Articles by 李燕君

Hello Xiaoqi: What Has Taiwan's Convenience Stores Done to Make Everyone Dependent on Them?

First impressions may disappoint, but parting brings nostalgia. Many people's trips to Taiwan turn into a story of 'suppression first, uplift later.' In my view, the two key factors behind this reversal are a sense of order and human warmth, and Taiwan's convenience stores naturally embody both. It took 36 years for Taiwan's convenience stores to reach their current state. When asking for directions in Taiwan, almost everyone will say: when you see a certain convenience store, turn left or right. Indeed, in Taiwan, convenience stores serve as landmarks. In 2014, Taiwanese media reported that there was one convenience store for every 2,500 people, and one in three Taiwanese visited a convenience store daily. The density of convenience stores in Taiwan surpassed Japan to become the highest globally. Today, with 23 million people on 36,192 square kilometers, the number of convenience stores has exceeded 10,000.