During the day, Taiwan is all business. Produce growers are up before the sun, transporting their wares to traditional markets. As the workday gets under way, shop owners roll up their sleeves, high-tech production lines hum and office workers attack paperwork with an army of chops. Around sunset, however, a remarkable transformation begins. Ties come off and high-heeled shoes go on. Cities seem to gather energy, readying themselves for another big night out.
With their variety of food, merchandise and crowds, statistics show that night markets are Taiwan’s biggest draw for international visitors. Night markets are particularly alluring for tourists used to urban centers that shut down shortly after the workday ends, which perhaps explains why more than half of all the foreign travelers who pass through Taiwan make a trip to Taipei’s Shilin Night Market.
For a taste of something truly Taiwanese, spending an evening at a karaoke television (KTV) parlor is a must. Karaoke originated in Japan, but the inspired step of setting up private rooms where friends can sing together was taken in Taiwan. As a result, KTV has become one of the most popular forms of nighttime entertainment on the island.
Flipping through multilingual song lists at KTV parlors also provides a glimpse of the cultural blending that is an essential part of Taiwanese society. In fact, it is not at all unusual to listen as a local friend casually runs through songs in English, Mandarin and Taiwanese.
After an evening out, many people look forward to the pleasurable pain of a foot massage. Taiwan’s larger chains have taken the venerable massage business upscale with brightly lit, glossy venues and extensively trained staffs, and locals and visitors alike have taken notice. One franchise estimates, for example, that 12 percent of its clientele consists of foreign visitors, with most hailing from Japan, Korea and Hong Kong.
Taiwan also has plenty to offer for those whose idea of nightlife involves drinks, dancing and romance. As one industry veteran says, the island’s nightclubs are “the most fun-packed in Asia.” That reputation is spreading, as the nightclub operator says around 30 percent of his club’s bookings are made by guests from Hong Kong or Singapore.
The recent trend of greater economic engagement with mainland China has also extended to the nightclub industry. Some Taiwanese operators are making plans to expand to lucrative mainland markets like Shanghai, while others are anticipating an increase in guests when regulations permitting individual mainland tourists to visit the island take effect later this year.
Of course, Taiwan also boasts extensive daytime tourism attractions, including the natural scenery of its national parks, museums, festivals and major events such as the recently ended Taipei International Flora Expo. The combination of daytime and evening tourism offerings is proving difficult for travelers to resist these days, as the number of visitor arrivals reached 5.6 million in 2010, up from 4.4 million in 2009. 2010 was also the first year in which visitors from mainland China (1.6 million) outnumbered those from Japan (1 million), although both figures represent increases over 2009.
The efficiency of service at local restaurants, the speed with which construction projects are dispatched and the constant flow of new gadgets churned out by the island’s information technology sector all demonstrate that Taiwan knows how to work hard. A taste of the island’s nightlife, however, reveals another side of society, one that can be culturally unique, exciting, entertaining, relaxing or any combination thereof. What makes Taiwan really special, though, is that there is no shortage of gregarious locals who delight in revealing those elements to their foreign friends.