National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore? - title

For the National Day Singapore season this year, I had the pleasure of speaking with Liang Jan Jia (JJ) and Sai Siew Min, a couple with deep ties to both Singapore and Taiwan. JJ is particularly well-known in Taiwan as the author of the bestselling book, 《 Why do Taiwanese admire Singapore? (干嘛羡慕新加坡? :一个台湾人的新加坡移居10年告白/gàn ma xiàn mù xīn jiā pō?  yí ge tái wān rén de xīn jiā pō yí jū 10 nián gào bái 》

《 Why do Taiwanese admire Singapore? (干嘛羡慕新加坡? :一个台湾人的新加坡移居10年告白 》-National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore?

This book is a fun read for Singaporeans. Highly recommended. And Siew Min is a historian. They are a Taiwanese-Singaporean couple. My key question to them is, “What do Taiwanese think of Singapore?

I learned from them that in recent years, there’s been a surge in Taiwanese school excursions to Singapore. Students often visit sister schools in Singapore, and they absolutely have to stop at locations like Gardens by the Bay, Sentosa, Orchard Road, Chinatown, and Little India. We have all also noticed more and more Singaporeans visiting Taiwan.  

What do Taiwanese admire(羡慕/ Xiànmù ) about Singapore? 

National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore?

According to JJ and Siew Min, many Taiwanese are drawn to Singapore for several reasons: 

  • Higher salaries: The earning potential in Singapore is generally seen as more attractive. 
  • Affordable housing: The HDB housing model is often admired for making homeownership more accessible. 
  • Clean and efficient: Singapore’s reputation as a clean and well-organized city is highly regarded. 
  • Convenience: The small size of Singapore makes it easy to navigate and live in. 
  • Bilingualism: The prevalence of English is an admirable asset for many Taiwanese.

What are common Taiwanese Misconceptions(误解/誤解/ Wùjiě) About Singapore? 

What are common Taiwanese Misconceptions(误解/誤解/ Wùjiě) About Singapore - National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore?

Interestingly, there are some common misunderstandings about Singapore among Taiwanese: 

  • Climate: Many believe Singapore to be unbearably hot, but it’s actually cooler than Taiwan during the summer months. 

 

  • Housing affordability: The misconception that housing is cheap in Singapore because of the HDB model. But many Taiwanese don’t realize that it’s only for citizens and PRs and not for everyone.  

What do Taiwanese NOT admire about Singapore? 

While Taiwanese admire many aspects of Singapore, this is what they don’t admire: 

  • Lack of natural environment: Some Taiwanese feel that Singapore’s landscape is overly artificial(假的/ Jiǎ de ) 

 What do Taiwanese NOT admire about Singapore - National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore?

What do Taiwanese buy home when they visit Singapore? 

What do Taiwanese buy home when they visit Singapore?  - National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore?

There are specific Singaporean products that are popular among Taiwanese consumers, such as: 

  • Bacha coffee(夿萐咖啡/Bā shà kā fēi): Not a traditional Singapore brand, and Singapore certainly doesn’t produce coffee.  But the packaging is beautiful and it’s easily available at the airport.

National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore? - Bacha coffee(夿萐咖啡/Bā shà kā fēi)

 

  • TWG tea(茶/chá):  Also not a traditional Singapore brand, and Singapore certainly doesn’t produce tea.  But again, packaging is beautiful and it’s easily available at the airport.

National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore? - TWG tea(茶/chá): 

  • Bengawan Solo pandan cakes(斑兰蛋糕/Bān lán dàngāo): Very popular even with the locals – special cakes like panda cake and kueh lapis are beginning to be available in Taiwan as well, but at a very high price and they are quite hard to find. It is almost impossible to get fresh pandan in Taiwan although the Southeast Asian grocery stores sell them frozen.

National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore? - pandan cakes(斑兰蛋糕/Bān lán dàngāo)

When you come to Singapore, what do you bring back to Taiwan? 

When you come to Singapore, what do you bring back to Taiwan?  - National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore?

Conversely, Singaporeans living in Taiwan often bring back items unavailable like  

  • Dark soy sauce 老抽/lǎo chōu) a dark-colored soy sauce used mainly for adding color and flavor to dishes. It is richer, slightly thicker, and less salty than other types of soy sauce.

  • Pandan essence (斑兰汁精华/Bān lán zhī jīng huá):  an extract made from pandan leaves. It is used primarily for Southeast Asian desserts. Compared to pandan essence, pandan paste has a stronger taste because it is boiled down to produce a more concentrated pandan flavor.

National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore? - Pandan essence (斑兰汁精华/Bān lán zhī jīng huá)

 

  • Yellow cucumber (老黄瓜/lǎo huáng guā):The cucumber has a tough, thick skin with pale green flesh. It’s rather bitter or even bland, allowing for a variety of seasoning possibilities. JJ and Siew Min tried to take it back because it’s not available in Taiwan, but it got confiscated at customs. 

National Day Singapore Special - What do Taiwanese think of Singapore? - Yellow cucumber (老黄瓜/lǎo huáng guā)

 

 

AND Singaporeans, when you go to Taiwan, you cannot pack BAK KWA!!! 

Singaporeans, when you go to Taiwan, you cannot pack BAK KWA!!! 

Review the Vocabulary in this National Day Singapore special article!

  • 移居(yí jū):migrate to a place
  • 告白 (gào bái):confess
  • 羡慕 (xiàn mù):admire
  • 误解(wù jiě):misconceptions
  • 假的(jiǎ de):artificial
  • 咖啡(kā fēi):coffee
  • 茶(chá):tea
  • 斑兰(Bān lán ):pandan
  • 蛋糕(dàn gāo):cakes
  • 老抽(lǎo chōu):dark soy sauce
  • 精华/精華(jīng huá):essence
  • 老黄瓜(lǎo huáng guā):yellow cucumber
Don`t copy text!