In 1990 two American magazines, Fortune and Newsweek, did surveys of Asian cities, and concluded that Taipei is East Asia's "ugly duckling." It was criticized for inadequate infrastructure, polluted air, and abysmal traffic, with the final blow being: "Worst of all, it is truly ugly." Whatever foreigners may think, Taipei residents are even more dissatisfied.
一九九○年美國「財星雜誌」與「新聞週刊」也都曾以亞太國家城市做過調查，台北被認為是東亞醜小鴨，公共建設不佳、空氣汙染、交通惡劣，「更糟的是，它實在很難看。」