Talking Taiwan

Summer is upon us and in the past it's been a very busy time for the Taiwanese American community with several summer conferences and camps being organized across the country. There's TAF, the Taiwanese American Foundation, TACEC, the Taiwanese American Conference East Coast, TAC-WC, the West Coast version of the Taiwanese American Conference, and TANG just to name a few. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/christine-su-of-tang-enriching-youth-through-a-loving-taiwanese-community-ep-243/ These conferences and camps have become an annual tradition, the basis for lifelong friendships, a place for reunions of sorts, and a way to build and connect with our community. After all we've been through these past couple of years, it's good to be back and able to meet again in person. This year marks the 20th anniversary of TANG (the Taiwanese American Next Generation). This year TANG will be held at West Chester University in Pennsylvania from July 1-4. You may have heard this organization mentioned in past episodes of Talking Taiwan with my guests Rolla Chng, Peter Lin and Ed Lin (who incidentally are not related to me or to each other). Also, several of my past guests like Michelle Kuo and Tim Chng have been involved with TANG or invited to speak there. TANG's mission statement is: For the youth to be enriched by a loving Taiwanese community, so they can obtain a stronger sense of self and passionately pursue their convictions. Since TANG is just around the corner, I thought it would be good to invite Christine Su to stop by Talking Taiwan's podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan to talk about TANG and how it's connected to TACEC. The Taiwanese American Conference East Coast, is an annual conference organized the TAA, the Taiwanese Association of America, one of the oldest Taiwanese organizations with chapters all across the United States. Each year TACEC is organized by a different East Coast chapter of the TAA. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · The origins of TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation) and its connection to TACEC (Taiwanese American Conference East Coast) · This year is the 20th anniversary of TANG and 52nd anniversary of TACEC · TANG staff consists entirely of volunteers · The theme of this year's TANG is "Identity: Write Your Story" · The Taiwan Night show that happens at TACEC and TANG · The programs for the different age groups that attend TANG: high schoolers, juniors, tiny tots, TANG parents, college, and young adults · TANG and TACEC are usually held together over the July 4th weekend and is a multigenerational experience with kids, their parents and grandparents attending · What TANG did during the pandemic · How the TANG high school counselors created a virtual program for high schoolers during the pandemic · In 2020 TANG organized a "Helping Hands Virtual Walk & Run" for the community to stay connected during the pandemic Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/christine-su-of-tang-enriching-youth-through-a-loving-taiwanese-community-ep-243/

Author Ed Lin stopped by to chat with me in the Talking Taiwan podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan. This is the first of several live interviews we recorded at our outdoor on-location podcasting booth. We touched upon a broad range of topics, many that we've covered here in the past on Talking Taiwan. In fact, this gives us a good excuse to share some of our past episodes in the related links section for this episode on our website. On the other hand, my conversation with Ed brought up a few good ideas for future topics and guests that we should have on Talking Taiwan. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/ed-lin-our-interview-live-at-passport-to-taiwan-ep-242/ As Ed and I were talking, you'll hear us talking to some of the people who walked by and stopped by to say hello, among them were of some of our supporters, mutual friends and a previous Talking Taiwan guest another Lin, Peter Lin who's band the Asian American Jazz Collective performed at Passport to Taiwan that day. That's the thing about Passport to Taiwan, when you're there you never know who you'll run into. We were also thrilled to meet and talk to some of our listeners who stopped by our booth. For those of you in New York City, you can catch Ed Lin performing in Short Stack 2 at the Ma-Yi Theatre from June 15-18. We'll include a link to purchase tickets online on the Talking Taiwan website. CORRECTION: The restaurant that Ed refers to in the interview as 688 is actually the 886 Restaurant. The film that Ed mentions as Taipei Au Revoir is Au Revoir Taipei. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · What Ed's been working on lately · How Ed will be performing in Short Stack 2 at the Ma-Yi Theater from June 15-18 to benefit Heart of Dinner, a community organization aiding and feeding working-class AAPI seniors throughout the city · Ed will be speaking at the TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation)/TAC (Taiwanese American Conference), which will be at West Chester University from July 1-4 · Taiwanese soft power and how it compares to that of other island nations like Ireland or Jamaica's · People who will be stopping by to be interviewed in the Talking Taiwan podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan · The upcoming movie adaptation of the novel Loveboat Taipei · Things to do in the first 24 hours upon arriving in Taiwan · Ximending Red House in Taipei · The bells of Kaohsiung Harbor public art project (Echo Across the Harbor) · The band Chthonic and how their song Supreme Pain for the Tyrant makes reference to Peter Huang, who tried to assassinate Chiang · How activist Yuri Kochiyama encouraged Ed when he was a student at Columbia University working on bringing Asian studies to the campus · How the Taiwanese and Taiwanese diaspora are becoming more outspoken and proud of their identity · How the Famous Porkchop House on Doyers Street in New York City's Chinatown was renamed Taiwan's Porkchop House · Cannabis use in Taiwan Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/ed-lin-our-interview-live-at-passport-to-taiwan-ep-242/

In October of last year, Anna May Wong became the only Asian American and fifth woman to appear on the U.S. quarter as a part of the U.S. Mint's American Women Quarters™ Program. Anna May Wong is one of the better known early Chinese American movie stars. She was the first Asian American actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She received it in 1960, the inaugural year of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Anna May Wong was regarded as a fashion icon in the 1920s and 30s, and was also politically outspoken. In May, Barbie announced the release of an Anna May Wong Barbie doll for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/peilin-kuo-on-indie-film-making-and-the-life-of-anna-may-wong-ep-241/ To talk about the life and times of Anna May Wong I've invited Peilin Kuo a Taiwanese filmmaker who's made a few short films about Anna May Wong and has plans to work on a biopic about the actress. Peilin also talked about some of her recent film projects, her love of martial arts films and her next film project that will be set in Taiwan. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Anna May Wong became the only Asian American and fifth woman to appear on the U.S. quarter as a part of the U.S. Mint's American Women Quarters™ Program in October 2022 · Anna May Wong was the first Asian American actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 · In May, Barbie announced release of an Anna May Wong Barbie doll for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month · Taiwanese filmmaker Peilin Kuo who'd made a few short films about Anna May Wong · Peilin's interest and start in filmmaking · Peilin's connection and upbringing in Taiwan · What made Peilin decide to move to New York City · How Peilin first learned about Anna May Wong and what impressed her about Anna May Wong · Peilin's approach to in creating her short films about Anna May Wong · Peilin's plans to make a biopic about Anna May Wong · What set Anna May Wong apart from other Chinese American actresses · Anna May Wong appeared in 50-60 films · The stereotypical characters that Anna May Wong portrayed and the discrimination and anti-miscegenation laws she had to deal with · How Anna May Wong was a fashion icon and politically outspoken · Chinese press and government were critical of Wong but, Peking University awarded the actress an honorary doctorate in 1932. · Later in life Anna May Wong was outspoken about better film roles for Chinese Americans · Anna May Wong was passed over for the character O-Lan in the film version of Pearl Buck's book, The Good Earth; MGM cast Luise Rainer to play the leading role in yellowface, later Rainer won an Oscar for her performance · Other stereotypically Asian character played by non-Asian actors in yellowface like Mickey Rooney's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's · Anna May Wong's visit to China in 1936 · How Anna May Wong passed away at the age of 56 before she was supposed appear in the film, Flower Drum Song · How there are no recordings of TV show Anna May Wong appeared in called the Gallery of Madam Liu Tsong · Liu Tsong was Anna May Wong's birth name · Peilin's next film project which will be set and shot in Taiwan · Peilin's other film projects in the sci-fi and martial arts genre · Peilin's love of martial arts films · How Peiln's short film Once Upon A Time In The Bamboo was inspired by the film, A Touch of Zen (by director King Hu) · What Peilin loves about filmmaking · What she would be doing if she wasn't a filmmaker · Peilin's approach to filmmaking · Peilin's advice for others who want to pursue filmmaking Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/peilin-kuo-on-indie-film-making-and-the-life-of-anna-may-wong-ep-241/

We had a beautiful day on Sunday at the Passport to Taiwan in New York City's Union Square Park. Congratulations to the Passport to Taiwan team for making the event a huge success! The park was packed and food lines were long. We were so glad to be invited to be a part of it. For us it was a welcome change of pace. It's not often that we get to meet our listeners in person! Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwans-26-notable-episodes-ep-240/ We want to thank everyone who stopped by the Talking Taiwan podcasting booth and those that tuned in to our livestream on Facebook. We did have some technical issues with the sound on our livestream and a very loud generator in the booth, so thank you for bearing with us. Kaju, our sound engineer and executive producer, is optimistic that he'll be able to do some sound editing magic with the interviews we recorded that day. Some of the people that stopped by that day included Tom Fifield of the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office, author Ed Lin, multi-disciplinary artist Chin Chih Yang, singer and musician Jilliyeah, and Christine Su of TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation). We'll be sharing those interviews as future episodes of Talking Taiwan. We'd also like to give a huge shoutout to our volunteers Josh and Marcellus. The two of you were indispensable in helping us to get set up and breaking down at the end of the day. We really couldn't have done it without you! In preparation for Passport to Taiwan, we created a selection of audio clips from some of our most notable interviews to play in our booth and we thought we'd share them with you here. Whether you're new to Talking Taiwan or one of our loyal listeners we hope that you enjoy it and maybe even discover an episode that interests you. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwans-26-notable-episodes-ep-240/

This year the Passport to Taiwan will be returning to New York City's Union Square Park on Sunday, May 28th from 12 noon to 5:00pm. It will be the first in-person Passport to Taiwan in three years since the pandemic, and we are looking forward to it! Talking Taiwan will be there with a special live on-location podcasting studio. Read on to learn more about what we have planned. Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/passport-to-taiwan-2023-u-s-largest-taiwan-festival-is-back-in-union-square-ep-239/ Since the first Passport to Taiwan was held in 2002 it's become the largest outdoor Taiwanese American event in the entire United States. Passport to Taiwan is a celebration of Taiwanese art, culture, music, community, and of course food. In this episode I mention some of the notable performances, organizations and businesses that will be at Passport to Taiwan. For a full list of performances visit the Passport to Taiwan website at: www.p2tw.org If you're going to be in New York City on May 28th stop by Talking Taiwan's booth to hear clips from some of our most notable guests. Maybe you'll catch me interviewing some invited guests like Jilliyeah, who some may recognize for the memorable acceptance speech she 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. Jilliyeah put Taiwan in the mind of viewers that night when she said, on behalf of the designers "We are from Taiwan…Taiwan is a beautiful and a peace-loving country." And then she added, "I hope someday if you can go and visit Taiwan, super welcome." Jilliiyeah is now in the U.S. pursuing her own career as a singer musician. She's going to be stopping by to do an interview with me at the Talking Taiwan podcasting. Some past guests might be stopping by too. You never know who'll show up in at our on-location podcasting studio! We'll also be doing some giveaways for anyone who comes and sits in the "hot seat" with me and answers my Flash Five Questions, or who wants to pitch themselves, or someone else to be a guest on Talking Taiwan. For those of you who can't make it to Passport to Taiwan, we want to let you know that we'll be livestreaming throughout the day from Passport to Taiwan to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/talkingtaiwanpodcast So if you'd like to see what we are up to on May 28th from 12 noon-5pm Eastern Time, just visit our Facebook page to catch our livestream from New York City's Union Square Park. If you can't tune in or we experience any technical issues, don't worry we'll be recording the event and will post recordings from the event to our YouTube channel and social media. To learn more about the background and history behind the Passport Taiwan, we're resharing some of my interview that was done in 2014 with Borcheng Hsu, the event's organizer. Here's a little preview of what's covered in this podcast episode: · Talking Taiwan will be at Passport with a special live on-location podcasting studio · Some of the notable performances including: the featured presentation sponsored by the Overseas Community Affairs Council and performed by the College of Performing Arts, National Taiwan University of Arts, "A Touching Encounter with Music and Dance from Taiwan," Peter Lin's band the AAPI Jazz Collective, Jilliyeah, and Taiwan Republic · Some of the organizations and businesses that will be at this year's Passport to Taiwan · Some of the individuals or organizations I'll be interviewing in Talking Taiwan's booth at Passport to Taiwan · 2002 was the first time that Passport to Taiwan was held in Union Square Park · How Taiwanese American Heritage Week was declared in 1999 · Where the idea and the name Passport to Taiwan came from · How Passport to Taiwan started with a core group of 10 volunteers · How Passport to Taiwan was modeled after the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival organized by CAPA (Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans) · On the day of Passport to Taiwan there are about 200 volunteers helping out · How Passport to Taiwan has grown · How other Taiwanese American communities participate in, visit and attend Passport to Taiwan · How there were only four food booths at the first Passport to Taiwan · Folk artists that have been invited to do demonstrations at Passport to Taiwan have included sugar paining, aborigine fabric weaving, clay figurines, straw weaving · Artists and performers who have been invited from Taiwan to be a part of Passport to Taiwan · How Passport to Taiwan is not just about Taiwan, but the Taiwanese American community and people, the shared democratic values of Taiwan and the U.S. · Misconceptions about Taiwan · The is most rewarding thing about organizing Passport to Taiwan · The challenges of running and organizing Passport to Taiwan · The most popular thing about Passport to Taiwan · How most of the food booths offering Taiwanese dishes are made by local people in the Taiwanese American community, specifically for Passport to Taiwan, and are not available elsewhere · Sponsors of Passport to Taiwan · How people can sponsor Passport to Taiwan · Future plans for Passport to Taiwan Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/passport-to-taiwan-2023-u-s-largest-taiwan-festival-is-back-in-union-square-ep-239/

How is it that I haven't done an episode about bubble tea? It's surprising that of all the things related to Taiwan, that I've covered on this podcast, I haven't covered this one. Last year I heard that April 30th was National Bubble Tea Day when I saw a tweet by President Tsai Ing-wen. So I got to work planning to release an episode about bubble tea for this year's April 30th. Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/kristen-mccoy-ward-everything-about-bubble-tea-with-the-bobba-queen-ep-238/ I started off speaking to New York-based bubble tea shop veteran Sam Lin who brought the Quickly bubble tea brand from Taiwan to New York. His first Quickly shop was in Flushing near the public library on Kissena. Now he runs 22 Coco bubble tea shops in New York, New Jersey and Boston. Sam's mother is a street vendor in Taiwan selling douhua (a sweet dessert tofu) and Sam grew up eating douhua with tapioca balls long before there was this thing called bubble tea. Sam had some interesting things to say about the origins of bubble tea and who invented it. As I was getting this episode ready for the end of April, I also spoke to Borcheng Hsu, organizer of the Bubble Tea Festival in New York, who clarified the origins of National Bubble Day. And finally, I came across a YouTube channel called Bubble Tea Kristin. It's an amazing resource for almost everything related to bubble tea. Kristin has recipes for those wanting to make bubble tea drinks at home. In the past she's owned and run several bubble tea shops and what she does now is help people who dream of opening their own bubble tea shop. I wanted to find out why she's been called the "Boba Queen," so I looked her up and invited her to be a guest on Talking Taiwan. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · The origins of bubble tea and who invented it · Why National Bubble Tea Day is on April 30th · What should New York City celebrate as bubble tea day · Kristin the "Boba Queen" · Where Kristin's love and interest in bubble tea comes from · How she learned about the bubble tea business and opened her own bubble tea shops · How she sold her bubble tea business at the beginning of the pandemic and now mentors and helps other people to open bubble tea shops · How her past experiences and childhood prepared her for being an entrepreneur and business owner · How it's difficult to be profitable in the first year of running a bubble tea shop · What it takes to have a successful bubble tea shop · How to get the right texture for the tapioca pearls in bubble tea · The different types of tapioca pearl balls and toppings · How long tapioca pearls last after they are cooked · Kristin's visit to Taiwan in 2018 · How bubble tea shops are popping up all around the world · The different flavors of bubble tea that Kristin created for her shops · How bubble tea has evolved over the years since Kristin opened her first bubble tea shop · The reactions from people that Kristin has gotten since she is not from Taiwan or Asia · How she was once the only white female bubble tea shop owner in the U.K. · Any backlash she's experienced as a bubble tea shop owner · How Kristin works with her bubble tea shop clients and advises them · Her recommendations of what to do in the first year of running a bubble tea shop · How the approach of business owners in the U.S. differs from those in the U.K. · How the pricing of bubble tea is important · How Kristin has helped bubble tea shop owners who have already started their business but run into some problems and need help · How Kristin sees her role in the world of bubble tea · What Kristin misses about running a tea shop · A drink recipe that people can make at home Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/kristen-mccoy-ward-everything-about-bubble-tea-with-the-bobba-queen-ep-238/

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and my guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan, Peter Lin is here to talk about the Asian American Pacific Islander or AAPI Jazz Fest which is coming up on May 20th in Newark, NJ. The AAPI Jazz Fest celebrates the diversity of the pan-Asian jazz community with a full day of performances and panels. Peter is Founder of Yardbird Entertainment and Producer of the AAPI Jazz Fest. Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/aapi-jazz-fest-2023-celebrating-the-diversity-of-the-pan-asian-jazz-community-with-peter-lin-ep-237/ This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: The AAPI Jazz Collective's performance at the Metropolitan Museum for the Lunar New Year How AAPI Jazz Fest got started How the first AAPI Jazz Fest last year (in 2022) was organized in a month What it's like being an Asian American jazz musician The mission of AAPI Jazz Fest The AAPI Jazz Fest is a 10 hour event with performances and panels The artists performing at the festival At the end of the night there will be a jam session during which time any musicians are invited to join in Local organizations and vendors that will also be at the festival Peter's band the AAPI Jazz Collective, and their recent performance opportunities How to support, attend, donate to, or volunteer for the AAPI Jazz Fest Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/aapi-jazz-fest-2023-celebrating-the-diversity-of-the-pan-asian-jazz-community-with-peter-lin-ep-237/

This past Saturday, April 29th was the first TaiwanFest of the year in New York City. So we decided to go check it out and see what businesses and community organizations were there. Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/taiwanfest-nyc-2023-talking-taiwans-live-stream-coverage-in-the-rain-ep-236/ For this episode we tried out something different by livestreaming and talking to people on location. It was a test run for May when Talking Taiwan will be at this year's Passport to Taiwan on Sunday, May 28th from 12-5pm in New York City's Union Square Park. We'll be having an outdoor on location podcasting studio. So if you're in New York, drop by, I'll be interviewing people in the booth throughout the day. Come and talk to us. Hear highlights from some of our most notable episodes. Suggest someone to be a guest on Talking Taiwan. We'll be doing giveaways for anyone who willing to sit in the hot seat to answer my flash five questions or better yet, anyone who wants to pitch themself to be a guest on Talking Taiwan. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Related Links: TaiwanFest.NYC: https://taiwanfest.nyc/ Sweeeet NYC: https://www.instagram.com/sweeeetnyc/ Passport to Taiwan: https://p2tw.org/ Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/taiwanfest-nyc-2023-talking-taiwans-live-stream-coverage-in-the-rain-ep-236/

This episode is a follow up on episode 233 that covered Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen's 48-hour transit through New York from March 29-31 en route to Central America. When Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen left Taiwan to go on a ten-day state trip to Central America to meet with Taiwan's diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize. She first transited through New York from March 29-31 en route to Central America. At the end of her trip she transited through Los Angeles from April 4-5th, where she met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/tim-chng-and-borcheng-hsu-the-day-president-tsai-ing-wen-met-protesters-from-the-peoples-republic-of-china-ep-235/ In this episode of Talking Taiwan I started off speaking with Tim Chng (who was previously on Talking Taiwan in episode 159) and Borcheng Hsu (a community organizer based in New York City) about how Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen was met with protestors representing the PRC, People's Republic of China on the first day of her arrival in New York City. All three of us were all there that day, on the afternoon of March 29th at the first major site of the protests, the Lotte New York Palace Hotel where President Tsai was staying. Our discussion raised a lot of questions, like: How organized the PRC protestors were. How did they know President Tsai's itinerary in New York? As you'll hear from our conversation, the protestors seemed to know when and where to show up and make a scene. On the other hand, how prepared was the Taiwanese American community? What did community do in response? And what can concerned Taiwanese Americans do to be better prepared in the future when a similar situation arises? After President Tsai's 48-hour transit in New York, she headed to Central America to meet with Taiwan's diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize. At the end of her she transited through Los Angeles from April 4 to 5th and met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy before returning to Taiwan. While in L.A. she was once again met with PRC protestors. Tim, Borcheng and I also talked about what happened in L.A. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How Tim and Borcheng were involved in self-determination and pro-democracy demonstrations for Taiwan in the 1990s, when a thousand people or so could easily be gathered to show support · What motivated Tim to drive up from Baltimore to be in New York in time to welcome Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen when she arrived at the hotel she was staying during her 48-hour transit through New York · Why the bus from DC with Taiwanese American supporters of President Tsai wasn't able to make it to New York in time for President Tsai's arrival at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel where she was staying · What the scene was like and what happened prior to President Tsai Ing-wen's arrival at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on March 29th · How Tim and Chi Chun Wang, the President of the Taiwanese Association of America Baltimore chapter spoke to some pro-democracy Chinese activists who said that the PRC (People's Republic of China) protestors were being paid $30 an hour · What happened outside of the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on March 29th before and when President Tsai Ing-wen arrived · How the PRC (People's Republic of China) protestors were organized and seemed to know President Tsai's itinerary while she was in New York · How Borcheng worked with TECRO and the NYPD (New York Police Department) on March 29th · How sound permits are required for the use of amplified sound in New York City · The NYPD's handling of the situation on March 29th · What the PRC protesters were saying about President Tsai and Taiwan · How prepared the Taiwanese American community was to respond by organizing counter protests · What happened on March 30th when President Tsai accepted the Global Leadership Award from the Hudson Institute · What happened on March 31st when President Tsai left her hotel in New York to go to Central America · What happened with the protests of President Tsai's visit to New York in 2019 · How one of Tim's tweets about the protests of President Tsai in New York on March 29 was misconstrued by someone · The questions about why pan-green supporters were waving ROC (Republic of China) flags and not green flags or other flags · Former President Ma Ying-jeou's visit to China · The protests during President Tsai's transit in Los Angeles (from April 4-5) · What happened when President Chen Shui-bian visited New York in 2000 and later years · What can concerned Taiwanese Americans, and supporters of Taiwan's democracy do to be better prepared in the future when a similar situation arises · How the NYPD and LAPD handled protests against President Tsai and Taiwan in New York and Los Angeles Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/tim-chng-and-borcheng-hsu-the-day-president-tsai-ing-wen-met-protesters-from-the-peoples-republic-of-china-ep-235/

In part two of our interview with T.H. Schee we talked about what concerns in particular that Taiwan should have about AI, ChatGPT and Baidu's chatbot Ernie. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI in partnership with Microsoft, which is its largest investor. It was released in November of 2022. And in case you're wondering, GPT stands for: generative pre-trained transformer. Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/t-h-schee-what-concerns-should-taiwan-have-about-a-i-chatgbt-and-baidus-chatbot-ernie-ep-234/ ChatGBT is quite versatile. It can mimic human conversation, and do a whole range of things from drafting email to writing essays, taking tests and writing and debugging computer programs. On February 7th Chinese company Baidu announced it would be creating a Chinese language ChatGPT, Ernie Bot. A week later, Taiwan's Science and Technology Minister, Wu Tseng-tsong announced that Taiwan will be developing its own Chinese language chatbot due to fears of bias that could be created by China's chatbot. And on March 16th the Ernie Bot was publicly unveiled. T.H. Schee is a digital veteran with twenty years of experience in the private and NGO sectors. He was a founding member of the Taiwan Internet Governance Forum and provided his expertise on digital crisis response to the UN Global Geospatial Information Management group. He has served as an adviser to government agencies and the city of Taipei (2016–18) and is a stalwart writer on the intersection of digital and tech policies. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · Comparing people's concerns about the Internet in 1995-1996 with concerns about AI today · Yams.com the first Chinese language search engine which was created in Taiwan · ChatGPT · Baidu's Chinese chatbot Ernie · Baidu's demo of Ernie · How and open, free Internet is key to the successful development of chatbots like Ernie or ChatGPT · How the government of Taiwan is supporting developing its own Chinese language chatbot · T.H. Schee's thoughts on ChatGPT · How different generations use and access the Internet · How ChatGPT is similar to a search engine · If ChatGPT can produce responses in Chinese should Taiwan be concerned · T.H. estimates that 30-40% of the results written in traditional Chinese characters that show up on page one of a Google search are actually sources from China · Whether or not it's a good idea for Taiwan to try to develop its own version of ChatGPT and if it will reap any benefits from doing so · How to combat bias in ChatGPT or similar chatbots · T.H's thoughts on how Taiwan should approach developing its own version of ChatGPT Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/t-h-schee-what-concerns-should-taiwan-have-about-a-i-chatgbt-and-baidus-chatbot-ernie-ep-234/