Schedium

The history of a country is always the history of its people. Of their lives and thoughts, of their hardships and successes. If you want to understand the rise of Asia's economic power, is there a better way than knowing the personal stories of those business people who, born into poverty, struggled to become wealthy? I believe that such individual stories will allow future generations to understand much better this era of astonishing economic and social change in the Far East. If Japan is the "pioneer" of Asian capitalism, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore belong to the second generation of Asian "economic miracles". They shocked the Western world - which in its arrogance believed to be destined to exercise a monopoly over progress and economic development forever - by the unprecedented pace of their industrialization and their long-lasting economic success. Chang Yung-fa (Traditional Chinese:  張榮發 , pinyin: Zhāng Róngfā, born in 1927 in ...

When I meet new Taiwanese friends, the question they invariably ask me is: "Why did you choose Taiwan instead of Mainland China?" Sometimes I tell them the truth, sometimes I just say that I am interested in Taiwan. I thought for a few days whether I should publish this post on my blog and tell strangers about my private matters. At last, I decided to share my experiences with you guys. I've always been interested in East Asia. Not for rational reasons, such as future career prospects. My interest was born out of a feeling, which I cannot explain. I think every country has its own aesthetics. When you see the image of a city or a landscape, sometimes you feel fascination, you want to go there. The way people look like, behave and get dressed, the architecture, the nature - there are many reasons why a place might attract you.  As far as I can remember, my interest in East Asia dates back to my teenage years. At that time I had no internet at home, and my access t...

Taipei Main Station It was the 4th of November when I arrived at Taoyuan International Airport. In Europe already time to wear jackets and prepare for the imminent snow. In Taiwan, instead, the weather was hot and humid. People wore short-sleeve shirts and short trousers. Taking off my jacket didn't help. I still felt really hot. No wonder, there were around 30 degree Celsius outside, and my warm jeans and water-proof shoes were not exactly ideal. There's no underground connecting the airport to the city centre, so I took a bus. There are many bus companies that take to different places of the city, like Xindian, Nangang, Zhongxiao Dunhua and so on. So be careful to go to the correct counter and ask. I bought a ticket for Taipei Main Station. When the bus arrived, the bus driver got off and began to shout in Chinese, announcing the destination of the bus. Then he asked passengers where they were going, just to make sure they didn't get on the wrong one. Fortunately...

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Taipei When I told my mother that I was going to Taiwan, she asked me: "Where is Taiwan?" I was surprised by her question, but on second thought I should have expected it. Many people in the West don't know much about Taiwan, some of them even think that Taiwan is Thailand. So I think that if I write a blog about my life in Taiwan I should at least give you some background information about this place.  First of all, a state called Taiwan doesn't exist. In fact, the official name of Taiwan is Republic of China . Taiwan is just a geographical term that defines the island of Taiwan. That the official name of a country is not the same as its colloquial name, is nothing unusual. We know that Germany's official name is "Federal Republic of Germany", but we never say: Hey, I'm going to fly to the Federal Republic of Germany tomorrow. We just call it Germany. The same with the United States of America. We usually sa...

View of Taipei 101, the symbol of Taipei, on a wonderful spring day. Hello everyone and welcome to my blog, "My New Life in Asia." One year ago, on the 4th of November 2011, I arrived in Taiwan for the first time. It was an exciting moment. I'd been dreaming to go to Asia for years, and finally my dream had come true.  A lot of things happened ever since that day, I've had many new experiences and learnt a lot of things. Some of them shocked me, others made me happy. I had a great time, but also many disappointments. Though I studied Chinese for two years when I was in Europe, I'd never thought about moving to this small island which, although it is a very interesting place to explore, is somehow overshadowed by its big neighbours, the People's Republic of China and Japan. The reason why I chose Taiwan was that I fell in love with a Taiwanese girl. "A romantic story with a happy ending", you might think. Well, not really.  Two wee...