In Taiwan, Lantern Festival is the last day of the Spring Festival.
It is on January 15 on Chinese lunar calendar.
Taipei City mayor will host a big party with numerous lanterns at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.
The lanterns is a mix of old-fashioned and newly designed.
People might get free lanterns too.
But you’ve to be earlier on that day !! 
Spring Festival/Lunar New Year in Taiwan
Spring Festival is celebrated on the 1st day
of the first month of the Chinese calendar.
It is from New Year’s Eve and 14 days after that.
It’s normally at the end of January or early February.
During Spring Festival, lots of activities arranged by the government and private organizations.
Usually on New Year’s Eve,
Taiwanese have reunion dinner with their families.
Before New Year’s Eve,
Taiwanese go to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall to get red banners (Chunlien) written by contemporary well-known calligraphers.
So they can post Chunlien for Spring Festival.
On yes … during Spring Festival
Taiwanese get Hongbao (red packet with money in it) from elders.
Sometimes you can get Hongbao from businesses which are opened during the Spring Festival.
It symbolizes good luck, wealth and happiness!
It’s kind of fun !!! 
Sometimes you need to adjust your time when you phone call your mum in Taiwan.
If your mum in Taipei is free at nite around 9pm,
then you have to wake up around 7am in Chicago.
It’s because local time in Chicago was 14 hours behind Taipei, Taiwan
Chicage is in CST (Central Standard Time)
So, wake up early and give your mum a call
what time will be in Taipei if I fly from New York ?
Pls take note :
EST (during winter)
local time in Taipei is 13 hours ahead of New York
PST (during winter)
local time in Taipei is 16 hours ahead of Vancouver
CST (during winter)
local time in Taipei is 14 hours ahead of Chicago
let’s say the flight takes about x hours,
thus, you have to add (x + 13 ) hours
when you arrive Taipei.
Got it ?
It is legal but you have to declare when :
a) Foreign currencies: value over US$10,000
b) New Taiwan Currency: under NT$60,000
You should apply for permission to the Central Bank for amounts over such value.
Yep…yep., you can bring out unlimited amount of gold from Taiwan (However, you’ve to declare to the customs office.)
When carrying out gold valued over US$20,000 out of Taiwan, you should apply for an export permit to the Board of Foreign Trade, MOEA (Tel : 02-23510271 ext. 352) and apply for customs clearance to the customs office.
P.S : You should register at the customs office counter when bringing out of Taiwan gold, foreign currencies or New Taiwan currency in excess of the said amount.
( Tel: 03-3982308, 03-3983222 )
Taiwan, the 1st country in the world that uses coercive authorization to produce bird flu drug without license. Is it ?
Roche gives strong disagreement about this.
Then, by Fri Nov 25, 5:00 PM ET, Roche said it had reached an agreement with the Taiwanese government to supply the country with 1.3 million additional treatments next year, bringing the total to 2.3 million.
..look likes they strike a deal
Chiayi City International Band Festival
Date : 12/16/2005 - 01/01/2006
Location : Chiayi City
Organizer : Cultural Affairs Bureau of Chiayi City
Contact: (05) 278-8225 ext. 801
Website : http://www.cabcy.gov.tw
Provided your passport doesn’t expire within 6 months, you may enter Taiwan visa free if you are from the below countries :
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brunei Darussalam
- Canada
- Costa Rica
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Portugal
- Singapore
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- UK
- USA
Are you ?
