Good first impressions
Time went by fast — the one-and-a-half hours seemed too short for me to make myself believe I was almost in Taiwan. I peeped out the window to see the view as the plane was making a landing and the buildings were becoming clearer. Finally, I arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
When people arrive in an entirely new place, they probably make a lot of comparisons — as I did. I flew from the prosperous city of Shanghai, leaving from Shanghai Pudong International Airport. While Taoyuan was smaller and less magnificent, it felt gentle and warm.
After arriving, we went through immigration processing and I was surprised the staff there communicated with me. Their consideration comforted me a lot. In China, the staff would hardly chat with you while they were working because of regulations.
At the exit, we were welcomed by students from Shih Hsin University. Just imagine how happy and delighted you would be when — as a stranger — you see a friend meeting you at the airport.
Later, we reached our dorm building, which was specially designed for Chinese exchange students and teachers. As the first newcomers of this building, we were under special consideration — a splendid dinner. Everything was well prepared and I was quite satisfied with my new dorm room — a double room. The first night was so comfortable and sweet. I was just like a typical spoiled expatriate.
In the following days, three of us traveled by ourselves. We were touched by the many Taiwanese we met and what we saw. When we got on the bus, the bus driver chatted with us. There was no one eating or drinking or talking very loudly.
When I was trying to find a seat, I found people smiling at me. I did not worry that sudden braking would send me tumbling me down because the bus was at a stable speed.
Looking out the bus window, I was watching the buildings with various types of architecture, combining the classical and modern together. It is a great human legacy and it is good to see that Taiwan can preserve it and balance it so well. They not only meet the needs of building function, but also satisfy the needs of the city, which are diverse and distinct.
And convenience store chains are everywhere, such as 7-Eleven. Many are nearby, sometimes even inside a building, MRT station or a railway station, making it easy for commuters to pop into a store to grab a meal on their way home.
I feel fortunate to be living here: A place I feel at home in, even though I am so far away from home.
I have also been impressed by the people here. Even a mere smile or “hello” would make me feel moved and inspired. Every time I pay for what I buy, the clerk would say “thank you” with a big smile. Every night when I come home, the doormen welcome us, waving their hands as if they’re our family members. They have warmed the hearts of hundreds of exchange students.
It seems Taiwanese do not work for money, but to enjoy life. I have been moved by this harmonious society. Unlike the sterotype of strangers in a strange land, in this city I can tell the whole society cares about us and I am no longer an outsider.
The first seven days made me consider living here forever rather than making me feel homesick or culture-shocked. I look forward to the following days and I will cherish every minute I spend in Taiwan.
Zeng Yanxi
Taipei
The conflict in the Middle East has been disrupting financial markets, raising concerns about rising inflationary pressures and global economic growth. One market that some investors are particularly worried about has not been heavily covered in the news: the private credit market. Even before the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, global capital markets had faced growing structural pressure — the deteriorating funding conditions in the private credit market. The private credit market is where companies borrow funds directly from nonbank financial institutions such as asset management companies, insurance companies and private lending platforms. Its popularity has risen since
The Donald Trump administration’s approach to China broadly, and to cross-Strait relations in particular, remains a conundrum. The 2025 US National Security Strategy prioritized the defense of Taiwan in a way that surprised some observers of the Trump administration: “Deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority.” Two months later, Taiwan went entirely unmentioned in the US National Defense Strategy, as did military overmatch vis-a-vis China, giving renewed cause for concern. How to interpret these varying statements remains an open question. In both documents, the Indo-Pacific is listed as a second priority behind homeland defense and
Every analyst watching Iran’s succession crisis is asking who would replace supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Yet, the real question is whether China has learned enough from the Persian Gulf to survive a war over Taiwan. Beijing purchases roughly 90 percent of Iran’s exported crude — some 1.61 million barrels per day last year — and holds a US$400 billion, 25-year cooperation agreement binding it to Tehran’s stability. However, this is not simply the story of a patron protecting an investment. China has spent years engineering a sanctions-evasion architecture that was never really about Iran — it was about Taiwan. The
In an op-ed published in Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said that Taiwan should not have to choose between aligning with Beijing or Washington, and advocated for cooperation with Beijing under the so-called “1992 consensus” as a form of “strategic ambiguity.” However, Cheng has either misunderstood the geopolitical reality and chosen appeasement, or is trying to fool an international audience with her doublespeak; nonetheless, it risks sending the wrong message to Taiwan’s democratic allies and partners. Cheng stressed that “Taiwan does not have to choose,” as while Beijing and Washington compete, Taiwan is strongest when
RSS