round.
I can’t believe that nobody has used the convenient word, yet.
OK. I’ll bite. Taoyuan is very convenient.
[quote=“tomthorne”]I can’t believe that nobody has used the convenient word, yet.
OK. I’ll bite. Taoyuan is very convenient.[/quote]
Yes, when I wanted to conveniently contract asthmatic symptoms including shortness of breath, night wheezing, a constantly either blocked or heavily streaming nose, red and itchy eyes and dry skin Taoyaun was just the ticket.
Thank you Taoyuan.
[quote=“superking”][quote=“tomthorne”]I can’t believe that nobody has used the convenient word, yet.
OK. I’ll bite. Taoyuan is very convenient.[/quote]
Yes, when I wanted to conveniently contract asthmatic symptoms including shortness of breath, night wheezing, a constantly either blocked or heavily streaming nose, red and itchy eyes and dry skin Taoyaun was just the ticket.
Thank you Taoyaun.[/quote]
Let’s not forget that in many areas of the world where people are dying of malnutrition, malaria, and lots of other preventable diseases, they’d love to have the economic development with pollution that Taoyuan has. 
Fresh air don’t mean “jack” if there isn’t jobs. 
[quote=“ChewDawg”][quote=“superking”][quote=“tomthorne”]I can’t believe that nobody has used the convenient word, yet.
OK. I’ll bite. Taoyuan is very convenient.[/quote]
Yes, when I wanted to conveniently contract asthmatic symptoms including shortness of breath, night wheezing, a constantly either blocked or heavily streaming nose, red and itchy eyes and dry skin Taoyaun was just the ticket.
Thank you Taoyaun.[/quote]
Let’s not forget that in many areas of the world where people are dying of malnutrition, malaria, and lots of other preventable diseases, they’d love to have the economic development with pollution that Taoyuan has. Fresh air don’t mean “jack” if there isn’t jobs. [/quote]
Ok, so we are narrowing it down to some fundamental plus points of life in Taoyuan…
- Taoyuan is great because you can’t get malaria there.
[quote=“ChewDawg”][quote=“superking”][quote=“tomthorne”]I can’t believe that nobody has used the convenient word, yet.
OK. I’ll bite. Taoyuan is very convenient.[/quote]
Yes, when I wanted to conveniently contract asthmatic symptoms including shortness of breath, night wheezing, a constantly either blocked or heavily streaming nose, red and itchy eyes and dry skin Taoyaun was just the ticket.
Thank you Taoyaun.[/quote]
Let’s not forget that in many areas of the world where people are dying of malnutrition, malaria, and lots of other preventable diseases, they’d love to have the economic development with pollution that Taoyuan has. Fresh air don’t mean “jack” if there isn’t jobs. [/quote]
Taoyuan has bad air because a lazy government won’t enforce the minimum standards on industries (such as petroleum) despite their tidy profits.
There is nothing remotely praiseworthy about a place with a GDP of over US$20,000 a year not spending money on a few scrubbers and filters.
Asthma and other lung diseases are not liberal imaginings but real conditions that cost society and business greatly.
But it’s easy to pretend we must make a choice between pollution and jobs in the world’s 19th largest economy. 
I never lived in Taoyuan, but I (have to) visit the city sometimes to see the in-laws.
Look, if we were talking about LA or Vancouver or London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo or or… Taoyuan would be located kind of conveniently close to the big city center. I know the comparison is somehow flawed. but why not see Taoyuan as something like Croyden (London).
[quote=“touduke”]I never lived in Taoyuan, but I (have to) visit the city sometimes to see the in-laws.
Look, if we were talking about LA or Vancouver or London, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo or or… Taoyuan would be located kind of conveniently close to the big city center. I know the comparison is somehow flawed. but why not see Taoyuan as something like Croyden (London).[/quote]
At a push, I’ll accept Catford. Even so, Catford is a lot better.
God Bless Taoyuan!
Most especially the S.E. corridor!
HuZZah!
wait didnt someone say there were a few great philippino discos there to pick up the local phil factory girls? CAnt be all that bad then eh?