SASIMI 2010 » Useful Information

Useful Information

Taipei City

From the world’s tallest building to the biggest collection of Chinese art, Taipei invites you into a world of fascinating contrasts - a mix of the modern and traditional with a generous dash of energy and friendly smiles to make this one of your most memorable trips to Taiwan.

The cultural kaleidoscope of Taiwan’s capital city pulses wherever you go. Incense-veiled temples dating back to dynastic times blend seamlessly with a neoned street life of a decidedly more modern era. Taipei has dozens of world-class restaurants where gourmets can sample the best regional Chinese cuisine; and for the gourmand, there are plenty night markets serving up scrumptious evening snacks in an environment of chaotic excitement and fun.

The polarities of Taipei are vividly present as well in the joining of the urban and natural. Just a few minutes from the heart of the city you can soak away the cares of the world in mineral-rich hot springs nestled in the lush mountain foothills ringing the TaipeiBasin. And throughout the city there are plenty of trails, parks and other oases of tranquility to lift and invigorate your spirits.

Discover the heart of Asia in beautiful Taipei!

Taiwan

Taiwan's total land area is only about 36,000 square
kilometers; it is shaped like a tobacco leaf that is
narrow at both ends. It lies off the southeastern
coast of mainland Asia, across the Taiwan Straits
from Mainland China– a solitary island on the
western edge of the Pacific Ocean. To the north lies
Japan and Okinawa, to the south is the Philippines.
Many airlines fly to Taiwan, helping make it the
perfect travel destination.

People

Taiwan's total land area is only about 36,000 square
kilometers; it is shaped like a tobacco leaf that is
narrow at both ends. It lies off the southeastern
coast of mainland Asia, across the Taiwan Straits
from Mainland China– a solitary island on the
western edge of the Pacific Ocean. To the north lies
Japan and Okinawa, to the south is the Philippines.
Many airlines fly to Taiwan, helping make it the
perfect travel destination.

Visa Information (Vistor VISA)

Vistor VISA application in Taiwan

Language

The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese (Guoyu), but because
many Taiwanese are of southern Fujianese descent, Min-nan (the Southern
Min dialect, or Holo) is also widely spoken. The smaller groups of Hakka
people and aborigines have also preserved their own languages.

The most popular foreign language in Taiwan is English, which is part of
the regular school curriculum. However, to be on the safe side, when taking
a taxi in Taiwan it is advisable to prepare a note with your place of
destination written in Chinese to show the taxi driver.

Nature

Formosa (beautiful
island) is what the Portuguese called Taiwan when
they came here in the 16th century and saw the
island’s verdant beauty.

Located along the
southeast coast of the Asian Continent at the
western edge of the Pacific Ocean, between Japan
and the Philippines and right in the center of the
East-Asian island arc, Taiwan forms a vital line
of communication in the Asia-Pacific region. It
covers an area of approximately 36,000 square
kilometers (14,400 square miles) and is longer
than it is wide. Two-thirds of the total area is
covered by forested mountains and the remaining
area consists of hilly country, platforms and
highlands, coastal plains and basins. The Central
Mountain Range stretches along the entire island
from north to south, thus forming a natural line
of demarcation for rivers on the eastern and
western sides of the island. On the west side lies
the Yushan Mountain Range with its main peak
reaching 3,952 meters, the highest mountain peak
in Northeast Asia.

Cultures

If this is your first
visit to Taiwan, you will most certainly be amazed
at the diversity of things this beautiful island
has to offer, as a rich historical background has
provided Taiwan with a multifaceted culture.
People from many different places and backgrounds,
such as Taiwan’s indigenous people, the southern
Fujianese from early China, Hakka immigrants, the
Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese, and the recent
immigrants from mainland China have all played a
role in Taiwan’s development.

While gradually
developing a new culture indigenous to Taiwan,
they also held on to their respective customs and
traditions; as a result, you will be able to
sample indigenous, Taiwanese, and Chinese cultures
and even find traces left by the Dutch and the
Japanese when traveling in Taiwan.

Food and Resturants

Plenty of variety restaurants can easily be found in
Hsin-Yi district. The nearest place to taste typical
Taiwanese delicacies is Taipei 101 Mall. It takes
only 5minutes from TICC to Taipei 101 Mall by walk.
Famous and unique Taiwanese snacks range from oyster
omelets to fried rice noodles, tempura, Tainan
Danzai noodles, Taiwanese spring rolls, rice tube
pudding, and braised pork rice is cheap and
delicious. A wide selection of Chinese and Western
delicacies is also served for you here. For further
information, please visit the website:

Taipei 101 Mall

The other option for eat in Taipei is Food in Taipei

Climate

Taiwan enjoys warm
weather all year round. The strongest fluctuations
in weather conditions are during spring and
winter, while during summer and autumn the weather
is relatively stable. Taiwan is extremely suitable
for traveling, as the annual average temperature
is a comfortable 22°C with lowest temperatures
ranging from 12 to 17°C (54-63°F). Therefore, with
the exception of a few mountain areas where some
traces of snow can be found during winter, no snow
can be seen throughout Taiwan.

TS2007 will be
held in early June, and during that period
Taipei’s mean temperature is 26°C, average high is
31°C and average low is 23°C. The mean relative
humidity is 77%, and precipitation is 225.3 mm.

Cuisine

The culinary culture of
the Chinese people goes back a very long time; and
while Chinese food can be enjoyed in every large
city in the world today, true gourmets know that
only in Taiwan is it possible to enjoy fine
authentic cuisine from all the different regions
of China.

In Taiwan, where it seems the people
live to eat, it is said that there is a snack shop
every three steps and a restaurant every five.
These establishments serve all kinds of Chinese
food, from the roast duck, smoked chicken, lamb
hotpot, fish in wine sauce, beef with green
peppers, and scallop and turnip balls of the north
to the camphor-tea duck, salty fried chicken with
spices, honey ham, stir-fried shrimp, dry-fried
eggplant, and spicy bean curd of the south.

As the island’s economy has developed rapidly in recent
years, its culinary culture has expanded beyond
the traditional Chinese foods to Chinese-style
fast-food chains, thus bringing greater complexity
than ever before to the art of Chinese dining.
Foreign foods from all over the world have also
made their appearance in Taiwan, and the island is
now filled with eateries serving American
hamburgers, Italian pizza, Japanese sashimi,
German pig’s knuckles, Swiss fondue, and just
about everything else.

All of this makes Taiwan a
veritable paradise for gourmands. Taiwan’s own
native cuisine has also become known around the
world, and if you try it just once you will
remember it forever.

Attractions

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 Northeast Asia’s highest mountain, Yushan
Mountain, 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 Sccenic
Area and Northeast 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 Tapeng Bay National Scenic Area
blessed with sunshine and tropical touch.

Alongside the mountainous areas is the Maoling
National Scenic Area, where a lot of aborigines
live and place one can check out the world of
butterfly, Lukai 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 and the
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 Mountain, can bring to you the
many faces of the island’s beauty. Penghu National
Scenic Area, comprising of sixty-four 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 Pacific Ocean southeast of
Taiwan, Lanyu and Green Island offer the enjoyment
of nature environment, whale spotting and scuba
diving. Matzu National Scenic Area comprises four
townships on five islands. Most of the tourist
sites are located in Nankan. Peikan has its stone
houses and fish noodles. Chukuang has its fishing
port, as well as a lighthouse designated as a
Class 2 historic site. In Tungyin one will find
fantastic rock formations and the Tungyin branch
of the Matsu Distillery. Southwest Coast National
Scenic Area is the 12th national scenic area. 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.

Taiwan now has 6 National
Parks - Yamingshan National park in Taipei
suburban, which is famous for its volcanic
landscape; the Shei-Pa National Park, acrossing
Hsinchu & Miaoli counties and famous for
special fish species-formosan Oncorhynchus masou ;
locating in Hualien county adjacent to Li-Wu
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,
Kenting 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. 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.

How to come to Taiwan

Taiwan’s international
flights are well developed and there are two
international airports, Taiwan Taoyuan
International Airport and Kaohsiung International
Airport. Thirty-four Airlines fly to 56 major
cities around the world from Taiwan, and the
average flight time from Taiwan to major cities in
the Asia-Pacific region is only two-and-a-half
hours.

A direct flight from the West Coast of the
U.S. to Taiwan takes only 12 hours, and flights
are frequent. Visitors can take advantages of the
domestic flight, Taiwan’s island-wide railway
system, comprehensive highway network and
convenient bus services to visit the beautiful
island. The convenient international airport for
the conference is the Taiwan Taoyuan International
Airport.

Currency

The Republic of China’s
unit of currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$).
Bill denominations are NT$2000, NT$1000, NT$500,
NT$200, and NT$100. Coin denominations are NT$1,
NT$5, NT$10 and NT$50. As of January 2005, the
exchange rate was quoted around NT$32 to one US
Dollar. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at the
airport upon arrival, or at government-authorized
banks, tourist hotels, and large department
stores.

Receipts are given when currency is
exchanged, and must be presented in order to
exchange unused NT Dollars before departure.
Traveler’s checks in major currencies may be
cashed at some tourist-oriented businesses and at
most international tourist hotels

Credit Cards

Hotels, department
stores, airlines, large stores and restaurants
accept major credit cards. Cash is generally
preferred elsewhere.

Banking Hours

Banks are open from 9
a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Telecommunication Service

One local call from a pay
phone costs NT$1 for 1 minute, after which
additional coins are needed or the line will be
automatically disconnected. On private phones, the
overseas operator may be reached by dialing “100.”
Direct dialing is available to some phones, after
first dialing the prefix “002.” International
direct dialing rates are calculated every six
seconds.

Time Zone

Taiwan is eight hours
ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and does not
practice daylight saving time in summer. You can
check Taiwan’s local time and the time difference
from your local time via this link: http://www.worldtimeserver.com/

Electricity Supply

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.

Customs

Personal items are free
of duty. Visitors over 20 years old may bring in,
duty free, 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 0.5 kg
of tobacco, one bottle of liquor and one used
camera. Gold cannot be exported without a permit
issued by the Ministry of Finance. Passengers
arriving with gold and silver and planning to take
it out at departure must declare it and leave the
items with Customs until they leave Taiwan.

Tipping/Taxes

Tipping is optional. It
is usual, however, to tip hotel porters and for
restaurant service. A 10% service charge and a 5%
value-added tax are added to room rates and meals.

Taxis

Major cities have an
abundance of taxis. Charges are NT$70 for the
first 1.5km and NT$5 for each additional 300
meters. An additional NT$5 is charged for every
two minutes of waiting, and a 20% surcharge is
added to fares between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., NT$10
dollars tip needed for cab dispatched by phone and
for luggage placed in taxi trunk.

Basically, taxi
fares in all major cities are set by local city
government itself and are in a minor discrepancy.
Out-of-town or long-distance travels may not apply
to meter charge; travelers are suggested to
confirm charging method before getting on taxi.

Taipei International Flora Expo

The Taipei International Flora Exposition was first held in
the late 20th century as a major event for every lover
of nature and of gardening.

The 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition will be held from November 6th,
2010 to April 25th, 2011. This is the first time the event will be held in Taiwan.
Taipei is the seventh city in Asia to host such a gardening expo, and this is a
chance for Taiwan to show the world its commitment to outstanding gardening and
the achievements it has made in the biotechnology sector.

Unlike suburban expositions held in Kunming, Hamanako, Chiang Mai and other cities,
the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition will take place in the city center
as a response to people’s desire for more urban green spaces. The site plans and
designs of this year’s show incorporate urban renewal concepts.

It is estimated that as many as six million tourists will visit Taipei City for
the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition. The Expo will help Taiwan share
with the world its achievements in the areas of tourism, catering, gardening and biotechnology.

Official Webpage

Taipei Beautiful

A overview website to introduce how beautiful Taipei is in Chinese

Chech the official Webpage

Taipei Massive Transit System

Provides customer information and introduction of the Taipei Metropolitan Rapid Transit System.

Check the TRTC Website

Last Modified: March 2, 2011