Talking Taiwan

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-bonny-ling-discusses-the-challenges-taiwan-faces-dealing-with-migrant-workers-ep-215/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Dr. Bonny Ling is a scholar and practitioner who works on international human rights and development. She is Executive Director of Work Better Innovations, a research consultancy with a community service mission working on new ideas for a responsible economy. We spoke about her work with migrant workers, the challenges that Taiwan has faced in dealing with migrant workers, why it is important for Taiwan to address the wider challenges of combatting human trafficking and modern slavery. She also spoke about her forced labor project that is going to take her back to Taiwan to work with SMEs (small medium enterprises) in December. In Taiwan 98 percent of all businesses are small medium enterprises and they employ close to 80 percent of the total domestic workforce. The European Union (EU) defines a small enterprise as one with less than 50 employees and a medium enterprise as one with less than 250 employees.

Dr. Bonny Ling has worked in the UN system and in international civil society. Bonny is a Senior Non-Resident Fellow with the University of Nottingham Taiwan Studies Programme; Research Fellow with the Institute for Human Rights and Business; and Advisory Board Member of the INGO Human Rights at Sea. Bonny wrote her PhD in Law on human trafficking and China at the Irish Centre of Human Rights and is an expert on human trafficking and modern slavery. She graduated from Cambridge University (criminology) and the Fletcher School, Tufts University (law and diplomacy). Bonny has served as an international election observer in East Timor and for the OSCE. Previously at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, she writes on human rights, migrants, business responsibilities and international development and is a contributing writer for Ketagalan Media, New Bloom, Taipei Times, Taiwan Insight and The News Lens.

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:

• Bonny's connection to Taiwan
• What constitutes a migrant worker
• The importance of addressing and speaking about hate and discrimination toward migrants
• The mistreatment of migrant workers who worked on construction for the 2022 Qatar World Cup
• The terms forced labor, human trafficking and modern slavery
• The Modern Slavery Act in the U.K. and Australia
• The definition of forced labor
• The indicators of forced labor
• The media coverage on how migrant factory workers in Taiwan were mistreated during COVID
• How movement restrictions on migrant workers in Miaoli initially applied to domestic workers and factory workers
• How the movement restrictions did not make scientific sense from a public health point of view
• How Taiwan is under scrutiny regarding the treatment of its migrant workers
• How everyone has a connection to Taiwan if you consider the statistic that Taiwan makes 90% of the world's high-end chips
• What happened when Indonesia introduced a zero (pre-employment) fee policy for its migrant workers in 2020
• The international legal definition of a migrant worker
• Fees that low wage migrant workers are expected to pay
• How migrant workers are often indebted (due to the fees they owe) before their first day of work
• In private industry some brands have exerted pressure on their suppliers telling them that they cannot charge workers fees
• Bilateral discussions between Indonesia and Taiwan in August that led to the increase in the wage for domestic care workers, and the wage for all domestic care workers has been raised in Taiwan but there are some caveats
• The wage or domestic care workers hadn't been raised in seven years in Taiwan
• How Taiwan needs to hire and retain skilled workers for its manufacturing industry due to its declining birthrate and aging population
• How Taiwan's treatment of migrant workers is related to its image as a responsible global citizen
• How Taiwan's economy largely consists of (98-99%) SME (small medium enterprises)
• How better wages and working conditions are related to attracting and retaining workers/employees
• How there needs to be more dialogue and open communication between employers and workers
• The importance of creating awareness of forced labor indicators amongst employers
• How to deal with the infrastructure involved with hiring and bringing over migrant workers
• Bonny's forced labor project which will bring her to Taiwan in December to educate SMEs in Hsinchu, Taichung and Kaohsiung about the 11 indicators of forced labor
• SMEs employ 80% of Taiwan's domestic workforce
• The case of Taiwanese who lured and trafficked to Cambodia
• How Taiwan was the first country in Asia to legalize same sex marriage
• When Taiwan lost representation in the United Nations in 1971, it was Taiwan's SMEs that drove the economy

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-bonny-ling-discusses-the-challenges-taiwan-faces-dealing-with-migrant-workers-ep-215/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/a-master-class-in-art-and-life-with-guy-gilchrist-famous-cartoonist-for-the-muppets-ep-214/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

On November 5th we hosted a special live online event for people to experience the artistry of Master Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist. Guy's artwork is enshrined in the Smithsonian Museum and first lady Nancy Reagan has declared him a national treasure. In this episode we share highlights from the event.

HURRY! LAST CHANCE! YOU CAN WIN ALL OF GUY'S DRAWINGS FROM THIS PODCAST BY DONATING $25 OR MORE TO TALKING TAIWAN!

Guy has generously donated all 10 of the drawings he did that night of various Muppets and classic cartoon characters. You own Guy's artwork! Just enter to win his drawings by simply by making a donation of $25 or more to TalkingTaiwan.com/support by 11:59 EST on November 30.

Deadlines to Enter th Contest for our fans abroad are as follows:

Great Britain: December 1 4:59am GMT

Taiwan: December 1 12:59pm CST

To Donate, the EASIEST WAY IS TO click this link and go to the Talking Taiwan Support Page

Alternatively, you can go directly on PayPal and use [email protected]

*Note: When donating with PayPal or with a credit or debit card, be sure to select the option "Sending to a friend" to avoid withheld commissions

To see Guy in action and draw along with his tutorials visit our YouTube channel and watch A Master Class In Art and Life with Guy Gilchrist: Famous Cartoonist for The Muppets.

https://youtu.be/aijIsddfo8c

A full replay of the event (which is over two hours long) is also available on our YouTube channel. Guy Gilchrist: The Muppets Master Cartoonist Main Event REPLAY

https://youtu.be/L_K_zbbeiNg

We want to thank Guy Gilchrist and his cameraman Rich for sharing his amazing talent with us. Aside from being a talented artist, Guy really knows how to bring happiness to others through his art, as you'll see if you watch any of the recordings of the event that we've posted on our YouTube channel.

A portion of the money raised will benefit Guy's favorite charity World Central Kitchen.

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 are the highlights from this episode:

[Timestamps for topics covered during the episode are on YouTube]

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/a-master-class-in-art-and-life-with-guy-gilchrist-famous-cartoonist-for-the-muppets-ep-214/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/formosa-files-john-ross-and-eryk-michael-smith-are-on-a-mission-to-share-the-history-of-taiwan-ep-213/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith are the co-hosts of the Formosa Files podcast. Together John and Eryk tell stories from the history of Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa) in a nonchronological order. They spoke with me about where the idea for the podcast came from, their love of history and where they find inspiration for their podcast episodes. They are on a mission to share the history of Taiwan far and wide. Now in their second season, John and Eryk also shared what we can expect from season three.

John Ross is an author and co-founder of publisher Camphor Press, which specializes in books on Taiwan and China in English, while Eryk Michael Smith has worked as a writer and journalist for multiple media outlets in Taiwan, including the island's only English-language radio station ICRT (FM 100.7). Both Ross and Smith have lived in Taiwan for well over 20 years and call the island home.

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 brought John and Eryk to Taiwan
• Eryk's work at Next Media
• How John and Eryk met
• Where the idea and inspiration for the Formosa Files podcast came from
• The first episode of Formosa Files, The White Formosan
• Their approach to creating content for Formosa Files
• Why John and Eryk decided to focus on the time period from 1600-2000
• How John and Eryk came up with the name of the podcast
• Where John and Eryk's love of history comes from
• Why John and Eryk think it's important to know history
• The sources of research that John and Eryk use for Formosa Files
• How Eryk discovered the story of the Duck King
• Han Cheung's Taiwan in Time column in the Taipei Times newspaper
• Steven Crook's Highways and Byways column in the Taipei Times newspaper
• Why Formosa Files episodes don't follow chronological order and how John and Eryk decide what topics to cover and when
• Episode ideas that John and Eryk have had to scrap
• Topics that their listeners are interested in
• How Formosa Files has evolved and changed over time
• Eryk and John's favorite episodes of Formosa Files
• What we can expect from Formosa Files in the future
• What's being planned for season three of Formosa Files

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/formosa-files-john-ross-and-eryk-michael-smith-are-on-a-mission-to-share-the-history-of-taiwan-ep-213/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-mark-chen-advocate-for-taiwan-in-both-the-u-s-and-taiwan-ep-212/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

1979 was a crucial year for Taiwan. In January of that year the United States changed its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing and in December of that same year the Kaohsiung Incident happened. Speaking with my guest, Dr. Mark Chen, for this episode made me realize that there are many people to thank for the important work that they did back then to safeguard Taiwan and the people of Taiwan.

Dr. Mark Chen (陳唐山 ) has spent much of his life dedicated to doing advocacy work for Taiwan both in the U.S. and in Taiwan. Listeners of this podcast may recall his name being mentioned in episode 199 when I spoke with Gerrit van der Wees about the Taiwan Relations Act.

When the United States formally recognized the communist People's Republic of China and severed its diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, Mark Chen and others reached out to U.S. congressmen and senators to express the concerns of the people of Taiwan. As a result, he and several others were invited to testify in front of the U.S Congress as the Taiwan Relations Act was being drafted. The act passed in April of 1979. Later that same year when the Kaohsiung Incident happened on December 10th Dr. Chen and overseas Taiwanese were galvanized to call for further investigation into the matter and to put international pressure on the Kuomintang government to release those charged and arrested in connection with the Kaohsiung Incident.

Dr. Chen also shared how the advocacy work being done for Taiwan at the time led to the formation of FAPA (the Formosan Association for Public Affairs) in 1982. This year marks the 40th anniversary of FAPA.

In part one of my interview with him we focus on the work he's done for Taiwan in the U.S.- which started when he was a student at the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Chen has been the president of the Taiwanese Association of America, World Federation of Taiwanese Associations, and the Formosan Association of Public Affairs.

In part two of my interview with Mark Chen, we'll talk about his work in Taiwan as an elected official and public servant, and his current work as the chairman of the Prospect Foundation.

Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

• How the education Dr. Chen received when Taiwan was ruled by the Japanese influenced him
• How the arrival of the Kuomintang in Taiwan in 1945 at the end of World War II was without the consent of the Taiwanese people and changed things overnight for the people of Taiwan
• How the Chiang Kai-shek Kuomintang government was focused on retaking China at the time and a lot of this rhetoric ended up being taught in schools
• The impact of the 228 massacre on the people of Taiwan
• How subject matter taught in schools changed under the Kuomintang
• How Mark and many of his peers were able to study in the U.S. with the financial assistance of scholarships
• How an exit visa was needed to be able to leave Taiwan which was still under martial law at the time
• His involvement with Taiwanese student groups as a university student was forbidden by the Kuomintang government in Taiwan at the time
• Why his Taiwan passport was confiscated after sending it to the Taiwan embassy in Houston to be renewed; making him stateless
• When an ad about the 228 massacre that was to run to the University Oklahoma newspaper was denied publication, Dr. Chen who was a young student at the university, appealed directly to the university's president who agreed to publish the ad
• When the U.S. cut its official relationship with Taiwan in 1979, Taiwan was known as "Free China" under the rule of the Chiang Kai-shek government, as opposed to "Red China" which refers to the People's Republic of China
• How Dr. Chen and others in the Taiwanese American community worked to inform members of the U.S. Congress about the importance of the U.S. maintaining a relationship with Taiwan, and understanding the perspectives of the Taiwanese people
• How Dr. Chen was blacklisted for being involved with organizing Taiwanese student organizations not allowed to return to Taiwan for father's funeral
• How Dr. Chen, Peng Ming-min and others were invited to testify to the U.S. Congress about on behalf of the people of Taiwan that there should be freedom and democracy in Taiwan, this formed the basis for the Taiwan Relations Act
• On January 1, 1979 U.S. President Jimmy Carter switched the U.S.'s diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China
• How Dr. Chen asked the American Institute in Taiwan office in Washington D.C. to investigate the Kaohsiung Incident which happened on December 10, 1979
• Dr. Chen was the chairperson of the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations when he personally went to visit the chairman of Amnesty International in London to appeal of their help in calling for the release of those arrested due to the Kaohsiung Incident
• How Dr. Chen and others informed U.S. Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy about the Kaohsiung Incident and what was happening in Taiwan at the time
• What led to FAPA (Formosan Association for Public Affairs) being established in 1982
• When U.S. President Jimmy Carter officially recognized the People's Republic of China, the annual 20,000 immigration quota that the U.S. had allotted for Taiwan would switch over to China, Dr. Chen, Chai Trong-rong and others started lobbying for the immigration quota
• They reached out to Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Claiborne Pell, Congressman Jim Leach and Congressman Stephen Solarz, about the immigration quota and a bill was passed that allowed the U.S. to allot Taiwan an annual immigration quota of 20,000
• The success of recovering the U.S. immigration quota for Taiwan led to the idea to form FAPA (Formosan Association for Public Affairs)
• FAPA was modeled after AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee)
• The first president of FAPA was Chai Trong-rong and Dr. Mark Chen was the second

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-mark-chen-advocate-for-taiwan-in-both-the-u-s-and-taiwan-ep-212/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/guy-gilchrist-on-dealing-with-setbacks-and-how-dr-seuss-influenced-his-life-ep-211/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

In this episode of Talking Taiwan, we share the second half of my interview with illustrator and cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, picking up after part one in episode 207. In the second half of my interview with Guy, he talked about how Dr. Seuss has been an influence in his life. Guy also talked about how he had to deal with chronic pain and back surgery.

These days Guy can be seen on social media and at Comicons around the country doing what he loves most drawing cartoon character live for his fans. Guy is best known as the cartoonist of Jim Henson and The Muppets. He's also had his hand in notable cartoons such as The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Tiny Toons, Pink Panther, and Disney, among others. He was declared a national treasure by former First Lady, Nancy Reagan and his artwork has been enshrined in the Smithsonian.

Since one thing we can't do on this podcast is to show the magic of Guy's cartooning, we decided to host a LIVE online event where you can meet Guy this Saturday, November 5th at 6:30pm EST.

At the event you'll have a chance to see him drawing live. Guy will also show you how to draw cartoon characters yourself. The best part of all this is that Guy has generously offered to donate all of the drawings he does that night and you can enter to win them by simply making a donation of $25 or more to Talking Taiwan's GoFundMe page: http://gofundme.com/building-talking-taiwans-legacy

If you'd like to attend the event just Register at: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qcuippj0oGNFuyKrRnUTpoPMCFSBcWEqP#/registration

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 hearing Dr. Seuss speak when Guy was in grade school left a lasting impression on him
• How Guy went from being a bad student to realizing that he could actually do something with his talents
• How Guy wrote to Dr. Seuss when he was struggling to get a children's book published
• Guy's encouragement not to give up on your dreams especially if you are in the arts
• How Guy's children's book about the character Mudpie had been rejected by a dozen publishers
• The story of how Dr. Seuss' first book I Saw It On Mulberry Street got published
• Guy's Mudpie character and the book series he's created about Mudpie
• How Guy has dealt with arm and back issues, and chronic pain
• How Guy first had back surgery at the age of 29 and has gotten cortisone shots to deal with pain for years
• How Guy started having trouble walking about six years ago
• Guy's recovery from the back surgery he had about six years ago after his muscles atrophied from not being active for a year
• How Guy now deals with pain
• Guy's advice to love ourselves and take care of ourselves first
• Guy's music and songwriting

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/guy-gilchrist-on-dealing-with-setbacks-and-how-dr-seuss-influenced-his-life-ep-211/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/emma-choi-youngest-npr-host-talks-about-her-comedy-podcast-everyone-and-their-mom-ep-210/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Emma Choi is the host of the NPR weekly short-form comedy podcast Everyone & Their Mom. She is the youngest host at NPR and currently in her final year at Harvard University. In January of 2021, she was an intern for the NPR show Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! Initially she was told that she couldn't be hired since she was a college student but apparently her PowerPoint prowess led to her working with the Wait Wait team to create Everyone & Their Mom, which began airing in February 2022. She's a second generation Korean American. Emma is definitely a trailblazer with a quirky sense of humor. I especially enjoyed the episodes of Everyone & Their Mom that she did about the job of a grizzly bear conflict manager, and the one about how her grandmother's kimchi could be improved. She spoke to me about what it's been like working at NPR and why she did a satanic Tickle Me Elmo impression during her internship interview.

On Mon, Oct 24, 2022 at 11:32 PM Felicia Lin

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Emma Choi is the host of the NPR weekly short-form comedy podcast Everyone & Their Mom. In 2021, she was an intern for the NPR show Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me! Apparently, it was her PowerPoint prowess led to her working with the Wait Wait team to create Everyone & Their Mom, which began airing in February 2022. She's a second generation Korean American. We talked about that it's been like working at NPR and being NPR's youngest host, what why she did a satanic Tickle Me Elmo impression during her internship interview.

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 it's like being NPR's youngest host
• Her keynote speech at the Asian American Journalists Association
• Who would be her dream guest
• Where Emma's sense of humor comes from
• How her family has been on her podcast Everyone & Their Mom
• How Emma did an episode about how her grandma's kimchi is missing something
• What goes into producing an episode
• What Emma has learned from Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!host Peter Sagal
• How Emma wrote a 400-page bookspanning three generations of Korean women
• Emma's experience with the Harvard Lampoon
• Emma's interest in writing in the future
• What Emma's experience working at NPR has been like
• How Emma's experience with the Harvard Lampoon has made her appreciate the diverse writing team she works with at NPR
• If Emma has thought about what she wants to do next

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/emma-choi-youngest-npr-host-talks-about-her-comedy-podcast-everyone-and-their-mom-ep-210/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/michelle-kuo-and-albert-wu-on-a-broad-and-ample-road-and-the-taiwanese-presbyterian-church-shooting-ep-209/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

In mid-June I spoke with Michelle Kuo and Albert Wu about their weekly newsletter, A Broad and Ample Road. They began writing it in 2020 as a way to keep in touch with people during the pandemic.

We also spoke about the shooting at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian church in Laguna Woods which had happened a month before on May 15th. We discussed how the shooting sparked debate on the shooter's identity as Taiwanese or Chinese, and the terms benshengren (本省人) and waishengren (外省人) which are commonly used in Taiwan to differentiate people. Michelle reflected on how the close-knit nature of the Taiwanese community in Laguna. Her parents live five minutes from the church and knew members of the Taiwanese community in Laguna Woods. Albert shared why he felt that in a different life the shooter could have been one of his uncles.

Michelle Kuo is a social activist, lawyer, teacher, and writer. She is an associate professor at the American University of Paris in History, Law, and Society and a visiting associate professor at National Taiwan University.

Albert Wu is a historian and an associate research fellow at the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica.

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:

• Why Michelle and Albert named their newsletter A Broad and Ample Road
• Why Michelle and Albert started their newsletter
• The piece that Michelle and Albert wrote about how Taiwan's pro-China media depicts Ukraine and Russia
• How Michelle thinks that writing doesn't have to be a solidary activity
• How Michelle and Albert decide what to write together
• How Michelle and Albert write together
• What Michelle and Albert's writing process is
• How Michelle and Albert deal with disagreements in the writing process
• How often the newsletter is published
• One of the most enjoyable things about writing the newsletter
• How the newsletter had connected them with a variety of people who can relate to the things Michelle and Albert write about
• Michelle's piece about moving to Taiwan
• Michelle and Albert have envisioned the newsletter being bilingual and through a grant from Substack have been able to work with translators
• Michelle's book Reading With Patrickhas been translated into Chinese
• The shooting at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in May
• Divisions between the different groups of people who identify as Taiwanese and Chinese in Taiwan
• The terms benshengren (本省人) and waishengren (外省人)
• The Chinese character for sheng (省) means province which is how Taiwan was referred to under the Republic of China initially until constitutional amendments were made
• The term the "49ers" which refers to the Chinese that fled China with the with the Kuomintang to Taiwan in 1949
• How the gunman of the shooting at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church was a son of waishengren
• Albert and Michelle's experiences growing up a family that was a mix of bengshengren and waishengren
• The discrimination that Albert's waishengren uncles experienced in Taiwan
• How Michelle was raised by her parents to identify as Chinese American
• The debate over whether to call the gunman Taiwanese or Chinese
• The idea that the term Taiwanese can be inclusive, multicultural
• The waishengren identity as victim vs. privileged
• The variety of reactions to the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church shooting
• Michelle's parents' connection to the members of the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church
• How members of the Taiwanese community in Laguna Woods coexist and interact despite their differences in political opinions
• How the circumstances of the shooter David Chou's life were unraveling
• What makes someone become a killer or a hero
• The types of communities that could contribute to making people in to heroes or killers
• The brutal impact of authoritarian regimes on all members of its society
• Activists in the opposition (dangwai) movement have included waishengren, aboriginal, Hakka and other groups

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/michelle-kuo-and-albert-wu-on-a-broad-and-ample-road-and-the-taiwanese-presbyterian-church-shooting-ep-209/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-wilma-welsh-how-the-presbyterian-church-of-taiwan-became-the-voice-of-the-people-in-the-1970s-ep-208/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

When Wilma Welsh left Canada to work with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) in 1969, she told me that it changed her life.

Little did she know how she'd be a part of the pivotal role that the PCT would play as a voice for the people of Taiwan. During her time in Taiwan, Wilma experienced the Kuomintang's surveillance and censorship, and felt the lingering impact of the 228 massacre which happened on February 28, 1947.

She was the English secretary to Reverend Kao Chun-ming, the General Secretary of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. When Taiwan's international status and the fate Taiwan's people came in to question Reverend Kao and others wrote the Public Statement on Our National Fate, Wilma typed it up and took it out of Taiwan to Hong Kong where it could be safely mailed out. She also recounted how she was working at the Bible Society in Taipei in 1975 when the Kuomintang arrived to confiscate Taiwanese Hoklo language versions of the Bible and ended up smuggling out 2 copies of the Bible.

In 2006 she became the Moderator of the 132nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. She was the first lay person to ever hold this position. In 2010 she was by the bestowing of a Doctor of Divinity Degree (DD) from Knox College, the University of Toronto. During her year as Moderator she received three additional honors, a life membership in the Women's Missionary Society, the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Medal, and an honorary membership in the World Taiwanese Christian Association.

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:

• Wilma's early involvement with the Presbyterian Church
• What brought Wilma to Formosa (as Taiwan was known then) to work with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
• Wilma's parents' reaction to her going to Taiwan
• What Wilma was doing before she went to Taiwan
• What Wilma knew about Taiwan before she went there
• The language training that Wilma did before going to Taiwan
• Wilma's first impressions of Taiwan
• How Wilma first worked with M.C. Chong
• How Wilma work for Dr. Kao (Reverend Kao Chun-ming)
• How Taiwan was under martial law and Wilma had to beware of informers
• The censorship of postal mail coming from Taiwan
• Wilma's work with Dr. Kao
• How she worked half a day on Wednesdays at the Bible Society
• How it was not safe for Dr. Kao to speak with Wilma about certain things in the office because there were planted informants in the office
• How the Taiwanese were afraid of the Kuomintang since the 228 Massacre had happened
• How she burned documents that Dr. Kao didn't want people to read
• How the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was pressured to cancel its membership in the World Council of Churches
• The letter that was written by Presbyterian Church in Taiwan stating that it was not their wish to withdraw from the World Council of Churches
• How Wilma hid this letter when she left Taiwan for Hong Kong where she mailed the letter out to partner churches
• The letter was also taken to the American embassy (AIT) to be sent out to the U.S.
• How the Republic of China's United Nations seat was transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1971 when UN Resolution 2758 recognized the PRC as the legitimate representative of China and what that meant for the fate of Taiwan and the people of Taiwan
• What prompted the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) to issue the Statement on Our National Fate
• How Wilma secretly took copies of the PCT's Statement on Our National Fate with her to Hong Hong to be mailed out
• How the PCT's Statement on Our National Fate stated:
• How the PCT's Statement was perceived as a challenge to the Kuomintang's authority
• What happened when the Kuomintang sent police to confiscate Hoklo (Taiwanese) language bible from the Bible Society in 1975
• How Wilma was asked to intervene and smuggle copies of the Bible out of Taiwan
• How Wilma smuggled the Bibles out of Taiwan to Canada
• How Wilma knew that despite the things she did, she was protected by the Canadian government
• How there were informants in the office of the PCT
• Wilma reflects on how the time she spent in Taiwan changed her
• Wilma's thoughts on current events related to Taiwan, such as the church shooting in Irvine and the visit of Nancy Pelosi

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/dr-wilma-welsh-how-the-presbyterian-church-of-taiwan-became-the-voice-of-the-people-in-the-1970s-ep-208/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/guy-gilchrist-cartoonist-for-the-muppets-talks-about-how-to-achieve-your-dreams-ep-207/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

I first learned about illustrator and cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, when I interviewed Dr. Karen Tsai (in episode 120) about how she spearheaded the creation of Monster Dance, a children's book created to help children deal with and understand the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guy is best known as the cartoonist of Jim Henson's Muppets comic strip that was printed worldwide in 660-plus newspapers daily in 80 different languages. Guy spoke with me about his humble beginnings, and how he made his childhood dreams of becoming a cartoonist a reality.

Guy has had a lead role on the creative team for the Muppet Babies, Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock, and other Henson creations. Throughout the years, Guy has also had his hand in notable cartoons such as The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Tiny Toons, The Pink Panther, and Disney, among others.

Since we can't showcase or share all of Guy's talents on the podcast, we are excited to announce that on November 5th, we'll be hosting a live online event where you can meet Guy and see him draw your favorite cartoon characters live. Guy has agreed do a special live online event to help raise some money for Talking Taiwan on November 5th. To get invited to this special event to meet Guy online just make a donation to Talking Taiwan's GoFundMe campaign: http://gofundme.com/building-talking-taiwans-legacy.

We'll be sharing more information about the fun things planned for this event in the upcoming weeks.

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 Guy got involved with the children's book Monster Dance
• How Guy met Dr. Karen Tsai who spearheaded the creation of Monster Dance
• Dr. Karen Tsai's nonprofit organization Donate PPE
• How Guy helped Donate PPE's efforts by drawing comic book characters with masks for kids and to thank frontline health care workers
• How they went from the idea to create a coloring book to a children's book
• Madeleine Editions, the publisher they worked with to create the children's book Monster Dance
• The Walt Disney quote that inspired Guy to put out the book in record time
• How the team working on the book worked via Zoom and from locations all around the world and Eva Lou the founder of Madeleine Editions
• How the book got done in record time during the pandemic
• Guy's childhood and how his mother nurtured his artistic talent
• Since childhood Guy always imagined that he'd be a famous cartoonist
• How Guy did not have a television when he grew up, so he often watched television in an appliance store near the diner where his mother worked
• How he was inspired by watching cartoonist Walter Lantz draw Woody Woodpecker on television
• Why at the age of 10 Guy sent in his artwork to Walter Lantz
• How as a kid Guy imagined that he'd get to Los Angeles or New York to find work
• The first time Guy went to a Comic Convention, now known as ComiCon
• The letter that Walter Lantz sent in response to Guy
• How at age 16 Guy landed his first job drawing for a Disney coloring book
• How Guy became the cartoonist who drew the Muppets comic strip, which debuted in September 1981
• The first time that Guy met Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets
• How the Muppets comic strip was the only one to appear daily in 80 different languages around the world because Jim Henson wanted the Muppets
• How Guy ended up being a guest of honor at the Whitehouse, declared a national treasure and having his work enshrined in the Smithsonian
• Which Muppet Guy identifies with the most
• Guy's advice for illustrators who are struggling with their career or creativity

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/guy-gilchrist-cartoonist-for-the-muppets-talks-about-how-to-achieve-your-dreams-ep-207/

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/eric-chan-discusses-what-led-the-taiwan-military-to-shoot-down-a-chinese-civilian-drone-ep-206/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

On September first, the Taiwan military shot down a Chinese civilian drone that flew near Kimen. In this episode of Talking Taiwan. I speak with Eric Chan about what led up the incident, China's increased gray zone tactics toward Taiwan since U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in early August, and other news related to Taiwan's military, such as the Taiwan Policy Act and UMC founder, Robert Tsao's donation for civil defense in Taiwan.

Eric Chan is a non-resident research fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute, a Washington DC-based think tank dedicated to policy research on Taiwan and its people. He is also a senior airpower strategist with the U.S. Air Force, where he provides USAF with expertise on People's Republic of China military capabilities, political leadership, and strategic culture.

Mr. Chan was previously the China, Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam Country Director with the Air Force. In this role, Mr. Chan was responsible for USAF

engagement with the Chinese Air Force, and for managing security cooperation with key allies and partners.

Mr. Chan has published widely on Chinese influence operations and gray zone warfare, Taiwan military reform, and military diplomacy with the People's Liberation Army. He has written for publications including the Global Taiwan Brief, the USAF Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, The Diplomat, and War on the Rocks.

Mr. Chan holds a Master's degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science/History from the University of California, San Diego.

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 China's gray zone tactics towards Taiwan have changed over the years and since U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August
• Should there be concerns about these changes and China's use of drones in their gray zone tactics towards Taiwan
• What kind of intelligence can drones collect and damage they can do
• When China started sending drones over to Taiwan
• To date about 30 drones have flown over Kimen
• What led up to Taiwan's military shooting down a drone from China on September 1
• How Taiwan's military is considering installing anti-drone systems
• The difference between civilian and miliary drones
• How Ukraine has rigged civilian drones with grenades in the war with Russia
• The impact of China's military actions in response to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan and was it a blockade
• How some have called China's recent military actions against Taiwan the fourth straits crisis
• What would constitute a military blockade of Taiwan
• Based on China's recent military actions, what do we know about China's military capability
• How Beijing's recent white paper "One China, Two Systems" does not include promises made in a previous 1993 paper that Taiwan could have its own administrative, legislative, and judicial institutions, run its own democratic system, have its own military and economic affairs
• How Beijing will use Taiwan's rejection of the white paper to justify harsher tactics against Taiwan
• How has China's' recent military actions and white paper affected public perception of people in China
• UMC (United Microelectronics Corporation) founder, Robert Tsao's sizeable donation for civil defense of Taiwan
• The Taiwan Policy Act which has been passed through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
• What the Taiwan Policy Act would mean for Taiwan and the Taiwan Relations Act
• The message that the Taiwan Policy Act would send to China

Related Links:

To view all related links for this article, click link below:

https://talkingtaiwan.com/eric-chan-discusses-what-led-the-taiwan-military-to-shoot-down-a-chinese-civilian-drone-ep-206/