Podcast Episodes

Made in Taiwan: A Naïve American’s Chaotic Journey to Manhood in an Exotic Culture During Radical Times – Formosa Files chats with Vietnam vet and author TC Brown – S5-E28

Season 5 Episode 28

Bargirls, bar fights, beer, and bong hits – yes, those topics are covered, but this interview features much more than salacious tales. TC Brown, who first came here at the age of 18, served in the U.…

Published on 7 hours ago

CCK: The Largest U.S. Military Base in Taiwan During the Vietnam War – S5-E27

Season 5 Episode 27

With sprawling 1,750-acre grounds and a record-setting 12,000-foot runway, CCK stood as America’s most significant Taiwan base during the Vietnam War. At times hosting as many as 8,000 U.S. troops, C…

Published on 1 week ago

Miss Universe 1988 – Live from Taipei: Taiwan’s Record That Will (Probably) Never Be Broken – S5-E26

Season 5 Episode 26

Long before 1988, Taiwan’s beauty pageants had been mired in rumors — winners accused of marrying into political dynasties, whispers of contests doubling as “wife buffets” for the elite, and governme…

Published on 2 weeks ago

Nuclear Power in Taiwan: The Story Behind Saturday’s Radioactive Referendum – S5-E25

Season 5 Episode 25

From Chiang Kai-shek’s nuclear ambitions to the fallout from Chernobyl and Fukushima, Taiwan’s nuclear story has always been controversial. The ROC once came within months of being nuclear-bomb ready…

Published on 3 weeks ago

Operation Ichi-Go: Japan’s Mostly Forgotten Last Big, Born-in-Taiwan War Offensive – S5-E24

Season 5 Episode 24

This episode was released on August 15th, 2025, exactly 80 years after the Empire of Japan unconditionally surrendered to the Allies following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today, we…

Published on 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Chiang Kai-shek’s Secret Coma, and the Cigar-Smoking, Cross-Dressing, Confucian Descendant Ms. Kung — S5-E23

Season 5 Episode 23

In the summer of 1972, Chiang Kai-shek vanished. He missed Double Ten parades. However, Madame Chiang (Soong Mei-ling), and the step-son she loathed (future president Chiang Ching-kuo) carried on as …

Published on 1 month ago

“Lip-Sticked” Taxi Drivers and the Founder of the China Post: A Look at Taiwan’s Women in 1963 — S5-E22

Season 5 Episode 22

Supreme Court judges, bus conductors, chemists, even radio stars — in this episode, we look at how women were making their mark in 1960s Taiwan. Our source is a 1963 issue of the Free China Review, p…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Bits & Pieces - July 2025 - Taiwan’s First Belgian Student, Madame Chiang’s Midlife Canvas, and the Immovable Last Emperor’s Cousin – S5-E21

Season 5 Episode 21

This Bits and Pieces episode blows from here to there—just like Typhoon Danas, which recently battered John’s beloved Chiayi. It’s a little chaotic, a little wild.

We jump from Belgium to Yemen to 19…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Honey Buckets and Whole-Wheat Faith in Free China – S5-E20

Season 5 Episode 20

In this episode, a young American missionary family boards a cargo ship for Taiwan in 1955. What could go wrong? Four weeks, a typhoon, and a customs nightmare later, they arrive in a land where whol…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Seedless Watermelons and a Secret War in the Desert: the Taiwan–Saudi Arabia Story – S5-E19

Season 5 Episode 19

Taiwanese pilots flew combat jets in Saudi uniforms over Arabian skies? Yes. This week, learn about what may seem like an unusual friendship: the close ties between Taiwan and Saudi Arabia. Bonded by…

Published on 2 months ago