Taiwan Through Time

This podcast series journeys through the history of the island of Taiwan, its people and its politics over the centuries, up to the present day.

Li's Beijing 12/20/2024

Li's Beijing We take a look at how Li Zhicheng went about trying to manage Beijing, how the population responded to his capture of the city, how Li was undermined by the actions of one of his generals and how his dreams of being an emperor were dashed by the Ming general Wu Sangui. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/34556125

The Ming Broken 09/24/2024

The Ming Broken On the 25th April, 1644, Beijing fell to the forces of Li Zicheng. Who was he, how did he rise to power and how did he lose the capital in under two months? /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/33189402

Taiwan Society 05/11/2024

Taiwan Society A short introduction to what Taiwanese society is like from the perspective of a foreigner. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/31240877

Episode 29 - Hong Taiji 02/19/2024

Episode 29 - Hong Taiji We look at the second Khan of the Jin Dynasty, some of the changes he makes to his empire and the renaming of the Jin as the Qing Dynasty. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/30021038

Episode 28 - Banner System & Ningyuan 01/02/2024

Episode 28 - Banner System & Ningyuan We look at the Nurhaci's Banner System, how policies within the Jin Dynasty began changing as the Jurchen people fell on hard times and the important Battle of Ningyuan or Níngyuǎn Zhī Zhàn. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/29307358

Episode 27 - Nurhaci 12/05/2023

Episode 27 - Nurhaci Nurhaci came from the Jurchen tribes of Manchuria, north east of China. In a parallel of King Phillip II of Macedon, Nurhaci unified his people and reworked them into a devastatingly effective military force. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/28947408

Episode 26 - Zheng Zhilong's Son 10/25/2023

Episode 26 - Zheng Zhilong's Son Zheng Chenggong (known to the West as Koxinga) would play a significant role in Taiwan's history. To understand this character better, it's important that we look at elements of his childhood and the political structure of the world around him. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/28418690

Belizean Perspective, Part 2 08/29/2023

Belizean Perspective, Part 2 This is the second half of my interview with Marci in which we discuss being a university student in Taiwan and talk about her experiences of Taiwan. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/27883665

Belizean Perspective, Part 1 08/20/2023

Belizean Perspective, Part 1 I'm joined by a lovely young lady called Marci who is from Belize, but studying in Taiwan. This is the first half of her interview in which our focus is mainly upon Belize. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/27801759

Football 07/23/2023

Football I am joined by Matt from Master Football Academy Taiwan who shares his insights on the emerging football culture in Taiwan and how this sport is gaining popularity. There are also tangents, naturally. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/27541428

Episode 25 - Spanish vs Dutch 06/20/2023

Episode 25 - Spanish vs Dutch As the Spanish governor-general of Manila, Corcuera, drains the Hermosan colony of men and resources to use elsewhere in the East, it leaves the Keelung (Jilung) colony vulnerable to Dutch attack. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/27207216

The Surfer 06/03/2023

The Surfer A small town surfer goes on a journey. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/27032214

Taiwan's Gaming Industry 05/15/2023

Taiwan's Gaming Industry We are joined by Iain Garner of the Taiwanese-based games publisher Neon Doctrine. He shares with us his insights into the world of game development and Taiwan's unique position in this industry. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/26841381

Episode 24 - Dominican Hermosa 05/03/2023

Episode 24 - Dominican Hermosa In this episode we take a look at the missionary work of the Order of Saint Dominic and their influences upon nothern Taiwan. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/26731014

Taiwan & Covid-19 04/17/2023

Taiwan & Covid-19 It's 2023 (as least as I type this) and for most people Covid-19 is little more than a painful memory. The virus isn't gone and infections still occur, but the existential threat compounded by the ridiculous levels of hygiene theatre that turned the experience in an exercise in virtue-signaling is finally over. People are able to once again breathe easy and get back to living their lives. Yet some things linger still. In Taiwan most citizens still wear face masks. Why? It has less to do with the virus and more to do with the culture on Taiwan. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/26564172

Episode 23 - Isla Hermosa 03/25/2023

Episode 23 - Isla Hermosa Suffering constant disruptions to their trade from the Dutch ensconced in southern Taiwan, the Spanish head to northern Taiwan to form a settlement of their own. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/26337546

Taiwan Tangents - Craft Beer 03/08/2023

Taiwan Tangents - Craft Beer As beer was under a government monopoly for nearly a century in Taiwan, the craft beer industry is still a relatively new endeavour. I invited Joe Merrell from Taihu Brewing to share his knowledge and experience of working in this industry. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/26163747

Episode 22 - The Spanish in the East 02/06/2023

Episode 22 - The Spanish in the East We look at Spain's history with Portugal and the steps that led them to claim the Philippines and start a colony in northern Taiwan. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/25838730

Episode 21 - Among the Head-Hunters of Formosa P2 01/02/2023

Episode 21 - Among the Head-Hunters of Formosa P2 We take a look at the indigenous' religion and their priestesses, their connection to their ancestors and how they deal with illness and death. We also explore the creative side of their society, looking at their architecture, their various crafts and their tattoos. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/25468986

Episode 20 - Among the Head-Hunters of Formosa P1 12/12/2022

Episode 20 - Among the Head-Hunters of Formosa P1 Using the work of anthropologist Janet Blair Montgomery McGovern, we take a closer look at the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, exploring their culture and society. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/25297455

Episode 19 - Pacification Campaign 11/07/2022

Episode 19 - Pacification Campaign After two successive governors regularly requesting additional troops to deal with native hostility, Batavia finally relents and sends Hans Putmans troops. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/24927261

Episode 18 - Putmans Continued 10/24/2022

Episode 18 - Putmans Continued We look at the confrontation between Zheng Zhilong and Hans Putmans known as the Battle of Liaoluo Bay and its aftermath. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/24625134

Episode 17 - Hans Putmans (Putman?) 10/10/2022

Episode 17 - Hans Putmans (Putman?) Hans Putmans gets installed as the 4th Governor of Formosa and his primary objective is to fix the mess left by Pieter Nuyts; essentially, re-establish trade with Japan and keeping trying to open up China to trade. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/24624672

Episode 16 - Pieter Nuyts 09/19/2022

Episode 16 - Pieter Nuyts In this episode we take a look at the character of Pieter Nuyts (also spelt Nuijts) and the role he played as Formosa's third governor from 1627 to 1629. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/24409290

Episode 15 - Red Seal Ships and the Mandate of Heaven 09/05/2022

Episode 15 - Red Seal Ships and the Mandate of Heaven Before continuing Zheng Zhilong's story, we take a moment to look at piracy in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding seas, briefly discuss two unlikely samurai and get an understanding of the Chinese concept of the Mandate of Heaven. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/24265746

Episode 14 - Zheng Zhilong (鄭芝龍) 06/28/2022

Episode 14 - Zheng Zhilong (鄭芝龍) A brief introduction to the background of the man who would inherit Li Dan's pirate empire and his radical departure from operating in the shadows, outside of Dutch notice. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/23550665

Episode 13 - Li Dan (李旦) 06/13/2022

Episode 13 - Li Dan (李旦) The pirate prince who would unite the pirate bands across Southeast Asia into the first Asian multinational conglomerate. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/23400164

Episode 12 - Foundation & Empire 05/30/2022

Episode 12 - Foundation & Empire We discuss the concept of empires and look at some of the actions and inter-actions of the Dutch on Formosa, including the massacre at Lamey Island. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/23254508

Episode 11 - First Impressions 05/16/2022

Episode 11 - First Impressions We get some insight into the Europeans at the time and of the impression the Taiwanese indigenous were likely to have had of them. This will then set us up nicely for our next episode, when we look at what the Dutch did on Formosa. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/23113268

Episode 10 - The World the Dutch Entered 04/25/2022

Episode 10 - The World the Dutch Entered This episode is a brief overview of the changes in trade and religion across southern Asia and Far East Asia, giving a clearer picture on the world that the European explorers in general (and the Dutch in particular) were stepping into. /episode/index/show/taiwanthroughtime/id/22900700

Taiwan Through Time

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