Spending my autumn discovering Taiwan’s gigs and art shows

I’m currently undergoing a Bachelor of Science Bachelor of International Studies at UTS, majoring in Physics and Chinese. I came to Taiwan in order to immerse myself in a Mandarin-speaking environment and improve my Chinese, also hoping to experience some of the local Science faculty while I was at it.

Because I was the only person travelling from UTS to Taiwan, I started off my exchange as a solo traveller. For those of you that are in a similar position (and like me at the time might not be too confident in your mandarin) fear not for almost everything here in the major cities and tourist spots is doubled in English, and even when it’s not the people are incredibly lovely and willing to help out (though I do of course still recommend practicing your mandarin). The dormitory that I had the opportunity to stay in had four people per room, which for me was perfect because it meant that I instantly made 3 great friends, and it was also incredibly cheap compared to other housing options (from memory I paid roughly $850 for the entire 5 months that I am staying here). However, I found that it was quite easy to find like minded people outside of the dormitory and classes too if dorms are not your thing.

If you are studying at National Taipei Normal University (NTNU), they allow you to take a free, non-credited course at the Mandarin Training Centre (MTC) which is a world-renowned centre for teaching Chinese. And it truly does offer some great lessons and teachers, however, personally I found that it was a bit tricky to organise my timetable at NTNU in accordance with the MTC. This is because they are two separate entities and at times operate on different schedules, despite being on the same campus.

NTNU itself is quite a diverse university in terms of courses though it is mostly known for its humanities, unlike NTU which is also in Taipei but is more known for science and engineering from what I understand. Despite this, I enrolled in the Department of Earth Science, and I must say my Marine Biology class has been my favourite so far in the semester. It seems that a pretty common aspect of the classes here is to go on field trips, and I highly recommend taking a class if field trips happen to be in the syllabus because they offer an easy way to see parts of Taiwan that you might not otherwise get to see. Also, if you are going to NTNU, keep in mind that many of the classes that show up on the class list that you are given before you are in Taiwan don’t actually end up running, and I personally ended up having to change every single class that I thought that I was going to take because of this fact, or timetabling/bureaucratic issues.

Lastly, what has really struck me during my exchange during Taiwan, is the amount of young people contributing to art, music and culture, whether it’s underground, experimental or mainstream. I’m personally a big music fan and have found that if you want to come to a country where gigs and art shows are commonplace and easily accessible day and night, weekday and weekend, Taiwan is the place for you. I can readily say that this is what I have enjoyed about Taiwan so far in the 3 months that I have been here.

Small and more intimate music venues are all over Taipei and after talking to locals you will quickly discover some of the best (out of the ones I have been to, I recommend the Witch House if you’re looking for somewhere to sit down and chill with a drink, or the Wall which is more of a standing/dancing venue and happens to be right next to the university). Often such venues simultaneously hold art shows which is also a great way to discover up and coming young Taiwanese artists. Festivals are also commonplace, and I highly recommend visiting Kenting in the south of Taiwan to catch the Taiwan Music Fest if you’re here at the right time.

Luckily, the public transport will take you all over the country. Travelling with my newly found friends that come from both Taiwan and also all over the world has given me some of the best memories and most ridiculous, but fun moments. Apart from the metro within each of the major cities, there are also intercity trains and buses, as well as a high-speed rail, meaning that you are spoilt for choice in terms of how quickly and cheaply you want to get anywhere. That said, I do recommend booking these things far in advance because during holiday periods, tickets sell out quick. I also must have an honourable mention for the self-service rentable bike stations all over the city that have honestly been a pillar of my exchange trip so far. These bikes are great to rent and travel with all over because not only are they incredibly cheap, but the cities here are relatively small in surface area compared to Sydney, so you can definitely get from point A to point B without much trouble for the most part.

Valeriya Karmazina
Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of International Studies
Autumn 2023 session at National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan