Taiwan A to Z: The Essential Cultural Guide

Taiwan A to Z provides the essential information you need to know before you go to Taiwan. Whether you’re planning to be there a week or three years, this book is a must-read for any foreigner to Taiwan who wants to be successful there.

Do you know:

Why it’s a very bad idea to give a clock as a gift?
Why so many Taiwanese people have PhDs?
How Taiwanese parents choose names for their children?
Why a new mother shouldn’t take a bath for a month after giving birth?

The answers to these and many other intriguing questions can be found in Taiwan A to Z, a product of the author’s discovery of her own roots. Written by a Taiwanese who has a deep understanding of both Western and Eastern cultures, this book provides foreigners to Taiwan with true insights into the fascinating intricacies of Taiwanese culture.

Customer Reviews:

Decent Book with a Big Flaw

By Patrick Conroy - April 9, 2010

I agree with the other reviewers about the author's love for Taiwan coming through. However, a major flaw in this book is the lack of tone marks on the pinyin spellings of Mandarin words. Without tone marks, a visitor has absolutely no hope of pronouncing any of these words to that a Mandarin speaker can understand them. How bad it it? Try asking for "beer", but saying "fart wine" because you used the wrong tone. It would be like leaving out every third letter of an English word, and expecting someone reading the words to be understood.

This is a terrible flaw that the author could fix in a day, and that the publisher should incorporate into the next printing.

See Taiwan from the inside

By Kathryn "Kathmeista from [Insert Suitably Sna... - January 30, 2010

For many of us expatriates who find ourselves in foreign cultures, working out norms and expectations without offending anyone is a really daunting prospect. I know when I first came to Taiwan for a visit in 2006 for three weeks I was petrified nearly the entire time that I would do something stupid and offend my then boyfriend, now husband's family. I was one of the lucky ones - I didn't mortally offended anyone but then I did have the best guides possible in my mother-in-law and my lovely man. For those who come to Taiwan without such an advantage, this books is the next best thing to having someone personally guiding you through the confusion.

Amy C. Liu, the author of this book, grew up in Taipei in the late 70's and early 80's before moving to the United States with her family. She completed her education there, gaining a Masters degree in Counselling Education from San Jose State University but then surprised a lot of her friends and family by returning to Taiwan... read more

A commercial for Taiwan

By MLM de Groot "Marion de Groot" - April 11, 2012

Written by a Taiwanese who party grew up in the US, the book promises a good balance between inside information and outsiders' astonishment. I was personally hoping for Taiwan-specific, in-dept cultural information in daily life. However, the book deals with a lot of rituals and obvious differences, targeting an audience that has little experience in the far east. The tone of voice is very enthusiastic, personal and a bit too positive. Everything is 'wonderful', 'delicious' and 'amazing'. I personally would have preferred a more factual description, and more about the subtle, unconscious differences when dealing with the Taiwanese, what to do and what not to do. Note that I'm European (Dutch), so maybe Americans like her way of writing better. Also annoying to me is that sometimes she considers the US and 'the West' to be the same thing, 'the way we celebrate Thanksgiving in the West'. We don't celebrate thanksgiving in my part of 'the West'.

Conclusion: A nice book if... read more