What opinion or view do foreigners have about Taiwanese customs?

Self-identification is more than just bloodline or heritage. Your actions speak volume. He sounds like he loves Taiwan.

Honestly, he has a lot invested there...his family, children, and work. I don't know you, so I won't make any judgment on you. But some of my 1st generation Taiwanese-American friends don't really know anything nor care about Taiwan.

This person that annoys you so much made a decision to stay in Taiwan and to interact directly with the people there. He is part of the Taiwanese society and more Taiwanese than my friends. He thinks highly of Taiwan, that's a good thing, right?

And for the person who says this guy is one of those all-knowing Americans...well, he probably can claim to be such when it comes to Taiwan because he has been living there for years. And he went beyond the typical job of teaching language usually associated with Westerners. If this guy wants to identify himself as Taiwanese, I say good for him!

The world is getting smaller and immigration is taking place at a higher number and more countries. There will probably be more people like him everywhere. --------------------------------------... Thanks for providing additional info.

Just some more comments here. How well does this guy know you? Perhaps he doesn't know that you have been visitng Taiwan frequently since childhood and that fact that you have been living there after college.

You should let him know if that's the case. Also, maybe there are some regional cultural and political differences within Taiwan? I live near NYC, and the culture here is definitely different from rural America even though they are all part of the same country.

Collectively, he has not been in Taiwan as long as you have, but 5 years is still a long period of time. If you know for sure that he truly cares about Taiwan, then just excuse him for the way he expresses it :-).

Whooo. You, my boy, without knowing, have just called in the big players from the Taiwan and China sections. I don't know if you're a troll, or what, but I'll try to answer your question.

First of all, let me establish that I relate to your situation. I am a American-born Taiwanese, just like you, and from your language and style of looking at things, you seem to be in my age group too(kinda. Just know I'm not all that old.

18 is a good estimate. :D). Alright.

First of all, anyone who lives in Taiwan and works in Taiwan, much less has a FAMILY in Taiwan, has the right to call themselves Taiwanese. However, they have no place to consider themselves "more Taiwanese" than someone else- no one does. This isn't a competition, and there's no way you can be more Taiwanese than someone else.

However, when he said, "We Taiwanese here in Taoyuan feel that..., but since you are not from here you won't understand." That is unaccepatable. That is completely rude.

That's saying you aren't even Taiwanese, but it isn't implying is that he's more Taiwanese than you- just that you simply aren't Taiwanese at all. Get it now? I'm not saying he's right, but you seem to have misunderstood what he implied.

Consider this- how would your parents feel if people told them they weren't really americans? After all, they did apply for citizenship, passed the test, and gained the citizenship... I assume the man is a citizen of Taiwan. Therefore, he can call himself Taiwanese as much as your parents can call themselves American.

Moving on...Is it common for Western people who have lived in Taiwan too long? The most common thing for western people to do after living in Taiwan for a long time is to blend into society, learn fluent Chinese, and contribute to Taiwan. Pretty cool, huh?

Further on, I think that man has some problems. A disorder? Don't think so, but he certainly has some attitude issues.

He has no right to say such things to you. He's not a wannabe, but he defintely went way too far. Hope I helped with your situation.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.