Aboriginal Culture (KP9)
We discuss Aboriginal and indigenous civilizations in Taiwan with Tony Coolidge, the son of a US military serviceman in Taiwan and an Atayal aboriginal Taiwanese, and the founder of the NGO ATAYAL.
Crystal Boys (KP8)
Crystal Boys, a classic novel about Taiwan’s gay subculture in the 1970s, is also about family, authority and freedom. We talk to director 曹瑞原, actors 莫子儀 and 陸一龍, and the author 白先勇 himself about an upcoming stage adaptation.
The Debrief, 1/31/14
A truck rammed into the Presidential Office, the extra session at the Legislative Yuan, several protests and Ministry of Education curriculum changes that has everyone outraged, while President Ma travels abroad.
Art for Free Taiwan (KP Special)
We talk to Victoria Linchong, who is the director of the documentary “Almost Home: Taiwan” in which she takes us on a family visit to Taiwan that turns out to be much more about history, identity and making these big questions personal.
The Debrief, 1/24/14
President Ma Ying-jeou’s foreign trip to end in Los Angeles, Taiwan’s parliament opens for extra session, anti-gay scholars are appointed to gender education committee and Taiwan’s Mega Bank plans to become more mega.
Dadaocheng (KP7)
We take you on a journey into the 1920s, when Dadaocheng was the cosmopolitan center of Taiwan, connecting it to the rest of the world in the Roaring 20s. We also ponder what that means for Taiwan going into the 2020s and beyond.
The Debrief, 1/17/14
Formosan black bears, Thailand protests, DPP’s China policy consensus (or lack thereof), wiretapping and food safety laws being debated in the parliament, and NCKU’s plaza controversy in The Debrief this week.
The Debrief, 1/10/14
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs report to the Legislative Yuan on US-Taiwan relations, old farmer’s allowance handouts, special prosecutor Huang Shih-ming’s impeachment and Taiwan’s tollbooth-free freeways.
Regional Free Trade (KP6)
We tackle the questions of Taiwan’s economy and ask Prof. Peter Chow of City College of New York about trade with China, Taiwan’s strategy in joining regional trade blocs, and whether free trade is ultimately good for Taiwan.
The Debrief, 1/3/14
On the first update of 2014, we cover Dapu land abuse victims’ day in court, the DPP’s dilemma over dropping its Taiwan independence charter, a new multilingual news service in Taiwan and the giant rubber duckie in Keelung.
The Debrief, 12/27/13
A media conference in Beijing attended by Taiwanese media management, the history of the Losheng Sanatorium controversy, a nuclear deal between Taiwan and the US, and A-mei’s free concert to support gay rights.
The Debrief, 12/20/13
This week we cover a 200 year land dispute, policy changes requested by foreign home caregivers, tax breaks for companies investing in new free economic pilot zones, and a tech company’s dumping toxic wastes.