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Taiwan Trivia Episode 1
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How Yellow is Your Urine?
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Hello. When do you usually get off work?
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Do you find yourself feeling constantly overwhelmed at the office?
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If so, do you know of a small island country in the shape of a sweet potato called Taiwan?
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What we're about to see next is the daily workflow for an average Taiwanese worker.
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It's only 8 AM and the Taiwanese are in the lead, already hunched over and working at his desk.
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Behind them are the Japanese and American.
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Wait a minute, is that a hangover spotted in the land of stars and stripes?
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Oh, just strolling into the office at a leisurely pace.
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And we have lost track of the Frenchman. Where is he?!
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Oh! He's still at the starting line!!
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Now we'll take a short break.
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(Speaking in French)
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Hmm…yes, the way of the tea…
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Mmm…
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Do...nu...ts...
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And now let's see what the Taiwanese bring out.
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At 7pm, it's time to clock off, but the Taiwanese are still busy at work while the Japanese has headed off to the bar for a drink.
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Meanwhile, the American has just arrived home, and the Frenchman is already lying in bed waiting for him.
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The clock strikes 10 PM, and the Taiwanese has headed back to his desk while chugging yet another Red Bull.
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Now, it's midnight, and the Taiwanese has finally packed up their things, ready to head out.
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But oh no! The boss has sent another work-related text that requires immediate action.
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The average work hours of Taiwan employees surpass those in Japan, France, and America, yet they are paid a minuscule salary in comparison.
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Although labor rights are pretty much non-existent in Taiwan, its people do not fight for their rights as often as those in Western societies.
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Most European countries not only offer better working conditions but also show greater activism in the protection of labor rights.
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For example, an average of 2% of the French workforce participates in a strike, annually.
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As for Taiwan? 100% of its workers just grit their teeth and power through every year.
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The Taiwanese are truly a "good" bunch of workers, aren't they?
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One of Taiwan's wealthiest entrepreneurs often asks his employees: "How yellow is your urine?"
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He thinks that if employees are truly hard at work, they would not have time to drink water, leaving more time to focus on work.
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As a result, their urine would simmer inside their bladders to a beautiful amber reduction.
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Indeed, he believes that workers with potential bladder problems make good employees.
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If you finish work too early, then the boss will accuse you of not working hard enough.
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Now, let's do a urine test for the employees of each country mentioned in this episode.
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Findings from this test reveal a honey-like color to the urine of Taiwanese workers; a rather ominous shade of yellow for urinary health.
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So, why is that the Taiwanese people seem to work like robots without ever complaining?
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That is because Confucius said, "'Solidarity' is a virtue."
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Taiwanese people do not want to break this spirit of collaboration and risk being considered "non-virtuous."
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So, when the time for clocking off comes around, the whole office enters an awkward headlock in which no one dares to be the first to leave.
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The strong hierarchical culture of the workplace makes it difficult for workers to leave before their employers.
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Also, for some unknown reason, when a fellow colleague has a lighter workload, rather than aspiring to join them in heaven; we want to drag them down into work-laden hell with us.
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Naturally, the industrious nature of the Taiwanese people has led to the development of a convenient lifestyle tailored for people that are always on the go.
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Other than 24-hour conveniences stores, there are also restaurants, karaoke bars and even book stores that operate around the clock.
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So, next time you visit Taiwan, come and enjoy our professional and courteous customer service, competitive prices and great food.
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After all, these are all products of the hard working industrious Taiwanese people!
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And, just so you know, the animation that you are currently viewing is also the product of hard work and overtime efforts by the Taiwan Trivia team.
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Disclaimer: We thank the nations that took part in this clip: America, France and Japan.
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Any resemblance to actual events and scenarios is entirely coincidental. Terms and conditions apply.
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If you enjoyed this clip, please click on the subscribe button on the bottom right corner.
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Otherwise, our production team would have had bladder problems for nothing.
