r/TEFL • u/XPAQ • 2d ago

Taiwan cultural sensitivity

Any long term EFL teachers from Taiwan? Do you have any advice on cultural faux pas there? I'm tasked with writing a report on cultural sensitivities to be aware of there and would appreciate any inputs you may have - small or otherwise.

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13

u/x3medude 2d ago

Are we talking like shoving chopsticks straight into rice because it looks like incense cultural insensitivity? If so I got a few

14

u/masegesege_ 2d ago

Don’t give grandpa a watch for his birthday, it means his time is almost up.

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u/XPAQ 2d ago

More like unspoken rules or faux pas that you wouldn't see in a tourism guide. Like, I thought I was complementing the subway because it reminded me of Japan, and was quickly told to not mention Japan because of the occupation. China, of course, is a whole other story

12

u/mang0_k1tty 2d ago

Nah, Taiwanese are obsessed with Japan. They go every chance they get 😆

3

u/rlvysxby 2d ago

Taiwanese are like the number 1 fans of Japan. Of course not the occupation part or ww2 Japan. But Japan nowadays it is like their favorite country

5

u/RateMyTeflSchool 2d ago

Hand over paper money with two hands, it’s a bit old fashioned but it is a sign of respect

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u/XPAQ 2d ago

Ooh ya, more of that Japanese influence

14

u/TheDeclineOfAll 2d ago

Cultural sensitivity is a western thing but there are a few:

  1. When someone says Taiwan is great, agree because it is not a topic of debate. Same goes for anyone saying China is bad. The nationalism in Taiwan can also really suck because some things are shit and people wont validate that they are unless you are ten beer deep and know them well.

  2. The work culture is very authoritarian and your boss (lao ban) is never to be questioned. If you do question them, expect them to double or triple down and make the thing they were talking about an opportunity to save face by making your life hell. You should toss up professional boundaries though. If you don't they will walk all over you for sport.

  3. Passively aggressively baiting someone into blowing up is a sport in Taiwanese offices, and the first person to have an emotional response loses. Keep your cool at all times.

  4. Tattling is also not taboo in Taiwan and is used tactically to gain favor with the lao bans. Keep your private life private unless you're 100% that you can trust someone. This includes seasoned expat teachers too BTW. Some of those dudes suck!

  5. The belief in ghosts is very real and is a whole thing in the countryside. Do know that Taiwanese are very superstitious, and some will even let fortune tellers dictate their futures.

  6. The just good enough culture (chubuduo) is very real and you should never fight it without first understanding why the person doesn't give a single shit about doing anything well. Hint, it is usually the lao ban.

  7. Guanxi, or social face (well more like social capital) is everything in Taiwan. This means relationships matter way more than you think they do, and if you understand that, you'll:

A) Understand that your reputation and relationships will make or break your time in the country.

B) Get a sense of why locals act the way they do.

  1. A lot of younger locals have to do what their parents tell them to. Yes, they often hate it, but they have no choice. Do not judge them for this.

  2. As an English teacher you'll have very little guanxi, and because Taiwanese culture is all about where you sit in the pecking order (related to the 5 relationships), you'll have to understand that some of your coworkers are trying to make you subordinate to get ahead, locals might not view you with respect or esteem, and that you're coming in after a long string of other expats that have been spun in the media to be awful drunks, so it is best to pick your battles and have other stuff going on that matters.

  3. Taiwan is very unequal in terms of income. On one side of things, you have the people living in mansions up on Yaomingsan (near Tianmu), and on the other you have people squeezed into illegal rooms in overpriced apartments barely scraping by. There is some middle, but it can also be a sensitive topic because people know what their futures look like and often cannot leave the island due to family, so they are hopeless, broke and stuck without futures.

You can talk about Japan BTW. Hell you can also talk about how awful CKC was (google Taiwan White Terror), but do not mess with the nationalism shit. They really hate when you don't agree.

PS,

If you are new, now is a great time to have an idea of where you want to point your future. If that is a grad program, Taiwan is cheap for that. If that is a career at home, get some certs. And if that's a year to party before you settle down a bit, plan for that. We call Taiwan the carnivorous island because it is just comfortable enough to live in for years without knowing that it has eaten your ability to have a future. So, you'll wake up one day, look in the mirror, going grey and finally ready to do something, realize you're fucked and fall into the deep, dark depression that is being angry all the time, posting wacky rants on Tea Lit, drinking until your wife leaves you and your liver gives out, and you'll be in the same buxiban job you've always been in making the same amount you did ten years before but not get as many hours because there's a 20 year old that the kids like more.

5

u/XPAQ 2d ago

wowzerz! I sincerely thank you for your deep and frank insights! - A rarity in our Instagram age. I hope it was cathartic and I wish you great peace my friend.

5

u/TheDeclineOfAll 1d ago

Thanks! To be honest, Taiwan wasn't my cup of tea because I wanted more than it could ever offer me. I do, however, have great friends there, have surfed all over, hiked up the side of mountains, been stuck in typhoons, taken packs of Taiwanese girls snorkeling, almost died cliff jumping, driven around the island on a scooter, and it is the one place I keep going back to for vacation because something about it feels like home despite the innumerable hardships it has thrown at me over the years.

So, my post above isn't to scare you, or to dissuade you from anything, but it is to loop you in on stuff we've figured out over time so you can take things at face value and enjoy your life unencumbered by the bullshit.

Since you do seem interested in the culture stuff, you can also read up on the following:

  1. High context vs low context languages

  2. Peach vs coconut models of socialization

  3. Dependence cultures (filial piety is huge)

  4. Philosophy: Taoism, Han era Leagalism, Confucianism

  5. Taiwanese indigenous people

  6. The five relationships: This is a bit one because it encompasses the social sphere too.

  7. Different Chinese dynasties: The Han and what followed are really important as is the Century of Humiliation following the Opium Wars and what happened after WWII

Also, life will be easier if you learn a bit of Mandarin: Numbers, colors, asking for directions, foods (need to learn the characters), basic store interactions, ordering food.

Good luck in Taiwan!