Taiwan Braces for Cross-Strait Tourists

Oh, to be on the streets of Taipei this weekend. The first planeloads of Chinese tourists allowed under a new cross-strait travel agreement are set to arrive in Taiwan tomorrow, and the Taiwanese are bracing for culture shock. Reports Reuters: “Taiwan citizens, who are influenced heavily by hyper-polite Japan, fear Chinese will yell, spit or cut in on queues, all of which are an anathema to many Taiwanese.”

Taipeiers like to joke that they can spot a Mainlander from a mile away; with an influx of up to 3,000 Chinese tourists per day now expected on the island, that challenge may just shrink to within, uh, spitting distance.

Photo by Julia Ross.

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