Talking Taiwan

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/

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

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: July is Black, Indigenous, People of Color Mental Health Awareness Month, so I thought this would be good time to invite Dr. Ilene Wong, who writes as I.W. Gregorio on to Talking Taiwan to talk about her latest novel, This is My Brain in Love. Dr. Wong has described the novel as a happy book about mental illness across cultures. We spoke about how she balances her medical and writing careers and her first book, None of the Above. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Why she writes under the pen name "I.W. Gregorio" How she went from being a doctor to a YA author and which came first How she balances her career in medicine with her writing How her medical career informs her writing How much of her novel draws from her personal life Her thoughts on the model minority myth and stereotypes What she thinks of the media's focus on suicide as the endpoint of depression YA books and movies that romanticized death by suicide The difference between being down in the dumps and clinically depressed How difficult was it for Ilene to come out about her mental health issues Why she felt compelled to write this book now How her family dealt with her depression The paradoxical views that some doctors have about medicating for mental health issues How we might de-stigmatize mental health The difference between passive and active suicide ideation Her writing process and the importance of having critique partners The feedback that she's received on the book Her first book None of the Above What the term "intersex" means Why she writes for YA audiences Her advice for aspiring authors Ilene's connection to Taiwan Related Links: Ilene's website: www.iwgregorio.com I.W. Gregorio on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/IWGregorio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwgregorio/ Tumblr: https://iwgregorio.tumblr.com/ Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Awareness Month: https://www.mhanational.org/BIPOC-mental-health-month Suicide hotlines: Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to741741 from anywhere in the USA, at any time) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) The Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386) For suicide hotlines by country: International Association for Suicide Prevention https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/ Mental Health Resources: Mental Health America https://screening.mhanational.org/screening-tools Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (1-800-662-4358 https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/) The Anxiety and Depression Association of America https://adaa.org/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: In 2015, I spoke with Gordon Chang, author and political commentator about his views on China and his books, The Coming Collapse of China, and Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World. I recently invited him back on Talking Taiwan, to listen to that episode, check out episode 85. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Gordon went from practicing law to writing The Coming Collapse of Chinaand becoming a political commentator who focuses on news about China How Gordon's views of China changed after he worked and lived there from 1996-2001 How the Chinese Communist Party is going in the wrong direction What kind of reactions Gordon's book, The Coming Collapse of Chinareceived What's going to happen if China does collapse? China's predatory trade policies How China's ban of certain websites and social media platforms delegitimizes the Chinese Communist Party Gordon's impressions of Taiwan How Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement was inspired by Taiwan's Sunflower Movement Dissent in Hong Kong, Tibet and the Uighurs in Xinjiang Gordon's book Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World How Gordon believes that the U.S. should be calling out China on North Korea Gordon's thoughts on the premise of the film The Interviewand the cyber hacks on Sony If Gordon has another book in the works Related Links: Gordon Chang on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gordongchang Gordon Chang's website: www.gordonchang.com Gordon's book Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400062942/qid=1134270260/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-9747648-7111228?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 Gordon's book, The Coming Collapse of China: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/037550477X/qid=1134270217/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/002-9747648-7111228?n=507846&s=books&v=glance Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement: https://qz.com/1714897/what-was-hong-kongs-umbrella-movement-about/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbrella_Movement Taiwan's Sunflower Movement: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-asian-studies/article/inside-taiwans-sunflower-movement-twentyfour-days-in-a-studentoccupied-parliament-and-the-future-of-the-region/DB4A7B57538A6F06DC6C8CF0058C8040 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_Student_Movement The Interview: https://www.netflix.com/title/70305895 https://www.cnn.com/2014/12/27/world/asia/north-korea-the-interview-reaction/index.html https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/08/-sp-north-koreans-review-the-interview

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Gordon Chang is an author and political commentator. I first learned of him when I heard about his book The Coming Collapse of China. Then in 2015, I met and interviewed him for the Talking Taiwan podcast. We will re-share that episode at a later time. Recently, I invited Gordon back on to share his thoughts on the Hong Kong Security Law, India's ban of TikTok, Zoom's ties with China and the confirmed case of bubonic plague in China's Inner Mongolia. Will the U.S. ban Tiktok? At the time this interview was recorded that question was unanswered. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What is the Hong Kong Security Law? What does the Hong Kong Security Law mean for Hong Kong and its democracy movement? What has happened since the law was enacted? What has been the reaction to the law by people in Hong Kong and around the world? China's violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed on December 19, 1984 How can the international community hold China accountable for what's happening to Hong Kong? British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's offer to give British citizenship to up 3 million people from Hong Kong Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen's offer to provide refuge to the people of Hong Kong What the Hong Kong Security Law means for Taiwan How willing and able is China to take Taiwan by force? India's ban of 59 different Chinese apps including Tiktok and WeChat Why the concern over Chinese apps? The Chinese Communist Party's 2017 National Intelligence Law How Tiktok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company which is subject to the National Intelligence Law How Zoom has sent information back to China, and canceled the accounts of activists who used Zoom to commemorate the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square The confirmed case of bubonic plague in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the G4 Swine Flu China's handling of COVID-19 Related Links: Gordon Chang on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gordongchang Gordon Chang's website: www.gordonchang.com The Hong Kong Security Law: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/world/asia/hong-kong-security-law-explain.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52765838 Articles about concerns that the Chinese Communist Party could be mining the data of Tiktok users: https://qz.com/1613020/tiktok-might-be-a-chinese-cambridge-analytica-scale-privacy-threat/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2020/06/26/warning-apple-suddenly-catches-tiktok-secretly-spying-on-millions-of-iphone-users/#69134f8934ef https://theprint.in/tech/tiktok-caught-spying-on-iphone-users-in-india-and-around-the-world/450339/ Zoom's data has gotten routed through China: https://www.businessinsider.com/china-zoom-data-2020-4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2020/04/03/warning-zoom-sends-encryption-keys-to-china-sometimes/#4a901a0d3fd9 Why Zoom closed an account of a group that held a Zoom event commemorating the 31st anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen Square Massacre: https://www.axios.com/zoom-closes-chinese-user-account-tiananmen-square-f218fed1-69af-4bdd-aac4-7eaf67f34084.html?fbclid=IwAR2-8R2Jz9bb_iskXAJcO4mmBXrAeltYKs7CfZNna4h0Ko7TakrLB1sgH7k U.S. Secretary of State Mike's appearance on Laura Ingram's Fox News Show stating that the US is considering banning Tiktok: https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/07/07/tiktok-app-china-us-pompeo.cnnbusiness/video/playlists/business-news/ https://www.foxnews.com/media/mike-pompeo-tik-tok-china-communist-social-media-spying-fox-ingraham

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Stefanie Davis and Patrick Springer are the founders of the Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative, which organized a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on June 13th in Taipei's 228 Peace Park. I spoke to Stefanie and Patrick about their experiences living as people of color in Taiwan and the U.S., the activities planned for the rally and their personal views of Black Lives Matter. Here's a description of the Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative rally from their Facebook event page: We cannot sit around as the stories of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Iyanna Dior, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown Jr., Pamela Turner, Atatiana Jefferson, and countless others become common occurrences- background noise to the daily news, their lives summarized as sound bites between the weather and sports updates. We cannot sit idly by and watch as police brutality against innocent black and brown bodies continues to go unchecked around the world. It is time for us to take a stand and make our voices known that we demand action against racism both abroad and at home. That injustice against one of us, is an injustice to all. Join us in a legal and peaceful rally Saturday, June 13th, at 228 Peace Memorial Park in Taipei as we come together to lend our support and our voices to those around the world fighting for equality and for others right to simply breathe. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What brought Stefanie and Patrick to Taiwan and how long they have been here The racism that they have experienced in Taiwan and how it compares to what they've experienced in the U.S. How they talk to their students about race and nationality Patrick's bar Arts & Crafts (in Taichung) How the Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative (BLSGI) came about The events and activities planned at the June 13 BLSGI rally The Taipei Is Listening Forum How the BLSGI rally has put Taiwan on the map as one of the countries that has had a rally about the injustices happening to Black people in the U.S. The feedback they've received about the rally What Stefanie and Patrick hope that people take away from the experience of being at the rally or what they learned at the rally Common stereotypes that people have about Black people Facts and statistics that demonstrate some of the discrimination that Blacks in the U.S. experience The shooting of Atatiana Jefferson and arrest of Sandra Bland Where the funds raised at the rally went Patrick and Stefanie's personal experiences with Black Lives Matter What advice Stefanie or Patrick have for non-Black people who want to understand the Black experience or who want to be allies What Black Lives Matter means to Stefanie and Patrick Facts and statistics based on US data and research that were shared at the BLSGI rally: More than 1/2 of young Black Americans know someone, including themselves, who has been harassed by the police. Black students are 3 times more likely to be suspended than white students for similar infractions. Black drivers are 30% more likely than white drivers to be pulled over by the police. For every $100 earned by white families -> Black families earn $57.30. Blacks Americans make up 13% of the nation's population. Blacks Americans make 40% of prison populations. Related Links: Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BLSGlobal/ Brothas & Sistas of Taiwan Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1728788584038273/ Taipei Is Listening Forum: https://www.facebook.com/events/2570056726428424/ An article about the Taipei Is Listening Forum: https://ketagalanmedia.com/2020/06/11/is-taipei-listening-black-lives-matter-taiwan-gears-up-for-weekend-rally/ Patrick's bar Arts & Crafts' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtsAndCraftsBar/ To follow Patrick's bartending recipes, videos, photos and his Virtual Happy Hour booking information visit: https://www.inhousebartender.com/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: In 2017 I interviewed Professor Wen Liu about the historic news of May 24, 2017, that Taiwan's Constitutional Court had ruled that marriage is not strictly defined as being between a man and a woman. This paved the way for same sex marriage to be legalized in Taiwan in 2019. Since the Stonewall uprising, which began on June 28, 1969, led to the international gay rights movement, June has become recognized as worldwide Pride month. In recognition of Pride month, I'd like to re-share my interview with gender studies Professor Wen Liu. Here's a link to the original post of this interview: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/gender-studies-professor-wen-liu-talking-taiwan-ep-58/ Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: The May 24th ruling by the Constitutional Court in Taiwan that same-sex marriage could be legalized Mr. Chi Chia-wei who's lawsuit led to the May 24th ruling The history of the same-sex marriage battle and family law in Taiwan Major turning points in Taiwan's LGBTQ movement The history behind Taiwan's gay pride parade How Taiwan compares to other Asian countries on LGBTQ issues The next steps after the May 24th ruling The marriage equality bill, civil partnership bill, multiple family bill Other work that needs to be done in Taiwan for the LGBTQ community Related Links: Wen Liu's writings on New Bloom Magazine: http://newbloommag.net/author/wen-liu/ An article about the LGBTQ movement in Taiwan: https://outreachfortaiwan.org/taiwan-101/social-movements/lgbtq-movement-in-taiwan/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: On June 28, 2020, Taiwan Pride Parade for the World will be held in Taipei at 3pm to celebrate Pride Month and the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. While in-person Pride events have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will likely be one of the few if only in-person Pride events to be held in the world during Pride Month. I spoke with the organizer of Taiwan Pride Parade for the World, Darien Chen about what motivated him to organize the event. Darien also told me about how he participated in Mr. Gay World as Mr. Gay Taiwan and how he hopes that the parade will give people around the world hope and keep the torch and spirit of Pride alive. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Darien competed as the first Mr. Gay Taiwan at Mr. Gay World His involvement in the first Gay Pride Parade in Taiwan His involvement with the NTU (National Taiwan University) gay student club GayChat What motivated Darien to organize Taiwan Pride Parade for the World The challenges and obstacles he faced in trying to organize the event How Taiwan will be the only place in the world that will be able to host a live in-person Gay Pride Parade in June (worldwide Pride Month), on the anniversary of the June 28, 1969 Stonewall riots That there are several Pride parades/events organized at the local level in Taiwan's various counties Activities planned on the day of the event If there will be a live stream of the event Darien's co-organizer Mamasan drag queen Magnolia La Manga How this rally will compare to the annual Gay Pride Parade that takes place in Taiwan in October What the annual Gay Pride Parade that takes place in Taiwan in October is like and how it compares to the Gay Pride March in New York and other major cities Related Links: Taiwan Pride Parade for the World Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/277051990005355/ A Live stream of the event (Taiwan Pride Parade for the World) will be available on the Taiwan Pride Parade for the World Facebook event page or on Cookie the Drag Queen's YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2Vr2VW6 Here's where you can watch Global Pride 2020: https://www.globalpride2020.org/watch/ GLOBAL PRIDE 2020: COVID-19 relief PERFORMANCES WITH TODRICK HALL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HhzcnTFfjE Mr. Gay World: https://mrgayworld.com/ Anastasia Lin, Miss World Canada 2016: http://www.anastasialin.com/bio A Taipei Times article about NTU's (National Taiwan University) student club GayChat: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2015/09/27/2003628678

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: After the murder of George Floyd sparked protests in Minneapolis, here in New York, across the country, and around the world, I wanted to have a conversation on Talking Taiwan about what precipitated all of this social unrest, the Black Lives Matter movement and what we, especially non-Black people can do at this time. This led me to invite Jalesa Tucker to be a guest on Talking Taiwan. I met Jalesa when I did some work for a nonprofit that educates young people about healthy relationships. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Who was George Floyd and why his death has led to massive protests across the U.S. and globally Recent incidents in the U.S. that led up to the protests over the murder of George Floyd (May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota): the killing of Ahmaud Arbery (February 23 in Brunswick, Georgia), Breonna Taylor (March 13 in Louisville, Kentucky), a dispute between Chris Cooper and Amy Cooper in New York City's Central Park (May 25) The death of Trayvon Martin (February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida) that led to the Black Lives Matter movement The start of the hashtag Black Lives Matter What is taught about Black history or the lack thereof in U.S. high schools The Black Lives Matter movement's call to defund the police and what that means Resources to learn more about racial inequality in the U.S. Why Black Lives Matter is about humanity and how we treat each other Related and Recommended Links: Netflix documentary film, directed by Ava DuVernay 13th: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8&t=210s Malcom X: https://www.malcolmx.com/biography/ James Baldwin: https://www.biography.com/writer/james-baldwin My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem: https://www.resmaa.com/books Emmanuel Acho's YouTube channel video series, Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man: https://www.youtube.com/user/Eacho18/videos

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Crushing The Myth (CTM) is an Asian American speaker series that shares Asian American stories and perspectives with a global audience. Established in January of 2019, CTM aims to connect Asian Americans and allies to each other. I spoke with the Founder of Crushing The Myth, JD Chang about why he created CTM, and its mission. Crushing The Myth is about showing that Asian America today is more than just the "Model Minority" label and telling Asian American stories that make people LISTEN, LEARN, and INSPIRED. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: JD's experience of the model minority myth What Crushing The Myth is about and what it represents What is the mission of Crushing The Myth (CTM) How JD started his career as a film line producer What JD thinks about TED Talks South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference What Crushing the Myth offers to its participants (prospective speakers) What's the biggest challenge JD has experienced with Crushing The Myth The highlights of working on Crushing The Myth How people can sign up to do a Crushing The Myth talk The training that Crushing The Myth provides to its speakers JD's tips for public speaking JD's tips for looking good on video Where you can watch the CTM talks Related Links: Crushing The Myth's website: https://www.crushingthemyth.com/ Crushing The Myth on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crushingthemyth/ Crushing The Myth YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKLyCJ6sOp72YB2iXJhd9DA JD Chang on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jdchang360/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jdchang360 APEX for Youth: https://www.apexforyouth.org/ Asia Society: https://asiasociety.org/new-york South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference: https://www.sxsw.com/ TED Talks: https://www.ted.com/talks