Research Institute for High-Life

Japan-Asia Collaborative Research Project
Study report "The New Trends in Asian Urban Lifestyle"

"The New Trends in Urban Lifestyle in Taiwan" (serial in 3 parts)

Part 2 The Active Lifestyle Consumption of the Taiwanese

KAO, MING-HUNG、 Assistant Professor at Business School of Chang Gung University,Taiwan

Summary
This part briefly reviews the historical changes of Taipei city first. Taipei developed as a base of Japan’s colonial management before the Pacific war; after the war, the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan and put first priority on economy to develop the city as a city of improved functions of commerce, politics, culture and amusement based on the industrial prosperity. As a result, a large population flooded into Taipei to trigger such urban problems as traffic jams and congested houses, but the city further developed by conversion of industrial structure and various measures against over-urbanization. Currently the city has as much as 10 MRT lines and is under redevelopment for greater improvement in urban function and convenience. Along with the development, such problems have occurred that the middle class people have difficulty purchasing a house because of the soaring housing prices, but Taipei is expanding to the suburbs and making a convenient, international city.

The lifestyle of Taipei citizens has greatly changed, as the number of single and dual working household has been increasing owing to the improved income and nuclear families. As for the diet, home cooking has become simpler, eating out for tasty and convenient food has become an ordinary affair of life. Convenience store and other various distribution businesses have developed to support the comfortable life of Taipei citizens. Besides, new style of department stores and shopping malls having the tenants of food court, brand shops, movie theater, etc. have opened one after another to provide an amusing space for customers to enjoy leisurely time with family and friends.

This report features the developing and expanding Taipei city and the active lifestyle consumption of the Taiwanese.

Principal Author KAO, MING-HUNG
Assistant Professor at Business School of Chang Gung University, Taiwan　

EDUCATION
2011 Hitotsubashi University, Japan, Ph.D. in Business Management and Marketing
2000 National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan, MBA
1997 National Cheng-Chi University, Taiwan, B.A. in Advertising

WORKING EXPERIENCE
Brand Manager at Shiseido, Taiwan
Assistant Research Manager at Taylor Nelson Sofres, Taiwan

FIELD OF RESEARCH: Marketing
SUBJECTS OF STUDY: Consumer Behavior, Brand, Services Marketing

Co-Researcher:
Furukawa Ichiro, Professer, Hitotsubasi University
Fukuda hiroshi, Chairman, Joumon communication Inc.

Editing and Delivery Public-Interest Incorporated Foundation
Research Institute for High-Life http://www.hilife.or.jp/