Taiwanese names
In the majority of cases, Taiwanese names are made up of 3 characters that are translated into Roman characters by 3 words (e.g.: Tsai Ing-wen). The first, Tsai, is the family name, while the other two are attached to the person himself/herself and can be considered as the first name with a more intimate connotation for the last one. However, this trick is not systematic. Indeed, in some cases, the middle name does not refer to the first name, but to the clan to which the person belongs. Not just any Chinese character can be used as a surname: there is a list of 100 surnames dating back to the Song dynasty, which actually contains 408 surnames and 30 compound surnames. In other words, the lack of choice, combined with a growing population, results in thousands of similar identities. The most common names in Taiwan are more or less the same as those found in mainland China's Fujian province, given the large number of immigrants from this region. They are Hsu, Lin, Su, Ma, Gao, Hu, Zheng, Guo and Xiao. Married women generally keep their maiden names, while their children take their husbands' names.
Education, the key to success
The Taiwanese cultivate a cult of success, the cornerstone of which is relentless hard work. From a very early age, after a long day at school, children attend refresher courses until well into the evening. Pre-school education is optional, but the number of children attending kindergarten is crescendoing and, even more significantly, parents don't hesitate to enrol their children in English or music classes from the age of four. Only 10% of pupils leave the school system at the end of the required years. After junior high school, there are three paths open to students: high school, where they are prepared for the difficult university entrance exam - the culmination of a twelve-year cycle; vocational high school, where a three-year course leads to working life; and finally technical school, where both technical and academic education lasts five years. This is a pivotal period for children. Not only are they orienting themselves for their professional future, but those who choose the classical route must pass the entrance exams to the best high schools for a chance to later enter the best universities. As for higher education, students have the same choices as in France: university, technical and vocational schools (2 or 3 years) and university-level schools. In the sights of young graduates are the professions of engineer, electrician and IT developer.
The new Taiwanese family
Until a few years ago, family members from three or four different generations lived under the same roof, in a large shared house. Nowadays, the family is limited to the parent-child duo, living in an apartment with just a few rooms. Not that the family ideal has been eroded, but it has evolved in line with changes in society. The majority of the population now lives in cities, where large houses capable of accommodating twenty or so people are a rarity. As a result, the family unit revolves around the children rather than the elders, whose respect is still very much alive. In recent years, this depolarization has given rise to the cult of the child-king. The family remains the cement of Chinese society.
The wedding
The Taiwanese have abandoned traditional arranged marriages and the customs that went with them. Young people are marrying later and later, and many are single in their thirties. Nearly 40% of marriages end in divorce. Although mentalities have largely evolved, the arrival of a son is viewed favorably, as he can perpetuate the family name and honor deceased ancestors. Unions between Taiwanese and mainland Chinese are commonplace. Sociologists even speak of a phenomenon of exogamy: as men do not offer all the qualities of a good match for Taiwanese women, they turn to women from less economically advanced regions such as Southeast Asia or China. A large number of ex-servicemen who came to the island at the end of the civil war in 1949 returned to their home villages and some, despite their age, married Chinese women. These first inter-Chinese marriages, between islanders and mainlanders, were followed by marriages between Taiwanese entrepreneurs who had moved to China - the relocation phenomenon - and young Chinese women. All in all, every year, a third of the women married to Taiwanese men are not from the island.
Health
Life expectancy for men has risen from 53 in 1951 to over 75 today, and for women from 56 to 81 over the same period. Medical and hygiene advances have also led to a significant reduction in infant mortality, from 44 per thousand births to 5.35 over the same period. Since 1995, a national medical coverage program has been in place, paid for by employers, employees and the State. In 1998, over 50% of adult men smoked. These alarming statistics were followed by shock anti-smoking campaigns. Cigarettes are now banned from almost all public places, and the number of smokers has fallen below the alarm threshold. Cancer remains the leading cause of death on the island, with almost 30,000 deaths every year. With 5,500 people infected since 1984 for a population of 23 million, Taiwan has a low rate of HIV-positive or AIDS sufferers compared with other Asian countries. Apart from conventional medicine, the population continues to rely on an ancestral method that has earned the respect of Western medicine: traditional Chinese medicine. Indeed, it has lost none of its influence, with some 3,300 doctors practicing on the island and almost 10,000 qualified herbalists dispensing their miracle recipes.
The question of parity
The policies of recent decades have succeeded in consolidating the place of women in the corporate world. In companies with more than 30 employees, the female employee is now entitled to two years' unpaid maternity leave, and in those with more than 250 employees, a crèche must be made available to employees. The law also clarifies the notion of sexual harassment and other abuses. Nevertheless, feminist associations still denounce inequality in the administration and state services, and are calling for the creation of a control commission and the introduction of a system of positive discrimination. In 2016, a woman, Tsai Ing-wen, was elected president. This is a historic event that demonstrates just how modern Taiwan is, in a region where women's rights are still a struggle. In less than fifteen years, Taiwan has gone from gender equality legislation to the election of a woman to the highest office. Spectacular progress!
Homosexuality on the road to recognition
On June 29, 1997, Taipei was the scene of the first gay demonstration in the Chinese world: 300 people gathered at the Peace Park (2-28 Memorial Peace Park). Far from the impressive numbers of the Paris Gay Pride, the gathering was highly symbolic, to say the least, since homosexuality has long been - and continues to be in mainland China - considered an illness. In Taiwan, homosexuals claim to be discriminated against in the workplace, and the military police have only been willing to recruit gays since 2002. Nevertheless, recognition is on the way, so much so that Taiwan is now one of Asia's most progressive countries on the subject. Numerous gay-friendly establishments have opened across the country, and Taipei's gay scene is now recognized as one of the most vibrant in the Chinese world. As proof, Taiwan was the first Asian country to legalize gay marriage in 2019. The suicide on October 16, 2016 of a 67-year-old Frenchman, Jacques Picoux, whose Taiwanese companion had just died of cancer, really changed the game. A retired French teacher, he had been denied any involvement in medical decisions concerning his partner, before being deprived of any rights to their shared home. The electroshock provoked by his death prompted a DPP MP to introduce a bill, which was adopted three years later. A powerful symbol in a region that still lags far behind when it comes to the rights of the LGBTQ community. Nevertheless, many non-governmental organizations in Taiwan support LGBTQ people, offering counseling services, educational resources and a platform for LGBTQ rights. They play a key role in raising awareness and providing community support. However, work continues to overcome remaining obstacles and promote full equality for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation.
The cult of work
Spurred on by the Japanese (1895-1945), and then encouraged by the Chiang Kai-shek government, the Taiwanese have developed a veritable cult of work. They put their heart and soul into their work, to the detriment of their family life and leisure time. The company is an integral part of everyone's life, so it's unthinkable not to invite your employer to important celebrations like your wedding, for example. The average working day is nine hours with a lunch break, but very few employees stick to their schedules. What's even more striking is that employees don't take all their vacations, donating part of their entitlement to their company. Vacation entitlement depends on the employee's length of service. In the first three years, employees are entitled to 7 days' vacation, from the4th year onwards, 14 days, from the 7th, 21 days, and from the 10th, 28 days.
