Talking Taiwan

On Friday, September 12 at the Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza which is across from the UN Headquarters, in New York representatives from the Taiwan United Nations Alliance or TAIUNA, an NGO from Taiwan, held a press conference urging the UN to include Taiwan in its system. TAIUNA Youth Representatives performed a dance, a white protest of Taiwan’s exclusion from the UN. September is when the UN General Assembly takes place and delegates from TAIUNA have been coming to New York for the past twenty years to call for Taiwan’s membership in the UN. This year is the 80th anniversary of the United Nations and the 80 session of the United Nations General Assembly. The General Assembly High-level Week runs from September 22-30. The following day, Saturday, September 13 was the UN for Taiwan rally and march which has been organized by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York since 1992. The annual press conference and UN for Taiwan Rally are reminders of Taiwan’s long-standing isolation from the international community. Related Links:

Dr. Chen Chien-jen, Former VP of Taiwan Reflects Upon his Life in Politics and as a Public Servant. Felicia Lin has a fascinating discussion with the epidemiologist who was responsible for Taiwan’s zero Covid in 2020.

In this episode of Talking Taiwan we sat down to speak with Eugenie Chao who describes herself as Taiwanese American maker, educator, and musician who works in the intersection of ceramics, sound, and history. Her exhibit at the Taiwanese American Arts Council House 17 on Governors Island aptly named Listening Vessels, features ceramic objects turned musical instruments created by Chao and is on display until September 7th. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What came first for Eugenie music or working with clay? What made her combine ceramics with music? Where did that idea come from? How did she get interested or start working with clay? Eugenie’s musical training and what instruments she plays? What was her early artwork like? How her artwork has evolved over time? What does it mean to work at the intersection of ceramics, sound, and history? What is her creative process is like? How sound affects her artwork? How she decides the size of the objects she creates? The challenges involved with making large scale pieces vs pieces that can be made by hand How does the size of an object affects the sound it makes The ceramic instruments from ancient cultures that inspire her, how she discovered them and what was their purpose What inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration? Eugenie’s connection to Taiwan How Eugenie considers herself a maker and not an artist What can we expect to see and experience from Eugenie’s Listening Vessels exhibit at the TAAC house on Governors Island The most ambitious or challenging piece of work that Eugenie has made How Eugenie deals with a creative block Eugenie’s future projects can we expect to see from you? Related Links:

When we decided to travel back to Taiwan to cover the vote to recall 24 KMT legislators on July 26th we had no idea how things would turn out. The Great Recall (or da ba mian) as it came to be known in Taiwan, was notable not just because it led to a record number of 31 KMT legislators in total being put up for a recall vote. What was most impressive about is that it was a nationwide effort that started at a grassroots level by everyday people. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/3-perspectives-in-taiwan-why-the-great-recall-failed-ep-325/ It’s been incredible to watch everything leading up to the Great Recall. Going back to last May in 2024 during what came to be known as the Bluebird Movement when tens of thousands of people and upwards of 100,000 took to the streets of Taiwan in a series of protests against controversial bills proposed in the legislative yuan. What happened during the Bluebird Movement protests is said to be what in part galvanized citizens to organize the recall campaigns. I can’t deny that our hopes were high for the results of the July 26th recall vote and after we learned that none of the KMT legislators were successfully recalled, we did our best during the remaining days of our time in Taiwan to try to make sense of the results by talking to a number of our friends and peers. What you’ll hear in this episode are some sound bites from conversations we had on July 30th with Rath Wang, Safe Spaces Senior Policy Fellow and Dennis Chen, Chairman of Wikimedia Taiwan. They shared their observations and thoughts on why the recalls failed, the recall campaigners and what the results of the recall vote could mean for President Lai. Later that day I also spoke with Morrison Lee a Taiwanese businessman who went to China on what was supposed to be a 48-hour trip and ended up getting detained and stuck there for nearly 4 years. Morrison talked about his personal involvement in the recall effort also shared his thoughts on why the recall votes failed. As mentioned, recall campaign groups succeeded in putting up a total of 31 KMT legislators for a recall vote. Another 7 legislators will be up for a recall vote on August 23rd. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/3-perspectives-in-taiwan-why-the-great-recall-failed-ep-325/

As part of our great recall coverage in Taiwan, on July 25th the day before the vote to recall 24 Kuomintang (KMT) legislators, we sat down to interview A-Mei the spokesperson for the Shān chú wēi hài (山除薇害) recall group. We talked about why she got involved in the recall effort, how she got doxed by the Kuomintang (KMT) and how the recall effort was supported by overseas Taiwanese in over 38 cities from over 20 different countries. We previously interviewed three recall campaigners from this group- Carol, Eric and Acho in episode 316. We were also with A-Mei and the recall group on the day of the recall vote July 26th to watch the results of the recall vote. Special thanks to Mei-Ling Lin for her translation assistance. Related Links:

This is a part of our continued coverage of Taiwan’s Great Recall. On July 26th, the people of Taiwan voted on whether or not to recall 24 Kuomintang KMT legislators from all across the island. None of the 24 KMT legislators were recalled. This was a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party that could have benefited from a rebalancing of the legislative yuan since it only has 51 of the 113 seats in the legislative yuan or congress. Among the concerns that motivated these civil society recall groups to take action were the unchecked visits of KMT legislators with high level officials in China. In April of 2024 KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi led a delegation of 17 KMT legislators to China where they met with the head of China’s United Front. When asked the delegation has not been transparent about what was discussed in the meetings with Chinese officials. Two days after the recall vote, on July 28th , I sat down with Jiho Chang, Keelung City Councilor who shared how he faced a retaliatory recall by the KMT. He discussed his thoughts on the outcome of the July 26th recall vote and what this means for the DPP. On August 23 another 7 KMT legislators will be put up for a recall vote. Related Links:

Day After Analysis of Great Recall with Dr Linda Gail Arrigo

On July 26 the day of the historic vote to recall 24 Kuomintang (KMT) legislators we were with the Shān chú wēi hài (山除薇害) recall group in Taipei at Rongxing Garden (榮星花園) Rongxing garden, which is more like a park, for a sort of watch party with about a hundred volunteer recall campaigners. The recall vote results were being televised live on a series of oversized screens that had been set up in the park. When we finally learned the results of the recall vote It was a shock. 0 of 24 legislators had been recalled. What a sad, disappointing day. I could see it in the faces of the recall volunteers and at the same time it was touching to see how they consoled each other as some could help but burst into tears. The leaders of the recall group asked everyone to join hands and to form a circle in a sign of solidarity and encouragement Carol and Eric shared their initial thoughts with us. Related Links:

On our first day in Taiwan July 25 we went into the streets of Taipei where recall campaigners from the the Shān chú wēi hài (山除薇害) recall group were doing a last minute push asking people to get out and vote for the recall of 24 KMT legislators on July 26. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/first-day-in-taipei-day-before-the-great-recall-ep-320/ We previously interviewed 3 recall campaigners from this group- Carol, Eric and Acho in episode 316. Eric explaining the meaning behind the recall group’s name. Later that day we sat down to interview A-Mei the recall group’s spokesperson who was doxed by the Kuomintang. We will be releasing our full interview with A-Mei at a later date so stay tuned for that. We ended the night at a recall campaign rally so spirited that you’d never guess that we were all standing in the pouring rain getting soaked. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/first-day-in-taipei-day-before-the-great-recall-ep-320/

Summer is upon us and I’m sure that a lot of our listeners especially those in New York will be happy to know that Taiwanese Waves will be returning to Central Park’s Summer Stage on August 3 at the Rumsey Playfield. Doors open at 5:00pm Since 2016 Taiwanese Waves has introduced Taiwanese music to audiences at Central Park’s Summer Stage. If you’re not familiar with Taiwanese Waves you’re in for a treat. In this episode I sat down with Mia, the main organizer of Taiwanese Waves and we are about to walk through and give you a taste of all of the acts that have performed at Summer Stage in the past nine years. You’ll also get to hear a preview of what to expect at this year’s concert. Related Links:

In late June, we met up with YouTuber Bā Jiǒng (八炯) when he was in New York. If you’re not familiar with Bā Jiǒng you might want to check out 2 of his most popular videos which expose China’s United Front’s tactics to target the Taiwanese and to recruit Taiwanese influencers to attack and spread disinformation about Taiwan. Then you’ll know why he’s had death threats. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/meet-taiwanese-youtuber-ba-jiong-%e5%85%ab%e7%82%af/ Bā Jiǒng is among those spearheading the recall of Fu Kun-chi, the KMT legislator known as “The King of Hualien.” Fu Kun-chi is 1 of 24 Kuomintang KMT legislators who will be up for the mass recall vote in Taiwan on July 26th. To get up to speed on the Great Recall Effort that’s been happening in Taiwan checkout our past 2 episodes 316 and 317. Talking Taiwan is getting ready to head back to Taiwan to cover this historic mass recall vote of 24 KMT legislators, in fact we might already be there by the time you hear this episode. We look forward to having Bā Jiǒng on Talking Taiwan to talk about the recall efforts in Hualien and his videos exposing how the United Front works with Taiwanese influencers Special thanks to Winston Liao for connecting us with Bā Jiǒng. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/meet-taiwanese-youtuber-ba-jiong-%e5%85%ab%e7%82%af/

Political Analyst Courtney Donovan Smith explains the Great Recall, and how it all works.

Have you heard about the great recall movement that's happening in Taiwan? What's it all about? 24 lawmakers or legislators from the Chinese Nationalist KMT party are being put up for a recall vote. I don't think the world has seen anything like this happen on a national level in a democracy. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-great-recall-movement-effort-in-taiwan-boots-on-the-ground-ep-316/ 24 lawmakers are being recalled from office, and that number is likely to be even higher At the time that this podcast episode gets released, it's truly unprecedented. This recall vote certainly didn't happen overnight. It was through dedicated grassroots efforts of the everyday people of Taiwan. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/the-great-recall-movement-effort-in-taiwan-boots-on-the-ground-ep-316/

Julien Oeuillet is an independent journalist, who has produced content for Radio Taiwan International and TaiwanPlus. He is the Founding Editor of IPON the Indo-Pacific Open News. Back in November of 2024 we interviewed Julien about a broad number of topics including: How he is very much at home in Kaohsiung How he got his start in broadcasting and media What he thinks makes a good and bad journalist especially in Taiwan How he focuses on putting a spotlight on Kaohsiung and southern Taiwan through his Radio Taiwan International show, The Voice of South Taiwan His documentary Taiwan’s Little Big Friend about Luthania and its relationship with Taiwan Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Why Julien saw the need to start IPON (Indo-Pacific Open News) Julien’s upbringing How Julien got started in broadcasting and media How Julien was taken under the wing of veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker Philippe Dutilleul How Julien sees himself as a Kaohsiung resident How Julien has seen Kaohsiung transform How Julien thinks that Kaohsiung should receive more international attention Julien’s Radio Taiwan International show, the Voice of South Taiwan What Julien thinks makes someone a good or bad journalist especially pertaining to Taiwan Julien’s thoughts on English and education in Taiwan Julien’s observations on the Taoist nature of people in Taiwan What is Taiwanese identity Julien’s connection to Lithuania Parallels between Lithuania and Taiwan Julien’s documentary, Taiwan’s Little Big Friend If Lithuania will keep its Taiwan Representative Office Julien’s thoughts on China’s fear mongering Related Links:

We recently sat down with Wen-Jen Deng one of the artists in residence at the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s House 17 on Governors Island and Ming Turner, curator of Wen-Jen’s art exhibit :The Embedded Stitch- Contemporary Fiber Art, which is currently showing at Tenri Cultural Institute until June 28th According to Deng’s curator Ming Turner, “Deng is a core member of the influential Taiwanese artist collective, Hantoo Art Group. Her early works were primarily oil paintings which incorporated embroidery and collage using traditional Taiwanese floral fabrics. Deng often draws inspiration from Taiwanese food culture— her earlier pieces explored the island’s distinctive betel nut culture, while more recent works have focused on everyday culinary traditions and the cultural heritage of the Sirayu Pingpu people.” Special thanks to Ming Turner for translation assistance during this interview. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Wen-Jen’s upbringing in Taiwan and how she knew she wanted to be an artist What Wen-Jen thinks an artist’s role in the world is Why Wen-Jen studied art in France and how she was inspired by Marc Chagall How Wen-Jen started off doing oil painting as an artist How Wen-Jen switched from using oil paint as her medium to fiber and textiles How Wen-Jen worked in a textile shop making Chinese dresses while she was a student in France Why her early source of inspiration was food Her series of work that focused on lotus shoes and pig’s hooves (pigs feet), betel nuts, and other everyday Taiwanese cuisine How Wen-Jen discovered her mother’s was from the Siraya tribe during her 2017 residency at Soulangh Cultural Park in Tainan, and that inspired her to move her focus from food to indigenous culture How Wen-Jen learned indigenous weaving techniques How Wen-Jen’s mother was a seamstress but Wen-jen did not pick out any of those skills from her mother How Wen-Jen taught herself to embroider when she was working in the textile shop in France How all of the embroidery and sewing on Wen-Jen’s works are done by hand How in the process of weaving and embroidering Wen-Jen gets in a focused state of meditation The field work that Wen-Jen does related to her artwork Ming shared some of her thoughts on the significance of Wen-Jen’s artwork Wen-Jen’s artwork “Oyster Noodles” which will be on display at the TAAC Governors Island House 17 How Taiwan’s transition from authoritarianism to democracy has impacted artists in Taiwan How artists in Taiwan get funded How Wen-Jen’s sculptural piece which is shaped like the island of Taiwan and shows its topography will be displayed at the TAAC House 17 on June 21 Related Links:

This past Sunday, May 26th we stopped by the annual Passport to Taiwan that’s held in New York City’s Union Square Park. The first Passport to Taiwan was held in 2002 and it’s become the largest outdoor Taiwanese American event in the entire United States. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/passport-to-taiwan-2025-ben-hedges-a-laowais-view-of-china-and-ambassador-lee-of-teco-ep-313/ While there I spoke with the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s (TAAC’s) Executive Director Luchia Meihua Lee, Ambassador Tom Lee of TECO-NY, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, and Ben Hedges, host of Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo also known as the A Laowai's View of China & Taiwan YouTube channel. Passport to Taiwan is a celebration of Taiwanese art, culture, music, community, and of course food. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · The Taiwanese American Arts Council’s (TAAC’s) house on Governors Island, House 17 is twice the size of last year’s house · The theme of the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s (TAAC’s) House 17 on Governors Island is Eco Art on Island · How the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s (TAAC’s) House 17 on Governors Island will be open from May 17 to November 2 · Ambassador Tom Lee mentioned this is the first time that TECO-NY (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York) has had a booth at Passport to Taiwan · Ben Hedges, host of the YouTube channel, Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo has emceed Hello Taiwan events · How 7-11 stores in Taiwan sponsored travel videos on Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo’s YouTube channel · How Ben will be relaunching the Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo’s YouTube channel Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/passport-to-taiwan-2025-ben-hedges-a-laowais-view-of-china-and-ambassador-lee-of-teco-ep-313/

Since May is both Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we think it’s fitting to reshare this episode with Jane W. Wang. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/jane-w-wang-navigates-a-multicultural-heros-journey-classic-ep-312/ What we really appreciate about this interview with Jane back in 2021 is how she spoke so openly about how she dealt with her bouts of depression. She also shared how getting back in touch with her roots in Taiwan had a part in leading her to start her coaching practice. While she no longer offers the Multicultural Hero’s Journey course that she refers to in this episode, she is still actively coaching clients. It’s our hope that Jane’s personal story can help destigmatize mental health and create more understanding about the coaching profession. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Jane’s connection to Taiwan How being a third culture kid (TCK) has shaped her identity and life purpose Her career path before becoming a coach Why she wanted to become a coach Her personal journey, the struggles and depression that she dealt with along the way before she became a coach Why she decided not to get a degree in counseling from Columbia University and instead got certified in coaching What is coaching and how it differs from counseling or psychotherapy Jane’s own experiences with coaching, being the person being coached by someone else Jane’s advice on how to pick a coach to work with The challenges Jane faced in becoming a coach The depression and imposter syndrome she experienced in the process of becoming a coach How Jane dealt with her self-judgment and learned to love herself How Jane dealt with three bouts of depression What she learned from going through depression How someone can identify whether or not they themselves or someone they know is experiencing depression How Jane created her Multicultural Hero’s Journey coaching program Who would benefit the most by going through the Multicultural Hero’s Journey coaching program Jane’s advice for people who are interested in becoming a coach What it takes to be a good coach Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/jane-w-wang-navigates-a-multicultural-heros-journey-classic-ep-312/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Few contemporaries are more qualified than Dr. Jerome Keating on understanding the history of Taiwan. He has been living in Taiwan for over 30 years. Initially he came over to Taiwan to work on the MRT. He has written several books about Taiwan. We invited him on to the podcast to talk about this latest book, Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus. Dr. Keating also reflected on how Taiwan has changed in the past 30 years, and we discussed things past and present including Taiwan·s complicated international status, amendment of the constitution, changing the official name of Taiwan (which is the Republic of China) and redesigning the passport and flag of Taiwan. In part two of our interview, Dr. Keating will talk about his other writings, what he plans to write next, and how the owners of a popular New York-based Taiwanese American restaurant sought his advice before opening their restaurant. CORRECTION: At the 14:40-minute in the interview, Dr. Keating remarks, ·We are 75 years at the end of World War I.· What he meant to say is that, "We are 75 years at the end of World War II." Here·s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What motivated Dr. Keating to write his latest book, Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus Who the book was intended for and who Dr. Keating writes for How Taiwan has changed in the last 30 years The semi-martial-like atmosphere of Taiwan when Dr. Keating arrived in 1988 Keating·s first book Island in the Stream and what motivated him to write it What intrigues Dr. Keating about Taiwan as a subject matter How the San Francisco Peace Treaty (signed in 1951) left Taiwan in a limbo status How the US position on Taiwan 75 years after World War II is still undecided The circumstances surrounding ·Taiwan· aka the Republic of China losing its seat in the United Nations in 1971, which included a proposal to have 2 Chinas in the United Nations The Republic of China and People·s Republic of China·s claims on China How Taiwan has never had a seat in the United Nations The Republic of China framework and constitution that Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang brought to Taiwan Keating·s thoughts on amending Taiwan·s constitution Changing the official name and flag that represent Taiwan Submissions for the new Taiwan passport cover design The Taiwan Civil Government wanting to make Taiwan the 51st state of the United States How Dr. Keating sees Taiwan·s future Related Links: Dr. Jerome Keating·s website: http://jeromekeating.com Dr. Jerome Keating·s books: Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus: http://www.smcbook.com.tw/smc/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=61651&search=Taiwan+The+Struggle+Gains+Focus Island in the Stream: http://www.smcbook.com.tw/smc/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=55&search=island+in+the+stream Taiwan, the Struggles of a Democracy Taiwan, the Search for Identity The Mapping of Taiwan, Desired Economies, Coveted Geographies The Paradigms that Guide Our Lives and Drive Our Souls Ma Ying-jeou (former President of Taiwan): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Ying-jeou The Sunflower Movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_Student_Movement Submissions for the new Taiwan passport cover design: https://taiwanpassport.tw/publish_page/international_standard/page=1 The winning design for Taiwan·s new passport cover: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/03/taiwan-demotes-republic-of-china-reference-on-new-passports?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR1Kr3MQb9g2-xXto_udk7Sbez0v5gSTFvxqeT0eZOscdvfxywHhukTmAxE San Francisco Peace Treaty: http://www.taiwandocuments.org/sanfrancisco01.htm About the Taiwan Civil Government: https://international.thenewslens.com/article/85225

Last year I came across an article in the Gothamist titled, A Taiwanese food crawl in the East Village with NYC writer Cathy Erway. I have of course heard of Cathy Erway and her cookbook and thought to myself, Why haven’t I had her on Talking Taiwan as a guest yet? For those of you who aren’t familiar with Cathy’s work, she is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and author based in New York City. Her cookbooks include The Food of Taiwan: Recipes From the Beautiful Island and Win Son Presents: A Taiwanese American Cookbook. Her cookbook, The Food of Taiwan which was published in 2015 is the first cookbook from a major U.S. publisher to explore the food culture of Taiwan from home-style dishes to authentic street food. We talked about how publishers rejected the cookbook at first and how it eventually got published. She also has a Facebook page called The Food of Taiwan, and if you’re a Taiwanese food lover, I highly recommend liking and following it. On the page, Cathy shares news about Taiwanese food like where to get the best Taiwanese food in and out of Taiwan, and new Taiwanese restaurant openings. Cathy Erway’s journalism has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Eater, Grub Street, T: The New York Times Style Magazine and more. She is a columnist at TASTE, and received the James Beard Award for Home Cooking journalism in 2019. In 2021, she received the IACP Culinary Award for her column. This episode is part of the trailblazing Taiwanese women's series sponsored by NATWA the North America Taiwanese Women's Association, which was founded in 1988. To learn more about NATWA visit their website, www.natwa.com. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Cathy started off writing a blog called Not Eating Out in New York, which led to her first book, The Art of Eating In Cathy’s cookbook The Food of Taiwan The article in the Gothamist about Taiwanese restaurants in the East Village Cathy’s Facebook page The Food of Taiwan How Cathy has had a Google alert set on the term Taiwanese food for 20 years How things have changed in the 10 years since The Food of Taiwan was published How the owners of Taiwanese restaurants in New York City (Win Son, 886, and Ho Foods) are all friends How Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry has contributed to the interest in Taiwanese cuisine How Cathy learned to cook and her parents’ cooking styles How Cathy’s family is foodies Cathy’s connection to Taiwan What went into creating The Food of Taiwan How the photography of The Food of Taiwan was an important part of the cookbook How The Food of Taiwan got rejected by several publishers How The Food of Taiwan is a snapshot of all the foods in Taiwan including home-style foods and street food, up to 2015, the year it was published How The Food of Taiwan includes foods that are unique to Taiwan How the recipes in The Food of Taiwan suggests substitutions for certain ingredients that might be hard to find How Cathy met Josh Ku and Trigg Brown of Win Son How Cathy collaborated with Josh Ku and Trigg Brown of Win Son on Win Son Presents a Taiwanese American Cookbook How hard it was to convince the editor to publish The Food of Taiwan Other Taiwanese cookbooks that have been written by Clarissa Wei, Frankie Gaw, Tiffy Chen, and George Lee How Cathy is working on an article about the frozen dumpling business for Taste Topics that Cathy writes about like how tamari is a different product in Japan vs. the U.S. Té Company tea house in the West Village, Yumpling restaurant in Long Island City, Ho Food restaurant in the East Village Cathy’s favorite Taiwanese dish is sān bēi jī (three cup chicken) How Taiwanese breakfast foods are now available at Win Son Bakery and Ho Foods Related Links:

It’s about a month after 228, an important date in Taiwan’s history, marking the 228 Massacre. 228 stands for February 28 1947. February 28th is now commemorated as a national holiday in Taiwan known as the 228 Peace Memorial Day. For this year’s 228 episode, we wanted to release my interview with Nâ Sū Phok (藍士博), the Executive Director of the 228 Memorial Foundation in Taiwan. Last July 2024, I sat down with him at the Taiwanese American Conference at West Chester University about his work for the 228 Memorial Foundation. You may be wondering why we are sharing this episode a month later. Since Sū Phok spoke in Taiwanese Hokkien during the interview, it required translation from Taiwanese into English, and that took a bit longer than anticipated. Secondly, 228 is not a single date in history, subsequent events after February 28th lasted beyond and into March leading to what some refer to as the March Massacre. Here’s a brief summary for those unfamiliar with the 228 Massacre. The first thing to know is that like most significant events in history, they do not just take place on a single date. There are usually circumstances and other happenings that lead up to the date in history. Two years before the 228 Massacre in 1945, at the end of World War II, the Chinese Nationalists (aka the Kuomintang/KMT) had fled from China to Taiwan bringing with them the Republic of China framework. Since then, tensions had been mounting for quite some time. In the case of the 228 Massacre, there were conflicts and protests that began much earlier, leading up to what happened on the night of February 27th, 1947 when Tobacco Monopoly Bureau agents tried to confiscate contraband cigarettes from a 40-year-old woman and brutally knocked her out. When an angry crowd gathered in protest, one of the agents fired a shot into the crowd killing a bystander. Within 24 hours, by the next day, February 28th, the incident had escalated into bloody violence and massacres. More killings happened in March of 1947, which have led some Taiwanese dissidents to call it the March Massacre. Under the authoritarian Chiang regime, what followed after 228 was 38 years of martial law and the White Terror era. Anyone could be disappeared, executed or worse for just saying or doing the wrong thing, or for what was seemingly wrong in the eyes of the authorities. The people of Taiwan were horrified and terrified. Generations dared not speak of 228. 228 was absent from high school textbooks until relatively recently. Denial, distrust, suppression, and the passage of time have made it hard for many to come to terms with 228. If you’d like to learn more, I invite you to listen to our past episodes about 228 that are listed in the Related Links section below. Special thanks to Mei-Ling Lin for her translation assistance for this episode. This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What does 228 refer to and what is its historical significance Sū Phok’s background and upbringing How Sū Phok first learned about or heard about 228 If Sū Phok has any family members/relatives that have been impacted by or victimized by 228 Why/How did Sū Phok got involved with the 228 Memorial Foundation Where does Sū Phok’s interest in history comes from Why it’s important to preserve history What the 228 Memorial Foundation does How what the 228 Memorial Foundation does is different from what the Transitional Justice Commission does What Sū Phok’s responsibilities are as the Executive Director of the 228 Memorial Foundation What kind of work Sū Phok was doing before working for the 228 Memorial Foundation How the work of the 228 Memorial Foundation has changed since it was founded in1995 Some of the milestones/major accomplishments of the 228 Memorial Foundation News from early 2024 about how Taiwan’s Transitional Justice Commission...