From installing the world’s first safety elevator in the New York Crystal Palace to creating seamless elevator experiences for humans and robots, Otis has a remarkable track record of invention. Today, the company moves over two billion people a day. Whether in the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, or the Lotte World Tower, Otis…
An epiphany while abroad, a drive to make a legitimate, high-quality product, and the ingenuity of a friend led to the creation and ultimate success of one of Taichung’s most distinctive foreign-owned businesses. For many people, owning a brewery or brewpub is undoubtedly on their list of dream jobs. In Taiwan, making and selling beer…
Migrant Worker Entry Ban Lifted The Ministry of Labor (MOL) granted Indonesian migrant workers entry to Taiwan in November, ending an entry ban that had been in place since December 2020. The MOL indicated that Thailand will likely be the next country exempted from the ban, followed by Vietnam and the Philippines. According to the…
Wage Hike For Public Workers Approved The Executive Yuan in late October approved a nearly 4% wage hike for public workers, to take effect in 2022. The hike marks the biggest increase in government salary levels in over two decades, and will apply to civil servants, teachers, and military personnel. The salary adjustment comes as the…
Recently revised policies have introduced incentives to raise the local birthrate. Meanwhile, the Taiwan government has issued clarifications regarding the treatment of migrant workers during the pandemic. Taiwan’s low birthrate has been attracting attention for several years as the island moves ever closer to becoming a super-aged society, in which at least 20% of the…
The major city in central Taiwan has much to recommend it as a stopover for local and foreign tourists, including its architecture, museums, and – surprisingly – greenery. My first impression of Taipei City was that it was an unlivable, chaotic burg clogged with scooters, people, and exhaust fumes. That this notion was formed during…
The central Taiwan city of Taichung covers just over 6% of the island’s land area and has a little under 12% of the population of 23.6 million, yet it includes a stunning range of landscapes. Near the coast, where visitors flock to the old temple town of Dajia and the wetlands at Gaomei, the terrain…
Local authorities are pressing for Ching Chuan Kang to be upgraded to international airport status. Taoyuan Airport provides the majority of Taiwan’s international flight service. Taipei City’s Songshan Airport, Kaohsiung Airport, and Taichung Airport offer limited international service to Asian destinations. But since a flash flood disrupted service at Taoyuan Airport in June 2016, Taichung…
As the political capital and commercial center, Taipei in northern Taiwan is well-known throughout Asia. Many frequent visitors are familiar with Kaohsiung, the major port and industrial powerhouse in the south. Taichung, roughly equidistant between the two, has long been seen as Taiwan’s “third city.” Population statistics suggest a different pecking order, however. The municipality…
Taichung hopes to become a regional hub for international groups. With backing from the central government, the central Taiwan city of Taichung is working on plans to establish a facility to serve as the regional headquarters for international non-government organizations (NGOs) active in Southeast Asia. Announcing the project in July, Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung proposed…
