Talking Taiwan

Talking Taiwan

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Talking Taiwan episodes

  • Ep 125 | Peter Yang Zhao and Steven Lee Fight to Stop Asian Hate Crimes Part 1

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    My guests on this episode of Talking Taiwan about the topic of Asian hate are Peter Yang Zhao and Steve Lee. Both have been active in the fight to stop Asian hate crimes, and have lots to share on the topic of Asian hate. Peter Yang Zhao, is an anti-Asian hate crime activist, and Tourette's syndrome activist.

    A quick glance at his Instagram handle @fabulously_tourette reveals how outspoken he is on these topics. We will have him back on as a guest on a future episode to talk about his Tourette's syndrome and advocacy work. Sergeant Steven Lee is a 16-year veteran of the NYPD, a whistleblower fighting to reform police corruption and anti-Asian hate crime activist. In 2020 he ran for State Assembly in District 40.

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

    • The 89-year-old woman who was set on fire in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York on July 14, 2020
    • They Can't Burn Us All rallies and movement
    • Guardian Angels
    • How early on in the COVID-19 pandemic Steve donated N-95 masks to seniors
    • Early reactions within the Asian community when the Chinese started being blamed for spreading the Coronavirus
    • How Steve posted about crimes against Asians on Facebook saying that we need to start neighborhood block watches
    • How Steve created Asians in America which donated cooked food to first responders
    • The two block watch programs in Flushing: Main Street Patrol and PSP
    • How the Asian Hate Crime Task Force is volunteer-based and not an actual official unit
    • The pushback that the Asian Hate Crime Task Force is getting from cops
    • How cops need to understand the culture of neighborhoods that they work in
    • Peter's various encounters with Taiwanese after moving to the U.S from China where he was born and raised
    • The Asian hate crime that happened to Peter's wife

    Related Links:

    Peter Yang Zhao on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabulously_tourette/

    Elderly woman set on fire in Brooklyn: https://abc7ny.com/woman-set-on-fire-elderly-attack-89-year-old-attacked-bensonhurst-crime/6333749/

    BREAKING: Teen Suspects Arrested, Charged After 89-Year-Old Woman Set on Fire in Brooklyn: https://nextshark.com/bensonhurst-brooklyn-suspects-arrested-89-year-old-grandma/

    #TheyCantBurnUsAll: https://www.theycantburnusall.org/

    Guardian Angels: http://guardianangels.org/

    The first They Can't Burn Us All/Asian Unity Rally that started in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York: https://asamnews.com/2020/08/02/asian-americans-rally-to-protest-hate-crimes-in-bensonhurst-neighborhood/

    The second They Can't Burn Us All Rally that started in New York's Washington Square Park: https://nextshark.com/china-mac-second-protest-nyc-chinatown/

    Asian In New York: http://www.asianinny.com/

    Su Beng, the Taiwan Independence Revolutionary: http://aboutsubeng.com/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_Beng

    Talking Taiwan on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/talkingtaiwan

    40 min
  • Ep 124 | NASA's Mars Ingenuity Helicopter: First Flight Attempt on Mars

    A Note From Talking Taiwan Host Felicia Lin:

    I just interviewed Dr Yen the driver of Mars Rover Perseverance for Talking Taiwan and he shared some exciting news with me.

    My full interview with Dr. Yen will be published Monday April 19th.

    Talking Taiwan is pleased to be the first podcast to interview the NASA scientist.

    Don't miss this important and historic interview!

    Related Links:

    6 Things to know about NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

    https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter

    5 min
  • Ep 123 | Dr Karen Tsai: How the CoFounder of Donate PPE Raised $150,000 for Covid-19

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    It's been nearly a year since we started publishing episodes of Talking Taiwan on a weekly basis at the beginning of this pandemic, and I've really enjoyed seeing the listenership grow.

    I'd like to acknowledge our listeners here, especially those who have reached out to me directly. One listener who reached out, said that episode 99 with Professor Scott Simon was particularly eye opening.

    That led me to think about how to cover the topic of Taiwan's indigenous people and to interview Tony Coolidge (in episodes 112 and 113) about discovering his indigenous roots and his work with the indigenous people of Taiwan. The two episodes I did with Tony are now among the most listened to.

    Recently we've also gotten some wonderful anonymous reviews from listeners: "Amazing podcast. Really enjoy listening to it, love the variety of people that come on!" and just a few days ago, another listener wrote: "Love all the topics that has been discussed in Talking Taiwan!"

    We are so grateful for all of this feedback. Your reviews help Talking Taiwan to get discovered. It's great to know that we have a regular listener base, and that our content is resonating with you. Thank you for reaching out and letting us know how we're doing!

    This week's episode features part two of my interview with Dr. Karen Tsai about her work with Donate PPE, a nonprofit that she has co-founded and that has raised over $150,000 to date. This is part two of my interview with her after speaking with her previously in episode 120 about how she spearheaded the creation of Monster Dance, a children's book created to address the needs of children dealing with a world changed by COVID-19.

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

    • How and why Dr. Tsai started the nonprofit organization Donate PPE with Deyu Kong
    • How the Donate PPE team is entirely Asian American
    • The work of Donate PPE and how it has delivered PPE to different low income, communities in need
    • The various companies and organizations that Donate PPE has worked with to get donations distributed
    • How Donate PPE has made donations internationally
    • How Donate PPE has adjusted as the situation with the pandemic has changed over time
    • How Donate PPE's initially targeted hospitals and health care workers but later expanded to nursing homes, free clinics, schools, underprivileged communities, Navajo Nations, rural areas in the Midwest, vaccination sites
    • Asian hate crime advocacy organizations
    • The different distribution challenges that Donate PPE has had to deal with
    • How Donate PPE dealt with the distribution challenges presented by the partnership with Norwex to Distribute a Million Masks to Healthcare Workers and how Citizens of Humanity assisted
    • How Donate PPE got its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status during the pandemic by May 2020
    • How Dr. Tsai has worked full-time as a physician while running Donate PPE
    • How the Donate PPE website has changed over time
    • What's in the future for Donate PPE once COVID-19 gets more under control

    Related Links:

    Donate PPE: https://donateppe.org/

    Donate PPE on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donateppeorg/

    Donate PPE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donateppe/

    Donate PPE on Twitter: https://twitter.com/donateppe

    Guy Gilchrist's Doodles, the FREE coloring pages he created to educate kids about COVID: https://donateppe.org/doodles/

    DonatePPE.org has Partnered with Norwex to Distribute a Million Masks to Healthcare Workers: https://donateppe.org/2020/04/18/donateppe-org-has-partnered-with-norwex-to-distribute-a-million-masks-to-healthcare-workers/

    For anyone in need of PPE email Donate PPE at: [email protected]

    Hate Is A Virus: https://hateisavirus.org/

    Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/

    34 min
  • Ep 122 | Suelain and Otter: How to Combat Asian Hate Attacks

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    Since the beginning of the pandemic I'd been hearing about more and more cases of Asian hate attacks that seemed to be related to blaming the Chinese for spreading COVID. It's been a year so you could say that I'm kind of late to the game in addressing it here.

    Perhaps it's because there wasn't a single galvanizing event like the murder of George Floyd that mobilized the Black Lives Matter movement.

    So why now? It wasn't because of the Atlanta spa shootings that left 8 dead, 6 of whom were Asian women. It was due to a text conversation between friends.

    In early March, my friend Ariane reached out to me on a group text conversation expressing how troubled she was about all the attacks on Asians and wondering what she could do stop it.

    Last summer I'd found myself asking similar questions after the murder of George Floyd which is why I specifically sought guests who could talk about Black Lives Matter and what had led up to this latest iteration of the movement and the deeply rooted historical background. I realized that we all need to speak up when we see things like this happening and to let others know that it will not be tolerated. We need to create more awareness with whatever resources and platforms we have.

    Now it's time for me to walk the talk on the issue of Anti-Asian hate attacks by addressing it here on Talking Taiwan.

    I don't think what's been happening is strictly a COVID-related issue that is going to go away. Actually, anti-Asian sentiments have been around and have surfaced and resurfaced in many different forms in the past. This will be the first of a few episodes about Asian hate.

    For this episode I've invited Suelain Moy and her son Otter on to the podcast to talk about how they recently dealt with being the target of Asian hate.

    About Suelain Moy

    Suelain Moy is a New York City mother, writer, journalist, author, and editor. Her writing has appeared in many outlets, including Parenting, American Baby, Entertainment Weekly, aMagazine, Good Housekeeping, The Fiscal Times, and the New York Daily News. She is the author of Names to Grow On: Choosing A Name Your Baby Will Love. She graduated from Yale, where she earned a BA in English and studied with bell hooks. Suelain was the first Asian face in the Children's Division of Ford Models. She comes from a long line of merchants, small business owners, teachers, and law enforcement officers in the Chinatown community, where her family has lived for generations since 1922. She wrote "The 16 Safety Guidelines for the Parents of Asian Children" in 2021, during a wave of anti-Asian violence and hate crimes in the U.S. They are based on her experiences with racism and misogyny on the streets of New York. You can read her personal essays, including the safety guidelines, at suelain.com.

    About Otter Lee

    Otter Lee is a queer actor, comedian, writer, and voiceover artist born and raised in New York City. He currently plays Otter Lin on Stephen Colbert Presents: Tooning Out the News, a political cartoon on Paramount+ that airs as part of The Late Show. His standup, sketch, and improv have appeared at such venues as Buzzfeed, UCB, Face-Off Unlimited, Caveat, Union Hall, The Magnet, and The Asian American Writer's Workshop. Otter co-produced, hosted, and took the stage for NYC's First Asian Comedy Festival at the PIT in January 2020, selling out multiple blocks and empowering numerous comedians and groups. He followed this with Crazy Talented Asians and Friends, a virtual showcase at Flushing Town Hall. A graduate of NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a degree in acting, playwriting, and history, Otter also trained extensively in the disciplines of classical and musical theatre, improv, and voice acting. Otter's performances and projects have been written up and featured in The New York Times, Time Out New York, AsianCrush, and World Journal.

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

    • Suelain and Otter's account of an Asian hate crime incident that happened to them while in New York City's SoHo district in February of this year
    • How and why Suelain and Otter reacted to their harasser the way that they did
    • How Suelain and Otter's past experiences with hate crimes has prepared them to react
    • The bystanders who stopped check on Suelain and Otter and offered to help
    • How the incident was the second Asian hate speech incident in a week that happened to Otter
    • The strategies that Suelain's father suggested to protect her when she had to ride the New York City subway alone after commuting to school in Manhattan from Long Island
    • How Suelain learned to protect herself on the New York City subway
    • What Suelain wants to share with parents and others about how they can handle incidents Asian hate speech or crimes
    • What defines something as a hate crime
    • What defines something as Asian hate speech vs. an Asian hate crime
    • How a lot of incidents seem to happen when people are standing on the corner
    • How parents need to talk to their kids about a safety plan
    • What bystanders can to if they witness someone being attacked
    • How Asian hate speech and crimes are sometimes not taken seriously due to the model minority myth
    • How Suelain once turned the tables on a man who sexually harassed her
    • How summoning your middle-aged indignation or "Mommy shaming" can be strategies to deal with harassers
    • What reactions and press Suelain and Otter have gotten since sharing what happened to them on social media
    • The segment on Stephen Colbert Presents "Tooning Out The News" in which Otter talks about the incident that happened to him and his mother
    • The media coverage that Suelain and Otter have gotten
    • How Asian hate incidents transcend race, social class
    • How Suelain's list of safety guidelines has grown from 12 to 16 items, and has been translated into Chinese and distributed in schools
    • How the New York City website for Asian hate crimes does not clearly indicate where you can report a crime
    • The under reporting of Asian hate crimes
    • How Asians are easy targets because they are visible minorities
    • How the majority of Chinatown's residents have been wearing masks since the beginning of the pandemic but they are being blamed for the spread of COVID

    Related Links:

    Suelain Moy's blog: https://suelain.com/

    Suelain's safety guidelines: https://suelain.com/2021/03/25/16-safety-guidelines-for-the-parents-of-asian-children/?fbclid=IwAR2tbE5J3vbKAASQwZBdxEiZRsnyQ34phgyyqxCyX-4NX2ztxRPY-FCYZJk

    Suelain on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suelain

    Suelain on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suelain_moy/

    Suelain on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuelainMoy

    Otter on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otterleemoy/

    Otter on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Otter.Lee

    Otter on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OtterLeeMoy

    Lee Statsberg sense memory acting technique: https://strasberg.edu/blog/breaking-down-lees-work-with-david-lee-strasberg/

    Woman Who Fought Back During Attack to Donate Nearly $1M Raised for Her to Combat Anti-Asian Racism: https://people.com/crime/xiao-zhen-xie-fought-back-alleged-attacker-donate-1-million-raised-combat-anti-asian-racism/?fbclid=IwAR3IgKr6JpP_Myw001DuoIILDSdVEJeHFSLWXnXrSB80DGzgmbuNy_FV-4w

    Author Min Jin Lee: https://www.minjinlee.com/

    Otter's segment on Stephen Colbert Presents "Tooning Out The News": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaHM699cT20&t=260s

    Crazy Talented Asians and Friends: Triumphing Over Quarantine: https://flushingtownhall.org/crazy-talented-asians-friends-live-comedy

    Asian Comedy Festival 2021: https://asiancomedyfest.com/

    New York City's Toolkit for Addressing Anti-Asian Bias, Discrimination, and Hate: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/cchr/community/stop-asian-hate.page

    The Analysis of Anti‐Asian Hate Crime Reported to Police in America's Largest Cities: 2020 (done by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino): https://www.csusb.edu/sites/default/files/FACT%20SHEET-%20Anti-Asian%20Hate%202020%203.2.21.pdf

    Cefaan Kim's reporting and articles: https://muckrack.com/cefaan-kim/articles

    Chinese Exclusion Act: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act#:~:text=The%20Chinese%20Exclusion%20Act%20was,all%20immigration%20of%20Chinese%20laborers

    https://www.history.com/topics/immigration/chinese-exclusion-act-1882

    Japanese American Internment Camps: https://www.britannica.com/event/Japanese-American-internment

    https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation

    52 min
  • Ep 121 | Eric Chang on the Occupation of the Executive Yuan During the Sunflower Movement

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    March 23rd will mark the seventh anniversary of the short-lived occupation of the Executive Yuan by students involved in the Sunflower Movement of 2014. The Sunflower Movement began when students and activists occupied the Legislative Yuan on March 18, 2014 in an effort to block the passage of a trade pact between Taiwan and China. At a press conference on March 23, then President Ma Ying-jeou stated his resolve in passing the trade pact. This led to the students attempt to occupy the Executive Yuan. Five days afterward, on March 28, 2014, I spoke to Eric Chang also known as Ahbying, who was there that night about what he saw firsthand and experienced that night.

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

    • His candid conversation with a cop at the Executive Yuan before the scene turned violent
    • His firsthand account of what he saw and experienced the night that students tried to occupy the Executive Yuan
    • How he reacted when the police hit him
    • The media's coverage of what happened on March 23rdat the Executive Yuan
    • His thoughts of the occupation of the Legislative Yuan and Sunflower Movement

    Related Links:

    Eric's Ahbying YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ahbying

    Sunflower Movement: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_Student_Movement

    29 min
  • Ep 120 | Dr. Karen Tsai Brings Monster Dance Children's Book To Life

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    Learn about the Taiwan connection (namely a physician, publisher and supermodel) that made Monster Dance children's book story come to life. Monster Dance was created to help children deal with and understand the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Dr. Karen Tsai is a physician based in Los Angeles who has spearheaded the creation of the children's book, and she spoke with me about how she got some heavy hitters involved in the project like cartoonist and illustrator Guy Gilchrist (best known for his work with the Muppets), Eva Lou (founder of the multi-lingual children's book publishing company Madeleine Editions, which published Monster Dance), actor Denis O'Hare (who did the English narration for the book) and Taiwanese supermodel Chiling Lin (林志玲) who did the Mandarin Chinese narration. For every copy of Monster Dance sold, a donation will be made to Donate PPE.

    Dr. Tsai is a co-founder of Donate PPE a nonprofit that has already raised over $150,000. In part two of my interview with her we will talk about her work with Donate PPE.

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

    • Dr. Tsai's connection to Taiwan
    • What motivated Dr. Tsai to initiate the creation of children's book, Monster Danceto help children to deal with COVID
    • How Dr. Tsai got Guy Gilchrist (cartoonist and illustrator), Eva Lou (founder of the multi-lingual children's book publishing company Madeleine Editions), actor Denis O'Hare and Taiwanese supermodel Chiling Lin (林志玲) involved in Monster Dance
    • How things started with Guy Gilchrist's drawings as coloring pages that educated children about social distancing, handwashing, mask wearing and other thing related to COVID
    • Free coloring pages drawn by Guy Gilchrist to educate kids about COVID are available on https://donateppe.org/doodles/
    • How Dr. Tsai was able to get Monster Dancepublished in short time to be relevant for the pandemic
    • How Monster Danceis available in English and Mandarin Chinese
    • How they came up with the title and concept for Monster Dance
    • How Dr. Tsai, Guy Gilchrist and Eva Lou worked on Monster Dancevirtually and have never met in person
    • How Monster Dancestarted as a Kickstarter campaign
    • How Monster Dancehas helped children to deal with COVID
    • For every copy of Monster Dancesold a donation will be made to Donate PPE
    • How copies of Monster Dancehave been donated to children's hospitals
    • How Monster Dancehas a presence in Taiwan with the Mandarin Chinese version through the involvement of Taiwanese supermodel Chiling Lin (林志玲)

    Related Links:

    Monster Dance: https://madeleineeditions.com/stories/monster-dance/

    Monster Dance Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madeleineeditions/monster-dance

    Monster Dance on the Donate PPE website: https://donateppe.org/monster-dance/

    Access FREE coloring pages created by Guy Gilchrist to educate kids about COVID: https://donateppe.org/doodles/

    Madeleine Editions (International children's publisher): https://www.facebook.com/MadeleineEditions

    Madeleine Editions (International children's publisher): https://www.instagram.com/madeleine_editions/

    Donate PPE: https://donateppe.org/

    Guy Gilchrist, cartoonist and illustrator (best known for his work with the Muppets) at the Whitehouse 1984. Guy Gilchrist's website: https://www.aguygilchristproduction.com/ Taiwanese supermodel Chiling did the Mandarin Chinese narration for Monster Dance. Taiwanese supermodel Chiling's Charity Foundation: https://www.chilicngjj.org/ Eva Lou founder of the multi-lingual children's book publishing company Madeleine Editions, which published Monster Dance: https://madeleineeditions.com/ Actor Dennis O'Hare did the English narration for Monster Dance.
    32 min
  • Ep 119 | Taipei Times Columnist Michael Turton Talks About the Taiwan Pineapple Ban by China

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    Michael Turton is a political commentator, writer and Taipei Times columnist based in Taichung, Taiwan. I first learned about him through his long running blog, The View From Taiwan when I lived in Taiwan myself and started blogging about living there. I've invited him on to the podcast to talk about China's recent Taiwan pineapple ban. We talked about what's really behind the ban and how trade issues between China and Taiwan led to the 2014 Sunflower Movement and occupation of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan building.

    CORRECTION: At 1:28 when Michael says "over in Xiamen" he meant to refer to Fujian. There several towns in Fujian- Yongfu and Qingliu but not Xiamen, that are now using agricultural techniques learned from Taiwan. See link to the CommonWealth Magazine article, "Is Taiwan's Farm Sector Selling Out to China" for reference.

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

    • Why China banned pineapples imported from Taiwan
    • What has happened since the ban
    • How the ban will impact Taiwan
    • What are the larger issues behind what happened and why China banned Taiwan's pineapples
    • What can people overseas can do to support Taiwan, aside from buying Taiwan pineapples
    • How consumption is related to Taiwanese identity
    • What trade issues with China have to do with the Sunflower Movement
    • What precipitated the occupation of the Legislative Yuan building by the Sunflower Movement activists in March 2014
    • How the caucus system in Taiwan is set up to slow down the legislature
    • The problems with Taiwan's constitution
    • How the spat between then President Ma Ying-jeou and Speaker Wang Jin-pyng contributed to the occupation of the Legislative Yuan by the Sunflower Movement activists in March of 2014
    • How the Sunflower Movement strengthened the Taiwanese identity of a generation that grew up in a democratic Taiwan vs. those who previously grew up under Kuomintang rule in the 1970s and 80s

    Related Links:

    Taipei Times article, "PRC bans import of Taiwan pineapples": https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2021/02/27/2003752913

    Taipei Times article, "China pineapple ban offset in four days": https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2021/03/03/2003753138

    Guardian article, "Taiwanese urged to eat 'freedom pineapples' after China import ban": https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/02/taiwanese-urged-to-eat-freedom-pineapples-after-china-import-ban?fbclid=IwAR226v7PM6yXUM7UqWsPOyD_jwwpkQNKWpyFnXakMYUgDbtTNJd_OKsWxgc

    Taiwan News article, "Japanese with 'Taiwan pineapple fever' empty store shelves": https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4145007?fbclid=IwAR0TLArguULOz7Y3iiZ0VIBHRjFrChPosZu8-fTbqxSJGxAnw6AKe7ANE1g

    CommonWealth Magazine article, "Is Taiwan's Farm Sector Selling Out to China":

    https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=965

    Michael Turton's podcast, Taiwan Context: https://anchor.fm/taiwancontext/episodes/Taiwan-Context--Human-Rights-Defender-epmtsm

    Michael Turton's blog, The View From Taiwan: https://michaelturton.blogspot.com/

    Ian Rowen's research on Chinese tour groups in Taiwan: https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/blogs.ntu.edu.sg/dist/f/1564/files/2017/12/Rowen-2014-Tourism-as-territorial-strategy-x64350.pdf

    Sunflower Movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_Student_Movement

    An article about Taiwan's pineapple industry in 1960: https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=8%2C8%2C29%2C32%2C32%2C45&post=14054&fbclid=IwAR1bP4UHEg3rbTacOf9g9N4lPd7rQaSPFOWrcc1lR6a4GMIWV3KuOH6JV8I

    33 min
  • Ep 118 | Dr. Michi Fu Straddles Between Living in Taiwan and the U.S.

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    Dr. Michi Fu is a professor, psychologist, writer, public speaker and experience creator. She spoke with me about how her mother's decision to retire in Taiwan led her to decide to take a one-year sabbatical in Taiwan and to apply for Taiwan citizenship- which proved to be an arduous process but well worth it in the end. It has allowed her to more easily travel and straddle between living in the U.S. and Taiwan. As she's spent more time residing in Taiwan, she's faced challenges adulting in Taiwan due to limited language and cultural proficiency. We spoke in depth about how she's dealt with all this by learning to let go of cultural norms and expectations, and found ways to build a community for herself in Taiwan.

    While in Taiwan she's connected with expat communities like the Black lives Matter and Burning Man Taiwan communities, participated in a bilingual version of the Vagina Monologues, and she's also been invited to participate in the 228 Transitional Justice Project. I found that to be a timely topic of conversation indeed, with the 74th anniversary of the 228 Incident having just passed.

    Also referred to as The 228 Massacre, or The 228 Uprising, 228 is February 28, 1947, the date that the arrest of a cigarette seller in Taipei sparked protests over the corruption and repression of the ruling Kuomintang party at the time. What followed were the disappearance and execution of thousands by the Kuomintang. Some say up to 20 thousand were murdered. It led to the declaration of martial law and it was the beginning of the reign of White Terror in Taiwan that lasted for decades.

    CORRECTION: At the 45-minute mark of Michi's interview when she stated that she had arrived on holiday for her dissertation, she had arrived during the Dragon Boat Holiday for her sabbatical not her dissertation.

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

    • Michi's upbringing and where she grew up
    • Michi's connection to Taiwan
    • The study tour that Michi has co-organized with Dr. Tsuann Kuo (Founder of NATWA II)
    • How Michi's perception of Taiwan has changed over time
    • How she's met expats who have made Taiwan their home and out be interested in applying for citizenship in Taiwan
    • The reason why Michi decided to apply for citizenship and residency in Taiwan, and to split her time between the U.S. and Taiwan
    • What's involved in the process to apply for citizenship and residency in Taiwan if you have a Taiwan birthright (i.e. parents born in Taiwan, and have residency and citizenship in Taiwan)
    • What the Yo yo card is and how to use it
    • Residency status that children of Taiwanese nationals can apply for to stay longer than a passport visa
    • The number of days required to stay in Taiwan in order to able to apply for citizenship
    • Michi's sense of Taiwanese and Taiwanese American identity
    • Michi's participation in the 228 Transitional Justice Project
    • The challenges of learning a language later in life
    • How Michi sometimes feels like a Third Culture Kid
    • How Michi has learned from cultural misunderstandings
    • How Michi has connected with and made friends through the expat community in Taiwan
    • What Michi misses about the U.S. when she's in Taiwan
    • What Michi misses about Taiwan when she's in the U.S.
    • What advice Michi has for those considering applying for Taiwan residency and citizenship
    • What advice Michi has for those considering spending more of the calendar year living in Taiwan
    • The different cultural expectations of Taiwan and the U.S.
    • The challenges of adulting in Taiwan with limited language and cultural proficiency
    • The wage gap for certain professions in Taiwan vs. the U.S.
    • The things Michi considers in deciding to live in Taiwan full-time
    • How Michi built her own sense of community by connecting with the expat community and Facebook groups

    Related Links and Terms:

    Michi's Psychology Today Profile: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/los-angeles-county-monterey-park-ca/73177

    The local love boat program that Michi attended: The 2006 Overseas Young Health Professionals Program OCAC Taipei, Taiwan

    Love Boat Study Tour Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Boat_(study_tour)

    OCAC (Overseas Community Affairs Council): https://www.ocac.gov.tw/OCAC/Eng/

    NATMA (North American Taiwanese Medical Association): https://www.natma.org/

    NATWA (North American Taiwanese Women's Association): http://www.natwa.com/

    NATWA II: http://natwa.com/natwa2/about.html

    TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office)

    TECRO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States): https://www.taiwanembassy.org/us_en/index.html

    Yo yo card 悠遊卡 (Pinyin: Yōu-yóu Kǎ) aka EasyCard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EasyCard

    https://www.easycard.com.tw/en/about

    Hong Kong's Octopus card: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_card

    www.octopus.com.hk

    Shēnfènzhèng (民身分證) the national identification card of Taiwan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_identification_card_(Taiwan)

    What is 228?: http://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm

    https://228massacre.org/

    Third culture kid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_culture_kid

    Thrive Tour (private) Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/491147317734655/

    A video from the first class of a tour that Michi organized for the Masters of Global Health program for NTU (National Taiwan University): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K70K9OKd80&feature=youtu.be

    A list of the Facebook groups that Michi joined and that connected her with the expat community in Taiwan:

    Taiwan Foodie Girls Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/302771153463762/about

    Formosa Improv Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/FormosaImprovGroup

    Women Anonymous Reconnecting Mentally Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/323198761492476

    Subtle Taiwanese Traits Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/583249345764112/

    COVID-19 group for returnees Facebook group (in Mandarin Chinese): https://www.facebook.com/groups/889736338130271

    The play White Rabbit Red Rabbit: https://www.nassimsoleimanpour.com/whiterabbitredrabbit

    Burning Man community in Taiwan: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BurningManTaiwan

    Black Lives Matter community in Taiwan: https://www.facebook.com/BLMTaiwan

    Our Talking Taiwan listeners may be interested in these other related episodes:

    Love Boat Taiwan: Interview with Asian American Studies Professor and Filmmaker Valerie Soe Ep 66: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/love-boat-taiwan-interview-asian-american-studies-professor-film-maker-valerie-soe-ep-66/

    An Interview With Author Jennifer J. Chow About The 228 Legacy and Her Other Books Ep 65: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/interview-author-jennifer-j-chow-228-legacy-books-ep-65/

    Black Lives Solidarity Global Initiative: Founders Stefanie Davis and Patrick Springer Ep 84: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/black-lives-solidarity-global-initiative-founders-stefanie-davis-and-patrick-springer/

    Jaleea Price Talks About Living in Taiwan Ep 90: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/jaleea-price-talks-about-living-in-taiwan-ep-90/

    Boba: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/what-is-boba-bubble-tea-tapioca-balls

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_tea White Terror Era: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_(Taiwan) https://www.fpri.org/article/2017/02/taiwans-white-terror-remembering-228-incident/ Vagina Monologues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vagina_Monologues
    1 hr 17 min
  • Ep 117 | Anthony Kao of Cinema Escapist Recommends Films About Taiwan

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    This week we welcome back Anthony Kao, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Escapist to Talking Taiwan. I've asked him to recommend films that help familiarize people with Taiwan. He'll be recommending films about Taiwan that best represent certain decades, eras or significant historical events.

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

    • Anthony's recommendations are of films made after the lifting of martial law in Taiwan 1987
    • In selecting films to recommend Anthony tried to select a variety of film genres to suit the different tastes of Talking Taiwan listeners
    • The films Anthony recommends represent a diverse array of Taiwan's culture and historical phenomena
    • The five films that Anthony recommends: A City of Sadness (1989), Yi Yi (1999), Cape No. 7 (2008)
    • The historical and political relevance of Anthony's film recommendations
    • The Taiwan history film trilogy by film director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢): A City of Sadness (1989), Good Men, Good Women (好男好女1995), The Puppetmaster (1993)
    • New Taiwanese Cinema
    • Second New Wave of Taiwan Cinema

    Related Links:

    Cinema Escapist: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/

    Cinema Escapist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinemaescapist

    Cinema Escapist on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinemaescapist

    A City of Sadness (1989): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_City_of_Sadness

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096908/

    Good Men, Good Women (好男好女 1995): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Men,_Good_Women

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113256/

    The Puppetmaster (1993): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Puppetmaster_(film)

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107157/

    Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), Film Director: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hou_Hsiao-hsien

    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396284/

    Yi Yi (1999): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Yi

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0244316/

    Edward Yang (楊德昌), Film Director: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0945981/

    Three Times (2005): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Times

    Cape No. 7 (2008): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_No._7

    Seediq Bale (2011): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warriors_of_the_Rainbow:_Seediq_Bale

    https://www.imdb.com/title/att2007993/

    We Te-sheng, Film Director: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei_Te-sheng

    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0917669/

    On Happiness Road (2017): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Happiness_Road

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7543904/

    Hsin Yin Sung, Film Director: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3403663/?ref_=tt_ov_dr

    New Taiwanese Cinema: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Taiwan#New_Taiwanese_Cinema,_1982%E2%80%931990

    Second New Wave of Taiwan Cinema: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Taiwan#New_Taiwanese_Cinema,_1982%E2%80%931990

    The 10 Best Taiwanese Movies of 2019: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/2019/12/best-taiwanese-movies-2019/

    23 min
  • Ep 116 | Anthony Kao of Cinema Escapist Often First Publication to Cover Taiwanese Films

    A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

    Anthony Kao is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Escapist, which is often the first or only publication that covers Taiwanese film or television shows. I've found it has some really great reviews and recommendations of films from and about Taiwan. Cinema Escapist also covers films from all around the world and takes a look at their social and political context. Anthony spoke with me about how he started Cinema Escapist and their unique approach to discussing film. Next week we'll have Anthony back to recommend films about Taiwan that represent different decades or historical events significant to Taiwan.

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

    • Where Anthony's interest in film comes from
    • Film as a way to explore the world
    • Cinema Escapist's focus on international films and the social and political context of films
    • Anthony's interest in Taiwanese film and television
    • How Cinema Escapist is often the first or only publication that covers Taiwanese film or television shows
    • Publications about Taiwan recommended by Anthony
    • Anthony's approach to writing about film
    • When and why Anthony started Cinema Escapist
    • How Cinema Escapist has changed over time
    • What's behind the name "Cinema Escapist"
    • The challenges of running Cinema Escapist which has a completely volunteer staff
    • The interesting experiences and people that Anthony has met through Cinema Escapist
    • Cinema Escapist's plans to go into podcasting

    Related Links:

    Cinema Escapist: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/

    Cinema Escapist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinemaescapist

    Cinema Escapist on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinemaescapist

    Goodbye Lenin (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301357/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Bye,_Lenin!

    Yi Yi (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Yi

    New Bloom Magazine: https://newbloommag.net/

    CommonWealth Magazine: https://english.cw.com.tw/

    The News Lens: https://international.thenewslens.com/

    Talking Taiwan Episode 91 about the Austin Asian American Film Festival: Prismatic Taiwan: https://www.talkingtaiwan.com/austin-film-festival-prismatic-taiwan-a-series-celebrating-queer-taiwanese-cinema-ep-91/

    Film Director Jean Luc Godard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Godard

    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000419/

    Cinema Escapist articles on The News Lens: https://international.thenewslens.com/author/Cinema%2520Escapist

    The Great Buddha+ (film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Buddha%2B

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7010412/

    The 10 Best Taiwanese Movies of 2019: https://www.cinemaescapist.com/2019/12/best-taiwanese-movies-2019/

    36 min

About Talking Taiwan

From the publisher's feed

Talking Taiwan is a Golden Crane Podcast Award Winner, and has been shortlisted in the 2024 International Women's Podcast Awards "Moment of Visionary Leadership" category. In 2025, it was nominated…

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