Some differences between China and Taiwan

There were a couple of obvious differences from China that I noticed while in Taiwan this past week. Nothing major, but different enough that I consciously recognized that even though everything was in Mandarin I was not in Kansas any more, Toto.First, I was sad to realize that Taiwan wasn’t as nice as I remembered it from when I lived here almost a decade ago. Taipei and Taichung look pretty much like any other Asian cities that were in their heyday 15 years ago. I lived in Taiwan 7 years ago and it’s still pretty much the same—not like China where every 6 months and you’ve got a completely new city!The coolest new thing in Taiwan was the high speed train that now zips from Taipei to Kaoxiong. What once was a 6 hour drive is now an hour and 40 minute train ride. Taichung is now a suburb of Taipei-only an hour away by train. This train was fantastic.Second, the lack of over abundant labor is readily apparent almost everywhere you go—in China receptionists can be beauty contestants; problems are solved by adding more man hours to the equation; and garbage is collect by an army of little ladies with their own carts and brooms. In Taiwan, the staff seem to be competent in their jobs first—better English, service with a smile and noticeably more experience. Production issue solutions are calculated decisions and typically require an adjustment to the technology rather than an additional night-shift. And the garbage trucks...if you’re not been to Taiwan, you don’t know what you’re missing. I’ll give you a hint: Mozart.Third, most people I worked with in Taiwan are pretty much resigned to the overwhelming sucking sound to the West that is China. Seven years ago, there was still fight in the Taiwanese. I was struck by the resignation in almost everyone I talked with this time. A decade of lost jobs and capital has really taken its toll on the spirit of the Taiwanese. The recent local political missteps seem to have also depressed a large % of the Taiwanese.Fourth, I didn’t have an argument in 3 days. Not one. No one argued about QC standards or price. While a French friend railed on Bush, no one criticized US foreign policy—it probably helped that we just concluded a huge new missile deal. And on the streets, you won’t believe this, but people actually waited in lines-yes, they exist in Asia-be still my beating heart.Fifth, International standards were indeed the default standard. Quality of products, levels of QC, knowledge of foreign expectations seemed to be much more clearly understood in Taiwan. I didn’t have to explain why our QC standards were so high—the factory managers understood and clearly explained their QC and production processes. Not a single factory had an ISO 9001 banner hanging up.Except for the smell of the 1,000 year old eggs in the 7-11's it was a breath of fresh air. The attitudes of the people in general were different—polite, service oriented, honest. Maybe my trip was too short. Maybe I’m jaded by China. Maybe the Taiwan prices will bring me crashing back to earth. But all in all, I have to say it was nice to be back in Taiwan.