First Impressions of Taiwan

[@TopNotch86]

man I agree with you 100%... I've lived in China almost 5 years and I spent 6 months in Kaohsiung and I love Taiwan... I always say it's China done right haha I wish I could go back

[@jeffking9202]

Thank you for the insights...

[@Ed7501]

I've been to Taiwan once on a layover. Would love to visit for real soon!

[@CGR052]

I’ve lived both sides of the straits and your first impressions are spot on. Hope you saw some Long Fist Mantis there with my old friends. 😎

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

This is actually a video from last year. Take a look at my series from there, I did a video at their school

[@gandalf7354]

since you will be so close in macau, if you have time you should try and chase up kwok wan ping! i think there are other guangzhou wing chun sifu's also in macau

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

Unfortunately this is an old video filmed in early 2023. If you check out my recent series in HK, you'll see I tried to find Master Kwok.

[@gandalf7354]

i like watching your content and get lost sometimes with the timelines between videos, my bad

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

Nah all good. I had some old videos I had never published, so put them up recently

[@peterwang5660]

At the same time as the Taiwanese preserve Chinese folk religion in a much more pious manner, I believe us in the Mainland, especially us youth, have really pushed for a revival and acceptance of Chinese culture as belonging in the modern world, and I don't think it's bad that we do it while being secular and atheistic.

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

For sure, Taiwan and Malaysia has preserved a lot of folk religion that’s not commonly seen in China. I don’t wanna say its “lost” in China, but generally only practiced in the more remote countryside and more in the south than north

[@johnnemo6509]

This is a good thing .... the youth of China reclaiming their deep cultural roots, and reconnecting to their cultural identity. Chinese people should be rightly proud of their cultural heritage. But let's not forget the cultural revolution and Great Leap Forward which made a very good attempt to eradicate any non Maoist thoughts or views.

[@stuarthughes3747]

when you get back to OZ.. maybe interview kieth geyler J.K.A.

[@MokeTheGeniusDog]

Love your podcast! I just found out what the name means: 😅

[@TtrtRX]

Very good lad

[@NigelAinscoe]

Wutan International is also headqurtered in Taiwan. One of the best martial arts organisations in the world IMHO

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

Yes! This is actually an old video reuploaded, check out the full series I put up last year, the second episode is the Wutan HQ

[@NigelAinscoe]

@@MonkeyStealsPeach Awesome, I'll definitely check that out.

[@danielesalvadeo8775]

Thanks for your video,very interesting. I'd love the xin/hsing yi series.....but the others are good stuff too. In my opinion,there's another interesting china boxing style to explore:the Tong Bei chuan world. I think is a powerfull style,and my chinese hsing yi master a lot of years ago says me the two old stronger master he knows, was two Tong Bei experts.....if you do a Tong Bei series,well,I'dd love it. Greetings

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

For sure, I do plan to do a Tongbei series some time!

[@danielesalvadeo8775]

@@MonkeyStealsPeach Wonderful!! I'll wait👍👍👍

[@MustAfaalik]

I was hoping you would do a research on Master Wang Shu Jin lineage while in Taiwan. Anyway, city people in Mainland China has always been known to be ultra worldly & materialistic than those in the countryside, while Taiwanese are less prone to prove themselves.

[@AppledogHu]

Been living here for 20 years. Nice place.

[@johnnemo6509]

I think you analysis is pretty good. I think the key thing is that many people in Taipei and other large cities in Taiwan have had much more exposure to the outside world than people in China. There is much more freedom of information transfer and freedom of travel in Taiwan than in the mainland, Many young people in Taiwan study abroad or spend time working abroad. Not only the West but other Asian countries such as Japan, Overall Taiwan feels much more open and accepting. I know that my Japanese and Korean friends also find Taiwan much more accessible amenable to foreigners. Don't get me wrong I like the people in the mainland I have many friends there and generally they have good hearts but can be a little rough around the edges. You can meet rube people in Taiwan also but overall the place seems more laid back and relaxed than the mainland. It's more a society/environment thing than a people thing.

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

You hit the nail on the head there.

[@NoverMaC]

My first impression of Taiwan is their accent lol

[@taiwaninsider8919]

Yes, basically I agree with you about Taiwanese being generally more polite than PRC citizens, less likely to openly discriminate against you, and more likely to accept you. But I think this a smaller and more superficial difference than you imagine, and a relatively recent difference (meaning the past few decades) still most obvious in the capital, which boasts the most sophisticated population. So, you would have got a better feel for Taiwan as a whole by travelling more outside Taipei. By the way, I'm surprised you didn't visit Chang-Hong (長洪武術) as they are still the biggest school of traditional Chinese martial arts in Taiwan.

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

Yea, Im sure I’d get a fuller picture by travelling the island more. I’m definitely going to be revisiting some time in the near future!

[@xibanyae]

yes, politeness doesn't exist in the mainlanders dictionary 😜

[@seechunchong9876]

oops, sorry, I meant, if your time permits.

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

If my time permits for what?

[@seechunchong9876]

@@MonkeyStealsPeach If your stay in Macau is long enough to check out/visit the Wing Chun school in Macau started by IP Man's ex-students. I am sure they have interesting stories to share. Anyway, that's just a suggestion. Cheers

[@thechanhideout]

As someone who has also lived in the mainland for a long time, I get your 1st and last points. But I think your 2nd point about folk religion isn't as true in all parts of the mainland as some areas have kept a lot of folk religion. The part of Fujian I live in has temples all over and they are well used by the locals. This time of year there are also loads of traditional festivities still going on in many villages too.

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

For sure, its still there in some parts, particularly Fujian as you say. Also Sichuan, and other western parts. I still think its more accessible and openly seen in Taiwan and Malaysia though.

[@NoverMaC]

​@@MonkeyStealsPeachon my mother's part of Shaanxi you'd see a ton of Chenghuang temples

[@5324TuiG]

I don’t like any style from Taiwan, and that is mostly focused on their baji and pigua. I used to live and practice for 9 years in chin with a master from Hebei who have been living in Hangzhou.

[@frankmartinez4856]

What is that joke, or is it a joke 😳looking at you speaking Chinese! Like a talking dog 🐶 to them 😬

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

No idea what you mean….

[@dimsum1033]

I'm sorry to hear you had to live in China. My maximum shelf life there is about a week before I lose my shit.

[@_....J........................]

Anglophone White Settler finds himself at home in the US Imperialist vassal State, Taiwan. Go figure.... LOL.

[@MonkeyStealsPeach]

Really appreciate your continued support of the channel

[@peterwang5660]

Honestly I'm not a fan of the fact that he basically called Mainlanders less civilized, and how everybody here seems to be just lapping that up. But we don't need their complete approval to know we're still China as much as Taiwan is, and China's still cool.

[@Laj-t9k]

​@@MonkeyStealsPeachYou seem to have aggravated the ¢50 crew. They're ad hominem attacks on you are indicative of their insecurity. Keep it up!

[@_....J........................]

@@MonkeyStealsPeach I'm not saying that your experience is not valid as evidence of the world. I am asking you to think deeply as to why your experience exists as valid evidence of the world. History will not let any of us go.

[@johnnemo6509]

I don't think the Taiwanese consider themselves an imperialist Vassal state of anyone. They have their own democratically elected government and are fiercely independent. While they consider themselves proudly Chinese they also recognise their own separate identity...rather like Hong Kong used to do. But then I get the impression you probably consider European NATO members, Japan, and any other country not under an autocratic dictatorship to be an imperialist vassal state. We hear the same "history" arguments from Mr Putin to justify his invasion of the Ukrane....at some point in history we had control of this area so we will ignore all the times it was not, its independently developed cultural identity, and most importantly the will of the current citizens.... and call it ours. Please remember that China is older and larger than the Communist party and will hopefully exist long after communism has been consigned to the history books...its served it's purpose, time for China to more on. "Anglophone white settler" oooh lot of repressed hate in that....how about "bilingual Sinophile traveller" since he is only visiting Taiwan and I believe has ben residing in China; that would appear more accurate. I leave the white out because hearing similar views from people of many different ethnic groups so may be Non-Chinese would be more accurate than White? "History will not let any of us go." So you are saying we are all trapped by the past, and forced to relive old grievances for the sake of a political agenda? I disagree .....the world moves forward