National Palace Museum

Being from America, a relatively new country, it can sometimes be difficult to fully comprehend the cultural and historical richness of nations as ancient as those in East Asia. Today we visited the National Palace Museum, which contains the most well-known exhibits in the country. It is in this expansive and well documented history, heavily rooted in tradition, which originated the value system still present in East Asia’s social and professional worlds.

 Rigidness of protocol and procedure are often times present in the realm of business. This emphasis on order and conscientiousness facilitates efficient and fluid corporations. The financial services firm KPMG, for example, operates in 146 countries and their Taiwanese division seamlessly executes their services to multinational entities.  Without these instilled values their successes would have undoubtedly been disadvantaged. Being competent in East Asian history and culture is necessary to understand, respect, and in turn be competitive in an increasingly Asian dominated global market.