A young German man has caused a stir among Taiwanese netizen by posting online a video clip titled “3 Reasons to Hate Taiwan.”
Despite its title, the clip had gathered more than 4,500 “likes” as of yesterday afternoon compared with 100 “dislikes.”
“There are three reasons that I really hate Taiwan. People, food and nature,” the man said in the video.
“People are too ... friendly. They always ask how they can help me,” he said.
The German then “complained” about the food in Taiwan.
“Food is too ... tasty. I will turn so ... fat,” he said.
As for the country’s landscape, “the nature is just too beautiful. I don’t want to go home again. My mom would kill me if I stay here longer,” he said.
The video, available on Youtube, has prompted Taiwanese netizens to reply in a similar spirit.
One response read: “We are so sorry about all that. I would like to offer my sincere apologies to you.”
Another said: “I’d say Germany is better. But Taiwan is still a wonderful place.”
Tourism Bureau Deputy Director Chang Hsi-chung (張錫聰) said the young man “should add one more thing to his list — having to leave Taiwan.”
“We are proud of Taiwanese hospitality toward tourists. We sometimes have foreigners come in after losing their wallets or passports, but the items are often returned by people seeking nothing in return. The visitors are quite moved by this kind of experience,” Chang said.
Taiwanese cuisine offers a lot of different snacks, not just in cities, but also many can be found in rural counties, he said.
“In recent years, we have had a boom in bicycle tours, which has attracted many cycling enthusiasts to Taiwan. Overall, more than 8 million tourists came to Taiwan last year,” Chang said.
Recently, a number of young people have produced and uploaded short video clips in which they interviewed foreign visitors about what they think of the nation.
The videos indicate that foreigners living in Taiwan are interested in local current events, with topics including recommendations to watch box-office hit Kano and the adept organization of the Sunflower movement by its student leaders.
The clip made by the German man can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCH9A-nG8zQ.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS