Taipei, a suburb of Shanghai -

Taipei, a suburb of Shanghai

Corbett | May 27, 2006 6:51 PM

Being back in Taipei after a month in Mainland makes you realize just how far Taiwan has fallen behind China.

Everything slows down to a crawl when you are here, the humidity engulfs you, and you wonder where this little island will be in another 5 years.

Eighteen years ago you would hear Taiwanese talk about China as this sort of uncivilized place filled with people who happened to speak Chinese too. Ten years ago it was like, "Damn, those Chinese are moving fast." Five years ago it was, "You haven't bought property in Shanghai yet? What are you, an idiot?" Now it's like, "Oh shit we're dead."

When the Chinese ask me about Taiwan, I say it's like a nice suburb of Shanghai. SUVs, nice shopping, movie theaters, with a sort of carefree pace to life.

Category: Mr. Asia

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