In the eleven months since it initiated visa services last November, the Belizean consulate in Taipei has issued nearly 500 visas, and private immigration consultants estimate that Belize has granted permanent residency to around 600 R.O.C. families during the past five years.

Affordable Emigration: Why is Belize so popular with emigrants from Taiwan? Simple, easy procedures that save time and money are doubtless an important factor.

In contrast to the substantial wealth and rigorous qualifications needed to obtain permanent residence in the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, all that Belize requires is proof of NT$1.5 million in savings, a certificate of good citizenship from the local police and a health checkup with a test for AIDS. Immigration is based on the family as a whole, and the processing fees for a husband, wife and two children under 16 amount to no more than NT$200,000 in to. A family can receive permanent residence cards six months after applying, even if they still don't know where in the world the country is, and they can become naturalized citizens five years later. It's inexpensive and quick. Kao Shumin, a vice manager at Jung Kuang Business Consultants Co., calls Belize"a substitute immigration product for the man in the street."

"Don't just think of it as cheap--Belize is every bit as respectable as New Zealand, Australia and Canada!" That's another selling point the immigration firms push: Belize, which didn't become independent of Great Britain until 1981, is a full fledged member of the British Commonwealth, so a Belizean passport means visa-free entry to 52 countries around the world, including members of the European Community. Ever since Belizean passports became easier to obtain several years ago, Orientals holding them have become objects of suspicion at customs points around the world, but immigration firms still tout them as a selling point.

British-Style Education: The fact that Belize is the only country in Latin America with English as its native language increases its "added value" immensely.

Pop singer Chang Chi, who sent her precious only son there last August for schooling, speaks confidently of her decision: "Kids studying in Belize can apply to an American college without taking TOEFL, which means one less hurdle down the road."

Belize not only inherited the British educational system, it also has three private Catholic schools--St. Catherine's Elementary School, St.Cathe rine's Academy for girls and St. John's College High School for boys--with fine reputations and sister branches all over the world, which have proved to be prime choices for the children of Taiwanese immigrants.

In addition to language, the heritage of 200 years of British rule has left Belize with a bicameral legislature and a thriving two-party political system.

Independent for 10 years, Belize has enjoyed stable economic growth. Its per capita GNP climbed by 16 percent in the last two years, from US$1200 in 1988 to US$1400 in 1990. The 2:1 exchange rate of the Belize dollar to the U.S. dollar has held steady for many years, and inflation has been kept firmly under control--a big relief when you consider the astronomical inflation and plummeting exchange rates of its neighbors. Immigrants from Taiwan also find it reassuring that Belize and the R.O.C. have diplomatic relations and that the economic assistance we are providing them has made us well liked by the government and public alike.

"There's been a big increase in the number of children from Taiwan coming here to study since the end of the year before last, when Belize and the R.O.C. established relations--more than a hundred in all. With government officials on hand to look after them, the parents are more relaxed," says Rick Shi, general manager of the Dynasty Investment Group, which is engaged in immigration affairs and real estate in Belize.

A Paradise for Retirees?: Being an English-speaking country is a draw for students, but Belize's pristine environment is the big attraction that immigration firms tout to retirees.

"According to international environmental groups, Belize is the seventh best country in the world in terms of environmental protection," says Jason Liou, managing director of Silver Eagle International Ltd., who has visited the country a number of times.

Offshore to the east lies the longest coral reef in the western hemisphere. Most of the mountains are covered with dense primeval forests, home to more than 500 species of birds and thousands of varieties of butterflies. There are sanctuaries for jaguars and baboons and some 600 sites of the ancient Mayan civilization, making Belize a paradise for naturalists and anthropologists alike.

No matter how pristine its environment may be and no matter how gorgeous it may look on slides, attempting to make out Belize as a retirement paradise can't help being unrealistic. According to 1984 statistics the average life expectancy is only 68, compared with 74 for Taiwan and the United States. "The main reason is that medical facilities are seriously inadequate. Health care is free, but mothers with any money at all go to Miami to have babies," an overseas Chinese says.

Medical facilities are inadequate, and Belize City happens to be surrounded by ten miles of sub-sea level swamp. With mosquitoes, flies and the lack of a good sewage system, disease is rife. One type of mosquitoes is nicknamed the "doctor's bug" because its bite is so painful, victims must see a doctor.

In this regard, Peter Cheng, president of Jung Kuang Business Consultants Co., frankly admits that the filth and squalor of Belize City often makes clients who have paid their registration money and begun immigration procedures scream foul as soon as they go there personally to pick up their permanent residence cards.

No Traffic Lights: There's only one elevator in the whole country, not a single traffic light, no McDonald's, no art museum . . . practically all the indicators of modern industrial civilization are nowhere to be seen. The narrow streets are crowded with smoke-belching old cars discarded from the US., the dilapidated wooden houses are gnawed by termites, and hurricanes are a source of constant trepidation (after Belize City was devastated by one in 1961, the government decided to build a new capital, Belmopan, in the center of the country).

Theft, crime and a flourishing drug trade, as in other Latin American countries, mean that most visitors from Taiwan are afraid to step out the door after dark. People used to Taipei's bustling nightlife find themselves terribly bored.

And No Bargain Prices: Despite its backwardness and poorly developed industry, prices and wages are not as low as in other Latin American countries. Most consumer items have to be imported from the U.S. and cost no less than they do in Taiwan: magazines and cosmetics are frightfully expensive.

"Hiring a servant here costs about US$200 a month," says Hung Chien-hsiung, the R.O.C. ambassador to Belize. "That's a lot cheaper than in Taipei, of course, but when you think of US$25 for Guatemala and US$70 or US$80 for Nicaragua, it's awfully high."

The reasons aren't far to seek. The population is too small, for one thing, only about 180,000. Industry isn't developed, and many Belizeans work in Britain or the U.S. and send back generous remittances to their families. With the mild climate and an abundance of fruit and seafood, food and clothing aren't much of a problem, and people have little incentive to work. Small wonder there's a labor shortage, despite an influx of refugees from Guatemala and E1 Salvador.

Similarly, even though real estate prices drop sharply outside the city, there's a serious housing shortage in downtown Belize City, and nice places are very hard to find. A comfortable two-storey house sells for NT$6 to NT$7 million and rents for NT$30,000 or NT$40,000 a month. Even a room in a fleabag hotel costs about US$60 a day--no bargain at all.

Escape Route: With poor living conditions in the city and much of the countryside inaccessible from lack of development, why are prospective emigrants from Taiwan still flocking here for a look?

"They've all been ripped off by immigration agencies, haven't they?" says one Chinese immigrant who wishes to remain nameless. He came to visit the place with the company only after he already forked over more than NT$100,000 in registration fees. "As soon as I stepped off the plane I turned green in the face!"

Be that as it may, he still paid the rest of the fee for a residency card. "With a card, I've got an escape route. Anyway, I'm not going to live here all the time, so I don't have to worry about how lousy it is."

"An escape route" is the biggest reason many people opt for Belize. To play on their "crisis consciousness," Peter Cheng says he makes sure signs are hung up at meetings saying things like "The Chinese Communists Still Haven't Renounced the Use of Force to Take Taiwan," "Deng Xiaoping Has Unfriendly Words for Taiwan" or "The Doors for Immigration Are Closing Fast--Apply Now."

In addition, children's education is another common reason for emigration.

Lots of Problems with Little Students: Like Chang Chi, many parents see their children settled down overseas and then leave, visiting them once every year or so and asking a member of a prospective immigration group to deliver the occasional care package. But can 14- or 15-year-olds let loose on their own really learn English and be admitted to a first-rate American university, as their parents wish? It's probably hard.

One skeptic was Lin Pei-jung, who came to Belize in 1983 and used to call herself the country's first legal resident from Taiwan (she died of an illness in Belize this March): "Children in a strange environment tend to hang out with kids of their own kind. They speak Chinese all the time, and they may only say a few sentences of English all day. Some children have been here three or four months, and they can't even pronounce the name of the school they go to!" To make her point, she used to warn children: "Don't talk to other Chinese kids!"

In addition, students are placed in school according to their English ability. Chang Chi's son had to start out in fifth grade even though he had already graduated from middle school, and some Taiwan children his age wind up in second or third.

Except for English and Spanish, the two official languages, the children can sail through most of the other classes with their eyes closed, so their achievements are limited and they lose their sense of accomplishment. Even though Chang Chi likes the educational system and learning environment in Belize a lot, she admits it has drawbacks.

Besides not necessarily learning very much, the children also face a host of problems in their daily lives. There are only three or four live-in homes run by immigrants from Taiwan, and they ask for as much US$600or US$700 a month, so to save money, many children are housed in cramped quarters in poor neighborhoods that rent for just US$200 a month. Also, international telephone calls are so expensive most children have to rely on pen and paper instead, but many of them can't seem to manage even one letter a month.

As for the pitch that "with no KTV or video game parlors around, your kids won't go bad," the gradual rise of problems like gang fights and drug use has belied that illusion.

Another side effect of the large influx of children from Taiwan is their conspicuous presence in the best schools, leading to hard feelings among the local populace. According to Hsu Wen-chen, there are nearly 100 students from Taiwan in Saint Catherline's Elementary School and St. John's College High School alone. A number of Taiwanese parents recently agreed to donate funds to the elementary school as a way to pay back the locality and smooth ruffled feathers.

Real Estate Triple Jump: Besides trying to skirt immigration laws, many immigrants have aroused ill will among the local populace through rampant real estate speculation. On the way from Belize City to the capital, the swamps on either side of the road are posted with signs in Chinese proclaiming, "future site of such and such a villa or manor."

Lin Pei-jung, who purchased more than 10,000 acres of land during her seven years in the country, used to say over and over again, "The more backward a place is, the more potential it has." Since her husband was engaged in the construction business in Kaohsiung, she had become practiced in snatching up properties in Taiwan, where land is as precious as gold, and keenly aware of the value of land. Over the past few years, realestate prices in Belize have made a triple jump, passing through the hands of speculators from the United States, Japan and Taiwan.

One noted "Taiwanese landlord" is Hsu Wen-chen, who lives in Houston and often shuttles among Belize, Taiwan and the United States. Even when he goes outside for a leisurely stroll, real estate brokers of his acquaintance will come over and say, "I found another lot. Want to buy?" As far as he's concerned, home is wherever there's money to be made, and there's no quicker way to do that than buying and selling land.

The Joys of Settling Down: On the other hand, some of the people who have immigrated to Belize have gone there as families to settle down. Some of them have chosen to live away from the city, to raise fruit and vegetables in the idyllic setting of the interior, and some have taken the traditional route of opening a Chinese restaurant.

Mr. Jen, who runs a restaurant with his four brothers and their wives and children, says, "Most of the people who came here in my group looked crestfallen after they got off the plane, but I felt like I'd discovered a new world!"

People fond of Belize like its simplicity, purity and tranquility, which reminds them of the Taiwan of 40 years ago. But will the new immigrants allow it to stay that way? It's a worrisome thought.

Taiwanese businessman Lin Hung-wen, who is engages in the development of remote-control scale models, came to Belize carrying just a briefcase.

Rick Shi, owner of Dynasty Investment Group, has already made something of a name for himself in Belize as a landowner. Here he directs workers in clearing the site of a planned residential community.

Sunshine, beaches and a captivating tropical ambience are the main reasons that Belize appeals to tourists from the U.S and Canada.

Construction in Belize City, the country's largest, has reached the saturation point, and finding space to put up a new building isn't easy. Shown here is the city's swan kiest residential area.

All you need is a motorboat, and you can cruise or fish to your heart's content in the quiet, reef-sheltered waters off the coast, which abound in prawns, croakers and groupers.

The Hotel Chateau, run by an overseas Chinese from Kwangtung, is a gathering spot for local notables and luminaries. On the left is Hung Chien-hsiung, the R.O.C. ambassador to Belize. Next to him is the Belizean deputy prime minister, Florencio Marin.

Lin Pei-jung, the owner of this beautiful home--the Orchid Villa--died of a cerebral hemorrhage in April.