V. G. BUROV Doctor of Philosophy In May 2009 After a long, eight-year break, I managed to visit Taiwan again, for the sixth time, or rather, its main city Taipei. Over the years, it has undergone significant changes for the better. TAIPEI DAILY LIFE First of all, transport links have improved, as evidenced by the appearance of new metro lines, the stations are very convenient, equipped with signs in Chinese and English, and detailed information in the form of a running line is also available in the cars. The ticket is cheap-from 15 to 40 Taiwan dollars (or taibi, as the Taiwanese call their currency), depending on the number of stations. One Taiwanese dollar is equal to about one ruble, i.e. a trip to the subway costs an ordinary Taipei citizen about the same as a Muscovite, but the latter's salary is much lower on average. There are no problems with bus and taxi services in the city. Many Taipei residents prefer to ride mopeds. This means of transportation is used not only by young people, but also by elderly matrons. In February 2007, a super-fast railway (300 km per hour) was opened from Taipei to the second most important city of Kaohsiung in the south of the island. If earlier the travel time was 4-5 hours, now it is only 1.5-2 hours. Much cheaper than in Moscow, Taipei hotels, one room in a 4-star hotel can cost a little more than 100 am. United States dollars. In recent years, the city has built buildings of new large stores, including well - known Japanese companies-Sogo and Mitsukoshi, along with many small and medium-sized shops selling all sorts of things, the abundance of inexpensive eateries and cafes for every taste is striking, which distinguishes Taipei from Russian cities. A large number of them are located in the underground floors of supermarkets. In one of them, I counted several dozen with a total number of seats of at least 1000! You can have lunch for 120-160 taibi, i.e. rubles, and the soup is served free of charge. Here everything is made fo ... Read more