| Taiwan A to Z: The Essential Cultural Guide |  | Author: Amy C. Liu
Publisher: Community Services Center, Taipei
Category: Book
Buy New: $24.95
as of 9/8/2010 04:21 CDT details
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 650,059
Media: Paperback
Pages: 182
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.6
ISBN: 9579784760
EAN: 9789579784764
ASIN: 9579784760
Publication Date: May 29, 2009
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Taiwan A to Z provides the essential information you need to know before you go to Taiwan. Whether youre 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 its 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 shouldnt 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 authors 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 Fantastic Guide to the People of Taiwan January 26, 2010
J. H. Rosen (Taipei, Taiwan)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
When I found out my husband's company was moving us to Taiwan, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the country. I started grabbing up the well known guides but they only told me where to go. When I arrived I discovered Amy's book. What a great book! It's easy and enjoyable and full of so much information about the culture. It's not a guide to where to go, it's a guide to the way people think and live here. It's fantastic. My husband usually grabs a book and reads a few pages before bed each night. He couldn't put this one down and finished it in a few nights. Quick, informative and fun to read too. Highly recommend for expats but it's also useful to any visitor who just wants to know about the country they are visiting.
In Taiwan for business or pleasure? Great resource. January 25, 2010
J. Coye
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Amy Liu, a Taiwanese educated in the States, has compiled a very useful "A to Z" guide to Taiwan. Etiquette, religion, customs, food, are all covered in detail. Not a tour book, but, as advertised, an "essential cultural guide." Practical and easy to read and reference, whether you're traveling for work or vacation. You can tell how much the author loves her country, the "Ilha Formosa" or "beautiful island" as named by long ago Portuguese sailors.
Great for ex-pats and vacationers as well. January 7, 2010
M. Mendoza (Austin, Texas)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book has great insights into the culture of Taiwan. After living in Taipei for three years I learned some of the information contained in the book. I wish I had this book before moving there. Although this book is good for ex-pats I think that visitors would enjoy it as well. The country and culture of Taiwan are wonderful, this guide helps you understand and appreciate everything that makes it so wonderful but sometimes incomprehensible.
Great read for business travelers or people moving to Taiwan January 29, 2010
Edward Yardumian (Taipei, Taiwan)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Amy Liu was my Taiwanese cultural trainer and helped facilitate my move to Taipei five years ago. She is widely known as "the resource" in the Taipei when it comes to adapting to life in Taiwan. Even after years living in Taiwan and in Asia, I found the book still added to my understanding of the island and many of the chapters captured things I learned along the way (often the hard way). If you or a family member is moving to Taipei or visiting Taiwan, i strongly recommend purchasing this book before the move or trip. I've purchased copies for friends and family visiting me here (prior to their trips). After reading the book, they've been more enthusiastic about coming and a few even re-read it after their trip.
See Taiwan from the inside January 30, 2010
Kathryn (Taipei, Taiwan)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
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. Having becoming completely Americanized during her time in the States, it was on a trip to Japan as an exchange student that Amy came to realize that she knew far less than she would like about her hone country and its rich and diverse culture. Thus started the journey that lead her back to Taiwan where she has been living and working since 1999 as a cross-cultural educator with the Community Services Center in Taipei, a center set up to assist expatriates relocating to Taipei.
Taiwan A to Z really is just what the title says it is. It covers everything you ever wanted to know about the culture in Taiwan as well as many things you'd never thought of. It gives clear advice about how to decode what Taiwanese people really mean when they say "Yes" and why they hardly ever say "No"; it looks at the important festivals celebrated here in Taiwan, such as Moon Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and of course, the big one: Chinese New Year; it introduces you to local foods and eating customs and coaches you on expected etiquette in a range of circumstances. It really is the only guide you'll ever need to navigating Taiwanese culture.
The thing I love the most about this book is the personality of it. Reading this book feels more like a friendly conversation with Amy than anything else. The advice and information is delightfully sprinkled with personal anecdotes and stories - this is the written version of the top-notch training that Amy has been providing expats in Taipei with for the last ten years.
Who should read this book? In my opinion it is not only a guide to navigating the culture here in Taiwan but a fantastic introduction to a wonderful country. Taiwan, the unsung hero of the Asia region, is so often overlooked by travelers and I really feel that they're missing out on something incredible. If you are interested in learning more about Taiwan, have an interest in traveling here (for either business or pleasure) then this is the book I would recommend.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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