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Shih Ch’ien: Taiwan’s “Father of Beggars” – S5-E43
Season 5 Episode 43
Shih Ch’ien (施乾) is a young, well-educated Taiwanese man with a coveted government job in the Japanese colonial administration. But he turns his back…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
War Against Wuxia: Jin Yong, Banned Books, and Taiwan’s “Rainstorm Project” – S5-E42
Season 5 Episode 42
Wuxia (武俠) novels are martial-arts stories full of swordsmen and swordplay, secret techniques, and chivalrous outlaws. Think Robin Hood crossed with …
2 months ago
Opium Paste and Stamped Silver: Early Japanese Rule in Taiwan – S5-E41
Season 5 Episode 41
When Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895, it inherited a financial mess: a chaotic mix of chopped silver, copper cash, and foreign coins. The new co…
2 months, 1 week ago
AUDIO ONLY - Taiwan’s Funeral Strippers: “Dancing for the Dead” – S5-E40
Season 5 Episode 40
THIS IS AUDIO-ONLY. A LONGER VIDEO VERISON IS AVAILABLE.
This episode may not be suitable for minors.
Yes, funeral strippers are real, and their sto…
2 months, 2 weeks ago
Taiwan’s Funeral Strippers: “Dancing for the Dead” – S5-E40
Season 5 Episode 40
Note: This episode may not be suitable for minors.
Yes, funeral strippers are real, and their story is far more complicated than the headlines. With …
2 months, 2 weeks ago
Shulinkou Air Station – Part 3: Taiwan and the Gulf of Tonkin – S5-E39
Season 5 Episode 39
We end our Shulinkou trilogy by tying together the surprisingly interconnected Taiwan–U.S.–Vietnam story. It’s July 1964, and two U.S. Navy destroyer…
2 months, 2 weeks ago
Shulinkou Air Station – Part 2 – S5-E38
Season 5 Episode 38
We continue the story of the Shulinkou Air Station and the American military in the early 1960s. We tackle Taiwan’s infamous gravel-truck killers (ur…
2 months, 3 weeks ago
Shulinkou Air Station – Part 1 of 3 (early 1960s) – S5-E37
Season 5 Episode 37
It was one of Taiwan’s most secretive Cold War outposts: Shulinkou Air Station (樹林口空軍情報站), a joint-service U.S. intelligence base perched on a misty …
3 months ago
Special Episode: A Farewell to Dr. Chen Yao-chang, and a Look at His Novel “Three Tribes”
Season 5
Pioneering researcher, physician and historical novelist Dr Chen Yao-chang passed away at the age of 76 on November 17. He will be deeply missed by f…
3 months, 1 week ago
Unfinished Projects – unbuilt buildings, unfilmed films, unrealized dreams – S5-E36
Season 5 Episode 36
Ever taken Kaohsiung’s cable car across the harbor, had fun at Chiayi’s Universal Studios theme park, marveled at Taiwan’s Statue-of-Liberty-style gi…
3 months, 1 week ago