Talking Taiwan

We've got some big news for you! Talking Taiwan is taking the show on the road, back to Taiwan. Kaju and I are planning to be back there during the upcoming presidential election on January 13th. We will be doing election coverage and in-person interviews with some of our most popular guests, and new guests who are based in Taiwan. In order to do all that we want to do, we are going to have to do some fundraising and crowdfunding. Hear what we have planned and to learn how you can support the Talking Taiwan Election Tour! Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwan-election-tour-2024-taking-the-show-on-the-road-ep-263/ Help us get the show on the road as we take the Talking Taiwan podcast back to Taiwan just in time for the presidential election on January 13th. There's never been a better time for us to do this! The presidential election comes around once every 4 years. We want to take this opportunity to showcase Taiwan's young vibrant democracy and to do some in-person episodes with guests who are based in Taiwan. We're calling it our "Talking Taiwan Election Tour" campaign. We plan to do several election coverage episodes with Courtney Donovan Smith, who is a seasoned political commentator, Taiwan News columnist, ICRT correspondent, and has frequently appeared on Taiwan Plus News, and on the Taiwan Plus Taiwan Talks show. We're planning to meet with Courtney in Taichung to do a live in-person episode there. During this trip we are not only going to be in Taipei and Taichung but we plan to also travel down to Kaohsiung. We'll be doing coverage and meeting with special guests from northern, central and southern Taiwan. I'm looking forward to meeting some of our past guests in-person for the very first time. Speaking of meeting people in person… While we are in Taiwan there will be two special in-person gatherings organized for Talking Taiwan, one at the Pic Collage Office, thanks to John Fan, and another gathering will be held at 4SC CrossFit's Xindian Branch, thanks to T.H. Schee. PLEASE NOTE: GoFundMe donors will not be eligible to attend these in-person gatherings, due to GoFundMe's rules and regulations which state that 1) fundraisers that offer perks or rewards to donors aren't allowed and 2) no raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions may be offered in exchange for any donations made to your GoFundMe. If you'd like a special invitation to one of these in-person gatherings with us in Taipei, make sure you make your donation via Paypal: https://tinyurl.com/zn3zm9ux, Zelle, Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/talkingtaiwan, or personal check and provide us with your email address. Our goal is to raise $25,000 to cover all expenses for the "Talking Taiwan Election Tour" like air fare, accommodations, travel within the island, transporting all of our equipment and other incidentals. We are setting a deadline of December 31st to raise money for this trip. We're off to a great start because we are starting off with a Matching Donation Pledge of $5,000 offered by Patrick Huang. This means the first $5,000 we raise will be automatically doubled to $10,000 and we'll be nearly halfway to reaching our fundraising goal. During this campaign we will be completely transparent in publicly listing the names of donors and the amounts donated, however if you'd like to be kept anonymous, you can indicate this when you donate on GoFundMe or inform us at the time of your donation via email at talkingtaiwanpodcast@gmail.com. The tally for "Talking Taiwan's Election Tour" will be shown on the Talking Taiwan website and on our GoFundMe page the count will begin after $19,129. So we will need to reach a total of $44,129 on GoFundMe. There are some other ways that you can support us. You can donate/offer housing during our stay, or donate airline tickets, or hook us up with discounted airfares. We'll be sure to share more exciting news and announcements as the campaign progresses. So stay tuned for more updates from us. We are so grateful for our growing listenership and want to thank you to all of our listeners, past, present and future. It's thanks to you and all of our supporters and donors that make what we do possible. So help us get this show on the road. And raise the money by December 31st! Support Talking Taiwan: https://talkingtaiwan.com/support/ GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/building-talking-taiwans-legacy/donate PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/zn3zm9ux Zelle: talkingtaiwanpodcast@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/talkingtaiwan Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwan-election-tour-2024-taking-the-show-on-the-road-ep-263/

This interview with photographer, filmmaker Gao Yuan was originally part of episode 260 about coincidences connected with the Taiwanese American Arts Council's house, Building 7B on New York's Governors Island, which has affectionately come to be called the Taiwan house. The Taiwanese American Arts Council was selected to be an Organization in Residence on Governors Island this year from May to October and was also the only Asian organization on Governors Island this past year. In this episode I'll be talking with Gao Yuan about her short film Between Us which deals with the conflict between the indigenous and Hakka in southern Taiwan, and also how Gao Yuan uncovered a surprising connection to Taiwan that actually came knocking on the door of TAAC's house Building 7B. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/gao-yuan-her-occidental-journey-to-becoming-a-photographer-and-filmmaker-ep-262/ Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · Gao Yuan's background · How Gao Yuan got into photography · Gao Yuan's short film, Between Us · The significance of the river in Gao Yuan's short film, Between Us · Gao Yuan's approach to photography and filmmaking · How Gao Yuan started photographing people with tattoos · How many of the tattooed people Gao Yuan photographed in Taiwan were part of the mafia or considered gangsters · Gao Yuan's short film, Ocean, tattoo, and bar · How Gao Yuan met Commander Douglas Stevenson who previously lived at the Taiwan house (Building 7B) with his family and his connection to Taiwan · The short documentary film the Gao Yuan made about the Douglas Stevenson Family Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/gao-yuan-her-occidental-journey-to-becoming-a-photographer-and-filmmaker-ep-262/

Abigail Hing Wen was recently in New York for the launch of her latest YA book Loveboat Forever, the third book in her Loveboat trilogy. We caught up with her at her book launch and she stopped by our podcast studio for a quick visit. If you're a long-time listener of Talking Taiwan you may remember when we interviewed Abigail (who'd just become a New York Times bestselling author) about her first YA novel of this series, Loveboat Taipei in episode 67. We'll be having Abigail back on Talking Taiwan at a later date for a more in-depth interview. Related Links:

This is an episode about coincidences connected with the Taiwanese American Arts Council's house, building 7B on New York's Governors Island, which has affectionately come to be called the Taiwan house. The Taiwanese American Arts Council was selected to be an organization in residence on Governors Island this year from May to October and was also the only Asian organization on Governors Island this past year. In this episode I'll be speaking with Andrea Coronil and Gao Yuan two of the many artists in residence at the Taiwan house. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/andrea-coronil-and-gao-yuan-on-riding-waves-tattoos-and-uncanny-connections-to-taiwan-house-7b-ep-260/ First, we'll hear from artist Andrea Coronil about the concept behind her exhibit "To Ride the Waves of Turtle Island" and how she didn't realize its connection to Taiwan. Next, we'll hear from photographer, filmmaker Gao Yuan about her short film Between Us which deals with the conflict between the indigenous and Hakka in southern Taiwan, and also how Gao Yuan uncovered a surprising connection to Taiwan that actually came knocking on the door of TAAC house, building 7B. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Andrea came up with the concept of her solo show at the Taiwan House, To Ride the Waves of Turtle Island · The Turtle Island aka La Tortuga of Venezuela · Turtle Island the name for North America used by some indigenous peoples and the creation story that the Lenape and Ojibwe have that involves a turtle · Taiwan's Turtle Island · Pears and oysters, and their connection to the Caribbean and Governors Island · Andrea's connection to Venezuela · What "riding the waves" means to Andrea · Andrea's artwork titled "We Wore Pearls First" · Andrea's painting titled "We Took Refuge in the Mountains" and Berta Cáceres · How Gao Yuan got into photography · The significance of the river in Gao Yuan's short film Between Us · Gao Yuan's approach to photography and filmmaking · How Gao Yuan started photographing people with tattoos · How many of the tattooed people Gao Yuan photographed in Taiwan were part of the mafia or considered gangsters · How Gao Yuan met Commander Douglas Stevenson who previously lived at the Taiwan house (Building 7B) with his family and his connection to Taiwan · The short documentary film the Gao Yuan made about the Douglas Stevenson Family Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/andrea-coronil-and-gao-yuan-on-riding-waves-tattoos-and-uncanny-connections-to-taiwan-house-7b-ep-260/

As Kaju announced that I'd be interviewing Jilliyeah in the Talking Taiwan podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan in New York City's Union Square Park, he mentioned the memorable acceptance speech that Jilliyeah made at last year's Grammy awards on behalf of the Taiwanese designers who won the Best Recording Package Grammy award for the album Pakelan. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/jilliyeah-taiwanese-pop-singer-at-passport-to-taiwan-ep-259/ A lot has happened for her since then. Now she's in the U.S. working on her career as a singer and musician. I'm looking forward to having her back on Talking Taiwan for a more in-depth interview. She's been hard at work releasing her new singles. To learn more about her follow her on Instagram at Jilliyeah. You can also find her music on most streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music or SoundCloud. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · Her performance at the Passport to Taiwan · Her music career in Taiwan · How she used to sing primarily in Hakka in Taiwan and the difference between singing in Hakka vs. English · Jilliyeah's connection to Taiwan · What she misses the most about Taiwan · What Jilliyeah has been working on lately · How Jilliyeah studied opera when she was in university · What vocal exercises she does Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/jilliyeah-taiwanese-pop-singer-at-passport-to-taiwan-ep-259/

The Taiwanese American Arts Council (TAAC) and the Yale CHATogether Group have collaborated on the NYC Art Bridge program. Several of the artists in residence at the Taiwanese American Arts Council's house on Governors Island, Building 7B, which has affectionately come to be called the Taiwan house, have participated in the NYC Art Bridge program and created artwork for it. In this episode I will be speaking to Luchia Meihua Lee, the Executive Director of the Taiwanese American Arts Council, Dr. Eunice Yuen, Founder and Director of CHATogether, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Child Study Center, and LuLu Meng one of the artists in residence at the Taiwan house who participated in the NYC Art Bridge program. We previously had Dr. Eunice Yuen on Talking Taiwan in episode 93 to talk about CHATogether (Compassionate Home Action, Together). Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/nyc-art-bridge-how-taac-and-chatogether-are-winning-at-achieving-emotional-wellness-through-art-ep-258/ There will be a closing ceremony for the Taiwanese American Arts Council's house on Governors Island this Saturday, October 28 at 2:00pm. As a special treat Talking Taiwan's very own Executive Producer Kaju will be performing as the artist Rad Jet at the closing ceremony with a special guest, Rico Jones, six time Downbeat Magazine Award Winner,Tenor Saxophonist. If you are in the New York area we hope to see you there at Building 7B located in Governors Island's Nolan Park. Luchia Meihua Lee, Executive Director of the Taiwanese American Arts Council Eunice Yuen, MD, PhD. Founder and Director of CHATogether, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Child Study Center LuLu Meng, one of the artists in residence at the Taiwan house who participated in the NYC Art Bridge program Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · The concept behind NYC Art Bridge and its connection to CHATogether · How NYC Art Bridge connects mental health with the arts · How graphic media, illustration and other visual art can be used as tools to discuss mental health · Through NYC Art Bridge there have been talks with the community, AAPI artists, a community art exhibition · The two community NYC Art Bridge events that have been held on April 29 at the Queens Community College and on September 16 at the Taiwan house (on Governors Island) · The CHATogether component of the NYC Art Bridge events and how it facilitated discussion among the audience · The three parts of NYC Art Bridge: 1) an art exhibit 2) workshop, artist talks, role play, conversation with mental health professionals 3) artist interviews · The purpose of the artist interviews · How NYC Art Bridge serves to bridge artistic work with child and family mental health · How art can be a powerful form of expression or communication without words · How CHATogether use theater as a medium to destigmatize mental health and make people feel more comfortable to talk about mental health · How CHATogether has components of drama therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy · How CHATogether and NYC Art Bridge will be presented at AACAP (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) on October 25 and what will be presented there · Pages from the graphic novel, Healing the Whole Family are displayed at the Taiwan house · The graphic novel, Healing the Whole Family, that was based on a New York Times article written by CHATogether member Grace Chiang · The illustration artwork of Elaine Shin (a psychiatry resident from, Northwestern University) is displayed at the Taiwan house · LuLu Meng, one of the artists in residence at the Taiwan house who also participated in NYC Art Bridge · How LuLu went from being a chemical engineer to an artist · LuLu's background and childhood in Taiwan · LuLu's family portrait artwork piece · LuLu's NYC Art Bridge interview and what it revealed · The artwork LuLu created for NYC Art Bridge · LuLu's reflections and thoughts about the CHATogether workshop on April 29 at the Queens Community College · LuLu's artwork that has been displayed at the Taiwan house and what inspired LuLu to create them · What being an artist means to LuLu · The closing ceremony of the Taiwan house (Building 7B in Governors Island's Nolan Park) will feature a performance by Talking Taiwan's very own Executive Producer Kaju, who will be performing as the artist Rad Jet at the closing ceremony with a special guest, Rico Jones, six-time Downbeat Magazine Award Winner, Tenor Saxophonist Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/nyc-art-bridge-how-taac-and-chatogether-are-winning-at-achieving-emotional-wellness-through-art-ep-258/

As a follow up to last week's episode featuring my interview with General Yu, I invited Taipei Times columnist Michael Turton back on to Talking Taiwan to talk about the 1992 Consensus, a term that General Yu mentioned, and in the lead up to Taiwan's presidential elections in January, the Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yi-ih brought it up. In the Related Links section below, we'll share Michael's Taipei Times article about the Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih's support of the 1992 Consensus. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/michael-turton-tapei-times-columnist-talks-about-the-1992-consensus-ep-257/ Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · The meeting in Hong Kong in 1992 between the Kuomintang (KMT) and People's Republic of China (PRC) from which the term 1992 Consensus came · According to the KMT the two sides agreed that Taiwan was a part of China, but agreed to disagree on what China Taiwan was a part of · China insists that the One China principle means the People's Republic of China · How Ma Ying-jeou, as Minister of Justice said that the People's Republic of China wouldn't accept any of the Kuomintang's rational proposals, but later a president he said there was an agreement · How the KMT and PRC met throughout the 1990s until 1999 when President Lee Teng-hui described the relationship between Taiwan and China as state-to-state · The phrase 1992 Consensus doesn't appear in the PRC until around 1997 · The phrase 1992 Consensus became popular in 2000 around the time of Taiwan's presidential election, which was a three-way race between Chen Shui-bian, Lien Chan and James Soong · How the KMT have tried to use the 1992 Consensus to put a cage around the Democratic Progressive Party's foreign policy · The 1992 Consensus was an agreement reached between the unelected parties of two authoritarian states · After martial law was lifted in Taiwan it was replaced by something the KMT passed called the National Security Law, and pro-democracy dissidents were still jailed in Taiwan · In the 1990s there was a shift in the people of Taiwan's sense of identity as Taiwanese and a growing confidence in democracy · How western writers in the 1950s and 60s thought that the KMT would be marginalized as Taiwan democratized · How the KMT used the 1992 Consensus to cage Chen Shui-bian's foreign policy · How the KMT took the Republic of China out of the United Nations when recognition was switched from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China as the representative of China · How the PRC has set rules about the usage of the term "1992 Consensus" in its media · A MAC (Mainland Affairs Council) poll from October 2022 had a 80% rejecting the 1992 Consensus · A Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation poll last year showed that 67% of people reject the 1992 Consensus · How the term 1992 Consensus disappeared during President Tsai Ing-wen's administration · Why the KMT's presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih brought up the 1992 Consensus · How it's important to have balance so that one political party doesn't too big or corrupt in Taiwan Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/michael-turton-tapei-times-columnist-talks-about-the-1992-consensus-ep-257/

I first heard about Yú Běichén (于北辰) otherwise known as "General Yu" at the Taiwanese American Conference in July where he was one of the most popular speakers. General Yu is a retired army general, and now a Taoyuan city councilor, He ran as an independent in the November 2022 elections. I was able to interview General Yu when he was in New York with translation assistance from Winston Liao. This interview would not have been possible without the help of Jacy Chen, Sue Kuo, and Winston Liao. And a very special thanks to Meiling Lin, my mother for her help not only with translation of the interview, but for her assistance with research and preparation for this episode. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/general-yu-%e4%ba%8e%e5%8c%97%e8%be%b0-former-4-star-general-of-taiwan-army-shifts-from-kmt-to-independent-ep-256/ Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · General Yu's upbringing and how he started his career in the military · How Taiwan has changed militarily during his 30-something years in the military · His thoughts on how to maintain peace for Taiwan · If people are willing and able to defend Taiwan if attacked by China · How China has invited Taiwanese soldiers, including General Yu to visit and has offered them favors and opportunities · The 2013 case of Hung Chung-chiu, who was a 24-year-old military conscript who died three days before the end of his compulsory military service and how General Yu was asked to step in after this incident and make some reforms · General Yu's thoughts on the Sunflower Movement · General Yu's comments and thought on presidential candidates who have suggested another cross-strait service and trade agreement · General Yu's thought on the Kumointang and how it needs to change · The importance of Taiwan having a healthy, normal democracy · The veterans group that General Yu used be a director of · How General Yu's identity shifted from seeing himself as Chinese to Taiwanese Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/general-yu-%e4%ba%8e%e5%8c%97%e8%be%b0-former-4-star-general-of-taiwan-army-shifts-from-kmt-to-independent-ep-256/

We met Tom Fifield when he was in New York City at Passport to Taiwan in May. The Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office had a booth there and he stopped by the Talking Taiwan podcast studio, but the recording conditions were less than ideal since we had a very loud generator nearby. We re-recorded the interview remotely a few months later. Tom talked about how he later became a gold card holder, what he enjoys about living in Taiwan and later became a citizen of Taiwan Tom Fifield works for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office at Taiwan's National Development Council. His main role is to lead a whole-of-government task-force to improve Taiwan's migration and foreign investment environment. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/tom-fifield-of-taiwan-gold-card-what-the-gold-card-is-and-why-you-would-want-one-ep-255/ Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Tom is from Australia and what brought him to Taiwan initially · How Tom decided to move to Taiwan and to get Taiwan citizenship · The myth that foreigners who apply for Taiwan citizenship have to renounce their other citizenship · What Tom finds so livable about Taiwan · How Tom became a gold card holder and involved with the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office · Where the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office is located · The 10 industries eligible to apply for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card · Why someone should consider applying for the Taiwan Employment Gold card · The most difficult thing about applying for a Taiwan Employment Gold Card · What the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office does and offers · The Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office's email address: help@taiwangoldcard.tw · How the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office opened in 2020 during COVID · How Taiwan was one of the few places in the world to have a net migration increase in 2020 during the COVID pandemic · What Taiwan Employment Gold Card holders have gone on to do and work on · How Tom also helps others to become naturalized citizens of Taiwan · Other options for those who don't qualify for the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/tom-fifield-of-taiwan-gold-card-what-the-gold-card-is-and-why-you-would-want-one-ep-255/

This is our long overdue "About Us" episode Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwan-about-us-how-it-all-started-how-far-weve-come-and-where-we-are-going-ep-254/ In this long overdue About Us episode, Talking Taiwan's producer and host Felicia Lin shares, in her own words, how she's seen Taiwan transform, how Talking Taiwan got started, why she got involved with it, and who this podcast is for. I may be dating myself, but I remember Taiwan still being under martial law. It wasn't until years after martial law was lifted (in 1987) that I made my first visit to Taiwan with my family. That's because there was something called the blacklist that kept certain overseas Taiwanese from being able to return to Taiwan. And it wasn't until 1996 that Taiwan had its first direct presidential elections. This was also the time of the Third Taiwan Strait Missile Crisis, when China lobbed missiles across the Taiwan Strait as an intimidation tactic before Taiwan's first direct presidential election. Four years later, in 2000, I remember the excitement over a three-way presidential race between Chen Shui-bian, Lien Chan, and James Soong. A few of my friends and I wanted to assess the different candidates, but it was hard to get English language sources on their backgrounds. It's hard to imagine that now because these days, Taiwan is known to be the most democratic country in Asia. But if you think about it, its democracy is not even three decades old. And the threat from China has only increased with daily incursions as it sends its military planes into Taiwan's ADIZ. That's a big part of why I do this podcast. It's for the people who care about Taiwan. Getting back to how this podcast got started. It was 2012 when Gus reached out to me about a podcast idea that he was working on, called Talking Taiwan. He was looking for a female voice talent, as he put it, to host the show and asked if I knew anyone. I didn't even know exactly what a podcast was at the time, nor did I know anyone I could recommend for the job. But as I thought about it, I found myself coming up with all sorts of episode ideas, so I pitched myself as the host. It was on a very auspicious day, October 31st of 2012, which also happens to be my birthday, and here in New York City we were in the midst of dealing with Hurricane Sandy, no less. It was on that day that Gus and I exchanged messages on LinkedIn and agreed to start working on Talking Taiwan together. By the way, for those of you who don't know, Gus Adapon is the founder of Forumosa. com, which is why, in case you've ever wondered, the show's outro mentions that Talking Taiwan is brought to you by Forumosa.com. So I became Talking Taiwan's host and learned the ropes and booked all the guests. In the early years of Talking Taiwan, it was just a fun side project, and we didn't have a regular production schedule. Then in late 2018, Gus decided to step down and handed the podcast over to me. I stepped into the role of producer of the show, and I knew that if I wanted to restart Talking Taiwan, I needed to find someone to help me with the sound engineering and technical aspects of producing the podcast. So the show went into hiatus until Kaju decided to come on board right before the pandemic. And then when the pandemic hit in March of 2020, he and I decided to commit to producing weekly episodes of Talking Taiwan, and we haven't looked back since. We covered many topics related to the pandemic, including Taiwan's, early response to the pandemic, and how Taiwan was the only place at one time where professional baseball games were being played in the world. In 2021 Talking, Taiwan won a Golden Crane Award for best special Interest podcast. We remain committed more than ever to producing content that matters to people who care about Taiwan. You'll hear not only from interesting people from all walks of life who are connected to Taiwan in some way, but about historically relevant topics, current events, issues and news related to Taiwan, social movements, and topics we believe our listeners care about. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwan-about-us-how-it-all-started-how-far-weve-come-and-where-we-are-going-ep-254/