Talking Taiwan

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:  In this episode of the Talking Taiwan podcast, I continue my conversation with Gerrit van der Wees about the Taiwan Communique, and how it revealed the truth of Taiwan's White Terror Era. Taiwan Communique is a publication that was started in 1980, during Taiwan’s martial law era, a dark period in Taiwan’s history in which there was extreme censorship and the people of Taiwan were denied their civil liberties. For these reasons Gerrit and his wife Mei-chin felt it was necessary to do something to shed light on the human rights violations that were happening in Taiwan. It is really remarkable to hear how they gathered all of this sensitive information for the Taiwan Communique under these circumstances and in the pre-Internet era. For over 3 decades the Taiwan Communique was one of the most in-depth English-language resources on Taiwan. So I was really excited about doing this interview with Gerrit because I really wanted to acknowledge the lasting contribution of the Taiwan Communique and to let people know that it still remains available online to this day. It is a tremendous resource for anyone wanting to learn about the challenges Taiwan has faced in going from dictatorship to democracy. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What precipitated the creation of the Taiwan Communique The Human Rights Day rally on the 10th of December, 1979, which became known as the Kaohsiung incident The origins and formation of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) The election of the first DPP president, Chen Shui-bian How the Sunflower movement (2014) was a reaction to President Ma Ying-jeou’s policies on trade with China and its impact on local elections in 2016 The “Green Wave” of 2014 and 2016 The Regan administration’s position on Taiwan in 1980 The “Gang of Four” (senators in U.S. Congress) who were supportive of Taiwan How the Taiwan Communique reported on the lack of freedom of press treatment in Taiwan, the prison treatment of opposition leaders and other major developments in Taiwan The Taipei Spring of 1991-1992 How they collected and gathered information for the Taiwan Communique in the pre-Internet era when phone calls costed $10/minute How the Taiwan Communique went from a circulation of 40 to thousands and was targeted to key policy makers and news media Gerrit’s proudest moment being acknowledged as the editor of the Taiwan Communique The strict censorship of publications and postal mail in Taiwan the 1980s How Gerrit and his wife Mei-chin got blacklisted by the government in Taiwan Gerrit’s current role teaching the history of Taiwan at George Mason University Related Links: Taiwan Communique: https://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/ The Kaohsiung incident (1979): https://www.taiwandc.org/hst-1979.htm The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA): http://fapa.org/wp/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: I recently invited Gerrit van der Wees, to share his perspectives on the outcome of the recent 2020 Taiwan presidential election.  Gerrit is the former editor of the Taiwan Communique magazine, a publication that was dedicated to the human rights and democracy of Taiwan. He has also worked for FAPA as a senior policy advisor and currently teaches the history of Taiwan at George Mason University. He’s also a former Dutch diplomat. Gerrit has provided a very concise analysis of how the DPP and Tsai Ing-wen have come back after the disastrous results of the 2018 local elections. He also offered some insight into the reforms that the Tsai administration will now be able to carry out upon re-election and with a DPP majority parliament. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How the protests in Hong Kong played a role in the outcome of Taiwan’s 2020 presidential election What led to the poor results for the DPP in the 2018 local election results and how Tsai Ing-wen was able to turn that around and make a comeback The unprecedented news coverage of the 2020 presidential election The high voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election The reforms that Tsai Ing-wen initiated in her first term and will now be able to move forward with, including the transitional justice reform urging investigation into many of the political murders that happened during the martial law period and White Terror era of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen’s economic initiatives and reforms China’s carrot and stick approach in dealing with Taiwan How Tsai Ing-wen was able to attract businesses in China back to Taiwan Related Links: The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA): http://fapa.org/wp/ Taiwan Communique: https://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/ 1992 Consensus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Consensus Washington Post Editorial by George Will: Time is on Taiwan’s side, as long as the U.S. is, too: https://wapo.st/2uxVK3B 228 Incident (1947): https://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm The Kaohsiung incident (1979): https://www.taiwandc.org/hst-1979.htm Lin Yi-hsiung murder case (1980): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Yi-hsiung https://tw.forumosa.com/t/1979-lin-family-murders-a-first-hand-account/50007 Death of Professor Chen Wen-chen at the National Taiwan University (1981): https://www.taiwandc.org/twcom/tc05-int.pdf

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:   With the Taiwan Presidential Election of 2020 coming up in Taiwan on January 11th,I thought it would be a good idea to do a podcast about this particular topic. Recently I spoke with Chieh-Ting Yeh, the Editor-in-Cheif of Ketagalan Media, Vice-chairman of the Global Taiwan Institute and longtime watcher of Taiwan politics. This episode should give you some interesting perspectives if you aren't up on what's going on with the upcoming presidential election in Taiwan.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How the presidential elections in Taiwan work The three presidential candidates: Tsai Ing-wen, Han Kuo-yu, James Soong What’s been the theme of Taiwan’s presidential election? China’s influence on Taiwan’s presidential election Domestic issues being overshadowed by the China issue during the presidential election The influence of Hong Kong’s protests on Taiwan’s presidential election The province of Taiwan under the Republic of China Taiwan’s first peaceful transition of power from the Kuomintang to the Democratic Progressive Party Why the presidential election in Taiwan was moved from March to January How Taiwan’s presidential elections have changed or not over the years What it’s like on presidential election day in Taiwan   Related Links:   How Does Taiwan's Parliamentary Election Work: http://www.ketagalanmedia.com/2015/12/26/how-does-taiwans-parliamentary-election-work/   It's the Constitution, Stupid: http://www.ketagalanmedia.com/2015/11/14/its-the-constitution-stupid/   Taiwan’s Household Registration System Disenfranchises Its Young Voters http://www.ketagalanmedia.com/2020/01/06/taiwans-household-registration-system-is-disenfranchising-young-voters/   Ketagalan Media http://www.ketagalanmedia.com/   Global Taiwan Institute http://globaltaiwan.org/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: This is an interview with Trigg Brown and Josh Ku of Win Son, a Taiwanese restaurant in NYC. Here are comments from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: When I sat down to interview Trigg Brown and Josh Ku about their Taiwanese American restaurant, Win Son, they talked about their shared a love of food, and how they used to trek all the way out to Flushing just to get good Taiwanese food.  They used to get into discussions about what makes food uniquely Taiwanese vs. Chinese or Chinese American, and somewhere along the way they started tossing around the idea of opening up a restaurant together. At first it seemed like just talk, but then Trigg inherited a commercial stove which they decided to keep- initially in the lobby of Josh’s building. The funny thing is that once this stove showed up, talk of Josh and Trigg’s restaurant idea seemed more and more real. Later the stove was moved into a former restaurant space that Josh was dealing with as a property manager. As fate and a Kickstarter campaign would have it, that former restaurant space ended up being where they opened Win Son.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Learn all about Taiwan’s growing startup community and all of the resources available for budding entrepreneurs in this episode of the Talking Taiwan podcast. If you want to know how to start a business in Taiwan, there’s a book written about it, and not surprisingly, it’s called How to Start a Business in Taiwan. The author of that book, Elias Ek, the CEO and co-founder of Enspyre spoke with me about all of these topics, and more, including the annual Dragons’ Chamber pitch contest, which will be taking place on November 18th of this year. This episode is a must-listen, specifically for non-Taiwanese nationals or anyone who’s ever thought about, is about to embark on, or currently in the midst of starting a business in Taiwan.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode What the Dragons’ Chamber is How the Dragons’ Chamber pitch event works What the Dragons’ Chamber does and who is it for Recommended resources for budding entrepreneurs or people with startup ideas in Taiwan How having more foreign business and business owners in Taiwan could be beneficial Startup Weekend in Taiwan Why Startup Weekend is a good testing ground for people with business ideas Common problems faced by foreigners who try to start businesses in Taiwan Where to find Elias’ book, How To Start A Business in Taiwan   Related Links: Dragons’ Chamber: https://dragonschambertaiwan.com/ Enspyre: http://www.enspyre.com Dragon’s Den https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragons'_Den Startup Digest: https://www.startupdigest.com/digests Startup Digest Taipei https://www.startupdigest.com/digests/taipei Startup Digest Southern Taiwan https://www.startupdigest.com/digests/southern-taiwan French Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan: http://www.ccift.org.tw/ Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan: https://www.canchamtw.com/ Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/canadianchamberofcommerceintaiwan/ Meet Taipei: http://eng.meettaipei.tw/ Where to find Elias’ book, How to Start a Business in Taiwan: http://startabusinessintaiwan.tw/ How to Start a Business in Taiwan on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zhsNq0 How to Start a Business in Taiwan in ebook format on Leanpub: https://leanpub.com/startabusinessintaiwan How to Start a Business in Taiwan: An Interview with Elias Ek: learnchinesebusiness.com/2014/10/16/how-to-start-a-business-in-taiwan-an-interview-with-elias-ek Elias Ek's Linked-in link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliasek  

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: When I heard the historic news of May 24th, that Taiwan’s Constitutional Court had ruled that marriage is not strictly defined as being between a man and a woman, it was exciting to know that Taiwan was poised to be the first country in Asia to legalize gay marriage. Even though I’ve been involved with the Taiwan float in the New York Gay Pride Parade twice before this year’s event, I realize that I still have a lot more to learn about the LGBTQ movement and community in New York and Taiwan. In fact, just last year I attended an orientation session for floats participating in the New York Gay Pride Parade. There I learned that the official name of the event is actually the New York Pride March. Why a march and not a parade? The organizers of New York Pride explained that the term march is a reminder of the origins of the first Gay Pride March in New York, which rose out of the riots that erupted in reaction to the unjust police raids of the Stonewall bar. As for Taiwan’s Gay Pride Parade, it’s the largest one in Asia. But beyond that, and up until the May 24th Constitutional Court ruling, what’s happened in the gay rights movement in Taiwan? I thought this would be the perfect time to cover this topic on the Talking Taiwan podcast.I wanted to interview someone about the gay rights movement in Taiwan. That led me to Wen Liu, gender studies professor at SUNY Albany and my interview with her. I am so pleased to have Wen on as a guest to talk about the LGBTQ movement and the recent ruling in Taiwan on same-sex marriage. What listeners don’t know is that Wen did the interview with me from Taiwan, even though she is usually based in New York. I really appreciate her taking the time out of her schedule to do this interview with me.   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: Did you know that there’s an annual flower show in New York featuring Taiwanese culture and orchids from Taiwan? Actually, I didn’t know this until one of my listeners reached out to me and told me about the upcoming Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit at the Queens Botanical Garden. Since I’m based in New York, I feel it’s my obligation to promote and inform people about all of the Taiwan-related events going on in New York. So I spoke with Pauline Huang, Chairwoman of the Queens Botanical Garden’s Board of Directors, who personally spearheaded the Taiwan orchid exhibit, which is now in it’s fourth year. I was really impressed by Pauline’s personal commitment to the Queens Botanical Garden and her follow through to make the first Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit happen back in 2014. Talk about “putting your money where your mouth is.” The Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit is coming up August 18-20th at the Queens Botanical Garden (43-50 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355). Listen to this episode to learn more about the music, art and culture of Taiwan that you’ll experience at Taiwan: A World of Orchids.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Pauline not only spearheaded, but gave her personal assurance to make the first Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit happen in only 2 months time The music and art you’ll experience at the Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit Why Pauline believes it’s so important to give back to your community How Taiwan is one of the top three countries that exports orchids What sets Taiwan apart from other orchid producing countries How you can buy a Taiwan orchid to take home for yourself   Related Links: Qeens Botanical Garden Website: https://queensbotanical.org/orchids/ Queens Botanical Garden Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/queensbotanical/    

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Last year was the first year that there was a Taiwanese Waves concert at the Central Park Summerstage and it was smashing success! Thousands of people were introduced to Taiwanese musicians Anpu (also known as Deserts Xuan), Wonfu, and Sunset Rollercoaster. This year Taiwanese Waves has been invited back to Summerstage. Recently, I sat down to talk with Mia Min Yen, the founder and organizer of Taiwanese Waves. Mia spoke with me about the origins of her love of live music, how she was finally able to bring Taiwanese Waves to Summerstage, how the musicians featured this year (Fire Ex, Dadao Huang & Berry j, and Sangpuy) are representative of the cultural diversity of Taiwan, and her vision for the future of Taiwanese Waves. Taiwanese Waves is not only a great showcase for Taiwanese musicians, but also the only Summerstage concert series lineup to feature Asian musicians. Taiwanese Waves will be at the Summerstage on July 29th from 6:00-10:00 pm at the Rumsey Playfield in New York’s Central Park. To learn more about Taiwanese Waves, visit: www.TaiwaneseWaves.com Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Where the name Taiwanese Waves comes from How Mia was finally able to bring Taiwanese Waves to Central Park’s Summerstage Where Mia’s interest in live music and bands came from How she curates the Taiwanese Waves concert series A preview of some of the musicians who will be performing at this year’s Taiwanese Waves What’s Mia’s future vision for Taiwanese Waves Mia’s other love of photography and where you can find on her Instagram Related Links: Taiwanese Waves website: www.TaiwaneseWaves.com Taiwanese Waves Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/taiwanesewaves/ Support Taiwanese Waves by purchasing a commemorative, limited edition Taiwanese Waves key ring here: https://goo.gl/8R2vPm YouTube clips of each of the musical artists that will be performing at Taiwanese Waves: Summerstage website: http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/summerstage/ Mia Min Yen on Instagram: www.instagram.com/miaminyenphotos      

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: I first learned about Treya, an up-and-coming musician with an amazing voice about two years ago, when she was profiled on TaiwaneseAmerican.org. From then on she was definitely on my radar to have as a guest on the Talking Taiwan, but somehow the timing was just not right for it. As I waited for the stars to align, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing her perform live several times. Now it’s time for me to have her on Talking Taiwan as a guest, and the timing couldn’t be better as Treya is in the midst of a Pledge Music campaign to raise funds for her first album. She’s running a sort of crowdfunding campaign, which I happen to know a thing or two about. So I am really thrilled to be able support her at this time, and to let others know about her huge talent. On top of all this I have the distinct honor of being the first on record to have done an audio interview with her! Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Treya’s thoughts on Taiwan and being Taiwanese and American Her musical inspirations and influences Treya’s music writing process and her sources of inspiration How she deals with writer’s block Working on her first album and her Pledge Music Campaign and what she has planned for it How you can support Treya’s Pledge Music Campaign and what she is offering at different contribution levels Her thoughts on musicians independently producing their own music   Related Links: To learn more about Treya, visit her website: http://www.treyamakesmusic.com/ To support Treya’s Pledge Music campaign visit: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/treya Treya on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treyamakesmusic/ Hello Taiwan: http://www.hellotaiwan.us/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: It’s that time of year again here in New York City. Spring is upon us, and as the weather warms up you’ll find street fairs popping up all around the city. I’ve already run into a couple of them. If you have ever been in the city at this time of year, you’ll know what I’m talking about. It’s hard to miss it when you come across blocks and blocks of a wide New York City avenue that are closed off to traffic, and bustling with pedestrians instead. You’ll smell the aroma of mouthwatering foods wafting in the air, and see a variety of vendors hawking their wares. Imagine a massive flea market and a block party all rolled into one. In the summer New York City is known for its free, open air, outdoor, public events with all sorts of cultural offerings ranging from classical music performances in Central Park to screenings of blockbuster movies at one of the Hudson River Park piers. Most notable for the Talking Taiwan podcast and our listeners, is the Passport to Taiwan, an outdoor festival dedicated to celebrating everything related to Taiwan. The festival takes place every May in Union Square Park and is a chance for the public to experience Taiwanese culture. There are arts and crafts demonstrations, community organizations represented, the ever-popular Taiwanese food stalls, and live music performances. Passport to Taiwan has been going on for 14 years and last year an estimated 10, 000 people were in attendance. The Hello Taiwan concert series was born out of the Passport to Taiwan and brings musical artists from Taiwan to New York to perform at the festival. This year’s Hello Taiwan musical artists are truly representative the ethnic diversity of Taiwan. Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ysanne Spevack, the producer of this year’s Hello Taiwan Tour. Ysanne herself is an accomplished musician who works with up-and-coming musical artists. I was really impressed with how she has embraced Taiwan and the Taiwanese music industry, which she compared to the U.K.’s. That’s high praise indeed! This year’s Hello Taiwan Tour runs May 24-29. Learn more about Hello Taiwan in this episode of the Talking Taiwan podcast.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What is the Passport to Taiwan The origins of Hello Taiwan and the Hello Taiwan tour The musical artists who will be performing at Hello Taiwan: Gina Can, Sean Huang, and Biung Taiwan’s music industry and how it compares to the U.K.’s Hello Taiwan tour dates Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan’s equivalent of the Grammys Ysanne’s advice for aspiring musicians   Related Links: Hello Taiwan Website Link: www.hellotaiwan.us/ Hello Taiwan Facebook Page Link: www.facebook.com/HelloTaiwanRocks// Music videos featuring musicians performing in the 2017 Hello Taiwan Tour: Sean Huang (singing to a woman dressed in a cockroach costume), Gina Can and Biung: Link: http://www.hellotaiwan.us/2017.html Treya's Pledge Music Campaign is now LIVE http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/treya   To purchase tickets Link to purchase tickets to the May 27th Hello Taiwan concert at Joe’s Pub featuring Sean Huang, Gina Can, Biung and Treya https://www.joespub.com/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/Joes-Pub/2017/H/Hello-Taiwan/   Talking Taiwan Episode 45 About the 13th Annual Passport to Taiwan Passport to Taiwan website Learn about Taiwan in New York Link: www.p2tw.org/ Ysanne’s personal website http://www.helloysanne.com Ysanne’s company website for Cherry Plum Media http://cherryplum.media