It's 2023 (as least as I type this) and for most people Covid-19 is little more than a painful memory. The virus isn't gone and infections still occur, but the existential threat compounded by the ridiculous levels of hygiene theatre that turned the experience in an exercise in virtue-signaling is finally over. People are able to once again breathe easy and get back to living their lives. Yet some things linger still. In Taiwan most citizens still wear face masks. Why? It has less to do with the virus and more to do with the culture on Taiwan.

Suffering constant disruptions to their trade from the Dutch ensconced in southern Taiwan, the Spanish head to northern Taiwan to form a settlement of their own.

As beer was under a government monopoly for nearly a century in Taiwan, the craft beer industry is still a relatively new endeavour. I invited Joe Merrell from Taihu Brewing to share his knowledge and experience of working in this industry.

We look at Spain's history with Portugal and the steps that led them to claim the Philippines and start a colony in northern Taiwan.

We take a look at the indigenous' religion and their priestesses, their connection to their ancestors and how they deal with illness and death. We also explore the creative side of their society, looking at their architecture, their various crafts and their tattoos.

Using the work of anthropologist Janet Blair Montgomery McGovern, we take a closer look at the indigenous peoples of Taiwan, exploring their culture and society.

After two successive governors regularly requesting additional troops to deal with native hostility, Batavia finally relents and sends Hans Putmans troops.

We look at the confrontation between Zheng Zhilong and Hans Putmans known as the Battle of Liaoluo Bay and its aftermath.

Hans Putmans gets installed as the 4th Governor of Formosa and his primary objective is to fix the mess left by Pieter Nuyts; essentially, re-establish trade with Japan and keeping trying to open up China to trade.

In this episode we take a look at the character of Pieter Nuyts (also spelt Nuijts) and the role he played as Formosa's third governor from 1627 to 1629.