Lin Pen Shuan, a scholar at the Institute for National Policy Research, a nonprofit think tank in Taipei, explains the change in attitudes toward work and leisure by reviewing the process of Taiwan's industrial development and the accompanying social changes. "The 1960s was a turning point for Taiwan's economy," Lin says. "Local industries began to take off as a result of the government's export expansion policies, gradually shifting Taiwan's economic base from agriculture to labor-intensive light industries. In the 1970s, service industries took on an increasingly important role, and today they account for the lion's share of national output. A large portion of the populace now works in service industries. In short, many people have been freed from the factories."
This change in occupational structure has also influenced lifestyles. Increased incomes have led people to exercise greater discretionary purchasing power and more flexibility in pursuing recreational activities. Although the job might still be the number-one priority, it IS no longer the only reason for living. Lin himself endorses the implementation of a five-day workweek, saying that its best feature is a weekend that starts on Friday night, enabling people to take trips farther from home.
A 1987 government survey of Taiwan residents over 15 years of age showed that the respondents averaged 6 hours and 11 minutes of free time per day. Almost one-third of this time was spent watching TV or videotapes, despite the fact that there are only three TV stations with limited broadcast hours and program offerings. Resting and relaxing claimed nearly 18 percent of the spare time, followed by visits to relatives and friends (about 12 percent) and other indoor and outdoor activities.
In 1988 the government surveyed 58,000 people in Taiwan to get an idea of what people considered their main recreational activity outside of the home or work place. About 35 percent considered visits to relatives or friends as their main outside activity, followed by 15 percent who opted for walks or jogging, and over 12 percent who preferred to shop. Outings, which included domestic travel and mountain climbing, were chosen by nearly 10 percent.
Hor Chih-yuen, a lecturer at the National College of Physical Education and Sports, feels that no recreational activity can be considered superior to another because in his view, selecting a leisure activity is a highly subjective matter. "People are free to choose the activity that best suits their needs whether it is the pursuit of new knowledge, entertainment, artistic development, or physical fitness. The ultimate goal is to upgrade the quality of life."
It is understandable, Lin Pen Shuan adds, if people choose to stay home and watch TV during the weekdays, when there is very little free time. "But if during weekends most people still stay home watching TV, then there must be something wrong with this society," he says.
People in Taiwan spend only 6.2 percent of their spare time outdoors taking part in sports, exercise, and travel (including outings). Even exercise is increasingly becoming an indoor activity because of the growing popularity of health clubs and home exercise machines. Other data gathered by the government show that on Sundays, the time spent on outdoor activities increases only minimally. Although people can well afford to spend more time on outdoor recreation, they are hesitant to leave their homes.
A recent report from the Ministry of the Interior explains this phenomenon. The general public is seriously hampered by inadequate facilities and too few places for recreation, improper planning and management at existing recreational facilities and scenic spots, and a lack of information on leisure activities.
The number and types of recreation al areas in Taiwan are fairly limited. Some of them, including parks, scenic areas, and forest recreation areas, are evenly distributed over the island. But this is not true of other types. For example, the best beaches are concentrated in Taiwan's northern area. Out of a total of 23 beaches, there are 16 in the north, three in the central region, four in the south, and none along the eastern coast. Most of the golf courses are in the northern region (15) and in the central region (10).
Lin Pen Shuan points out that the largely inadequate recreational facilities have led to a change of attitude toward outdoor activities. "In the past, people used to spend their vacations on board a tour bus, stopping off at different places. Because of deteriorating traffic conditions and a desire for more choice and variety, people now prefer going to only one location, but one that offers a wide variety of facilities."
Recent Tourism Bureau statistics list the most popular scenic spots in the Taiwan area in 1989. The top ones, in the order of the number of visitors, are as follows: Taipei City Zoological Garden; the National Palace Museum; Cheng Ching Lake (a resort area in Kaohsiung); Shihmen Dam (in northern Taiwan); Yangmingshan National Park (in suburban Taipei); the Encore Park (in Taichung); Hsitou Forest Recreation Area (in central Taiwan); Kenting National Park (in the south); Sun Moon Lake (in central Taiwan); and Taroko Gorge (in eastern Taiwan). Each of these had more than one million visitors last year. But statistics also show that the number of visitors in many scenic spots has declined sharply. For example, even though Taipei City Zoological Garden has had the highest number of visitors for three consecutive years, the figure slumped from 5.5 million in 1987 to 3.7 million in 1989.
One reason for this change may be that more and more people are attracted to numerous new kinds of recreational activity, such as rock-climbing, bird watching, cycling, hang gliding, paragliding, surfing, wind surfing, ultralight flying, and deep-sea fishing. Hundreds of associations have burgeoned around the island to promote these activities.
Some businessmen are taking advantage of the widespread dissatisfaction with public facilities by setting up private recreational clubs in the countryside or in mountain and coastal areas for the exclusive use of members and their families. This new business has been surprisingly popular, even though club membership fees are quite high, usually ranging from US$7,300 to almost US$22,000. "Everybody is tired of going to a scenic spot and finding it crowded with people," says Lin, analyzing the reason for the recent private club fever in Taiwan. "But this is the case in almost all of Taiwan's major scenic areas because of the island's dense population. Many people are willing to spend a lot of money in exchange for a comfortable leisure environment."
Lin views the private clubs issue from an unconventional angle, saying that these establishments should be limited in number in order to maintain an equitable distribution of resources in society. "If somebody buys an expensive fur coat or spends a huge sum of money on something, that's their own business," he says. "In a free society everyone can indulge in conspicuous consumption if they want to. However, although private capital is also free to invest in anything, including private clubs, we are concerned about the utilization of vast tracts of land—a precious resource for this small island. The private facilities are used by a small number of club members who take over large land areas that should be shared by all the people." He suggests that the government adopt measures such as higher taxes to limit these clubs.
In face of such criticism, some businessmen have already restructured their clubs in order to serve a wider public. The Mutual Benefit Leisure Club Chain is a recent example. "Most private clubs charge a membership fee in the US$10,000 range, and not everybody can afford it," says Wu Chun-hsiung, co-founder of the chain. "Each individual club can only provide a limited range of facilities, and this cannot satisfy the diversified needs of modern people. Chain clubs like this one are the best way to solve the problem."
A populace eager for new leisure pastimes, including flights on ultralight aircraft fitted with pontoons for water landings.
Wu himself owns a badminton gym, a heated pool, and a golf practice range. Through a cooperative program with several other owners of recreational facilities such as tennis courts, playgrounds, mountain resort hotels, ultralight aircraft, restaurants, and pool facilities, the chain is able to offer a wide range of services. The big advantage is that when people join one club, they are automatically entitled to use the facilities of other clubs in the chain, all for a membership fee ranging from US$220 to US$912. The chain quickly received an enthusiastic response from the public, and WU is optimistic about the future of this type of management.
Lin notes that the government should try to be more effective in luring private capital to the leisure industry. At present, there is only one item in the "Statute for the Encouragement of Investment" which provides such incentives. According to Article 3 of the Statute, the government will give tax benefits and preferential rights toward the purchase of land for industries that construct and equip hostels and tourist hotels in forest resorts and specified scenic areas. But Lin feels this is by no means enough. "The government should move more boldly by attracting large-scale investments to the leisure industry in order to build major recreation facilities for the benefit of the greatest number of people," he says.
Lin also believes that the mushrooming number of private recreation clubs is taking the country in the wrong direction. While he agrees that the government should make some accommodations to meet the diverse needs of people, including those who can pay to fulfill their own needs, he feels that special emphasis should be put on teenagers, laborers, and the elderly. "We can't expect private capital to invest in their recreational needs," he says, "because the target of private investors is the middle class, which can bring in the most profits. As a result, these people are often neglected by society." A recent Taipei city government research report supports Lin's view, indicating that recreational facilities are urgently needed by the city's senior citizens and teenagers.
First dives—the recent opening of seashore areas to public recreation has stimulated the growth of aquatic sports.
The need for more recreational facilities for Taiwan's teenagers is a particularly hot topic these days. Juvenile delinquency has become a serious problem in Taiwan (see FCR, August 1989), and the government has been making efforts to curb it. "Young people are energetic and aggressive," Lin says. "They always want to indulge in fancy pursuits which adults think are improper or downright dangerous. For example, disco dancing and motorcycle races have been very popular in recent years among our youth. But if we treat these young people as juvenile delinquents and simply ban their activities, it will only result in a confrontation between the government and our youth."
Lin urges adults to be more tolerant of youthful pursuits by recognizing that these activities are a part of popular culture. "Young people like to show off and that's natural," he says. "Why don't we just build public race courses and discos to let them satisfy their desires in a safer and better environment? In this way, our younger generation can move from the periphery to center stage in the field of leisure culture. It's better for society to spend money on constructing race courses rather than building new jails. This would be a more effective way to curb juvenile delinquency." Lin adds that if government officials first learn to understand popular culture before they" formulate policy, then their decisions will be more effective in leading society in the right direction.
Hor Chih-yuen agrees with this view. He says that Taiwan's cultural and spiritual development as well as improvements in the quality of life have not kept up with the rapid growth of the economy. As a result, he urges the government to redouble its efforts to upgrade what he calls the "quality of recreation." The task will require clearer policies, sounder laws, extensive planning of more recreational areas, and an improved transportation system. But the people whose dedicated hard work and long hours made the "Taiwan miracle" a reality deserve to be rewarded with appropriate facilities for their leisure time.