Facts bear him out. Under the onslaught of waves of young students from Taiwan born with silver spoons in their mouths, the business environment of the Chinese community in Vancouver has undergone a sea change in the past couple of years.

Colleges and Guarantors: The hottest new industry is probably "education."

All kinds of "private colleges" have been opened up recently by immigrants from Hong Kong, by Chinese immigrants with Ph.D.s in education and by the younger generation of big-name families in business. With everyone thinking precisely alike, the number of schools has multiplied rapidly: there are already more than a dozen of them run by Chinese alone.

T. Leon Kung, president of the Royal Canadian College, says that in the two years since the school was established, the number of students has jumped from 20 tO 140 and the facilities have been expanded three times. "I want to find a ten-acre campus in the next three years to bring the school together. We're to spread out now," he says ambitiously.

Local entrepreneur Li Heng-lung has built an eight-storey, 39,000-sq.-ft. "Educational Building," preparing for great prospects ahead.

Besides opening schools, the market pie for Chinese students has a lot of other pieces to go around. Being a legally appointed guardian is one way to make easy money.

Employment and Immigration Canada stipulates that all foreign minors must have a guardian, and most Chinese parents who send their children off to Vancouver find a local person to act as one. The going rate is 1,000 Canadian dollars (about NT$23,000 per child, and there's no limit to the number of children a person can act as guardian for. "But under the principle of 'keeping it in the family,' the guardians are often the school authorities themselves," says Cap Fu, vicepresident of operations of the Summit West Group in Vancouver.

Starting Up a "Family Business": Even without that relation, there are still plenty of "employment" opportunities. "As long as a family has an extra room or a basement no one is using, they can serve as a host family," says David Wang, a reporter for the World Journal stationed in Vancouver.

To his knowledge, the standard rate for room and board for a live-in student these days is 600 or 700 Canadian dollars a month. If a family takes in five students, that means a monthly income of over NT$70,000. "Who needs any other line of work?" he says.

Some businesses have adjusted their operations to cater specially to the students. Many Chinese restaurants, for instance, have added karaoke equipment with tapes of Mandarin songs or popular arcade games to lure the students and boost their income.

"One year ago there were only two places with karaoke in all of Vancouver. Now there are more than 20," Chu says shaking his head.

More and More Like Taipei: As to this development, many Chinese students voice their wholehearted approval.

Liu Mu-chen, who often complains she can't find any pretty clothes to buy in Vancouver, began muttering to herself just a few days after her father took her here about how there weren't any places to sing and she didn't know where to go to dance. "How could anywhere be so boring?" She rolls her eyes and laughs: "This year, karaoke and singalong spots have been opening up right and left. As long as we're here, it's becoming more and more like Taipei."

[Picture Caption]

Packing two or three students to a room is not uncommon in host families.

(Below) With the increase in Vancouver of students from Taiwan, more and more karaoke clubs have been opening up.

Rent a few classrooms, hire a few teachers and you too can get started in the education business.

（Below） With the increase in Vancouver of students from Taiwan, more and more karaoke clubs have been opening up.

Rent a few classrooms, hire a few teachers and you too can get started in the education business.