Amy C. Liu’s Taiwan A to Z: The Essential Cultural Guide (2009, ISBN 978-957-97847-6-4)is the book we wish we here at WoWasis had read prior to visiting Taiwan. Amy C. Liu was born in Taiwan, but came to San Jose, CA when she was 13 years old. She attended high school in the U.S., got a couple of degrees, then went back to Taiwan to investigate her roots. Essentially, she’s lived in Asia ever since. When we caught up with her recently, she was on her way to Tibet for a 30 day bike ride.

The book covers an awful lot of material in 182 pages. There’s a terrific amount of information here for first-time visitors to Asia, especially around basic concepts like saving face and Confucian relationships among individuals. What made the book a real plus for us (we qualify as old Asia hands by now) were the references to nuances that are specific to Taiwan, including her street food (pp. 48-52), and temple worship (pp.151-153). Those little crescent-shaped blocks that are thrown in Taiwanese temples are ubiquitous, and Liu unfolds their mystery. She also discusses the differences between Buddhism and Taoism, and how they’re reflected in both the architecture of the temples, and the behaviors of the worshippers in each.

She’s got a chapter entitled ‘Friendly Taiwanese.’ The Taiwanese are legendarily friendly, and their easygoing manner will make any visitor used to Southeast Asia feel right at home, even though the country isn’t geographically southeast Asian. They continually go overboard to assist the visitor, and every traveler to Taiwan probably wonders how this remarkable trait could be bottled, sent home, and be quaffed by his or her own countrymen. As Liu points out, words that describe the traditional Taiwanese traits would include friendly, polite, hard-working, kind, passionate, easy-going, reliable, open, and flexible. Most travelers want to be as nice to the Taiwanese as the Taiwanese are to them. A good reason for buying this book is to ensure that the Taiwanese will love you as much as you’re going to love them.

Finding any book in English in a Taiwanese bookstore can be a challenge, and this book is no exception. We suggest you order it online before you go, and read it on your flight over.