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Contents Introduction of Taiwan ......................................................................................................................... 4

Country name .................................................................................................................................................. 4

Flag .................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Capital ............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Area ................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Population ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

Language .......................................................................................................................................................... 4

Religion ............................................................................................................................................................ 4

Time zone ........................................................................................................................................................ 4

Weather and climate ........................................................................................................................................ 5

Currency .......................................................................................................................................................... 5

Cost of the life in Taiwan .................................................................................................................................. 7

Electricity ......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Flight to Taiwan ................................................................................................................................................ 7

Transportation ................................................................................................................................................. 7

Additional information ....................................................................................................................... 13

Public Holidays ............................................................................................................................................... 13

Business hours ............................................................................................................................................... 14

Food recommended ....................................................................................................................................... 15

Tips ................................................................................................................................................................ 16

Water ............................................................................................................................................................ 16

Toilet ............................................................................................................................................................. 16

Telecommunications ...................................................................................................................................... 17

Information of arrival .......................................................................................................................... 19

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Airport ........................................................................................................................................................... 19

Information of the flight .......................................................................................................................... 19

Attractions: Formosa, beautiful island ...................................................................................... 20

Taipei ............................................................................................................................................................. 22

Taichung ........................................................................................................................................................ 23

Kaohsiung ...................................................................................................................................................... 24

Others .............................................................................................................................................. 25

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Introduction of Taiwan

Country name Taiwan (Republic Of China)(台灣)

Flag

Capital Taipei(台北)

Area 36,000 square kilometers

Population 23 million

Language Mandarin / Taiwanese / Hakka / Indigenous Languages

Religion

Buddhism / Taoism / Catholicism/Christianity / / / /Islam

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Time Zone

Taiwan: GMT+ 8

Weather and the climate

The climate on the island is generally marine and varies widely by season in the Northern part and the mountain areas. The South, however, belongs to the tropical belt and is warm and humid all year. From May to June it's rainy season, with almost daily showers. From July to October typhoons are most likely to strike, on average about four direct hits per year. In the northern part of Taiwan, cloudiness is persistent and extensive during the year; in the south, however, the rainy days are always in the summertime, and 90% of the annual precipitation falls during this period. The annual rainfall is usually more than 2,500 mm (98.4 in), close to 5,000 mm (196.9 in) in some Eastern regions.

Currency

The Republic of China's unit of currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$),which has five denominations in paper money and five in coins. Paper money comes in NT$2000, NT$1000, NT$500, NT$200, and NT$100 denominations. Coins come in NT$50, NT$20, NT$10, NT$5 and NT$1 denominations.

NT$2000 NT$1000

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NT$500 NT$200

NT$100

Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks and hotels. Receipts are given when currency is exchanged, and must be presented in order to exchange unused NT dollars before departure. Major credit cards such as American Express, Master Card, Visa, and Diners Club are accepted and traveler's checks may be cashed at foreign-exchange banks, some tourist-oriented businesses, and (by room guests) most international tourist hotels. Nowadays, exchange rate of currency is like the following.

US 1 NT$28.9

€1 NT$41.64 AUS$1 NT$30.18 CAD$1 NT$29.42 ￥1 NT$0.376 ￡1 NT$47.2

More information of the rate can be seen on http://www.xe.com/?c=TWD, which may be refreshed every 1 minute.

Cost of the life in Taiwan

The following is the average price of the thing in Taiwan. Hope this helps you know how much budget you should plan.

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Item Cost

Food(each meal) NT$50~100 Beverage and snack NT$10~40 Transportation Bus:NT$15~20/MRT:NT$20~60/Bike:NT$100(rent per day) Hostel NT$350~400 Weekend trip NT$400~2000 Mobile phone airtime NT$300 Souvenir Postcard:NT$10~20/NT$100 Trainee conference NT$900

Electricity

Taiwan uses electric current of 110 volts at 60 cycles, appliances from Europe, Australia or South-East Asia will need an adaptor or transformer. Many buildings have sockets with 220 volts especially for the use of air conditioners.

Flight to Taiwan

People from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, America, and Canada may get a direct flight in these countries. Some people from southeast Asia, Australia, and Europe should transfer twice or three times. Taiwan has its own air companies like TransAsia Airways, Eva air, China airlines and so on. Please check on the website of Taoyuan airport. http://www.taoyuan-airport.com/english/index.jsp

Transportation

[MRT]

The original name of MRT is Mass Rapid Transit. It consists of variable lines, including the Wenshan-Neihu Line, the Danshui Line, the Zhonghe Line, the Xindian Line,

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Ticket Title of the ticket Information Fare IC Single-Journey

Ticket

‧Good for one passenger, one journey. ‧Can be bought from ticket vending

machines in the station.

‧Valid only on the day of issue. ‧Usage: Place the ticket over the

sensor area (marked with the IC

Single-Journey Ticket logo) at the gate.

When it beeps or an arrow shows, the

flaps will open to let passengers pass

through. Token will be retrieved when

you exit at your destination.

According

station

distance.

to

and

the

the

One-day pass ‧This One-Day Pass is valid

for unlimited Taipei Metro rides from first

use until the end of service on a single

day (Not including Maokong Gondola). It

is valid for one passenger each time.

‧This One-Day Pass cannot be

value-added. ‧The price of a One-Day Pass includes

a refundable deposit of NT$50. The

deposit can be claimed by returning the

card within 3 days from first use.

Damage to the card forfeits the deposit. ‧Usage: Place the card over the sensor

of the EasyCard logo at the gate. When

it beeps or an arrow shows, the flaps will

open to let passengers pass through.

NT$ 200

the Banqiao Line, the Nangang Line, the Tucheng Line, the Luzhou Line, and the Xiaonanmen Line. Together, these form the preliminary network for Taipei’s Metro system and in cooperation with other means of public transportation, have provided the people of Taipei with a comprehensive and convenient public transportation network.

About the price of the tickets, passengers can go to the website of Taipei MRT system for more information. The fare in average is from NT$25 to NT$35 according to the station where the passengers go. The peak of the MRT is from 7am to 9am and from 5pm to 8pm. During this period, there will the MRT for each two minutes.

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Easy card 1. Adult EasyCard

‧Eligibility: Ordinary passengers. ‧Availability: For sale at all stations or

convenience stores with EasyCard logo.

‧Metro discount: 20% discount on each

trip. ‧Transfer discount: Passengers who

are using an Adult EasyCard to transfer

from metro to bus or vice versa within

one hour will receive a NT$ 8 discount. 2. Student EasyCard

‧Eligibility: Students, police and military

personnel.

‧Availability: For sale at all stations or

convenience stores with EasyCard logo

on presentation of valid student, police

or military ID.

‧Metro discount: 20% discount on each

trip. ‧Transfer discount: Passengers who

are using a Student EasyCard to transfer

from metro to bus or vice versa within

one hour will receive a NT$ 6 discount. ( We may suggest you to buy the student

EasyCard for the convenience. You can

get 20% discount on each trip and cost

NT$12 for each trip by bus. Please pay

attention, people use adult EasyCard

should pay NT$15 on each way by bus.

It’t very easy to buy a student EasyCard

if you have any kind of the student card,

international student card, or you can

ask the AIESECers for help.)

NT$500

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※How to obtain an EasyCard?

(1) Adult and Student card cost NT$500. They consist of a NT$400 disposable amount and a NT$100 deposit. Concessionaire cards cost NT$300, and consist of a NT$200 disposable amount and a NT$100 deposit. No refund is available in case of loss.

From 1,May,2010, convenience stores carrying the 「 」or「 」 logo (7-Eleven,

FamilyMart, Hi-Life and OK Mart) will sell a NT$200 Adult, Student and Concessionaire EasyCard. This card consists of a NT$100 disposable amount and a NT$100 deposit.

(2) When the original disposable value is used up, value can be added to the card for continued use. The card can be returned for a refund of the deposit and balance of the disposable value.

(3) If there is insufficient disposable value on the card to pay the Taipei Metro or bus fare, the fare will be deducted from the deposit. Value must be added to the card before it can be used again. Maximum deduction from the deposit is NT$60.

※Where can we use EasyCard?

EasyCard can be used not only at the bus or MRT stations, but also in 7-11, train station, convenient store, and so on. Don’t be worried that it might be only used in Taipei. EasyCard company got lots of corporation with more cities, including Taichung.

The map of Taipei MRT stations:

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[Bus]

In Taipei , the bus costs NT$15 for the adults each run. Students in Taipei with EasyCard should pay NT$12 only. Passengers transfer from MRT to bus can get extra discount. No need to buy the tickets first. Pay the coins to the box near the driver when you are leaving. You can also pay by easy card. You can also take bus to go to other counties.

(Bus in Taipei and the Easy Card reader)

[Taxi]

Not recommended to take if you can choose the bus or MRT. The beginning price will be NT$70 in Taipei. The fare will increase for NT$5 for each 250m. There is no taxi stop in the city. Taxi may stop when you wave your hands as the sign.

[Train]

You can take train go from county to county. Especially when you’re heading for a far county such as Hualien, You can take a train to go there. The price is more expensive then taking a bus. This is homepage of Taiwan Railway Administration: http://www.railway.gov.tw/tw/

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Public Holidays

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Business hours

[Bank] Monday to Friday 9:00~15:30., Closed on Saturday and Sunday.

[Post Office] Monday to Friday 8:30~17:00., Saturday 8:30~12:00. Please check on http://www.post.gov.tw/post/internet/u_english/index.jsp?ID=21

the opening hours are not the same according to the places.

[Store] Usually open from 10am to 7pm every day. Convenient stores are opened for 24 hours.

[Restaurant] Usually open from 11am to 8:30pm. Some restaurants closed in the afternoon. Night market usually opens from 7pm to 2am.

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Food recommend

蚵仔煎 Oyster omelet

It forms with some potato flour, oysters, vegetables, and an egg.

NT.45.

鳳梨酥 pineapple cake

NT. 30.

臭豆腐 Stinky Tofu

It contains tofu which has been marinated in brine and fermented vegetables. NT. 35

珍珠奶茶 bubble milk tea/ pearl milk tea

NT.40

大腸包小腸 double layer roll

A grilled Taiwanese sweet pork sausage wrapped in a grilled salty sticky rice sausage. It usually wrapped with garlic and basil.

NT.45

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潤餅 burrito/ Lumpia

It contains many vegetable. Just like spring roll. NT.35

棺材板 Coffin bread

This is fried toast with some ingredients such as vegetable, chicken.

NT. 45

Tips

Normal vendors like the ones in night market would not charge of the tips. Only the high-class restaurants charge 10% of the payment for the tips. No need to pay the tips for the taxi drivers.

Water

Unboiled water is not suitable for drinking. You can buy the bottle of the water in the convenient store. Each bottle should pay around NT$18 to NT$29 according to the volume.

Toilets

Public toilets can be used for free.

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Continent Fee Rate Original Rate NT$10/Sec.

New Rate NT$5/Sec.

Rate of Reduced

Country/ Time Period

General Reduced General Reduced

Asia Hong Kong Singapore, Japan,

24 26 30 32

South Korea, Mainland China

23 25 23 24

39.87%

Philippines, Malaysia,

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Telecommunications

Public phones in Taiwan are divided primarily into two types, coin and card. Coin phones accept coins in denominations of NT$1, NT$5, and NT10. For local calls, NT$1 buys one minute of phone time. Phone cards are divided into magnetic strip stored value cards and IC stored value cards, and can be used all over Taiwan. Magnetic strip cards sell for NT$100 each, and IC cards are available in NT$200 and NT$300 versions. The cards are sold in railway stations, bus stations, scenic spots, and convenience stores. When making local calls it is not necessary to dial the area code; when making long-distance calls, however, the area code of the party being called must be dialed in first (see explanation on the public telephone) and then the number itself dialed. International calls can be made from private cell phones, public IDD phones, or hotel IDD phones. International calls are charged in units of six seconds. The procedure for making international direct dial calls from Taiwan is as follows: 1. Dial Taiwan's international access code, 002 or 009. 2. Dial the country code of the country being called (1 for the U.S., 86 for mainland China, etc.) 3. Dial in the area code of the called party (leaving out the long-distance recognition digit, "0") 4. Dial in the number of the called party. For operator-assisted international calls, please dial "100." For international information, call this free number : 0800-080100 Reduced price periods and fees for International Subscriber Dialing (ISD) are as follows: 10:00 p.m. - 8:00 a.m. daily, 12:00 noon Saturday - all day Sunday - 8:00 a.m. Monday, and all day on national holidays.

Public Phone International Direct Dialing Fees

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Thailand, Indonesia, Macau

Vietnam 17 20 8 9 Other 17 20 10 11 Oceania Australia, New

Zealand

23

25

23

24

Others 17 20 9 11 Europe England, France,

Germany

20

23

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Spain, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Ireland

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15

16

Others 17 19 10 11 American United States

(including Hawaii, Alaska)

38

42

50

52

Mexico 18 26 9 14 Others 13 15 8 9 Middle East 14 17 8 10 Africa 13 15 8 9

For reverse charges or credit calls, dial 008 + the communication number for the country being called, as followings : Australia

008-061-0061

Canada 008-012-0012

Germany 008-049-0049

Hong Kong 008-085-2111

Italy 008-039-0039

Japan (via KDD) 008-81-0051

South Korea 008-082-0082

Malaysia 008-60-0060

Philippines 008-63-0063

Singapore 008-065-6565

England 008-044-0044

United States (AT&T)

008-010-2880 18

Information of arrival

Airport

The international airports in Taiwan are Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport. The international airline will be Taoyuan international usually and we suggest you to take airline for Taoyuan as well. Please check the information about your flight and reply to your TN manager. The following lists something must be known. Please take a look.

[Information of the flight]

Arrival time, flight number and which terminal(We have 2 terminals in the airport).

If you are arrive at the 1st terminal in the airport, here is the map of the terminal. (Please look at the PINK area)

If you arrive at the 2nd

terminal in the airport, here is is the map of the terminal. (Please look at the PINK area)

Notice : You can take the bus to our Taoyuan Hish Speed Railway Station,

then buy a ticket southbound to Chiayi!

We’ll meet you at Chiayi High Speed Railway Station!

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Attractions: Formosa, beautiful island Taiwan is known for its towering mountains, and is reputable as a "Mountainous Island". The island is spotted with numerous mountains over 3,000 meters. It is also home to the Northeast Asia's tallest mountain, Yushan(玉山), which is nearly 4,000 meter in height. Besides mountains, beautiful

coastal scenes are also part of Taiwan's great natural asset. Starting from the northern tip of the island is the North Coast & Guanyinshan National Scenic Area and Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area that features various sorts of coastal geography. Traveling all the way down from here, one will first arrive at the scenic East Coast National Scenic Area and East Rift Valley National Scenic Area, and then the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area blessed with sunshine and tropical touch. Alongside the mountainous areas is the Maolin National Scenic Area, where a lot of aborigines live and place one

can check out the world of butterfly, Rukai stone-made houses and Natural scenes in Taiwan. Legendary tales depict subtle beauty of Alishan National Scenic Area , where you can enjoy the relaxing scene of sunrise & cloud sea. Natural setting of Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area, eagle-spotting at Bagua Mountain, home of fruit-Lishan can sacred Buddhist sanctuary- Lion’s Head Mountain, can bring to you the many faces of the island's beauty. Penghu National Scenic Area, comprising of ninety islets, scattering around the Taiwan Strait. Flat landscape makes it different from Taiwan Island. It is blessed with the most spectacular view in Taiwan. Located in southeast of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island offer the enjoyment of nature environment, such as whale spotting and scuba diving. Matzu National Scenic Area comprises four townships on five islands. Most of the tourist sites are located in Nangan. Beigan has its stone houses and fish noodles. Juguang has its fishing port, as well as a lighthouse designated as a Class 2 historic site. In Dongyin one will find fantastic rock formations and the Dongyin branch of the Matzu Distillery. Colorful aboriginal events and tasty local specialties also await you at Siraya. The scenic area's main attraction is a varied coastline that consists of sand dunes, sand banks, marshes and wetlands, offering precious ecological habitats for wildlife.

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Taiwan now has 7 National Parks –Yangmingshan National Park in Taipei suburban, which is famous for its volcanic landscape; the Xueba National Park, acrossing Hsinchu & Miaoli counties and famous for special fish species- Formosan Oncorhynchus Masou; locating in Hualien county adjacent to Liwu creek, Taroko National Park is known for its lofty canyon landscape; acrossing many counties in central Taiwan, Yushan National Park is famous for its bright sunshine; locating in south tip, Kending National Park gives you a total touch of Southeast Asia; last on the list is Kinmen

National Park which is known for legacies from the war decades ago. In addition to the beautiful natural setting provided, above six National Parks also offer great ecological environment for tourists. The Dongsha Atoll Marine National Park was established in January 2007 at the north tip of the South China Sea, marking the southern portal to the Taiwan Strait. The atoll has a unique white sand landscape formed of coral and shell. Besides, National Palace Museum, located in outskirt of Taipei City, is home to essence of the

five-thousand-year Chinese history. It has the finest collections of Chinese Arts, providing an eye-opening experience of Chinese culture. Taiwan is somewhere you can experience the amazement of Chinese culture.

Website of Tourism Bureau of R.O.C Taiwan http://taiwan.net.tw/

Taiwan touch your heart http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=r0CVwlmkaCQ

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Taipei 101

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

National Palace Museum

Jioufen

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Sun Moon Lake

Tunghai university

Green House of National Museum of Natural Science

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Kaohsiung

Sizihwan

Dream Mall

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Kenting

Taroko National Park 25