Underrated small country but well-developed, chill, English-friendly, and affordable.
A self-governing island country that was formerly a province of China but as of very recently (several decades ago) gained its independence. Taiwan is mostly recognized today as its own country, although not by all countries…for example some countries (such as Georgia) do not recognize the Taiwanese passport and don’t allow Taiwanese to enter their country.
In terms of tourism, Taiwan hasn’t marketed itself well on this part…which is great since it keeps costs down and authenticity high. The locals tell me the image of Taiwan is temples and night markets, to which I agree. It’s also an Asian island country that doesn’t have many beaches. Again…I think this feature has helped it stay lowkey and out of the tourism limelight.
I generally see Taiwan as a well developed island with smallish cities surrounded by lots of nature. Unlike other well-developed cities in Asia, Taiwan cities are not so big. A short 20 min drive and you’re back in nature, with mountains and coastline. It’s a great balance of modern urban life but also chill and lowkey.
Taiwan is also full of nice food, nice people, nice vibes. Without having been to China, I couldn’t help but see Taiwanese people as a generally more-friendly version of Chinese people. While Taiwanese and Chinese may be culturally and geographically similar, they most definitely see themselves as different and do have enough distinctions between each other.
As an American, I would also say that Taiwanese have a less favorable attitude towards mainland China and more favorable attitude towards America. (That’s for when comparing attitudes between Taiwanese and Chinese people.)
Driving from the top to the bottom of Taiwan takes 5-6 hours. The whole island is small, roughly the size of the Netherlands. You could see the capital city of Taipei in 3-4 days. Make it 7 days to visit 2-3 cities, 2 weeks for a more comprehensive highlight tour. If only as a short stay on your Asia tour, 5 days is a good amount of time to see Taipei and highlights of something else. But you could also stay 2 months and not get bored.