TAIWAN

(CULTURE, RELIGION AND TRADITION)

CULTURE
Taiwan’s Cultural History
Colonization and imperialism shaped Taiwan’s cultural legacy. In 1895, the Qing Empire
surrendered Taiwan to Japan. During the Japanese rule in the country, Taiwan’s culture
started to shift to a contemporary global one from local, due to Taiwan’s location along
the trade routes of East Asia. Taiwan’s elite learned the Japanese culture and language,
without interfering with their religion, in Japan’s bid to Japanize the island nation. The
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) realigned Taiwan from Japanese imperialism to
Chinese nationalism, with influences from the American culture. By the late 1940s during
the KMT era, the people of Taiwan resumed the cultural activities outlawed in 1937 by
Japan. The presence of America in Taiwan led to the resumption of Taiwanese culture
politically.

Cuisine
Taiwan has a variety of cuisine attributed to the different cultures in the country. Foods
widely eaten in the nation are rice and soy with seasonings including soy sauce, peanuts,
sesame oil, and rice wine. Seafood, such as fish, squids, and various crustaceans, as well
as meat, especially pork, are an essential part of Taiwanese cuisine. The Buddhists in the
country do not eat beef, making it unpopular, although a large portion of the population
enjoys the Taiwanese beef noodle soup.

Customs and Lifestyle

Taiwanese communication involves broad contextual messages, which give a better
understanding, as well as facial expressions and gestures. Lack of such is considered
impolite and rude. Taiwan’s traditions allow entertainment of guests in homes to only
those who have an existing or developed relationship with homeowners. Otherwise,
restaurants offer entertainment venues for visitors. Guests start eating after the host
begins and chopsticks used in the process need to be returned to their rests while talking
or drinking and after a few bites. In Taiwan, formal greetings are the norm with the oldest
individual in a group greeted first.
RELIGION
Religion and Beliefs
In Taiwan, there is a blend of Taoism, Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, and ancestral
worship, which make up the prevalent religious belief in the country. Other faiths in
Taiwan include Christianity, Islam, and Mormonism. Similar to in China, people in
Taiwan follow the Hell Bank note tradition, which is a significant practice involving the
burning of paper money called Hell Banknote. People give this offering to their dead
ancestors, to spend in the after world. Values and ethics in Taiwan follow Confucianism,
which advocates for respect for elders, loyalty, and responsibility towards one another.

TRADITIONS
Festivals
All festivals in Taiwan have music and dance playing a critical role. Some of the festivals
celebrated in Taiwan are the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ghost Festival, Lantern Festival, and
Chinese Valentine’s Day. Tomb Sweeping Day is significant to the Taiwanese, who use the day
to worship and honor the dead, with families visiting graves and offering sacrifices. The longest
festival in Taiwan is the Chinese New Year, which involves sumptuous meals, fireworks,
purchase of gifts and clothes, and is also an excellent time to clear all debts.

The Fear of Four

There are unlucky numbers in every culture, but here in Taiwan, they take it to the next level.
The number 4 is considered one of the unluckiest digits as in Chinese it sounds similar to the
word for death. For this reason, hospitals have no 4th floor, and quite often apartments on the 4th
floor are cheaper than those on other levels. People will even refuse cell phone or car registration
numbers if four makes too regular an appearance.

Don’t Finish the Food on the Table

This is a strange one for many as in a lot of other cultures an empty plate is a sign of appreciation
of your host’s efforts. In Taiwanese culture, a clean plate, or worse, an empty table, means that
the host didn’t prepare enough food and that the guests are still hungry.

The ‘do not’ List for Ghost month

Ghost month comes around once a year, and it’s a time when the spirits of the underworld are
free to roam the land of the living. This in itself is not all that unusual, it’s the things that locals
cannot do during this time that visitors often can’t get their head around. No moving house, no
going out alone at night, no whistling especially at night, and apparently no swimming either.

Pole Dancers at Funerals

There are a lot of traditions surrounding funerals in Taiwan, but perhaps the most unusual is the
appearance of pole dancers or even strippers at some point in the ceremony. This is said to
appease the wandering spirits of the dead and creates a carnival like atmosphere for the living.