LISTEN TO THE STORY OF ⁠TAIWAN'S MUSICAL GARBAGE TRUCKS ⁠⁠⁠IN CHINESE! 說到臺灣日常中最特別的聲音，莫過於幾乎每天都在大街小巷裡響起的〈少女的祈禱〉與〈給愛麗絲〉。臺灣垃圾車播放音樂，其實遠自1968年（民國57年）就已經開始。一路發展到現在，垃圾車的「曲目」也有許多變化，但臺灣人聽得最久、最習慣的還是這兩首曲子，也成為臺灣日常最特別的文化。這集就讓我們來聊聊臺灣垃圾車的音樂文化。重要單字：propose/proposal, handwriting 主持人簡介： Eryk Michael Smith－ICRT南臺灣特派員，長期從事記者採編工作、聲音編輯，也會客串DJ。現居高雄，在臺灣已經居住了接近30年，認為臺灣是自己的家。 Eric Hsu（徐葆權）－彰化北斗人，從大學南漂高雄以來，人生的大部分時間都在高雄渡過。關心臺灣文史與地方文化發展，尤其是自己的兩個家鄉：北斗與高雄。

Not so long ago, talking about Taiwan independence could earn you a lengthy prison term. That changed in the late 1990s as Taiwan embraced democracy. Taiwan independence advocates in the United States have always enjoyed more freedom of speech, but pro-independence organizations that pulled stunts such as chaining themselves to the doors of the U.N. building or flying pro-Taiwan banners over Little League games did come under official scrutiny. One such group, the Formosan Association for...

LISTEN TO THE STORY OF TAIWAN'S GREAT PORK APOCALYPSE (1997) ⁠IN CHINESE! 你知道嗎？臺灣曾經是全球第二大的豬肉出口國，更是日本最重要的豬肉來源地。然而在1997年，豬口蹄疫情在新竹被發現，爆發性地席捲全臺，使得臺灣養豬產業蒙受極為重大的打擊。一直到二十幾年後的今天，臺灣才真正擺脫當年口蹄疫帶來的影響，重新要把臺灣豬肉推向國際。 重要單字：smuggle、outbreak、hoof 相關書籍： T. C. Locke。Barbarian at the Gate: From the American Suburbs to the Taiwanese Army。 （中文版：《台灣饅頭美國兵》，林道明著） 主持人簡介： Eryk Michael Smith－ICRT南臺灣特派員，長期從事記者採編工作、聲音編輯，也會客串DJ。現居高雄，在臺灣已經居住了接近30年，認為臺灣是自己的家。 Eric...

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter only served one term, but those four years were rough: oil embargos, inflation, the Iran hostage crisis, and the decision to recognize the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It was an unpopular move, especially in Taiwan. President Carter asked his deputy secretary of state, Warren Christopher, to go to Taipei and deal with the fallout. Christopher received possibly the most hostile “welcome” to Taiwan ever experienced by an American...

LISTEN TO THE STORY OF THE HIJACKING OF CHINA AIRLINES FLIGHT 334 IN CHINESE! 「僵局」一詞定義了 1970 年代和 1980 年代初台灣與中國的關係。雙方都不想透過「官方」會談或交流承認對方的合法性，因此郵政、航班的聯繫以及兩岸相隔數十年的家人團聚等想法都難以推動。但就在 1986 年，由空軍 U2 偵察機飛行員轉任的中華航空機長王錫爵幹了一件不可思議的事——劫持自己駕駛的貨機並將其飛往廣州，也為兩岸關係帶來改變的契機。重要單字：defect、assume。 主持人簡介： Eryk Michael Smith－ICRT南臺灣特派員，長期從事記者採編工作、聲音編輯，也會客串DJ。現居高雄，在臺灣已經居住了接近30年，認為臺灣是自己的家。 Eric Hsu（徐葆權）－彰化北斗人，從大學南漂高雄以來，人生的大部分時間都在高雄渡過。關心臺灣文史與地方文化發展，尤其是自己的兩個家鄉：北斗與高雄。

Drawing on an account never before told in English, we visit Taiwan in the company of French war correspondent Reginald Kann. Upon his arrival in Taihoku (Taipei), he hurries down to the city of Chiayi to investigate the aftermath of the massive 7.1 magnitude Meishan Earthquake of March 17, 1906. Kann reports on the damage and the relief efforts being carried out by Taiwan's relatively new Japanese masters. He gives us a fascinating look at the disaster (which took 1,258 lives) and also...

Taiwan is in mourning for those lost or injured by the huge earthquake that happened on the morning of April 3rd, 2024. In this short special episode, we hear John Ross' feelings about the earthquake which this latest one is being compared to: 921, or, the quake of September 21st, 1999, which claimed the lives of several thousand people. In our sadness for those affected, it's good to remember that we've been here before, and came out stronger. The 921 earthquake taught many lessons that very...

In the previous episode, we told you how these three rather stunning neo-classical Chinese buildings came to exist. This week, we’re looking at them through a “culture and society” lens. The massive statue of Chiang Kai-shek remains on its pedestal at the CKS Memorial Hall. A place built to venerate a dictator, however, became the site of the Wild Lily protests demanding a democratic Taiwan in 1990, the year after tanks answered calls for freedom in a square in Beijing. We’ll look at what the...

China-born architect Yang Cho-cheng 楊卓成 (1914-2006) left his magnificent mark on Taiwan with the CKS Memorial Hall, and the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH) among his greatest masterpieces. This week, we’ve got part one of the story of how a classical Chinese-style trilogy of buildings came to stand in the heart of Taipei City. Pics and more at ⁠formosafiles.com⁠

People do indeed marry ghosts in Taiwan! Formosa Files does not mean to mock or in any way be disrespectful to local traditions. Instead, we hope this episode’s two main ghost stories – one (probably) a tall tale – and the other a true story of a man taking a ghost bride, will offer listeners important insights into Taiwanese culture, belief systems, folk religion, and ideas about family, and filial piety. More common in yesteryears, but ghost marriages remain part of local traditions into...

In the summer of 1973, a young Mike Chinoy finagled his way onto one of the earliest trips of civilian Americans to “Red China.” He would later become CNN’s China correspondent – moving to the PRC in 1987 – and became famous as he reported live on the infamous events that transpired in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 4th, 1989. Chinoy is in Taiwan for an extended stay, working on a documentary project. In this week’s interview episode, hear Chinoy tell Formosa Files about his...

Gyalo Thondup རྒྱལ་ལོ་དོན་འགྲུབ has had a very interesting life. Born in 1927, he’s the second-eldest brother of the current (and 14th) Dalai Lama. Brother Thondup has long been an unofficial envoy for the Tibetan leader-in-exile, and in May 1950, Gyalo Thondup became the first “officially acknowledged” Tibetan to visit Taiwan since 1949. What was he doing here? Why Taiwan? What were then-president CKS's feelings about Tibet? Find out in this week’s Formosa Files episode.  See pics and more...

Twenty-five young women and girls drowned after a severely overloaded ferry capsized in 1973. The deaths spurred changes in public transport safety in Kaohsiung, and the victims became part of a social debate over women's rights.  Photos and more at formosafiles.com

Did you know: In 1920, ROC founder Sun Yat-sen wrote a letter in support of Israel’s nationhood aspirations? And, the ROC govt in Nanjing was the first Asian state to recognize the State of Israel in 1948? Israel was the first non-communist nation to recognize the People's Republic of China? However: Israel and the PRC only set up official relations in 1992, and a year later opened a trade office/de facto embassy in Taiwan.  Taiwan sought Israel’s help with atomic-related...

Welcome in the Year of the Dragon with this encore of a classic episode from Season Two. Eryk claims all Taiwanese/Chinese holidays are based on sad stories filled with misery, terror, and death. John disagrees. And so the two go over the major holidays celebrated here, and, well, you be the judge of who wins this argument. Also, we cover holidays that used to be part of our calendar, until we had to give them up in exchange for two-day weekends.  AND, a very Happy New Year from Formosa...

In the left corner, mega-multinational corporation DuPont. In the right corner, farmers from central Taiwan’s Lugang 鹿港. Ready? Fight!! To open Season Four, we have a David vs. Goliath story, made more complicated by the fact that the Davids in this tale weren't sure what weapons they could get away with using. Taiwan was changing fast in 1986, but it was still under martial law, and protests were often dealt with harshly. DuPont, a huge American company, wanted to build a chemical plant in...

1958. Just 66 years ago, yet Taiwan back then was like a completely different country. There was no television, but there were Russian-language radio broadcasts to Siberia. Eryk and John share nuggets from a 1959 ROC booklet, “101 Questions about Taiwan,” which proves to be both a humorous and fascinating time capsule of facts and stats. Enjoy this journey back to the year 1958, when sugar dominated exports, and Taiwan manufactured 93 jeeps!  Visit formosafiles.com for links, pics, and more.

Linda Arrigo has been in Taiwan for many years, working as a human rights activist, as an important member of the early team of fighters who risked life and limb for a democratic Taiwan, and more recently, worked with the Taiwan Green Party on environmental issues such as stopping NPP4. She's also taught in local universities as a professor. Her Ph.D. thesis (1996) was on land  ownership inequality in pre-1949 China, a topic she started working on in 1975 during early graduate study -- but...

Shih Ming-teh 施明德 died on the morning of his 82rd birthday, January 15th, 2024. This Taiwan democracy champion spent a combined 25.5 years in Taiwanese prisons for “sedition;” what the one-party state called his activism. Shih would live to see Taiwan blossom into a free society, and received recognition for his role in the long, hard fight. But in the last decades of his life, Shih's reputation took a beating - leaving a stain on his legacy. Despite this, “Nori,” as he was called by friends...

Nancy Chen Baldwin's early life – when she was sold by her parents to a bargirl for US$100 – might sound like something out of a novel set in the Middle Ages. But the old practices of selling, “lending,” giving, and unofficial adoption of children persisted in Taiwan until relatively recent times. Nancy, in many ways, was one of the lucky ones; she wasn't sold to a brothel, as some other young girls were back in the post-war years when Taiwan was desperately poor. But her tale of suffering,...

“Blatant sex capital of Asia, where vice is legal and the price is right,” was how one book described Taipei in 1969. Listen as Taipei-based journalist David Frazier takes us through the history of Taipei’s first foreign-oriented red light district, an area of girlie bars and nightclubs that was, and still is, known as the “Combat Zone.” Frazier explains how this infamous entertainment zone formed around nearby US military bases, the history of prostitution in modern Taiwan, and how a bar...

National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) PhD candidate Angel B. Menéndez came to Taiwan from his native Guatemala on a full scholarship provided by the Taiwan government. For Taiwan, this was a wise financial choice as Menéndez first studied mechanical engineering, then Mandarin, and then became involved in the historic achievement of a Taiwanese space program; not with the official Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), but with a team of researchers at Tainan's NCKU. In 2017, they put a “nanosatellite”...

December 25th. A special day celebrating the birth of... the Constitution of the Republic of China. Once a holiday that rather conveniently overlapped with Christmas, today you don't get the day off in Taiwan. So, to relieve the pain of being forced to work on Christm... um... Constitution Day, John and Eryk bring you some festive cheer by recounting the history of the ROC Constitution, examining each and every amendment, and reading it in the original Mandarin. Just kidding. John gives Eryk...