在北京住了两年后我即将搬去台北，两地有何文化和习俗差异我需要知道的？（上） [美国媒体]

I'm moving to Taipei soon after two years having lived in Beijing. What are the important cultural differences and customs to be made aware of between these cities?

在北京住了两年后我即将搬去台北，两地有何文化和习俗差异我需要知道的？（上）




Kang-Lin Cheng
Whatever Chinese version of apps or websites you’ve used in the past (WeChat, QQ, Baidu, etc.) are all worthless in Taiwan. Everyone uses the Western equivalent (Facebook, Google, Gmail, etc.). The sole exception is that we use LINE for instant messaging (which is Japanese)

你过去所使用的APP和网站（微信，QQ，百度等等）在台湾都毫无作用。大家都使用西方的谷歌，脸书，GMAIL等等。唯一的例外就是使用LINE作为即时通讯手段，而这个软件是日本的。



Get used to reading traditional Chinese
Get used to reading Chinese vertically, from right to left
Get used to using cash (no WeChat or Alipay)
Get used to using coins (although not nearly as much as Japanese do… I swear, Japanese people only use coins)

要适应阅读繁体字。要适应垂直阅读文字，而且是从右到左。要适应使用现金（没有微信和支付宝）。要适应使用硬币（虽然没有日本人那么频繁，我发誓，日本人只使用硬币）

You can’t just dump your trash in a garbage bin outside. You have to wait for the garbage trucks to come and pick them up (you’ll know they’re here when you hear the music that they play). This is both the most charming but also most annoying part of daily Taiwanese life.

你不能直接将垃圾放进外面的垃圾箱里。你必须等垃圾卡车到来（你会知道卡车什么时候来，因为它会放音乐）。这是最迷人也是最恼人的台湾日常生活的一方面。

Speaking of trash, it’s pronounced “le4se4”. “La1ji1” is actually incorrect, as per our government’s mandate on the Mandarin language
Toilet papers come in tissue boxes instead of rolls

说到垃圾，其发音是“le se”，根据我们政府对普通话的要求，“la ji”这种说法其实是不正确的。
厕纸放在纸巾盒里而不是一卷一卷的。

Every other commercial on TV will be in either English or Japanese (I find this highly annoying. It gives me the feeling that Taiwanese consumers blindly worship foreign products)

电视上的广告不是英语就是日语的，我认为这非常恼人，让我觉得台湾消费者盲目崇拜外国产品。

Every month of the year will feel like Beijing during July and August (hot and rainy). As such, be wary of how often you turn on the a/c, as it can get expensive really quickly. Try to go to malls or somewhere public with free a/c during the day, because you’ll want the a/c on all night (unless you’re really good at dealing with the heat)

一年中的每个月都感觉像七八月的北京，又热又下雨。所以要注意自己开空调的频繁程度，电费会非常贵。白天的时候可以去有空调的商场或者公共场所，因为晚上睡觉的时候要开一整夜的空调，除非你不怕热。



During election season, you will see billboards of politicians everywhere. Random people on the streets will handout tissue papers to you with pictures of the politicians that they want you to vote for.

选举期间，你会到处看到政客们的电子广告牌。有人会在街上给你分发纸巾，上面印有政客的形象，意思是想让你投票给他们。

Enjoy your stay in Taipei!

祝你在台北玩得开心！

Richard Bourne
After my experience living in China and then heading to Taiwan, I would really struggle to find similarities for these two cities. Other than sharing a language and both being capital cities, there isnt much that jumps out. Obviously they are both global asian cities which gives them a ton in common, but they also share that with Shanghai, Seoul, Bangkok, Tokyo etc.

我在中国居住了一段时间后也去了台湾，我真的很难找到这两个城市的相似之处。除了拥有共同的语言并且都是首都外，真的没有什么相似性。显然二者都是全球性的亚洲城市，这使得他们有很多相似之处，但是上海，首尔，曼谷和东京也是如此。

The difference in North/South Chinese culture is so great.
The difference in development is also great.

中国南北文化差异巨大。发展上的差异也巨大。