Useful Information

Taiwan's total land area is only about 36,000 square kilometers; it is shaped like a tobacco leaf that is narrow at both ends. It lies off the southeastern coast of mainland Asia, across the Taiwan Straits from Mainland China-- a solitary island on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. To the north lies Japan and Okinawa, to the south is the Philippines. Many airlines fly to Taiwan, helping make it the perfect travel destination.

Taipie City

From the world’s tallest building to the biggest collection of Chinese art, Taipei invites you into a world of fascinating contrasts - a mix of the modern and traditional with a generous dash of energy and friendly smiles to make this one of your most memorable trips to Taiwan. The cultural kaleidoscope of Taiwan's capital city pulses wherever you go. Incense-veiled temples dating back to dynastic times blend seamlessly with a neoned street life of a decidedly more modern era. Taipei has dozens of world-class restaurants where gourmets can sample the best regional Chinese cuisine; and for the gourmand, there are plenty night markets serving up scrumptious evening snacks in an environment of chaotic excitement and fun. The polarities of Taipei are vividly present as well in the joining of the urban and natural. Just a few minutes from the heart of the city you can soak away the cares of the world in mineral-rich hot springs nestled in the lush mountain foothills ringing the TaipeiBasin. And throughout the city there are plenty of trails, parks and other oases of tranquility to lift and invigorate your spirits. Discover the heart of Asia in beautiful Taipei!

People

Taiwan has a population of 23 million. The larger part of the island's inhabitants are the descendants of immigrants from the various provinces of mainland China, but in particular from the southeastern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong. Because the different ethnic groups have fairly well integrated, differences that originally existed between people from different provinces have gradually disappeared. Some 360,000 indigenous people, the original inhabitants of Taiwan, still live here; they can be distinguished into 12 different tribes.

Language

The official language of Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese (Guoyu), but because many Taiwanese are of southern Fujianese descent, Min-nan (the Southern Min dialect, or Holo) is also widely spoken. The smaller groups of Hakka people and aborigines have also preserved their own languages.
The most popular foreign language in Taiwan is English, which is part of the regular school curriculum. However, to be on the safe side, when taking a taxi in Taiwan it is advisable to prepare a note with your place of destination written in Chinese to show the taxi driver.

Nature

Formosa (beautiful island) is what the Portuguese called Taiwan when they came here in the 16th century and saw the island's verdant beauty.
Located along the southeast coast of the Asian Continent at the western edge of the Pacific Ocean, between Japan and the Philippines and right in the center of the East-Asian island arc, Taiwan forms a vital line of communication in the Asia-Pacific region. It covers an area of approximately 36,000 square kilometers (14,400 square miles) and is longer than it is wide. Two-thirds of the total area is covered by forested mountains and the remaining area consists of hilly country, platforms and highlands, coastal plains and basins. The Central Mountain Range stretches along the entire island from north to south, thus forming a natural line of demarcation for rivers on the eastern and western sides of the island. On the west side lies the Yushan Mountain Range with its main peak reaching 3,952 meters, the highest mountain peak in Northeast Asia.

Cultures

If this is your first visit to Taiwan, you will most certainly be amazed at the diversity of things this beautiful island has to offer, as a rich historical background has provided Taiwan with a multifaceted culture. People from many different places and backgrounds, such as Taiwan's indigenous people, the southern Fujianese from early China, Hakka immigrants, the Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese, and the recent immigrants from mainland China have all played a role in Taiwan's development. While gradually developing a new culture indigenous to Taiwan, they also held on to their respective customs and traditions; as a result, you will be able to sample indigenous, Taiwanese, and Chinese cultures and even find traces left by the Dutch and the Japanese when traveling in Taiwan.

Plenty of variety restaurants can easily be found in Hsin-Yi district. The nearest place to taste typical Taiwanese delicacies is Taipei 101 Mall. It takes only 5minutes from TICC to Taipei 101 Mall by walk. Famous and unique Taiwanese snacks range from oyster omelets to fried rice noodles, tempura, Tainan Danzai noodles, Taiwanese spring rolls, rice tube pudding, and braised pork rice is cheap and delicious. A wide selection of Chinese and Western delicacies is also served for you here. For further information, please visit the website:
https://www.taipei-101.com.tw/MALL/en/guide/guide.aspx?floor=B1

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Climate

Taiwan enjoys warm weather all year round. The strongest fluctuations in weather conditions are during spring and winter, while during summer and autumn the weather is relatively stable. Taiwan is extremely suitable for traveling, as the annual average temperature is a comfortable 22°C with lowest temperatures ranging from 12 to 17°C (54-63°F). Therefore, with the exception of a few mountain areas where some traces of snow can be found during winter, no snow can be seen throughout Taiwan.
TS2007 will be held in early June, and during that period Taipei's mean temperature is 26°C, average high is 31°C and average low is 23°C. The mean relative humidity is 77%, and precipitation is 225.3 mm.

Cuisine

The culinary culture of the Chinese people goes back a very long time; and while Chinese food can be enjoyed in every large city in the world today, true gourmets know that only in Taiwan is it possible to enjoy fine authentic cuisine from all the different regions of China. In Taiwan, where it seems the people live to eat, it is said that there is a snack shop every three steps and a restaurant every five. These establishments serve all kinds of Chinese food, from the roast duck, smoked chicken, lamb hotpot, fish in wine sauce, beef with green peppers, and scallop and turnip balls of the north to the camphor-tea duck, salty fried chicken with spices, honey ham, stir-fried shrimp, dry-fried eggplant, and spicy bean curd of the south. As the island's economy has developed rapidly in recent years, its culinary culture has expanded beyond the traditional Chinese foods to Chinese-style fast-food chains, thus bringing greater complexity than ever before to the art of Chinese dining. Foreign foods from all over the world have also made their appearance in Taiwan, and the island is now filled with eateries serving American hamburgers, Italian pizza, Japanese sashimi, German pig's knuckles, Swiss fondue, and just about everything else. All of this makes Taiwan a veritable paradise for gourmands. Taiwan's own native cuisine has also become known around the world, and if you try it just once you will remember it forever.

Attractions

Taiwan is known for its towering mountains, and is reputable as a "Mountainous Island". The island is spotted with numerous mountains over 3,000 meters. It is also home to Northeast Asia's highest mountain, Yushan Mountain, which is nearly 4,000 meter in height. Besides mountains, beautiful coastal scenes are also part of Taiwan's great natural asset. Starting from the northern tip of the island is the North Coast & Guanyinshan National Sccenic Area and Northeast Coast National Scenic Area that features various sorts of coastal geography. Traveling all the way down from here, one will first arrive at the scenic East Coast National Scenic Area and East Rift Valley National Scenic Area, and then the Tapeng Bay National Scenic Area blessed with sunshine and tropical touch. Alongside the mountainous areas is the Maoling National Scenic Area, where a lot of aborigines live and place one can check out the world of butterfly, Lukai stone-made houses and Natural scenes in Taiwan. Legendary tales depict subtle beauty of Alishan National Scenic Area, where you can enjoy the relaxing scene of sunrise and the cloud sea. Natural setting of Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area , eagle-spotting at Bagua Mountain, home of fruit-Lishan can sacred Buddhist sanctuary- Lion Mountain, can bring to you the many faces of the island's beauty. Penghu National Scenic Area, comprising of sixty-four islets, scattering around the Taiwan Strait. Flat landscape makes it different from Taiwan Island. It is blessed with the most spectacular view in Taiwan. Located in Pacific Ocean southeast of Taiwan, Lanyu and Green Island offer the enjoyment of nature environment, whale spotting and scuba diving. Matzu National Scenic Area comprises four townships on five islands. Most of the tourist sites are located in Nankan. Peikan has its stone houses and fish noodles. Chukuang has its fishing port, as well as a lighthouse designated as a Class 2 historic site. In Tungyin one will find fantastic rock formations and the Tungyin branch of the Matsu Distillery. Southwest Coast National Scenic Area is the 12th national scenic area. The scenic area's main attraction is a varied coastline that consists of sand dunes, sand banks, marshes and wetlands, offering precious ecological habitats for wildlife. Taiwan now has 6 National Parks - Yamingshan National park in Taipei suburban, which is famous for its volcanic landscape; the Shei-Pa National Park, acrossing Hsinchu & Miaoli counties and famous for special fish species-formosan Oncorhynchus masou ; locating in Hualien county adjacent to Li-Wu creek, Taroko National Park is known for its lofty canyon landscape; acrossing many counties in central Taiwan, Yushan National Park is famous for its bright sunshine; locating in south tip, Kenting National Park gives you a total touch of Southeast Asia; last on the list is Kinmen National Park which is known for legacies from the war decades ago. In addition to the beautiful natural setting provided, above six National Parks also offer great ecological environment for tourists. Besides, National Palace Museum, located in outskirt of Taipei City, is home to essence of the five-thousand-year Chinese history. It has the finest collections of Chinese Arts, providing an eye-opening experience of Chinese culture. Taiwan is somewhere you can experience the amazement of Chinese culture.

How to come to Taiwan

Taiwan's international flights are well developed and there are two international airports, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport. Thirty-four Airlines fly to 56 major cities around the world from Taiwan, and the average flight time from Taiwan to major cities in the Asia-Pacific region is only two-and-a-half hours. A direct flight from the West Coast of the U.S. to Taiwan takes only 12 hours, and flights are frequent. Visitors can take advantages of the domestic flight, Taiwan's island-wide railway system, comprehensive highway network and convenient bus services to visit the beautiful island. The convenient international airport for the conference is the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

Visa for Arriving Taiwan

Thank you for your support to the ASP-DAC 2010! We would like to remind you about the Visa application for your participation to the conference.

Since it might take more than 2 months for China visitors to apply the entry visa to Taiwan, the conference registrar is now in the process of collecting list of all authors or speakers from China. If any of your paper presenter or any of your team member is from P.R.O.C (or holds a passport issued by P.R.O.C government) and want to attend the conference, please immediately contact the conference registrar, Ms. Yvonne Chen (YvonneChen@itri.org.tw) for more information.

If you need an invitation letter for your VISA application, please download the invitation letter template , fill in your NAME, Affiliation and Address and send the letter back to us at aspdac2010@aspdac.com for conference chair’s signature. We will send you the letter as soon as they are signed.

If you need other documentations or help for your VISA application, please contact aspdac2010@aspdac.com for assistance.

For details, please go Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) web site https://www.boca.gov.tw/mp?mp=2

Currency

The Republic of China's unit of currency is the New Taiwan Dollar (NT$). Bill denominations are NT$2000, NT$1000, NT$500, NT$200, and NT$100. Coin denominations are NT$1, NT$5, NT$10 and NT$50. As of January 2005, the exchange rate was quoted around NT$32 to one US Dollar. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at the airport upon arrival, or at government-authorized banks, tourist hotels, and large department stores. Receipts are given when currency is exchanged, and must be presented in order to exchange unused NT Dollars before departure. Traveler's checks in major currencies may be cashed at some tourist-oriented businesses and at most international tourist hotels.

Credit Cards

Hotels, department stores, airlines, large stores and restaurants accept major credit cards. Cash is generally preferred elsewhere.

Banking Hours

Banks are open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Telecommunication Service

One local call from a pay phone costs NT$1 for 1 minute, after which additional coins are needed or the line will be automatically disconnected. On private phones, the overseas operator may be reached by dialing "100." Direct dialing is available to some phones, after first dialing the prefix "002." International direct dialing rates are calculated every six seconds.

Time Zone

Taiwan is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and does not practice daylight saving time in summer. You can check Taiwan's local time and the time difference from your local time via this link: https://www.worldtimeserver.com/

Electricity Supply

Taiwan uses electric current of 110 volts at 60 cycles, appliances from Europe, Australia or South-East Asia will need an adaptor or transformer. Many buildings have sockets with 220 volts especially for the use of air conditioners.

Customs

Personal items are free of duty. Visitors over 20 years old may bring in, duty free, 200 cigarettes or 25 cigars or 0.5 kg of tobacco, one bottle of liquor and one used camera. Gold cannot be exported without a permit issued by the Ministry of Finance. Passengers arriving with gold and silver and planning to take it out at departure must declare it and leave the items with Customs until they leave Taiwan.

Tipping / Taxes

Tipping is optional. It is usual, however, to tip hotel porters and for restaurant service. A 10% service charge and a 5% value-added tax are added to room rates and meals.

Taxis

Major cities have an abundance of taxis. Charges are NT$70 for the first 1.5km and NT$5 for each additional 300 meters. An additional NT$5 is charged for every two minutes of waiting, and a 20% surcharge is added to fares between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., NT$10 dollars tip needed for cab dispatched by phone and for luggage placed in taxi trunk. Basically, taxi fares in all major cities are set by local city government itself and are in a minor discrepancy. Out-of-town or long-distance travels may not apply to meter charge; travelers are suggested to confirm charging method before getting on taxi.

( Some of the contents here were provided by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Republic of China. For more detail of the travel information, please visit: https://eng.taiwan.net.tw/)