

Talking Taiwan
Felicia Lin
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
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 5, 2020 • 37min
Ep 97 | Understanding the History of Taiwan through Dr. Jerome Keating
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: 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. In part two of our interview, Dr. Keating will talk about his other writings, what he plans to write next, and how the owners of a popular New York-based Taiwanese American restaurant sought his advice before opening their restaurant. CORRECTION: At the 14:40-minute in the interview, Dr. Keating remarks, “We are 75 years at the end of World War I.” What he meant to say is that, "We are 75 years at the end of World War II." 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: Dr. Jerome Keating’s website: http://jeromekeating.com Dr. Jerome Keating’s books: Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus: http://www.smcbook.com.tw/smc/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=61651&search=Taiwan+The+Struggle+Gains+Focus Island in the Stream: http://www.smcbook.com.tw/smc/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=55&search=island+in+the+stream Taiwan, the Struggles of a Democracy Taiwan, the Search for Identity The Mapping of Taiwan, Desired Economies, Coveted Geographies The Paradigms that Guide Our Lives and Drive Our Souls Ma Ying-jeou (former President of Taiwan): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Ying-jeou The Sunflower Movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_Student_Movement Submissions for the new Taiwan passport cover design: https://taiwanpassport.tw/publish_page/international_standard/page=1 The winning design for Taiwan’s new passport cover: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/03/taiwan-demotes-republic-of-china-reference-on-new-passports?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR1Kr3MQb9g2-xXto_udk7Sbez0v5gSTFvxqeT0eZOscdvfxywHhukTmAxE San Francisco Peace Treaty: http://www.taiwandocuments.org/sanfrancisco01.htm About the Taiwan Civil Government: https://international.thenewslens.com/article/85225

Sep 28, 2020 • 1h 4min
Ep 96 | Professor Andrew Morris: The Relationship Between Taiwan Baseball and its History
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: With major league baseball playoffs soon upon us, we thought that this episode might appeal to our baseball fans. It seems like a distant memory now, when about a month into the Coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan was the only place on the planet where live professional baseball was being played. My guest on this episode is Professor Andrew Morris whose research on baseball in Taiwan presents a fascinating new angle and way of seeing Taiwan’s history. I came across his writings and research when I when I was doing some research for my interview (episode 77) with Richard Wang the English-speaking broadcaster of CPBL games in Taiwan. How important is baseball to Taiwan? Did you know that there’s a baseball related image featured on Taiwan’s currency or that Taiwan’s little league baseball team won 17 times from 1979 to1996? Interestingly, Professor Morris began our interview by sharing his own mistaken assumption of baseball as a symbol of American culture in Taiwan. He went on to explain that baseball was introduced to Taiwan by Japan, while it was a colony of Japan from 1895-1945. We covered a broad range of topics including how baseball survived the arrival of the Kuomintang in Taiwan, the rise of Taiwan’s little league team, the establishment of a professional baseball league in Taiwan (CPBL) which has had its ups and downs, and the short-lived Taiwan Major League. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Professor Morris got interested in the topic of baseball and the history of Taiwan How baseball in Taiwan is not as it seems on the surface, a symbol of American culture in Taiwan What were some of the most surprising and interesting things that Professor Morris has learned about baseball in Taiwan over the course of his research The role of Taiwan’s Indigenous people in the game of baseball in Taiwan What baseball tells us about Taiwan’s Japanese colonial era How Chiayi (嘉義) is known as the spiritual home of baseball and how that was captured in the film Kano How “Kano,” is the nickname of the old Chiayi Agricultural and Forestry Vocational High School, which comes from the two Japanese words “Ka-gi No-rin” The Kano baseball team became the best team in Taiwan and is remembered by the Japanese How Kano is remembered as an example of the success of Japan’s colonialism in Taiwan Baseball as a pathway for Indigenous peoples during Taiwan’s Japanese colonial period Professor Morris’ thoughts about the film Kano and its historical accuracy The Japanese influence that we still see in Taiwanese baseball today How after the Kuomintang arrived in Taiwan, around 1946, they tried to remove and erase Japanese culture, but baseball was allowed to remain What happened to baseball after the Kuomintang arrived in Taiwan How baseball games were played in the aftermath of the 228 massacre and a famous baseball coach was killed in the 228 massacre Taiwan’s little league baseball team and how it served to bolster Republic of China (ROC) nationalism The 1968 legend of what led Taiwan creating a little league team and participating in the little league world series How in 1969, the Taiwanese little league team played in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA for the first time and won Between 1969-1996 the Taiwanese little league team won the Little League World Series 17 times and became a source of pride for the Taiwanese who watched the games late at night The story (from the 70s) of how a coach of a little league team comprised mostly of Black players sensed the anti-Chinese and anti-Taiwanese sentiment against the Taiwanese little league team How the Taiwanese little league team became a source of Taiwanese pride (different from ROC pride) How the KMT hired Chinatown thugs to beat up the pro-Taiwanese little league fans and fights would break out between them after little league games What happened to Taiwan’s little league team The legacy of Taiwan’s little league team How the American little league teams that were able to beat Taiwan’s little league team were celebrated an ESPN made a 30 for 30 film about this The story behind the image of the youth baseball team that appears on Taiwan’s 500 dollar bill The establishment of the CPBL and its game throwing and gambling scandals The short-lived Taiwan Major League (TML) and how it differed from the CPBL How baseball has been tied to Taiwan’s national identity in the past but that has changed as Taiwan has become more democratic The research that Professor Morris is working on now Professor Morris’ recommendations of other books on the subject of baseball in Taiwan Related Links: Professor Andrew Morris’ Cal Poly webpage: https://history.calpoly.edu/faculty/andrew-morris Professor Andrew Morris’ Digital Commons page (which has full text of some of his articles): http://bit.ly/ADMorrisDC Colonial Project, National Game: A History of Baseball in Taiwan (Asia Pacific Modern Book 6) by Andrew D. Morris: https://amzn.to/3cALcmf Kano vocational school of forestry and agriculture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Chiayi_University Kano (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2247566/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_(film) ESPN Films 30 for 30: Little Big Men (A film about the Kirkland National Little League of Kirkland, Washington, which defeated the Puzih little league of Chiayi County, Taiwan. The Kirkland, Washington team, was the first American little league team to win the Little League World Series in over a decade): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1717745/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Little_League_World_Series Book recommendations about baseball in Taiwan: Playing in Isolation: A History of Baseball in Taiwan by Junwei Yu: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Isolation-History-Baseball-Taiwan/dp/0803211406 Empire of Infields: Baseball in Taiwan and Cultural Identity, 1895-1968 by John J. Harney: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=John+J.+Harney%2C+Empire+of+Infields%3A+Baseball+in+Taiwan+and+Cultural+Identity&ref=nb_sb_noss Taking in a Game: A History of Baseball in Asia by Joseph Reaves: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Joseph+Reaves%2C+Taking+in+a+Game%3A+A+History+of+Baseball+in+Asia&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 Taiwan’s professional baseball league the CPBL’s English website: http://www.cpbl.com.tw/eng/history/ Watch Taiwan’s professional baseball league CPBL teams Rakuten Monkeys and Uni Lions on the Eleven Sports Taiwan Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ElevenSportsTW

Sep 23, 2020 • 1h 13min
Ep 95 | Raising Blasian Kids Part 2: A Conversation with Rolla Chng and Eileen Lin-Goutier
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: This week’s episode of Talking Taiwan features part two of my conversation with Eileen Lin-Goutier and Rolla Chng about raising Blasian kids. This was definitely the longest interview that I’ve done for Talking Taiwan to date, which is why we split it up into two parts. In this episode, Eileen talks about the Facebook group for Taiwanese Moms with Blasian kids, and Rolla talks about her son and daughter’s cross-country road trip and the different concerns that she, their father Frantz and their uncle Tim had. While much of conversation focused on parenting, we also got into a discussion about racism, the understanding of the Black experience amongst Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans, and human rights. About Eileen Lin-Goutier: Eileen was born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and moved to U.S. when she was in high school. While at the University of Virginia she founded the Taiwanese Language Club and served as the president of Taiwanese Student Association. She later kicked off her nonprofit career by working at the Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA) for three years (2010-2013) managing FAPA’s Young Professionals Group (FAPA-YPG). Eileen has also served on the board of Taiwanese American Association of America’s (TAA) Greater Washington Chapter for several years by helping to plan local cultural events and Taiwanese American Heritage Week. Her nonprofit career was been guided by her belief in fighting for social justice, equity and human rights. Eileen met her Haitian American husband, Edwin through a love for food, family and passion for social and environmental causes. She currently lives in Washington D.C. with her family. About Rolla Chng: Rolla Chng was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. While at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she established the Taiwanese American Students Club (TASC) and helped to found the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA). Rolla has been involved with the Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast (TAC/EC) in the 90s and early 2000s. She organized the second generation program for TAC/EC in 1998 and 2003, and has been a strong supporter of TAC/EC’s new iteration, Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG). She raised her Haitian-Taiwanese American daughter and son in Baltimore City with their father, Master Frantz Cadet, owner of Cadet Martial Arts and Fitness. She began teaching math in Baltimore City Public Schools and community college when her children reached school age. After her children graduated from high school, she returned to her pre-family career of civil engineering. About Rolla's children: Her daughter, Uiseng Francois, is on pandemic hiatus from her New York City gig playing a Jet in the Broadway revival of West Side Story. She is a second year BFA student in dance at Peabody Institute, and is currently continuing her studies, virtually, as she travels cross country. Rolla's son Evains traveled with Uiseng during the first week of her cross-country trip, before entering his second year of a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: The Facebook group for Taiwanese Moms with Blasian kids that Eileen is a member of and what she’s learned from it Topics commonly discussed in the Facebook group for Taiwanese Moms with Blasian kids Skin colorism How Eileen and Rolla balance educating their kids about both of their cultural backgrounds How Rolla wanted to make sure that her kids were exposed to the Taiwanese language at an early age and that they visited Taiwan How Eileen plans to teach her kids Taiwanese with the help of her parents and by planning to take them to Taiwanese school The importance of language in understanding and connecting to one’s culture Thoughts on the term “color blind” and raising kids to be “color blind” People’s different reactions to using the term “Black” Incidents that Rolla’s kids have had with the police or authorities How Rolla’s kids feel about the police The advice that Frantz would give his and Rolla’s kids and how it is different from Rolla The concerns that Tim, Rolla’s brother and Frantz her partner have about Uiseng and Evains’ cross-country trip How Rolla and Frantz co-parent The importance of teaching your kids negotiation skills Asian Black relations The racism that Asians have toward Blacks The understanding of the Black experience amongst Taiwanese and Taiwanese Americans Minority relations How doing the right things and having an education does not exempt you from experiencing racism Advice for parents of Blasian kids Rolla’s advice for parents and her parenting philosophy What the job of a parent is in raising their kids Related Links: Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA): https://itasa.org/ Taiwanese American summer camps and conferences: Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG): http://tangeneration.org/ Taiwanese American Foundation (TAF): https://www.tafworld.org/ Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA): https://fapa.org/ Formosan Association of Public Affairs- Young Professionals Group (FAPA- YPG) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fapaypg FAPA- YPG LA/OC Chapter Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/54085939954 FAPA- YPG NY/NJ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nynjypg FAPA- YPG San Francisco/Bay Area Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fapaypgsf Taiwanese Association of America (TAA): https://www.taa-usa.org/ Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast (TAC/EC): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_American_Conference

Sep 15, 2020 • 1h 5min
Ep 94 | Raising Blasian Kids Part 1: A Conversation with Rolla Chng and Eileen Lin-Goutier
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: My guests on this episode of Talking Taiwan are Eileen Lin-Goutier and Rolla Chng. Both are Taiwanese American women with Black partners and are parents of Blasian kids. Eileen is a relatively new parent with a two-year-old daughter and Rolla has two grown children who are 19 and 20 years old. I thought it would be a good idea to bring together these two women at very different stages of the parenting journey to have a conversation about their perspectives on raising Blasian children. There was so much to discuss that we’ve decided to split up the conversation into two parts. Join us next week for the second part of the conversation when Eileen will talk about the Facebook group for Taiwanese Moms with Blasian kids that she’s a part of, and what she’s learned from being a part of that group. Rolla will talk about her son and daughter’s cross-country road trip and the discussions that she, their father Frantz had their uncle Tim had with them about it, beforehand. About Eileen Lin-Goutier: Eileen was born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and moved to U.S. when she was in high school. While at the University of Virginia she founded the Taiwanese Language Club and served as the president of Taiwanese Student Association. She later kicked off her nonprofit career by working at the Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA) for three years (2010-2013) managing FAPA’s Young Professionals Group (FAPA-YPG). Eileen has also served on the board of Taiwanese American Association of America’s (TAA) Greater Washington Chapter for several years by helping to plan local cultural events and Taiwanese American Heritage Week. Her nonprofit career was been guided by her belief in fighting for social justice, equity and human rights. Eileen met her Haitian American husband, Edwin through a love for food, family and passion for social and environmental causes. She currently lives in Washington D.C. with her family. About Rolla Chng: Rolla Chng was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. While at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she established the Taiwanese American Students Club (TASC) and helped to found the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA). Rolla has been involved with the Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast (TAC/EC) in the 90s and early 2000s. She organized the second generation program for TAC/EC in 1998 and 2003, and has been a strong supporter of TAC/EC’s new iteration, Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG). She raised her Haitian-Taiwanese American daughter and son in Baltimore City with their father, Master Frantz Cadet, owner of Cadet Martial Arts and Fitness. She began teaching math in Baltimore City Public Schools and community college when her children reached school age. After her children graduated from high school, she returned to her pre-family career of civil engineering. About Rolla's children: Her daughter, Uiseng Francois, is on pandemic hiatus from her New York City gig playing a Jet in the Broadway revival of West Side Story. She is a second year BFA student in dance at Peabody Institute, and is currently continuing her studies, virtually, as she travels cross country. Rolla's son Evains traveled with Uiseng during the first week of her cross-country trip, before entering his second year of a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How their parents/families first react to learning that their partner was Black When their parents’ perceptions changed How to deal with people’s reactions to them and their Blasian kids Dealing with people’s perceptions of their kids as primarily Black Acknowledging that as a parent you may unintentionally do things that hurt your kids How they co-parent with their partners Learning about the Black experience through their partner’s personal experiences The Taiwanese experience and the role social justice in Eileen and Rolla’s lives The importance of acknowledging the privilege that you have compared to other groups of people Preparing their kids for encounters with the police or authority figures The importance of instilling confidence in your kids to be comfortable with who they are How to prepare your kids for any racism or bias they may encounter and make sure that they are safe “The talk” that Black parents have with their kids How Asian identity is perceived in the U.S. The acceptance of Blasian people’s Asian identity The participation of Rolla’s kids in Taiwanese American conferences and summer camps Dealing with microaggressions that they have experienced Eileen’s parenting questions for Rolla and Rolla’s advice Related Links: The Watts Riots (aka Watts Riots): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watts_riots http://history.com/topics/1960s/watts-riots Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA): https://itasa.org/ Taiwanese American summer camps and conferences: Taiwanese American Next Generation (TANG): http://tangeneration.org/ Taiwanese American Foundation (TAF): https://www.tafworld.org/ Formosan Association of Public Affairs (FAPA): https://fapa.org/ Formosan Association of Public Affairs- Young Professionals Group (FAPA- YPG) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fapaypg FAPA- YPG LA/OC Chapter Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/54085939954 FAPA- YPG NY/NJ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nynjypg FAPA- YPG San Francisco/Bay Area Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fapaypgsf Taiwanese Association of America (TAA): https://www.taa-usa.org/ Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast (TAC/EC): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_American_Conference

Sep 7, 2020 • 37min
Ep 93 | A Discussion with Dr. Eunice Yuen About Asian American Mental Health
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Unfortunately, suicide is a very real issue for the Asian American community. According to the Office of Minority Health, in 2017 the leading cause of death in young Asian Americans in the US was suicide. My guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan is passionate about promoting emotional wellness and a prevention model for mental health. Dr. Eunice Yuen is, a child and adult psychiatrist who specializes in Asian American mental health. She sat down to speak to me about the stigma of mental health and the reluctance of Asian Americans to seek help. Dr. Yuen noted that prevention through mindfulness of emotional wellness are especially important for teenagers and young adults, which is the age at which mental illness often first manifests. Dr. Yuen is working on an innovative tool called CHATogether that helps to resolve conflicts between Asian American parents and children. More than ever, tools like CHATogether are useful to address heightened child-parent conflicts during COVID-19, and discussions about racism. Please note that any of the advice or content shared in the episode is not meant to be taken as medical advice or psychiatric treatment. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Why Dr. Yuen decided to enter the field of child and adult psychiatry and where her special interest in promoting emotional wellness in the Asian American community comes from The difference between emotional wellbeing and a mental health issue How building emotional resilience is important to help deal with everyday stress How daily routines and structure is important for emotional wellbeing especially during the Coronavirus pandemic How to identify when someone is dealing with a mental health issue and needs to seek help Some individuals may display physical symptoms e.g. a stomachache, diarrhea, headache, while being able to function What should you do if you think that someone you know (e.g. a friend or family member) is in need of help with a mental health issue What the project Dr. Yuen CHATogether is about How CHATogether is based on a paper published by Brazilian theater director, Augusto Boal in the 1980s called “Theater of the Oppressed” What ages CHAT has been developed for The concept of mentalization The CHATogether community What type of feedback CHATogether has gotten from its’ participants How Chatogether has addressed child-parent conflict during COVID-19, talking about Black Lives Matter and racism The concept of regulating emotions The 3 R’s: Recognize your emotions, Realize where the emotions are coming from, Regulate your emotions The importance of labeling your emotions and talking about your feelings How to overcome the stigma of mental health within the Asian American community Related Links: Dr. Eunice Yuan’s bio: https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/eunice_yuen/ CHATogether website: https://yale.edu/chatogether/ CHATogether Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CHATogetherWithUs/ CHATogether Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRX2Nzv65ekzHikAaiyG6YQ QR Code to connect to Cchatogether on social media: A bio of Augusto Boal, the Brazilian dramatist who created the Theatre of the Oppressed: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augusto-Boal An article about Theater of Oppressed in medical education: http://www.ijme.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1909-5.pdf Yale School of Medicine Magazine article about CHATogether: https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/chating-about-problems-before-they-turn-toxic/ Woodblock press article about CHATogether: https://www.woodblock-press.com/asianvoices/chatting-through-vignettes-with-dr-eunice-yuen

Aug 31, 2020 • 1h 2min
Ep 92 | Small Talk at LGBTQ Film Festival: An Interview with Director Huang Hui-chen
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: A relationship between mother and daughter that was so stonewalled that it took 20 years and a camcorder to make a breakthrough- this was the subject of Huang Hui-chen’s first feature documentary film, Small Talk. Small Talk is one of two documentary films being screened at the Austin Asian American Film Festival’s Prismatic Taiwan (September 4-13), a virtual, six-film series celebrating the past and present of queer Taiwanese cinema. Hui-chen spoke candidly about this deeply personal film that she described as a letter to her mother. She also revealed what’s happened in the aftermath of the film. Her film and personal story give hope to others dealing difficult parent-child relationships. Special thanks to the Austin Asian American Film Festival and Stacey Pai for providing translation. To purchase tickets to watch Small Talk and learn about the other films featured in Prismatic Taiwan visit: www.aaafilmfest.org/ Talking Taiwan listeners will get $2 off when they use the code TALKING. The Prismatic Taiwan Queer Film Series, features six LGBTQ Taiwan films spanning from 1970 to 2016. You can watch all six films for under $15. To learn more Prismatic Taiwan check out last week’s episode, episode t. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Hui-chen’s work as an activist When she got interested in documentary filmmaking How it took her so long (20 years) to make Small Talk into a movie that her mother and relatives didn’t think she’d actually be able to do it The footage of her nieces discussing whether their grandma (Hu-Chen’s mother) is a boy or a girl How she got her mother to finally talk How she got other family members and her mother’s girlfriends to talk in the film The one person who she would have like to interview for the movie, but did not How the film, Small Talk is like a letter to her mother Why Hui-chen’s husband doesn’t appear in the film While Hui-chen’s now ex-husband doesn’t appear in Small Talk he will be in her next film which will be about the relationship between love and social activism Hui-chen’s mother’s reaction to the film after watching it How Hui-chen’s mother’s reacted when Small Talk was screen at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards How the film Small Talk has affected her and mother’s relationship with their relatives What was Hui-chen’s sister’s reaction to Small Talk How the film Small Talk has affected Hui-chen’s relationship with her mother How Hui-chen’s relatives reacted to and dealt with to her mother’s lesbianism How Hou Hsiao-hsien took a leap of faith when he got involved and became the executive producer of Small Talk What filmmaking advice Hou Hsiao-hsien gave her How Hui-chen feels about Small Talk having been selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards Hui-chen’s book about her mother that reveals more that the film did not Related Links: PURCHASE tickets to watch Small Talk LEARN More About Prismatic Taiwan and the September 5th live, virtual roundtable discussion event with Asian Cinevision and director Zero Chou, entitled “Creating Transnational Queer Asian Spaces”: https://www.aaafilmfest.org/prismatic-taiwan Huang Hui-chen’s book, about her mother, 我和我的T媽媽 (available in Chinese): https://readmoo.com/book/210085132000101 https://www.books.com.tw/products/E050053049 Austin Asian American Film Festival: https://www.aaafilmfest.org/ Austin Asian American Film Festival Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AAAFF/ Austin Asian American Film Festival on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaafilmfest/ Austin Asian American Film Festival on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AAAFF

Aug 24, 2020 • 31min
Ep 91 | Austin Asian American Film Festival: Prismatic Taiwan, A Series Celebrating Queer Taiwanese Cinema
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Prismatic Taiwan, is a virtual, six-film series celebrating the past and present of queer Taiwanese cinema, co-presented by the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF). I recently spoke with Hanna Huang, the Executive Director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival and Josh Martin of the special programs team about the lineup of films that span 1970-2016. As you’ll hear in the interview, a lot of research and thought went into the film selections. The films offer a different perspective on Taiwan’s history and insight into Taiwan’s LGBTQ history. You can watch all six films for under $15 and Talking Taiwan listeners can also get an additional $2 off when they use the code: TALKING. Next week’s episode will feature my interview with one of the film directors, Huang Hui-chen about her film, Small Talk, a deeply personal documentary that was 20 years in the making. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How the Austin Asian American Film Festival has screened many Taiwanese films throughout the years The retrospective of six Hou Hsiao-hsien films at the Austin Asian American Film Festival in September 2018 How a Taiwan Queer Film Retrospective has actually been in the works since 2018 The Austin Asian American film festival started in 2004, but was known as the Austin Asian film festival until 2007 when an Asian American organizer, Masashi Niwano stepped in The mission of the Austin Asian American Film Festival, which is to bring to light Asian and Asian American stories through cinema Their programming is year round The main film festival is usually held in June, but this year they had a short film online festival featuring 36 short films Prismatic Taiwan, a six film retrospective of queer films spanning 1970-2016 A retrospective of Asian American films is being planned for the late fall (November) The meaning behind the name Prismatic Taiwan How they translated the word prismatic with the Chinese word for kaleidoscope, therefore Prismatic Taiwan A Queer Film Series has been translated into Chinese as: 萬花同志電 How the first film of Prismatic Taiwan, The End of the Track from 1970 was thought lost but has been recovered and is being reintroduced to audiences How they narrowed down the film selection from over 20 films to 6 The one film that they couldn’t include in Prismatic Taiwan when the Austin Asian American Film Festival went online, Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet The second film in the series, Outcasts (aka The Outsiders) as made in 1986 right before martial law in Taiwan was lifted How they selected films that were not that easy to find The River, was set in 1997 around the emergence of the gay club scene in Taipei Not Simply a Wedding Banquet, set in 1997 is a documentary Spider Lilies (2007) and Small Talk(2016) feature female gay characters whereas The River and Not Simply a Wedding Banquet feature male gay characters September 5th live event, a Transnational Queer Activism Panel featuring Film Director Zero Chou in collaboration with Asian Cinevision along with others from the U.K. and Taiwan Small Talk (2016) is a documentary film that was 20 years in the making and was executive produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Taiwan’s submission to the Academy Awards These films tell the story of Taiwan’s history and queer history How Director Tsai Ming-Liang, made the film I Don’t Want To Sleep Alone in Malaysia but it was banned there Previously Tsai Ming-Liang had said that he wasn’t comfortable having his films in a queer film festival but that has changed since the legalization of gay marriage in Taiwan How there were film distributors or filmmakers who didn’t want their film to be a part of the queer series The background of Mou Tun-Fei the director of The End of The Track How the design of the poster for Prismatic Taiwan was inspired by Kaohsiung’s Love River Prismatic Taiwan is offering a SPECIAL DISCOUNT to listeners of Talking Taiwan, just use the code: TALKING to get $2 off when you purchase your tickets from August 38-September 13 Related Links: Austin Asian American Film Festival: https://www.aaafilmfest.org/ Purchase tickets to Prismatic Taiwan and for more info on the September 5th live event, virtual roundtable discussion event with Asian Cinevision and director Zero Chou, entitled “Creating Transnational Queer Asian Spaces”: https://www.aaafilmfest.org/prismatic-taiwan Austin Asian American Film Festival Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AAAFF/ Austin Asian American Film Festival on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaafilmfest/ Austin Asian American Film Festival on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AAAFF

Aug 17, 2020 • 43min
Ep 90 | Jaleea Price Talks About Living in Taiwan
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Jaleea Price, spoke with me about a broad range of topics beginning with her arrival and time in Taiwan. While in Taiwan she worked on the ICRT morning news show, co-founded D.A.P. (Descendants of African Peoples) with Elissa Russell (who was a guest on episode 88), and had two daughters. Now an arts educator based in Thailand, Jaleea she had recently gone through quarantine in Thailand and the U.K. when we spoke. She also spoke to me about TCKs, the racism that she’s experienced in the U.S. and Taiwan as a biracial woman and her thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Jaleea talks briefly about quarantining in Thailand and the U.K. What brought her to Taiwan Her connection to the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan Arriving in Taiwan alone without a cell phone and going to Internet cafes to communicate with her friends and family What it was like working on the ICRT morning show What it was like having young children in Taiwan People’s reactions when they asked where she was from and she said that she was American Her involvement with D.A.P. The Descendants of African Peoples group The different ways that Black people from other parts of the world (e.g. Canada, France) identify themselves vs. American The racism and discrimination that she’s experienced in the U.S. and Taiwan Her thoughts on the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter Her experience of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.K. and Thailand Her privilege as a light-skinned woman of color K-pop group BTS’s support of Black Lives Matter and takeover of #whitelivesmatter What a TCK is The Eastern and Western cultural differences in the birthing process What she misses most about Taiwan Related Links: Jaleea on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jaleea-price Jaleea on Instagram: instagram.com/jaluthegreat Jaleea on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaleeajoie Taipei Times article about D.A.P. (Descendants of African Peoples): https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/07/12/2003178672 BBC New article about the K-pop group BTS that donated $1m to the Black Lives Matter movement and took over the hashtag #whitelivesmatter: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52960617

Aug 10, 2020 • 48min
Ep 89 | Quarantine in Taiwan: An Interview with Diana Lee
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: In this episode of Talking Taiwan, we’ll be sharing two different perspectives on the Taiwan quarantine experience in this time of the Coronavirus pandemic. I spoke with Diana Lee, the co-founder and president of Asian in New York and one of the founders and organizers of Hello Taiwan. She recently traveled back to Taiwan with her two young children and was quarantined with them in Kaohsiung at her parents’ home. We’ll also hear from JD Chang who went back to Taiwan earlier this year. JD was a guest on Episode 80 of Talking Taiwan. He had a very different experience since he traveled and quarantined alone. He spoke with us about his quarantine experience back in May. Special thanks to Jane Wang for providing the recording of JD. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Hello Taiwan and what it does How Diana prepared for her trip back to Taiwan with 2 young kids (the travel and quarantine preparations) Permits required for entry into Taiwan at the time The Facebook group Diana consulted for advice on how to prepare for her trip back to Taiwan The PPE Diana prepared for her and her kids to wear during their travel back to Taiwan JD’s travel preparations and quarantine experience as a solo traveler The different types of quarantine accommodations that people can opt for The most important tip for anyone traveling back to Taiwan and undergoing quarantine, which Diana mentioned and that ended up delaying JD for an extra hour at the airport The procedure upon arrival at the airport and before getting transported in a quarantine taxi or bus to your final destination What happens once you’re in quarantine How Diana kept her kids occupied during quarantine How JD kept himself occupied during quarantine The US $33,000 fine for breaking quarantine Related Links: Asian In New York: http://www.asianinny.com/ Asian In New York Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AsianInNYFans Hello Taiwan: http://www.hellotaiwan.us/ Hello Taiwan Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HelloTaiwanWorld/ Taiwanese COVID-19 Traveling Back to Taiwan Facebook Group (台灣海外Covid-19自救會): https://www.facebook.com/groups/889736338130271/?ref=share Episode 80 with JD Chang Founder of Crushing The Myth: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/jd-chang-founder-of-crushing-the-myth-ep-80/

Aug 3, 2020 • 56min
Ep 88 | Being Black in Taiwan and Racism in the United States: Elissa Russell and Elizabeth Williams
A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Elissa Russell and Elizabeth Williams are my guests on this episode of Talking Taiwan. We spoke about their experiences of living in Taiwan, the racism that they’ve experienced in Taiwan vs. the U.S. and Black Lives Matter. One thing that’s abundantly clear is that Taiwan has a very special place in their hearts. Liz and Elissa spoke candidly on the topic of Black Lives Matter and the state of race relations in the United States. Thank you Liz and Elissa for your open-heartedness and for inviting my audience to continue the conversation with you. Contact info for Elissa and Liz is listed below in the Related Links section. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What brought Elissa and Liz to Taiwan Elissa and Liz talk about their experiences living in Taiwan The racism that Liz and Elissa have experienced in Taiwan vs. the United States, and how they have handled it Elissa and Liz share their perspectives on the segregation in Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles Liz and Elissa offer their perspectives on Black Lives Matter Elissa and Liz discuss how the killing of Ahmaud Arbery felt especially personal The anti-racism initiative that Liz is working on Being an ally vs. an accomplice What actions people can take to support the Black Lives Matter and too educate themselves How to have conversations with others about the Black Lives Matter movement Related Links: Elissa Russell's contact info: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janquilrussell/ https://www.instagram.com/im_readi/ https://www.facebook.com/elissa.j.russell Elissa Russell's business info: www.consultreadi.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consultreadi/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/readi-consulting-llc Elizabeth Williams' contact info: Personal website: https://www.theycallmeliz.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-williams-370510/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzyworld/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.williams.52090 An article about the arrest and jailing of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21gates.html An Open Letter for Black Lives Matter (which has been translated into over 30 different languages): https://lettersforblacklives.com/ An article about the arrest and jailing of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21gates.html Liz’s appearance on the Taiwan TV show Super Idol: https://youtu.be/vzQpANhYAeI Liz singing a bit of Peking Opera during her appearance on the Taiwan TV show Super Idol [Start watching at 4:09]: https://youtu.be/cFEz19varyo