Camping in Taiwan vs. the West ft. Jane Liu: What ABCs Actually Need to Know | Real You Mandarin Podcast EP15

Prefer audio? Listen on Spotify | Apple Podcasts

When Jane Liu and I sat down to talk about camping, we realized pretty quickly that the differences between Taiwan and the West go way beyond just the gear you bring. It's a whole different mindset altogether, and it gave me a new appreciation for how laid-back Taiwanese outdoor culture really is.

Why Camping Is a Surprisingly Great Mandarin Topic

This is one of those episodes where the topic sounds light, but it actually teaches you a ton of practical vocabulary you'd never learn in a classroom. Think about it. If you ever visit Taiwan and want to do anything outdoorsy, you're going to need words for tents, campfires, permits, camper vans, and a bunch of other stuff that no textbook covers. For those of us who are American-Born Chinese (ABCs) or American-Born Taiwanese (ABTs), this is exactly the kind of gap in our vocabulary that keeps us from being able to talk about our real lives in Mandarin.

Jane is a Mandarin teacher and Real You Mandarin: Beginning's course partner, but she's also an avid camper. She's camped in Taiwan, the US, Europe, and Australia, and she currently has her own 露營車 / 露营车 / lù yíng chē / camper van that she takes around Taiwan on weekends. So when we talk about the differences between camping cultures, she's speaking from real experience, not just one country's perspective.

No Permit? No Problem (in Taiwan)

The biggest difference we get into is how much more 隨意 / 随意 / suí yì / casual and free camping in Taiwan feels compared to the West. In the US, if you want to go camping, you almost always need a 許可證 / 许可证 / xǔ kě zhèng / permit. You have to go to the national park's website, apply in advance, and sometimes the good spots are booked months out. Jane told me that in Taiwan, you can basically just grab a tent, drive to a beach, and set up camp. Nobody is going to knock on your window and tell you to leave.

This casual approach extends to van life too. Jane used to live in a camper van in Europe and Australia, and even there, you needed permits and had to follow strict rules about where you could park overnight. But in Taiwan, you can pull over at a scenic spot, draw your curtains, and sleep in your van without the police coming to check on you. It's just a fundamentally different relationship with public space.

Campfires, Convenience Stores, and Food

The second big difference is food. In the US, camping means preparing all your meals in advance. You go to the grocery store before the trip, you pack a cooler, and you cook everything yourself over a campfire or on a camping stove. Jane pointed out that in Taiwan, even when you're camping in the mountains, there's probably a 7-Eleven a short drive away. So if you don't feel like cooking, you can just drive to a convenience store, grab some food, and head back to your campsite.

And speaking of campfires, Taiwan's humid climate means you can make a fire pretty much anywhere without worrying about wildfires. In California, fire restrictions are a constant concern due to the prevalence of wildfires. In Taiwan, the wood is so damp that starting a fire is actually the hard part, so no one worries about wildfires. Jane described how she and her friends would just gather rocks, build a fire, and 烤肉 / kǎo ròu / barbecue right there on the beach or in the mountains. That kind of spontaneity is something you just can't get as easily when camping in the U.S.

Shoutout to Jane Liu, follow her at @janesmandarin for more Mandarin teaching content and Taiwan travel tips, and check out the course we built together, Real You Mandarin: Beginnings.

Key Vocab From This Episode

露營 / 露营 | lù yíng (camping)

帳篷 / 帐篷 | zhàng péng (tent)

露營車 / 露营车 | lù yíng chē (camper van / RV)

許可證 / 许可证 | xǔ kě zhèng (permit / license)

營地 / 营地 | yíng dì (campsite / campground)

隨意 / 随意 | suí yì (casual / laid-back / as you like)

潮濕 / 潮湿 | cháo shī (humid / damp)

生火 | shēng huǒ (to start a fire / to make a fire)

These are all words from the actual episode, not textbook vocabulary, but the kind of words that come up when you're talking about real life in Mandarin.

Ready to Go Deeper?

If this episode resonated with you and you want to go deeper, this is exactly the kind of content we cover in our course Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression. It's 5 modules, 43 video lessons, and 1300+ flashcards covering everything from expressing your emotions and navigating interpersonal relationships to parenting, aging parents, and self-growth. Basically, all the conversations that actually matter in your life.

Not sure if it's for you yet? Try a free lesson first. No commitment, just a taste of what learning Mandarin can feel like when the content is actually relevant to your life.

Get the Full Transcript

Want the full transcript of this episode in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English with key vocab highlighted? Check out our Podcast Transcript Membership. Or download the free EP1 transcript to see what it's like.

----

If you liked this episode, we'd love to connect with you on Instagram and TikTok where we post clips from every episode plus other Mandarin learning content. And if you haven't already, subscribe to the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts so you don't miss the next one.