Taiwan fascinates me - It had a long history of Taiwanese aboriginal culture, then came the Japanese colonization for 50 years, where they introduced a great deal of Japanese culture into the education system.  After World War II, when the Republic of China was born, it was able to draw from and infuse aspects of the aboriginal, Japanese and Chinese cultures and create its own unique Taiwanese culture.  This is quite evident when you look at all the food, music, art and languages that exist on such a small island. 

I have long regarded Taiwan as one of my favourite places in the world.  It is one of those places where I can go back to time and time again, but will still discover something new each time.   Part of what makes Taiwan so great for me, are the locals.  These are some of the friendliest, most well-mannered people I’ve ever met.  Granted, I am able to speak Mandarin and that likely helps a great deal, but even without the language skills, I bet that the locals would not hesitate to offer assistance whenever visitors need help.