Living in Taipei or Living in Taichung

張貼日期：Jan 12, 2011 1:15:4 PM

Living in Taipei or Living in Taichung

Alyosha Cheng

      A lot of people ask me whether they should live in Taichung or Taipei; in fact, I have the same question as they do. Each city has its own “personality,” and some might like it, and some might not. Choosing the right city is as important as choosing the right wife or husband, so I make a contrast between Taipei and Taichung. There are three aspects I would like to mention: people, traffic, and the quality of living.

      First, perhaps the most obvious difference between Taipei and Taichung is people. Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan. Generally speaking, as all people who live in big cities around the world, “Taipeiness” don’t put too much attention to others. Because people are busy, the relationship between people is not so close. Compared with Taipei, Taichung is a warm city. And people who live there are more warm-hearted. Many of them have good relationship with neighbors, and, in my opinion, they are kinder than many “Taipeiness.”

      Second, the traffic in Taipei and the traffic in Taichung are totally different. As I said before, Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan. The MRT system and the bus system are more complete and convenient than those of Taichung. On the other hand, Taichung’s population is not as high as Taipei’s, and driving a car in Taichung is easier than in Taipei. Also, finding a place to park the car in Taipei seems impossible; compared with Taipei, it’s much easier to find a place to park in Taichung.

      The quality of living in Taichung and in Taipei is the last difference I would like to mention. In Taipei, the density of population is much higher than that of Taichung; it means Taipei is much more crowded than Taichung. On the other hand, Taipei’s facilities are better or more advanced than Taichung’s. For instance, you can find a lot of parks in Taipei, but parks are not that common in Taichung. Also, the number and the quality of public facilities such as libraries and museums in Taipei are higher than those in Taichung.

      There should be more differences I didn’t point out between Taipei and Taichung. As I said, each city has its own characteristics, and there is no the best city but the right city for us. Taipei is a convenient city, and Taichung is a warm-hearted city. Visit Taipei and Taichung and stay there for a few days, and maybe you will find out the best city for you.