Coliving in Taiwan

Located in East Asia, Taiwan is a densely populated island with around 23 million residents. The landscape is renowned for being particularly breathtaking, with mountain ranges running from north to south on the eastern side, rolling plains on the west plus sandy beaches and coral reef by the coast.

The people of Taiwan are among the most welcoming in the world and believe that “ren qing wie” is an important quality. This loosely translates as “the flavour of human feeling”; part of this includes being friendly to strangers, generosity and observing correct behaviours at all times.
This unique Taiwanese characteristic means that coliving works particularly well, and in a location where space is at a premium, it’s the ideal solution. The cities of Taipei and Tainan are two of the most popular destinations for digital dwellers.

Away from work, if you want to see more of Taiwan, then cycling is the most popular way to travel. The government has made investment in cycling paths a priority and in main cities such as Taipei, there’s an excellent infrastructure.
Taiwanese cuisine is much lauded and if you’re a foodie, the night markets are a must. With around 300 markets located on the island, street food known as “xiao-chi” is hugely popular. This includes everything from oyster omelet to xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and the traditional bubble tea milk.

The National Palace Museum, located in Taipei is a paradise for art lovers. It hosts the biggest collection of Chinese art found anywhere in the world and includes 10,000 items including bronze carvings, jade statues, calligraphy and pottery. The exhibits here change regularly with only a small fraction of their catalogue on display at once.

Fun facts about Taiwan:
- You can drive around the whole of Taiwan in just eight hours
- Portuguese explorers first arrived at Taiwan in 1590 and were so taken aback by its loveliness they named it “Ilha Formosa” aka “Beautiful Island”
- Family is an integral part of Taiwanese culture with extended families of up to 50 members all living together in a single household
- Plum blossom is the national flower of Taiwan and as a winter flower, symbolises courage and perseverance
- The refuse collection trucks play Für Elise by Beethoven when they arrive, much like an ice-cream truck might do; this is the signal for Taiwanese residents to bring out their rubbish!