Talking Taiwan

Talking Taiwan is a Golden Crane Podcast Award Winner, and has been shortlisted in the 2024 International Women’s Podcast Awards “Moment of Visionary Leadership” category. Hosted by Felicia Lin, Talking Taiwan is the longest running, independently produced Taiwan-related podcast that covers political news related to Taiwan and stories connected to Taiwan and Taiwan’s global community. To learn more about Talking Taiwan visit: www.talkingtaiwan.com

Ep 315 | Julien Oeuillet The Voice of South Taiwan Shines a Spotlight on Kaohsiung 07/01/2025

Ep 314 | A Conversation With Wen-Jen Deng Taiwanese Fiber Artist and Curator Ming Turner 06/21/2025

Ep 314 | A Conversation With Wen-Jen Deng Taiwanese Fiber Artist and Curator Ming Turner We recently sat down with Wen-Jen Deng one of the artists in residence at the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s House 17 on Governors Island and Ming Turner, curator of Wen-Jen’s art exhibit :The Embedded Stitch- Contemporary Fiber Art, which is currently showing at Tenri Cultural Institute until June 28th Related Links: According to Deng’s curator Ming Turner, “Deng is a core member of the influential Taiwanese artist collective, Hantoo Art Group. Her early works were primarily oil paintings which incorporated embroidery and collage using traditional Taiwanese floral fabrics. Deng often draws inspiration from Taiwanese food culture— her earlier pieces explored the island’s distinctive betel nut culture, while more recent works have focused on everyday culinary traditions and the cultural heritage of the Sirayu Pingpu people.” Special thanks to Ming Turner for translation assistance during this interview. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Wen-Jen’s upbringing in Taiwan and how she knew she wanted to be an artist What Wen-Jen thinks an artist’s role in the world is Why Wen-Jen studied art in France and how she was inspired by Marc Chagall How Wen-Jen started off doing oil painting as an artist How Wen-Jen switched from using oil paint as her medium to fiber and textiles How Wen-Jen worked in a textile shop making Chinese dresses while she was a student in France Why her early source of inspiration was food Her series of work that focused on lotus shoes and pig’s hooves (pigs feet), betel nuts, and other everyday Taiwanese cuisine How Wen-Jen discovered her mother’s was from the Siraya tribe during her 2017 residency at Soulangh Cultural Park in Tainan, and that inspired her to move her focus from food to indigenous culture How Wen-Jen learned indigenous weaving techniques How Wen-Jen’s mother was a seamstress but Wen-jen did not pick out any of those skills from her mother How Wen-Jen taught herself to embroider when she was working in the textile shop in France How all of the embroidery and sewing on Wen-Jen’s works are done by hand How in the process of weaving and embroidering Wen-Jen gets in a focused state of meditation The field work that Wen-Jen does related to her artwork Ming shared some of her thoughts on the significance of Wen-Jen’s artwork Wen-Jen’s artwork “Oyster Noodles” which will be on display at the TAAC Governors Island House 17 How Taiwan’s transition from authoritarianism to democracy has impacted artists in Taiwan How artists in Taiwan get funded How Wen-Jen’s sculptural piece which is shaped like the island of Taiwan and shows its topography will be displayed at the TAAC House 17 on June 21 /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/37097875

Ep 313 | Passport to Taiwan 2025: Ben Hedges A Laowai's View of China, Ambassador Lee of TECO, and TAAC 06/02/2025

Ep 312 | Jane W. Wang Navigates a Multicultural Hero's Journey (Classic) 05/26/2025

Ep 312 | Jane W. Wang Navigates a Multicultural Hero's Journey (Classic) Since May is both Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we think it’s fitting to reshare this episode with Jane W. Wang. Related Links: What we really appreciate about this interview with Jane back in 2021 is how she spoke so openly about how she dealt with her bouts of depression. She also shared how getting back in touch with her roots in Taiwan had a part in leading her to start her coaching practice. While she no longer offers the Multicultural Hero’s Journey course that she refers to in this episode, she is still actively coaching clients. It’s our hope that Jane’s personal story can help destigmatize mental health and create more understanding about the coaching profession. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Jane’s connection to Taiwan How being a third culture kid (TCK) has shaped her identity and life purpose Her career path before becoming a coach Why she wanted to become a coach Her personal journey, the struggles and depression that she dealt with along the way before she became a coach Why she decided not to get a degree in counseling from Columbia University and instead got certified in coaching What is coaching and how it differs from counseling or psychotherapy Jane’s own experiences with coaching, being the person being coached by someone else Jane’s advice on how to pick a coach to work with The challenges Jane faced in becoming a coach The depression and imposter syndrome she experienced in the process of becoming a coach How Jane dealt with her self-judgment and learned to love herself How Jane dealt with three bouts of depression What she learned from going through depression How someone can identify whether or not they themselves or someone they know is experiencing depression How Jane created her Multicultural Hero’s Journey coaching program Who would benefit the most by going through the Multicultural Hero’s Journey coaching program Jane’s advice for people who are interested in becoming a coach What it takes to be a good coach Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/36709990

Ep 311 | Understanding the History of Taiwan through Dr. Jerome Keating (Classic) 05/17/2025

Ep 311 | Understanding the History of Taiwan through Dr. Jerome Keating (Classic) May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and since 1999, Congressman David Wu (OR) and the co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus have supported the celebration of Taiwanese American Heritage Week starting from Mother's Day Weekend, so we thought this would be a good time to reshare one of our most popular episodes, an interview we did with Dr. Jerome Keating in 2020 about the history of Taiwan. Related Links: Few contemporaries are more qualified than Dr. Jerome Keating on understanding the history of Taiwan. He has been living in Taiwan for over 30 years. Initially he came over to Taiwan to work on the MRT. He has written several books about Taiwan. We invited him on to the podcast to talk about this latest book, Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus. Dr. Keating also reflected on how Taiwan has changed in the past 30 years, and we discussed things past and present including Taiwan’s complicated international status, amendment of the constitution, changing the official name of Taiwan (which is the Republic of China) and redesigning the passport and flag of Taiwan. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What motivated Dr. Keating to write his latest book, Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus Who the book was intended for and who Dr. Keating writes for How Taiwan has changed in the last 30 years The semi-martial-like atmosphere of Taiwan when Dr. Keating arrived in 1988 Keating’s first book Island in the Stream and what motivated him to write it What intrigues Dr. Keating about Taiwan as a subject matter How the San Francisco Peace Treaty (signed in 1951) left Taiwan in a limbo status How the US position on Taiwan 75 years after World War II is still undecided The circumstances surrounding “Taiwan” aka the Republic of China losing its seat in the United Nations in 1971, which included a proposal to have 2 Chinas in the United Nations The Republic of China and People’s Republic of China’s claims on China How Taiwan has never had a seat in the United Nations The Republic of China framework and constitution that Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang brought to Taiwan Keating’s thoughts on amending Taiwan’s constitution Changing the official name and flag that represent Taiwan Submissions for the new Taiwan passport cover design The Taiwan Civil Government wanting to make Taiwan the 51st state of the United States How Dr. Keating sees Taiwan’s future Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/36604400

Ep 310 | Cathy Erway on The Food of Taiwan 04/16/2025

Ep 310 | Cathy Erway on The Food of Taiwan Last year I came across an article in the Gothamist titled, A Taiwanese food crawl in the East Village with NYC writer Cathy Erway. I have of course heard of Cathy Erway and her cookbook and thought to myself, Why haven’t I had her on Talking Taiwan as a guest yet? For those of you who aren’t familiar with Cathy’s work, she is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and author based in New York City. Her cookbooks include The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island and Win Son Presents: A Taiwanese American Cookbook. Her cookbook, The Food of Taiwan which was published in 2015 is the first cookbook from a major U.S. publisher to explore the food culture of Taiwan from home-style dishes to authentic street food. We talked about how publishers rejected the cookbook at first and how it eventually got published. She also has a Facebook page called The Food of Taiwan, and if you’re a Taiwanese food lover, I highly recommend liking and following it. On the page, Cathy shares news about Taiwanese food like where to get the best Taiwanese food in and out of Taiwan, and new Taiwanese restaurant openings. Cathy Erway’s journalism has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Eater, Grub Street, T: The New York Times Style Magazine and more. She is a columnist at TASTE, and received the James Beard Award for Home Cooking journalism in 2019. In 2021, she received the IACP Culinary Award for her column. This episode is part of the trailblazing Taiwanese women's series sponsored by NATWA the North America Taiwanese Women's Association, which was founded in 1988. To learn more about NATWA visit their website, . Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Cathy started off writing a blog called Not Eating Out in New York, which led to her first book, The Art of Eating In Cathy’s cookbook The Food of Taiwan The article in the Gothamist about Taiwanese restaurants in the East Village Cathy’s Facebook page The Food of Taiwan How Cathy has had a Google alert set on the term Taiwanese food for 20 years How things have changed in the 10 years since The Food of Taiwan was published How the owners of Taiwanese restaurants in New York City (Win Son, 886, and Ho Foods) are all friends How Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry has contributed to the interest in Taiwanese cuisine How Cathy learned to cook and her parents’ cooking styles How Cathy’s family is foodies Cathy’s connection to Taiwan What went into creating The Food of Taiwan How the photography of The Food of Taiwan was an important part of the cookbook How The Food of Taiwan got rejected by several publishers How The Food of Taiwan is a snapshot of all the foods in Taiwan including home-style foods and street food, up to 2015, the year it was published How The Food of Taiwan includes foods that are unique to Taiwan How the recipes in The Food of Taiwan suggests substitutions for certain ingredients that might be hard to find How Cathy met Josh Ku and Trigg Brown of Win Son How Cathy collaborated with Josh Ku and Trigg Brown of Win Son on Win Son Presents a Taiwanese American Cookbook How hard it was to convince the editor to publish The Food of Taiwan Other Taiwanese cookbooks that have been written by Clarissa Wei, Frankie Gaw, Tiffy Chen, and George Lee How Cathy is working on an article about the frozen dumpling business for Taste Topics that Cathy writes about like how tamari is a different product in Japan vs. the U.S. Té Company tea house in the West Village, Yumpling restaurant in Long Island City, Ho Food restaurant in the East Village Cathy’s favorite Taiwanese dish is sān bēi jī (three cup chicken) How Taiwanese breakfast foods are now available at Win Son Bakery and Ho Foods Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/36185020

Ep 309 | 228 Memorial Foundation: Executive Director Nâ Sū Phok (藍士博) on his Work and the Historical Significance of 228 03/29/2025

Ep 309 | 228 Memorial Foundation: Executive Director Nâ Sū Phok (藍士博) on his Work and the Historical Significance of 228 It’s about a month after 228, an important date in Taiwan’s history, marking the 228 Massacre. 228 stands for February 28 1947. February 28th is now commemorated as a national holiday in Taiwan known as the 228 Peace Memorial Day. For this year’s 228 episode, we wanted to release my interview with Nâ Sū Phok (藍士博), the Executive Director of the 228 Memorial Foundation in Taiwan. Last July 2024, I sat down with him at the Taiwanese American Conference at West Chester University about his work for the 228 Memorial Foundation. You may be wondering why we are sharing this episode a month later. Since Sū Phok spoke in Taiwanese Hokkien during the interview, it required translation from Taiwanese into English, and that took a bit longer than anticipated. Secondly, 228 is not a single date in history, subsequent events after February 28th lasted beyond and into March leading to what some refer to as the March Massacre. Here’s a brief summary for those unfamiliar with the 228 Massacre. The first thing to know is that like most significant events in history, they do not just take place on a single date. There are usually circumstances and other happenings that lead up to the date in history. Two years before the 228 Massacre in 1945, at the end of World War II, the Chinese Nationalists (aka the Kuomintang/KMT) had fled from China to Taiwan bringing with them the Republic of China framework. Since then, tensions had been mounting for quite some time. In the case of the 228 Massacre, there were conflicts and protests that began much earlier, leading up to what happened on the night of February 27th, 1947 when Tobacco Monopoly Bureau agents tried to confiscate contraband cigarettes from a 40-year-old woman and brutally knocked her out. When an angry crowd gathered in protest, one of the agents fired a shot into the crowd killing a bystander. Within 24 hours, by the next day, February 28th, the incident had escalated into bloody violence and massacres. More killings happened in March of 1947, which have led some Taiwanese dissidents to call it the March Massacre. Under the authoritarian Chiang regime, what followed after 228 was 38 years of martial law and the White Terror era. Anyone could be disappeared, executed or worse for just saying or doing the wrong thing, or for what was seemingly wrong in the eyes of the authorities. The people of Taiwan were horrified and terrified. Generations dared not speak of 228. 228 was absent from high school textbooks until relatively recently. Denial, distrust, suppression, and the passage of time have made it hard for many to come to terms with 228. If you’d like to learn more, I invite you to listen to our past episodes about 228 that are listed in the Related Links section below. Special thanks to Mei-Ling Lin for her translation assistance for this episode. This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What does 228 refer to and what is its historical significance Sū Phok’s background and upbringing How Sū Phok first learned about or heard about 228 If Sū Phok has any family members/relatives that have been impacted by or victimized by 228 Why/How did Sū Phok got involved with the 228 Memorial Foundation Where does Sū Phok’s interest in history comes from Why it’s important to preserve history What the 228 Memorial Foundation does How what the 228 Memorial Foundation does is different from what the Transitional Justice Commission does What Sū Phok’s responsibilities are as the Executive Director of the 228 Memorial Foundation What kind of work Sū Phok was doing before working for the 228 Memorial Foundation How the work of the 228 Memorial Foundation has changed since it was founded in1995 Some of the milestones/major accomplishments of the 228 Memorial Foundation News from early 2024 about how Taiwan’s Transitional Justice Commission identified 42 historical sites The 228 Memorial Foundation’s opinions on historical sites of injustice related to 228 Current initiatives/projects of the 228 Memorial Foundation? What Sū Phok has learned about 228 since working for the 228 Memorial Foundation that he didn’t know before What's on display at the National 228 Memorial Museum Future initiatives/projects of the 228 Memorial Foundation What Sū Phok would like us to consider about 228 and how it might be relevant to the present Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/35918580

Ep 308 | FAPA: All About Its Essential Advocacy Work for Taiwan 03/22/2025

Ep 308 | FAPA: All About Its Essential Advocacy Work for Taiwan If you’ve been following our social media, you might already know that Talking Taiwan is participating in the Podcasthon which is a global movement calling on as many podcasts as possible to dedicate one episode of their show to a cause of their choice. The idea is to release these episodes simultaneously, from March 15-21, 2025 and by doing so this will create a massive and international wave of inspiring audio content. We are proud to represent Taiwan in the Podcasthon and to dedicate this episode to FAPA, The Formosan Association for Public Affairs. FAPA was established in 1982, during Taiwan’s 33rd year of martial law. In this episode you’ll soon learn about all of the important, hard work that FAPA does in order to advocate for Taiwan in the U.S. For many Taiwanese Americans, friends of Taiwan and supporters of democracy, FAPA’s work will probably resonate with you. Here’s something that will hit home especially for Taiwanese who have immigrated to the United States. Did you know that before 1994 Taiwanese Americans were forced to list "China" as their place of birth on U.S. passports? I’m old enough to remember this happening to my parents and some of my relatives. This misrepresentation fueled a policy campaign by FAPA advocating to correct this oversight and affirm the rightful identity of Taiwanese Americans. As a result, Taiwan was allowed to be listed and recognized as a place of birth on U.S. passports. This is just one of FAPA’s lasting achievements and an example of how FAPA is a leading voice for Taiwan in America. If this is the first time you are hearing about FAPA you might be wondering about FAPA’s name and where it comes from. Once upon a time, Taiwan was known as Formosa. The name goes back to the Portuguese who named Taiwan “Iha Formosa!” which means Beautiful Island when they discovered it in the 16th century, back when Portugal was known for its exploration prowess. But even knowing this, I still wondered why Formosa or Formosan was used instead of Taiwan or Taiwanese, so I asked around and FAPA’s current President Dr. Su-Mei Kao shared some stories that Taiwanese Hokkien speakers who are listening to this episode are going to be able to appreciate. The early founders did try to come up with a name that used Taiwan, the Taiwanese Association on Public Affairs, but the acronym, TAOPA or when pronounced in Taiwanese Hokkien “TAOPA” sounds like “help hit” and then a shorter alternative, TAPA, “TAPA” sounds like the word for a Spanish appetizer. It turns out, the acronym for The Formosan Association for Public Affairs, FAPA when pronounced in Taiwanese Hokkien “huapa” sounds like “calling to hit or attack.” The name has stuck and has served the organization well. Last July while we were at the Taiwanese American Conference, we sat down to interview FAPA’s Executive Director, Anny Hsiao, President Dr. Su-Mei Kao, and Vice-President Chia-chun Chung. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Dr. Su-Mei Kao, Vice President Chia-chun Chung’s connection to Taiwan How and why Executive Director, Anny Hsiao, President Su-Mei Kao, Vice President Chia-chun Chung each got involved in FAPA The 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis and Taiwan’s first direct presidential election FAPA's major accomplishments and achievements FAPA’s Passport Place of Birth Campaign (1992-1994) that allowed the Taiwanese to list Taiwan as their place of birth on U.S. passports How has FAPA’s work changed since it was founded in 1982 How U.S.-Taiwan relations have changed since FAPA was founded FAPA's programs and initiatives Why it’s important to change the name of TECRO (Economic and Cultural Representative Office) Why Taiwan should not have to compete at the Olympics under the name “Chinese Taipei” How Taiwan should be allowed to compete in the Olympics using the flag and anthem of its choice FAPA's mission FAPA’s Song Yea Lee Memorial Fund FAPA’s most famous intern is Hsiao Bi-Khim, Taiwan’s current Vice President What happens during FAPA's annual national advocacy training How overseas Taiwanese are in a unique position to advocate for Taiwan Anny, Su-Mei and Chia-chun’s hope and vision for the Taiwan American community How to get involved with FAPA or to donate Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/35818115

Ep 307 | Taiwan on the Margins of CSW 69: Celebrating Women’s Resilience & Progress at Taiwan Main Stage 03/18/2025

Ep 307 | Taiwan on the Margins of CSW 69: Celebrating Women’s Resilience & Progress at Taiwan Main Stage If you’ve listened to our most recent episode of Talking Taiwan, you’ll know that the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women or CSW69 is now taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York. It began on March 10th and runs until March 21st. Related Links: On March 12th the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York (TECO-NY) hosted an event called “Taiwan Main Stage: Celebrating Women’s Resilience & Progress on the margins of CSW 69.” This smartly worded event title is undoubtedly a soft reference the fact that Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, and therefore on the margins of CSW69. We were there at TECO-NY’s fully packed event on the 12th where we heard from Po-Chun Sophiyah Liu and Chia-Hui Lu. Sophiyah is Ambassador-at-Large for Sports Diplomacy of Taiwan, and she is Taiwan’s first female umpire. Chia-Hui Lu is a classical musician, cross disciplinary artist and an associate professor at National Taiwan University of Arts. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations · Sophiyah Liu’s remarks at TECO-NY’s event called “Taiwan Main Stage: Celebrating Women’s Resilience & Progress on the margins of CSW 69” · How the Global Sports Mentoring Program that set Sophiyah on the path to sports diplomacy · How when Sophiyah won the IOC and UN Women: Women and Sport World trophy in 2019, a special arrangement was made for her to enter the UN building to receive the award · When Sophiyah was invited to attend the UN Global Sport Program working group which met in a conference room in the United Nations building but when it came time to attend the meeting, she was told she couldn’t enter the UN building because she has a passport from Taiwan · Sophiyah’s thoughts on the controversy over questions about the gender eligibility of female boxer Lin Yu-ting at the Paris Olympics · Sophiyah’s thoughts on gender eligibility testing in sports · Chia-Hui Lu’s remarks at TECO-NY’s event called “Taiwan Main Stage: Celebrating Women’s Resilience & Progress on the margins of CSW 69 · The technology, AI training and experimentation involved in creating the real-time music recognition system that captures melodies from Chia-Hui’s piano playing and transforms it into a surreal visual story · The mission and past projects of the Egret Cultural and Education Foundation · How the Egret Cultural and Education Foundation’s cross art productions combine theater, music, dance, technology, culture, and history · How the Egret Cultural and Education Foundation was published books about Taiwan’s history, nature, music, and art Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/35743400

Ep 306 | Empowering Women Through Education and Community Panel: Meet the Panelists 02/27/2025

Ep 306 | Empowering Women Through Education and Community Panel: Meet the Panelists March is Women’s History Month and in this episode of Talking Taiwan I’ll be speaking with the Angela Feng, the organizer of the Empowering Women Through Education and Community Action panel, a UN CSW69 Parallel Event that’s going to be held here in New York City on Friday, March 14th from 4:30pm-6:00pm. CSW69 stands for the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Also with me in this interview are the other two panelists Cindy Wu who’s been a previous guest on Talking Taiwan and Dr. Remi Duyile. There are quite a few acronyms tossed around in this conversation so I thought I’d mention them upfront here like SDG goals, which stands for Sustainable Development Goals which were adopted by United Nations Member States. There are 17 SDGs because ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. The other acronym you’ll hear is BPW which stands for Business and Professional Women. The theme of the panel is how education and community initiatives equal empowerment. The session will dive into how education and grassroots programs can transform lives. Angela, Cindy and Dr. Remi not only talked about the panel, and work of their respective organizations, but I ask each of the women who were their earliest role models who helped to shape who they are today, and to share about challenges that they’ve had to overcome in their careers thus far. If you’d like to know how you can attend the Empowering Women Through Education and Community Action panel visit TalkingTaiwan.com where we’ll share a link to register for it on Eventbrite. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · Angela Feng, Cindy Wu, and Dr. Remi Duyile are the organizers and panelists for the Empowering Women Through Education and Community Action Panel. · The panel's theme is "How Education and Community Initiatives Equal Empowerment." · The session will explore how education and grassroots programs can significantly transform lives, particularly for women and girls. · Angela Feng is the president of Soroptimist Taipei International, Girls Power, a female non-profit organization recognized by the UN and Taiwan. · Cindy Wu is a trilingual financial management professional, singer-songwriter, and motivational speaker, involved with the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW). · Dr. Remi Duyile is a Nigerian-American, a UN ambassador of peace, and the founder of Legacy Premier Foundation, a global developmental non-profit. · The discussion will delve into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how these goals relate to women's empowerment · Angela, Cindy and Dr. Remi the work that they have done with each of their respective organizations · Angela, Cindy and Dr. Remi talked about their early role models and the challenges they have overcome in their careers. · The panel aims to provide practical insights and inspire action, moving beyond abstract concepts of women's empowerment. · The women want to provide action steps, and resources to the audience · Soroptimist International of Taipei Girls Power focuses on education for young women, from elementary school through college. · The Legacy Premier Foundation focuses on financial literacy, and providing access to resources to underserved communities, and teaches skills that are needed in the market place. · The International Federation of Business and Professional Women works to create opportunities for women through promoting employment, and protecting rights. Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/35454925

Ep 305 | Sherry Chou Remembers Dr. Chen Wen-chen and Circumstances Surrounding his Mysterious Death 02/24/2025

Ep 305 | Sherry Chou Remembers Dr. Chen Wen-chen and Circumstances Surrounding his Mysterious Death In July of 2024, we brought Talking Taiwan to the Taiwanese American Conference at West Chester University and I sat down to interview Sherry Chou, the Director of Dr. Chen Wen-chen Memorial Foundation. Related Links: Dr. Chen Wen-chen was an assistant professor of statistics at Carnegie Mellon University when he and his family returned to his native Taiwan for a vacation in the summer of 1981. Dr. Chen’s permit to leave the country to return to the U.S. was rejected and so the Taiwan Garrison Command called in Dr. Chen for questioning regarding his political beliefs and activities in the United States. They questioned him on June 30th and July 2nd, but then on July 3, 1981, Chen’s body was found on the campus of National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei. At the time the autopsy reported that his death was due to a fall. Chen’s mysterious death shed light on how the work of Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang spies on U.S. campuses led to Chen’s interrogation by the Garrison Command. Sherry and I talked about how and why it took 10 years to establish the Dr. Chen Wen-chen Incident Memorial Square at National Taiwan University (NTU), and the Rainbow Taiwan Independence Flag. Sherry also shared some memories of the Sunflower Movement, which you’ll hear Sherry refer to as sān yī ba, which is three one eight in mandarin Chinese, and a reference to March 18, 2014, the date that activists and students occupied Taiwan’s legislative yuan which became known as the Sunflower Movement. Dr. Chen Wen-chen’s memory was honored at Taiwanese American Conference’s 2024 memorial concert. This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Who Dr. Chen Wen-chen was The events leading up to the mysterious death of Dr. Chen Dr. Chen's body was found on July 3, 1981, on the ground at National Taiwan University Initial autopsy reported his death as a fall, but circumstances were suspicious His death shed light on the activities of Kuomintang (KMT) spies on U.S. campuses Why it took 10 years to establish the Dr. Chen Wen-chen Incident Memorial Square at National Taiwan University Sherry also talked about the Rainbow Taiwan independence flag project Sherry discussed her memories of the Sunflower Movement Dr. Chen Wen-chen was honored at the Taiwanese American Conference's 2024 Memorial Concert Dr. Chen fundraised for Formosa Magazine, which drew the attention of KMT agents Formosa Magazine is linked to the Formosa Incident, also known as the Kaohsiung Incident Recent findings by the Transitional Justice Commission revealed that Dr. Chen had been under surveillance since 1979 Forensic evidence confirmed that Dr. Chen died before falling from a building The Lin family murders occurred on February 28, 1980; Lin Yi-hsiung’s mother and his twin daughters were stabbed and killed and his oldest daughter survived The death of Chen Wen-chen angered both local and overseas Taiwanese people Sherry talked about a photo of protestors in the 1980s wearing paper bags over their heads to disguise their identities The idea for the memorial started in 2011 with professors and students co-signing a petition The initial proposal was just to place a sign on campus, not a square, but the university didn't want even a sign The social atmosphere in 2011 was different, with Taiwan moving closer to China under President Ma Ying-jeou There were many ridiculous objections to the sign The turning point came in 2014 when Dr. Yang Pan-chyr, a more progressive president, agreed to set up the memorial square There was uncertainty about whether the university would change its stance after Dr. Yang left and Kuan Chung-ming became president Kuan Chung-ming was unpopular, especially among the DPP and progressive community, due to his conservative views and ties to China Dr. Yang tried to push for the sign before he left After Kuan Chung-ming became president, he withdrew support for funding, and the Dr. Chen Wen-chen Foundation covered the costs The public contributed to fundraising efforts through social media Around 2016, there was a surge in advocacy for gender equality in Taiwan and its connection to Taiwanese sovereignty and identity In 2016, Taiwan’s marriage equality movement gained attention with people protesting on the streets On May 24, 2017, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to marry Someone used photoshop to combine the rainbow flag and Taiwanese independence flags Funds were raised through social media and distributed 1300 flags at events The flags allowed people to express support for both marriage equality and national issues 2016 marked the beginning of more people expressing concern for both gender equality and national issues LGBTQ individuals were more actively engaged in the Bluebird Movement, possibly due to increased mobilization since 2016 Sherry was previously the marketing director for Watchout, a media company Watchout started at the end of 2013, around the time of the Sunflower Movement, capturing many photos from then The company shifted focus to issues related to Taiwan's independence and civil defense Watchout published two books: Civil Defense Guide (covering disasters and war) and Active Civil Defense Guide (focused on war) How Sherry got interest in feminism She admires figures like Professor Fan Yun and Liu Wen for their feminist contributions Sherry emphasized the importance of efforts from both Taiwanese communities in Taiwan and those outside of Taiwan in order to make significant change happen Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/35405700

Ep 304 | Our Conversation on The Translator's Daughter A Debut Memoir by Author Grace Loh Prasad 02/08/2025

Ep 304 | Our Conversation on The Translator's Daughter A Debut Memoir by Author Grace Loh Prasad Grace Loh Prasad’s debut memoir, is The Translator’s Daughter. I spoke with her about how she started off writing it and how it evolved over the two decades it took to write it. Related Links: A lot can happen in two decades. One by one Grace started losing her family members- her brother, mother and father. Her memoir is very much about loss, not just the loss that Grace experienced of her family members, but also her lost connection to Taiwan. When Grace was just two years old her family left Taiwan and moved to the U.S. and then Hong Kong. Her parents didn’t return to Taiwan until Grace was in college in California. I found the book moving and appreciated how Grace was able to take her grief and personal experiences and put them into this beautifully written book. If you’d like to hear Grace reading an excerpt from The Translator’s Daughter, check out the episode right before this one, episode 303. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · What motivated Grace to start writing her memoir · How the memoir evolved and changed over the twenty years it took to write and complete it · What changed in her life during those two decades · How Grace lost her brother to cancer, her mother to Alzheimer’s and father to Parkinson’s · The challenge of maintaining a connection with Taiwan and relatives there due to language barriers · The unconventional style of the book which is a mix of narrative chapters and essays · Grace’s writing process and how she put the book together · What Grace learned in the process of writing the book · How her family’s migrations due to her father’s work affected Grace and her brother Ted · How to find belonging in a place that you don’t intend to stay · How Grace feels about being a third culture kid · How much of the writing in the book comes from Grace’s diary entries · What Grace left out of the book · People who have reached out to Grace about her book because they knew her father and his work translating the Bible · Grace reflects on her father’s education and career compared to her own · How Grace’s family’s story doesn’t fit the typical immigrant or model minority story · The op ed Grace wrote about Taiwan’s 2000 presidential election · How important Taiwanese Americans have been in highlighting issues in Taiwan · How Taiwan is excluded from international organizations and events like the UN, WHO, Olympics · The authors and books that have influenced Grace · How her book touches on mythology, film, music, and art · Her family’s connection to the Thornberries and Milo Thornberry who wrote Fireproof Moth: A Missionary in Taiwan’s White Terror · Grace’s advice for someone struggling with writing their first book · Feedback and reactions that Grace has gotten to the book · How it’s worthwhile to make the effort to pass on specific things from one’s culture or family to children or the next generation Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/35202830

Ep 303 | An Excerpt from The Translator's Daughter by Grace Loh Prasad 01/26/2025

Ep 302 | Talking Taiwan Award Winner Top 5 2024 End of Year Review 01/01/2025

Ep 302 | Talking Taiwan Award Winner Top 5 2024 End of Year Review Here’s our 2024 Top 5 Award Winners. 2024 was an eventful year! Related Links: In January we headed to Taiwan to cover the Presidential election, thanks to the generous support of donors. While we were there, we covered the election from Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung. We were also able to hold two in-person podcast events where we met several of our Taiwan-based podcast guests in person for the very first time. In May we were shortlisted in the International Women’s Podcast Awards Moment of Visionary Leadership category. Then in July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference East Coast (TAC-EC) where we created an on-location podcast studio and conducted 12 interviews in 3 days. We are grateful to have interviewed many of TAC-EC’s wonderful speakers. And it we had the honor of interviewing Taiwan’s former Vice President Dr. Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) who is best known for his excellent handling of the COVID pandemic in Taiwan. After speaking with him I came away thinking that the world would be a much better place if we had more politicians like Dr. Chen. We’ll be giving first listening access to this and other select interviews to anyone donating $50 or more to Talking Taiwan. We never know what episodes are going to make the top 5 of the year and in this episode you’ll hear the story behind number 1 episode of 2024. 2024 marked a big change in the way we do things. Previously nearly all of our interviews were done remotely, but in 2024, we did a number of interviews in person, most notably the one with Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo that got shortlisted in the International Women’s Podcast Awards Moment of Visionary Leadership category. We will be incorporating more in person interviews in 2025, and Talking Taiwan will be embarking on a North American Tour taking the podcast to communities on the East Coast, West Coast and Canada. In July we will be returning to the Taiwanese American Conference East Coast, and then heading to the Taiwanese American Conference on the West Coast in San Francisco. Later on in the year we will also head north to Taiwanfest in Toronto, Canada. Your donation can help make all of this happen. Right now It’s a great time to make a contribution because all contributions made will be doubled. The first $11k we raise will be doubled thanks to our generous matching donors. To support Talking Taiwan you can make donation by PayPal or Zelle using our email address [email protected] or Venmo @talkingtaiwan. You can also send us a check at our PO box that you’ll find on our website talkingtaiwan.com/support. Thank you for listening. Wishing you a Happy New Year in 2025 and beyond! Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/34679835

Ep 301 | Documentary Films on the Pandemic, Immigration, and Human Rights Issues: Our Talk with Taiwanese American Filmmaker Hsuan Yu Pan 12/31/2024

Ep 301 | Documentary Films on the Pandemic, Immigration, and Human Rights Issues: Our Talk with Taiwanese American Filmmaker Hsuan Yu Pan In this episode of Talking Taiwan, I started off speaking with Taiwanese American documentary filmmaker Hsuan Yu Pan about how she got interested in documentary filmmaking. As we talked about her films, we covered a broad range of topics from the COVID-19 pandemic to parallels between the 2017 travel bans that barred people from seven Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S. and internment of Japanese Americans in the1940s. Time and time again entire groups of people have been targeted and blamed groups. Related Links: This led us back to the pandemic and recalling the high incidence of Asian hate that happened at that time. Her current film project Hear, Eat, Home touches on many of these topics including the Syrian Revolution and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After speaking to Hsuan Yu I get the sense that through her documentary filmmaking she wishes to create understanding so that history doesn’t repeat itself and to foster more empathy in the world. Below in the Related Links section is a link where you can support and watch a work in progress version of Hsuan Yu’s film Hear, Eat, Home. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Hsuan Yu’s upbringing and how she initially had aspirations to be a visual artist How Hsuan Yu got interested in documentary filmmaking How Hsuan Yu’s early experiences editing wedding videos taught her how to use video footage to tell a story How her work at Bric TV taught her how to find stories How she came up with the concept for her documentary film Alone Together that was shot during the pandemic How footage for Alone Together was gathered and planned How Alone Together featured footage from 11 different countries What Hsuan Yu learned from making the film Alone Together Hsuan Yu views her filmmaking as being about telling people’s stories How she met the Taiwanese puppeteer, Mr. Tsai who is the subject of her documentary film project I, Puppet How Hsuan Yu was able to encourage Mr. Tsai to do some impromptu puppetry in New York’s Washington Square Park How Mr. Tsai attended a Puppet Slam event in Coney Island, NY and brought the puppet slam concept back to his puppet museum in Taipei, Taiwan The relationship between Mr. Tsai and his father who is also a puppeteer How and why Mr. Tsai’s parents didn’t want him to become a puppeteer What Hsuan Yu loves about making documentaries Her documentary film project Hear, Eat, Home How two of the subjects of the film Hear, Eat, Home, Kinan Azmeh and Kevork Mourad are members of Yo-yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble How the internment of Japanese Americans and the travel bans of 2017 (aka Muslim bans) are examples of how the U.S. government has labeled certain groups of people as a threat and discriminated against them How Kinan Azmeh was affected by the travel bans of 2017 (aka Muslim bans) How different groups have been blamed such as the Japanese Americans, Muslim Americans and Asian American How as a documentary filmmaker Hsuan Yu feels that sne should document history so that people can learn from history Kevork Mourad’s background and family story What the film Hear, Eat, Home is about Hear Eat Home tells the story of Syrians, Japanese Americans and Ukrainians What Hsuan Yu believes makes a good documentary How Hsuan Yu was trying to finish working on Hear, Eat, Home in 2020, but she wasn’t satified with it When the Russian invasion of Ukraine happened in 2022 Hsuan Yu felt that she should include stories of her Ukrainian friends in to the film Hear, Eat, Home Hsuan Yu plans to complete Hear, Eat, Home me next year Hear Eat Home is available for view as a work in progress until January 5th Anyone wishing to support the completion of Hsuan Yu’s film Hear, Eat, Home can make a donation on the link provided on TalkingTaiwan.com for this episode Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/34669785

Ep 300 | The History of NATWA: Unique Contributions in Leadership and Sisterhood 12/19/2024

Ep 300 | The History of NATWA: Unique Contributions in Leadership and Sisterhood NATWA (the North America Taiwanese Women's Association) has been around since 1988 and for this episode about NATWA I interviewed Elena Ling, one of NATWA’s founding members, Hui-Na Lin, a past NATWA national president, Susan Liao, two-time president of NATWA’s Toronto chapter, and Sue Kuo NATWA’s current vice president and president elect for 2025. It is impossible to properly acknowledge the unique contributions of each NATWA national president, or all of NATWA’s board and committee members, NATWA’s supporters, donors, and countless others who have made NATWA what it is. Related Links: As I reflect on this, I’d like to share a poetic analogy that Hui-Na Lin, 2022-2023 NATWA national president shared with me to describe the essence of NATWA. It’s from a short story she wrote “Fly Together Over Mountains” which she told me was inspired by the Canadian geese’s migration down south for the winter each year. A single goose could not make the trip as efficiently alone. Several geese fly together as a group in a V formation. There is one bird that leads the group initially, but when the lead bird gets tired, it moves to the back for a rest, and another bird takes the lead. The birds all take turns leading the group to their final destination. Like the Canadian geese NATWA’s members work together to support each other in turn. It’s not about one single leader. As you listen to this episode you’ll learn more about how NATWA meets its five point mission statement which is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. Special Thanks to Elena Ling and Alvina Ling for providing useful details about NATWA’s formation and history for this episode. And a very special thank you to NATWA and its members for all of the encouragement and support that you’ve given to our two-person team here at Talking Taiwan. Thank you for making our work possible. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How and why NATWA (the North America Taiwanese Women's Association) was founded Annette Lu’s (former Vice President of Taiwan) connection to NATWA How Annette Lu was one of the Kaohsiung Eight (one of eight people arrested as a result of the Kaohsiung aka Formosa incident) The first meeting with the 30 founding members of NATWA How NATWA has a President-elect who serves as Vice President the year before becoming President How NATWA started off as a national organization The early formation of NATWA How progressive it was at the time to form NATWA How NATWA has grown from 30 to 1,000 members How NATWA became a 501(c)(3) organization How NATWA has 2 major events a year, an annual convention (in April) and a mid-year leadership meeting (in October) The impact that NATWA has made in the lives of its members How Hui-Na Lin and Susan Liao got involved in NATWA initially and later took on leadership roles in the organization NATWA’s early struggles in attracting members due to pressure from Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) government at the time NATWA’s early successful fundraising efforts Why NATWA avoided accepting any government funding NATWA’s early successful projects NATWA’s charitable fundraising efforts How NATWA’s members are aging How NATWA’s membership and programs grew during the pandemic What made NATWA’s WebEx programs during the pandemic successful What types of WebEx programs NATWA offered during the pandemic Major activities organized by NATWA Toronto The first NATWA event that Felicia Lin, the host of Talking Taiwan was invited to attend How Hui-Na and her team got NATWA’s members to attend the first in-person mid-year meeting and annual conventions that took place after restrictions on COVID were eased How NATWA addresses women’s issues and promotes women’s dignity The formation of NATWA II an organization for second generation Taiwanese American women Questions about the future direction of NATWA What Elena, Hui-Na and Susan have each gotten out of their involvement with NATWA Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/34528270

Ep 299 | Team Taiwan's Historic Gold Medal Baseball Win: Our Conversation with Richard Wang 12/09/2024

Ep 298 | An Oral History of TAC-EC: Conversations with Three Past Conference Organizers: Talking with Terry Tsao, Su-Mei Kao, and Powen Wang 11/27/2024

Ep 298 | An Oral History of TAC-EC: Conversations with Three Past Conference Organizers: Talking with Terry Tsao, Su-Mei Kao, and Powen Wang In July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast (aka TAC-EC) at West Chester University where we set up an on-location podcast studio and I interviewed 12 people in 3 days. It was pretty nonstop but it was well worth it. One thing we strive to do with Talking Taiwan is to record oral histories, so it was my pleasure to sit down with several of TAC-EC’s past organizers to talk about the conference’s history. Related Links: First, I spoke with Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文), who told me about how TAC started out as a summer retreat for Christian families in 1970 and later evolved into a conference for the entire Taiwanese American community. At the time Taiwan was under Chiang Kai-shek’s Chinese Nationalists authoritarian regime, and Pok-wen recounts how the Chinese Nationalists (KMT) tried to interfere with TAC in those early years. I also spoke with past TAC organizers Su-Mei Kao, and Shih-Chieh or Terry Tsao. TAC is a conference with a 50 year plus long history and its programs have covered diverse issues impacting Taiwanese Americans, including human rights in Taiwan, and momentous social, historical, political events related to Taiwan and their implications. About TAC-EC: The first Taiwanese American Conference East Coast (TACEC) was held in 1970 in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. It was a summer retreat for the area's Christian families but has turned into an event for the entire Taiwanese American community. Over the years, the conference has expanded its programs to encompass diverse issues impacting Taiwanese Americans, including human rights in Taiwan, and momentous social, historical, political events and their implications. TACEC invites Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans from diverse professional backgrounds to share their experiences. The number of participants has steadily grown, numbering over 2,000 in the late 80s and 90s. TAC-EC is hosted by Taiwanese Communities in four different regions: New York, New Jersey, Washington and Philadelphia (including south Jersey and Delaware). Each region is currently on a four-year rotation and takes turns chairing the TACEC board that oversees the operation of TAC-EC. The conference today draws about 600 - 800 participants annually, with the majority being first generation Taiwanese Americans. Many second generation Taiwanese Americans who now have children have eagerly expressed interests in developing TAC-EC programs for their children and re-engage their peers who were past participants. TAC-EC’s MISSION: To stimulate public interest in the cultural, religious, educational, socioeconomic and other activities of Taiwanese/Taiwanese Americans To pass down Taiwanese cultural and religious heritage in the Taiwanese Americans community To facilitate exchanges among Taiwanese Americans organizations, and to foster exchange, mutual support and collaboration between Taiwanese American organizations and Taiwanese or other ethnic groups’ organizations To organize an annual conference or workshops of various topics about current affairs and future development of the United States and Taiwan This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文), an early participant and organizer of TAC-EC talks about how he got involved in TAC-EC, the formation of TAC-EC, and its early years How the conference started as a Christian summer camp and then the Formosan Club (aka Taiwanese Association) joined What caused a split between the Christians and Formosan Club The year Powen Wang aka Ong Po-bun (王博文) organized the conference (1989) How TAC-EC has evolved from the 1970s to 2013 The formation of TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation) Su-Mei Kao, organizer of TAC-EC in 2015 talked about her experiences organizing the conferences and how changes were made to create more interaction and shared events between TAC-EC and TANG attendees The speakers and topics covered at TAC-EC 2015 How Su-Mei Kao had attended TAC in the southern region before TAC on the East Coast and how the conferences in these regions differ Shih-Chieh (Terry) Tsao, organizer of TAC-EC 2023 talked about how he got involved in TAC-EC Shih-Chieh (Terry) talked about the theme of TAC-EC How China reacted to Nancy Pelosi’s (former speaker of the United States House of Representatives) visit to Taiwan in August of 2022 Some of the most memorable speakers that were invited to speak at TAC-EC 2023 How FAPA (Formosan Association for Public Affairs and GTI (Global Taiwan Institute) and WUFI (World United Formosans for Independence) were instrumental in helping to organize TAC-EC 2023 How Shih-Chieh (Terry) hopes that TAC-EC can welcome more participants with a wider spectrum of political leanings on Taiwan Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/34173310

Ep 297 | Aftermath of his Medical Mission to Ukraine One Year Later: Dr. Jung Tsai 11/15/2024

Ep 296 | Psychological Defense and Practices to Manage Stress for the People of Taiwan: A Talk with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo 10/31/2024

Ep 296 | Psychological Defense and Practices to Manage Stress for the People of Taiwan: A Talk with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo Since 2020 Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has been reporting the number of incursions China makes by sea and air into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone. These incursions now happen on a daily basis and already the tally for this year alone has surpassed the total number of occurrences that took place last year in 2023. Related Links: Recently, on October 14th, just days after President Lai Ching-te’s Double Ten Day speech, China’s military initiated the "Joint Sword-2024B" drills, a simulated blockade which took place in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s MND, a record number of 153 Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan within a 25-hour period. We’ve previously discussed China’s gray zone military tactics and civil defense preparedness, on this podcast, but just as important is something called psychological defense. In July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast that was held at West Chester University. I sat down with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo (駱筱雯) who spoke at the conference about Psychological Defense for the People of Taiwan. We also got into a discussion about the related topics of trauma and practices to manage stress and maintain good mental health. This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Dr. Lo got interested in psychological defense · What is psychological defense · The importance of the mind-body connection · Types of trauma: psychological trauma, generational trauma, collective trauma · What is psychological warfare · The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s psychological warfare tactics · The impact of long-term stress · Post traumatic growth · Fight or Flight states · Strategies to deal with stress · The erasure of Taiwan by China Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/33704472

EP 295 | Counselor Chen of New Taipei City: Talks About her Political Career and the Controversial Bills Passed by Taiwan's Legislature 10/30/2024

EP 295 | Counselor Chen of New Taipei City: Talks About her Political Career and the Controversial Bills Passed by Taiwan's Legislature In July we took the show on the road bringing Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast that was held at West Chester University. I sat down and spoke with New Taipei City Councilor Chen Nai-Yu (陳乃瑜市議員). We spoke about how she went from being a journalist to a politician, working on Lai Ching-te’s presidential campaign, and the controversial bills that got passed in Taiwan’s legislature in May and that led to massive protests and the Bluebird Movement. Related Links: Special thanks to Bill Wu who sat in on the interview to provide translation assistance to City Councilor Chen, and to Anmy Lee for additional research and translation assistance. This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Naiyu went from working as a journalist for 14 years to becoming a politician · Issues she’s focused on as a City Councilor · Anti-Han Kuo-yu rally in Kaohsiung · Naiyu’s work as a journalist · How her experience as a journalist prepared her to be a politician · The challenges she faced in working on Lai Ching-te’s presidential campaign · Cases of state-owned land on which people built personal mansions · The different communication styles and approaches to social media use of Lai Ching-te and Ko Wen-je · What Naiyu has to say about President Lai Ching-te’s personality and character · What could happen with the controversial bills that led to the Bluebird movement protests in Taiwan in May · Cases of ill-gotten assets and how the handling of ill-gotten assets could be reversed · Naiyu’s observations of the Bluebird movement · The most rewarding thing about being a City Councilor Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/33682962

Ep 294 | Recently Debated Human Rights Issues in Taiwan - A Conversation with Michael Fahey 10/03/2024

Ep 293 | Dual Nationality for Long-Term Foreign Permanent Residents of Taiwan: Our Discussion with Michael Fahey 09/25/2024

Ep 293 | Dual Nationality for Long-Term Foreign Permanent Residents of Taiwan: Our Discussion with Michael Fahey Did you know that there is a campaign underway in Taiwan that is calling for foreign permanent residents to be able to apply for dual nationality, effectively allowing them to obtain Taiwanese citizenship after 5 years without giving up their original passport? Related Links: An online petition for this proposal was launched on August 19th and they are trying to collect 5,000 signatures to support it by October 19th: I recently spoke with Michael Fahey, about this campaign which was initiated by Crossroads and Forward Taiwan. We talked about many of the most common concerns raised by a proposal like this, given the sensitive position that Taiwan is in due to the threats it faces from the PRC (People’s Republic of China). Michael is an American lawyer and resident of Taipei since 1988. He is foreign counsel at Formosa Transnational (萬國) and also founder of Forward Taiwan. If you’d like to sign the online petition to expand access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan, please note a few things: 1) In order to be able to sign the petition you must be a citizen of Taiwan or holder of an A(P)RC (Alien Permanent Resident Certificate) and have a Taiwan mobile number. 2) When filling out the petition form it’s best to use a computer not a smart phone but have your phone nearby and have patience when going through the process. 3) Whether or not you are personally able to sign the petition, please consider also sharing this with friends, family or colleagues who would and are able to support it. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How the proposal to expand access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan came about · The case of Michael Boyden, a British citizen and permanent resident of Taiwan · How Taiwan’s nationality law was drafted in the 1920s and how it compares with other countries laws on nationality · How Taiwan’s nationality law is not symmetrical for native-born Taiwanese and naturalizing foreign citizens · How expanding access to dual nationality for long-term foreign permanent residents of Taiwan could make Taiwan more resilient · How immigration could be a way to deal with Taiwan becoming a super-aged society · Concerns about whether this proposal will make it easier PRC (People’s Republic of China) citizens to immigrate to Taiwan and become citizens · PRC (People’s Republic of China) citizens are governed by a different law; the act for the relations between peoples of the mainland and the Taiwan region · The proposal is to change the nationality law not the act for the relations between peoples of the mainland and the Taiwan region · How to handle concerns about PRC citizens who've naturalized in third countries using their foreign citizenship to come and naturalize in Taiwan · How the fear that crime would go up is unfounded because foreign nationals in Taiwan commit crimes at a rate of 50 percent of the native population · What exactly is being proposed · The procedure for foreign permanent residents in Taiwan to obtain dual Taiwanese citizenship · The types of people and special cases that have been granted dual Taiwanese citizenship · The standards required for foreign permanent residents in Taiwan to be granted dual Taiwanese citizenship · Cases of foreign permanent residents in Taiwan that applied and failed to attain dual Taiwanese citizenship · How the process to get the nationality law amended could actually be a very long process that could take 5-20 years · Arguments for and against the proposal · How people who wish to sign the online petition must be citizens of Taiwan and have a Taiwan mobile number · When filling out the petition it’s best to do so on a computer and not on a smart phone, but to keep your mobile phone nearby · Have patience in filling out the online petition form because the interface is a bit difficult to use · How foreign permanent residents can’t get household registration and how that limits them · Reasons people would like to get dual Taiwanese citizenship · How to deal with individuals who have dual nationalities · How male citizens of Taiwan under the age of 36 are required to serve in the military · How Taiwan could take steps to ensure that people serve in the military Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/33200762

Ep 292 | UN Membership for Taiwan: A NYC Press Conference, Peace Truck, and a Rally 09/23/2024

Ep 292 | UN Membership for Taiwan: A NYC Press Conference, Peace Truck, and a Rally In September the UN General Assembly takes place at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. This year, the 79th session of the UN General Assembly opened on Tuesday, September 10th and will conclude on Monday, September 30th. The theme of the General Debate is "Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations.” Related Links: Since 1992, the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York has promoted UN membership for Taiwan and organized the UN for Taiwan rally and march to coincide with the UN General Assembly. This year the UN for Taiwan rally and march was held on Saturday, September 14th. Delegates from the Taiwan United Nations Alliance or TAIUNA, an NGO from Taiwan have been coming to New York for the past twenty years to call for Taiwan’s membership in the UN. On Friday, September 13th representatives from TAIUNA held a press conference in Ralph Bunche Park, which is across from the United Nations Headquarters. The open letter from TAIUNA Chairman Yet-Min Lin addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was read. The full letter will be posted in the Relate Links section of Talking Taiwan website for this episode. The letter urged the UN to hold a formal hearing to clarify the interpretation of UNGA Resolution 2758. China’s distortion of Resolution 2758 has been used to block Taiwan from being included in the UN. TAIUNA (The Taiwan United Nations Alliance) was founded on October 24, 2003: 1. To realize UN’s purposes and to foster justice, peace and security for Taiwan and the world. 2. To promote Taiwanese understanding of and education on the UN and its related organizations. 3. To elevate the global perspectives of the Taiwanese people and to participate in such international activities as human rights protection, humanitarian assistance, and environmental protection. 4. To campaign for Taiwan’s membership in the UN and to make Taiwan a Normal State both in name and in fact in the world community. Talking Taiwan covered TAIUNA’s press conference in Ralph Bunche Park on Friday, September 13th. On Saturday, September 14th we stopped by the “Peace Pop-up Truck” organized by the Taipei Economic Cultural Office of New York (TECONY) with the theme being “UNity through Peace: Chip in with Taiwan.” Afterward we also participated in the UN for Taiwan rally and march. Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/33167047

Ep 291 | An Emergency Preparedness Guide for ExPats in Taiwan: Our Discussion with Author John Groot 09/01/2024

Ep 291 | An Emergency Preparedness Guide for ExPats in Taiwan: Our Discussion with Author John Groot Earlier this summer, in June, I spoke with John Groot the author of An Emergency Preparedness Guide for Expats in Taiwan. Related Links: John has made the book is available for free on his website and you download a copy of it by >> <<: Taiwan is of course no stranger to natural disasters since it often experiences earthquakes and typhoons. What’s raised eyebrows about John’s book is that it has a section that specifically addresses what to do in case of a military attack by China. Since 2020 China has upped its grey zone tactics by sending planes into Taiwan’s ADIZ on a daily basis. Concerns about civil defense preparedness in Taiwan peaked in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, and then there was the PLA’s military actions in August of 2022 in response to Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. House Speaker at the time visiting Taiwan. John and I talked about the research involved in writing the guide, how people can be prepared in case of and emergency or disaster and why he felt it was necessary to include a section in the guide to address dealing with a possible invasion of Taiwan by China. John Groot is a long-time Canadian expat in Taiwan. He is an independent writer-researcher and has done one book and many articles about Taiwan's history, culture, and geography. Recently he has focused more on the security situation with regards to Chinese aggression toward Taiwan. One of his major recent projects was a 68 page PDF e-book called "Resilience Roadmap: An Emergency Preparedness Guide for Expats in Taiwan." Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · John’s background and upbringing · How John got interested in civil defense and emergency preparedness · How Russia’s invasion in Ukraine in 2022 heightened interested in civil defense in Taiwan · How John learned about the NGO Open Knowledge aka OK Taiwan · Documentary filmmaker Tobie Openshaw · The PLA’s military actions in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022 · The civil defense handbook that was issued by Taiwan’s government and how it showed the difference between uniforms of Taiwan’s military and China’s PLA · How many expats there are in Taiwan, and the different types of expats · Issues with the path for expats to apply for nationality in Taiwan · The research John did for the book · Tobie Openshaw’s experience with the 921 Earthquake in Taiwan · Sweden’s defense system · Israel’s military service system · How France supports its citizens abroad · How long it took John to write the book · How the book is organized · The earthquake in Taiwan that caused a crane to fall from Taipei 101 · John’s experience with natural disasters in Taiwan · The acronyms in the book · The origin of the term “bug out” · How people can be prepared for emergencies or disasters · Having a communication plan in case of emergency or disaster · What students learn about dealing with natural disasters and emergencies · Liability issues in Taiwan when it comes to medically intervening to help someone · Why John felt that the book should address what to do in case of threat of war i.e. an attack on Taiwan by China · Meetings amongst the American communities in Taipei after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022 · The response John’s received to the book · Whether or not it is advisable to go to a government evacuation center · How in times of need it’s important to consider the needs of others · How families can prepare their children for dealing with disasters · How Taiwan and the U.S. do not want war with China · What John would like people to take away from the book · How John hopes that people can be prepared for emergencies or disasters Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/32850922

Ep 290 | "Decathalon" The Story of Taiwan's Greatest Olympian: My Conversation with Award-Winning Journalist Mike Chinoy 08/24/2024

Ep 290 | "Decathalon" The Story of Taiwan's Greatest Olympian: My Conversation with Award-Winning Journalist Mike Chinoy The recent Paris Olympics has just passed and may already be fading into memory. This year Team Taiwan won 2 gold medals and 5 bronze at the Olympics. Related Links: Do you know when and who won Taiwan’s first Olympic medal? It happened at the 1960 Rome Olympics, which was the first Summer Olympics that was televised in North America. The man who was known as the “Iron Man of Asia,” C.K. Yang won a silver medal in the decathlon. C.K. was of the Amis indigenous tribe from southeastern Taiwan. His Amis name was Maysang Kalimud, but then Japan colonized Taiwan he had a Japanese name when, and then after the Chinese Nationalists the Kuomintang lost the civil war in China to the Chinese Communist and fled to Taiwan, his father gave him a Chinese name, Yang Chuan-kwang. Like many Amis, he used his athletic prowess to gain status and success that might otherwise have eluded him. But not much is known about how heavily he identified as Amis. The gold medal winner at the Rome Olympics was Rafer Johnson, an African American. Rafer and C.K. trained together under the same coach at UCLA and then competed against each other in the decathlon at the Rome Olympics. They were not only rivals but also the best of friends. Their extraordinary and unlikely friendship inspired the making of a documentary film and I sat down recently to speak with Mike Chinoy, the co-creator, co-writer, and co-producer of that film which is called "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story,” Mike Chinoy is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California’s US-China Institute and is based in Taipei. Previously, he spent 24 years as a foreign correspondent for CNN, serving as the network's first Beijing bureau chief and as Senior Asia Correspondent. "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story" is currently streaming on the Taiwan Plus Docs YouTube channel. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · Team Taiwan’s performance during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris · How flags and signs in the shape of Taiwan or with the word Taiwan on them were confiscated from fans during the men’s doubles badminton finals at the Paris Olympics · How China's state-run broadcaster CCTV cut the feed during parts of the men's badminton doubles match and did not broadcast the medal ceremony · Why Taiwan has to compete under the name “Chinese Taipei” at the Olympics · The “Iron Man of Asia” · The man that won Taiwan’s first Olympic medal · C.K. Yang was Amis and had three names, an Amis name (Maysang Kalimud), a Japanese name and a Chinese name (Yang Chuan-kwang, 楊傳廣) · How C.K. first met Rafer Johnson at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 · How C.K. and Rafer were trained by the same coach at UCLA and became close friends · The International Olympic Committee (I.O.C) told the government of Chiang Kai-shek that the team sent to participate at the 1960 Rome Olympics could not be called the Republic of China · Chiang Kai-shek almost boycotted the Olympics but didn’t because he realized that C.K. Yang could possibly win a medal and bring glory to Taiwan · How Taiwan competed under the name Formosa during the 1960 Rome Olympics · C.K. Yang was the first person with a Chinese surname to win an Olympic medal · At the opening ceremony of the 1960 Rome Olympics Rafer Johnson was the first African American to carry the American flag at the Olympics · At the opening ceremony of the 1960 Rome Olympics, the Taiwan team marched in carrying a placard that said under protest, which was the first overt political protest by a team in Olympics history · Where the idea for "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story" came from · How Mike’s co-creator, co-writer, and co-producer, John Krich sought out, befriended and interviewed C.K. Yang in 2006 · How Mike met and befriended Rafer Johnson and C.K.’s widow Daisy in Los Angeles · Taiwanese Canadian film director of "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story," Frank W. Chen also directed “Late Life: The Chien-Ming Wang Story” · How C.K. Yang, Rafer Johnson and athletes have become political symbols · How C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson were intense athletic rivals and close friends · The close personal friendship between C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson · How C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson had the same coach, Ducky Drake at UCLA · How C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson joked that they were the “Two-Man United Nations” · How C.K. Yang’s story tells the story of Taiwan in an unconventional way · Why C.K. was sent to UCLA to train for the Olympics · The 1958 Kinmen Matsu Crisis (aka The 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis) · How C.K. Yang and Rafer Johnson’s coach, Ducky Drake showed no favoritism · When U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, Rafer was next to him, Rafer grabbed the assassin, tackled him and grabbed the gun · Rafer’s involvement in the Special Olympics · What happened to C.K. at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics · C.K. later became the coach of the Taiwan track team for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada · Why the team from Taiwan was barred from participating in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal · Rafer Johnson lit the flame at the 1984 Olympic games in L.A. · How C.K. went into politics briefly in Taiwan, switching from one party to another · The Iron Man house that the government of Taiwan built for C.K. · How statues of C.K. are in a locked fourth floor room of the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung · There cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in 1963 with the headline “ C.K. Yang, the world's greatest athlete.” · The tremendous sportsmanship and loyalty that C.K. and Rafer exemplify · C.K.’s performance at 1954 Asian Games in Manilla · The use of animation in "Decathlon: The CK Yang and Rafer Johnson Story," · The National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung · How the film addresses the Taiwan, China conflict, and the fight for social justice and equality in the United States; 64 years later the world is still wrestling with these issues · Mike’s future projects Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/32723432

Ep 289 | Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo: The Kaohsiung Incident - The Watershed Moment That Led to Taiwan's Democratization Part 2 07/31/2024

Ep 289 | Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo: The Kaohsiung Incident - The Watershed Moment That Led to Taiwan's Democratization Part 2 This is the second part of our interview with Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo, Ai Linda (艾琳達). Earlier this year when we were in Taiwan in January for the presidential election, we sat down to interview Linda about the era and events that precipitated the Kaohsiung incident also known as the Formosa Incident, which is widely considered the watershed moment in history that led to Taiwan’s democratization. The Kaohsiung Incident happened in December of 1979. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the first part of this interview, you can go back to episode 287 and give it a listen. By the way, that episode of Talking Taiwan, episode 287 got us shortlisted in the top 15 podcasts selected in the category of "Moment of Visionary Leadership" for the 2024 International Women's Podcast Awards. This year the IWPA had 700 submissions from over 33 different countries. Results were announced in London on Wednesday, June 19th. While we were not selected as the winning podcast in this category, we are deeply honored to have our work recognized. Any increased visibility for Talking Taiwan also means greater visibility for Taiwan. In case you didn’t know, Talking Taiwan is also on YouTube, and we did video record my interview with Linda, so we do plan on releasing it on our YouTube channel, but please be patient with us since we are only a two-person team. We do have some interesting content on YouTube that’s different from our podcast episodes, so if you haven’t already, we encourage you to look for Talking Taiwan on YouTube and to subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkingtaiwan Issues of Formosa Magazine Photo Credit: Linda Gail Arrigo The Kaohsiung Eight (from left to right): Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), Huang Hsin-chieh (黃信介), Chen Chu (陳菊), Yao Chia- wen (姚嘉文), Shih Ming-teh (施明德), Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Lin Hung-hsuan (林弘宣 ), and Lin Yi-hsiung (林義雄)- not pictured Photo Credit: Screenshot from Formosa Incident, Explained YouTube video from Taiwan Explained by TaiwanPlus: https://youtu.be/2eaxPhA9RN8?si=_YF0brrtyjOwlu6D International Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Taiwan (ICDHRT)- Lynn Miles’ organization Photo Credit: Linda Gail Arrigo Linda Gail Arrigo (艾琳達) wearing the three-colored sash, and the three-colored banners and signs of the dangwai (黨外) i.e. outside party or opposition. Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/32362167

Ep 288 | The Boba Guys: Andrew Chau and Bin Chen Bubble Tea Entrepreneurs Bridging Cultures for 11 Years 07/08/2024

Ep 288 | The Boba Guys: Andrew Chau and Bin Chen Bubble Tea Entrepreneurs Bridging Cultures for 11 Years Early last year I spoke with Boba Guys co-founders Andrew Chau and Bin Chen. At the time Andrew had just gotten back from visiting Taiwan and other parts of Asia, so it was interesting to hear his observations. Andrew and Bin shared so many great nuggets. We talked about how they got started with a pop-up shop while working fulltime and how they continued to so even after they opened their first few stores. Related Links: Other topics covered include how Boba Guys weathered the pandemic, Andrew and Bin’s book called The Boba Book, and how they see boba as a way to bridge cultures. What has Boba Guys been up to since we spoke? Lots of interesting collabs with other brands, and the release of a loyalty program called “Passport” which gamifies the experience through loot boxes instead of linearly earning points to redeem for a drink. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Andrew and Bin first met when they both worked at Timbuktu · How they decided to start a bubble tea business · Andrew’s recent trip to Taiwan and the other Taiwanese Americans he met up with while there · Andrew’s thoughts on Taiwan’s bubble tea scene · How they started with a pop-up shop · How they have not taken any VC (venture capital) money · The social costs and risks of being an entrepreneur · How other Taiwanese American entrepreneurs like Steve Chen and Kevin Lin mentored them · How Andrew does advising for the small business council and testified in Washington D.C. on behalf of small businesses · How they were working on Boba Guys Japan when the pandemic hit · How Boba Guys dealt with the pandemic · The biggest challenges they’ve experienced · The third wave of boba · The meaning of the word boba and how Andrew’s mom reacted to the name Boba Guys · How Boba Guys name their drinks · Their book, The Boba Book and how they choose their co-author Richard Parks · What happened when they went to Taiwan and tried to determine which tea shop invented bubble tea · The Boba Guys’ merchandise and aardvark mascot · The Boba Home Kit and how they created a boba kit that was on Williams Sonoma · How they teach people how to make boba online · How they have mentored other entrepreneurs Related Links: /episode/index/show/talkingtaiwan/id/32051852

Ep 287 | Dr. Linda Gail Arrigo: Taiwan Democracy Fighter Talks About Events Leading Up to the Kaohsiung Incident 06/19/2024

Ep 286 | Bluebird Movement 3 Experts Discuss the Controversial Bills Leading to Protests at the Legislative Yuan 06/04/2024

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