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Children’s Association Holds Benefit Concert

·December 23, 2022·1 min read

The Taiwan Light Children Association will be holding a Christmas concert at the Central Petroleum Company’s Kuo-kuang Theater tomorrow night. The concert aims to have 250 in attendance, with tickets priced at 1,000 NT. The main performers for the event will be songwriters and performers Chang En and Gui Yao. Read More

Open-Chan Proves the Latest Taiwanese Balloon Float to Spectacularly Explode

English Life

·December 20, 2022·2 min read

A balloon float featuring 7/11 mascot Open-Chan that broke away from its tethers, flew away, and then exploded has become the object of numerous memes online Read More

An Elegaic Tale of the Cold War Past in Taiwan: A Review of Lily Narcissus

Books English

·December 17, 2022·3 min read

Jonathan Lerner's Lily Narcissus is an elegiac novel, reflecting on a period of history long gone Read More

Mutual Aid in Late Capitalism: Bad Times Disco’s Upcoming Screening of “Migrant Workers Rise” and Fundraiser

English Interviews Music

·December 13, 2022·8 min read

Brian Hioe spoke to Ani Hao, who DJs as Ani Phoebe, and is a writer, feminist media strategist, as well as one of the founders of Bad Times Disco and New Wave, about Bad Times Disco's upcoming mutual aid fundraiser for migrant workers this Friday, December 16th at 7 PM in Hong Kong Read More

Are Some Forms of Corruption in Taiwan More Socially Acceptable Than Others?

English Life

·December 9, 2022·2 min read

The popular influencer, bodybuilder Holger Chen, recently raised eyebrows with comments that one in three young people today have gang ties. Read More

Sona Eyambe (伊恩貝)’s Transphobia is Dangerous

English Film Life

·December 6, 2022·5 min read

Several right-leaning foreign national YouTubers have found an audience in Taiwan. They often purport to “explain” the culture of their home countries or Taiwan. Some promote vapid consumerism, an American lifestyle, and play heavily on shock value by making a spectacle of cultural differences. Few, however, are as dangerous as American YouTuber Sona Eyambe (伊恩貝). Eyambe pretends to be impartial and to do “tons of research,” but instead his videos present common far right-wing conservative arguments Read More

“A Light Never Goes Out” Celebrates Hong Kong’s Iconic Neon Signs

English Film

·December 3, 2022·3 min read

"A Light Never Goes Out" is a spirited look into the craftsmen who build and maintain Hong Kong’s iconic neon signs. Though the film’s plot is somewhat boilerplate, it has beautiful cinematography, and demonstrates a genuine love for its subject Read More

What’s in a Sheet of Paper?

English Life

·November 29, 2022·3 min read

China has been rocked by protests in the past days, which have taken place in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and others. The protests, which are broadly against the restrictive measures maintained in China as part of COVID-zero, broke out in the wake of a fire in Urumqi that killed ten and injured nine. The protests have been termed the “A4 Revolution” by some. Namely, protesters have often taken to holding up blank pieces of white paper as part of their protests. This is due to authorities cracking down on signs with slogans on them. Read More

Aesthetics and Politics in 2022 Campaigning

Art English

·November 25, 2022·4 min read

This year's election continued much of the same aesthetic tropes as previous elections. As with past years, it was the DPP that focused on aesthetics that could outreach to young people, and maintained the modernist aesthetic that has characterized pan-Green campaign advertising since the Tsai administration took power. While the KMT has significantly modernized its aesthetic in recent years, it is still the DPP that proved the more experimental in election advertising Read More

Murder, Corruption, and Plagiarism: An Election Cycle Characterized by Scandal

English Life

·November 23, 2022·4 min read

The present election cycle has been, if nothing else, characterized by a great degree of political scandal. Indeed, as a consequence, many races have boiled down to the personalities running for office, rather than their policies. To this extent, both DPP and KMT have sought to leverage on the scandals of the other camp Read More

Who Are This Year’s Fringe Candidates in the Taipei Mayoral Race?

English Life

·November 18, 2022·2 min read

The Taipei mayoral race saw twelve candidates this year. The three serious candidates are, of course, Chen Shih-chung of the DPP, Chiang Wan-an of the KMT, and Vivian Huang of the TPP. It remains unclear as to which of them may win, with a tight three-way race anticipated. At the same time, as the nation’s capital, Taipei often attracts a number of fringe mayoral candidates. This was no different this year, with the views of these candidates on display at the four-hour policy platform held by the Central Election Commission, in which all of the candidates were given thirty minutes to express their views Read More

“Therapy Dogs” Offers a Cleverly Stylized Depiction of High School

English Film

·November 16, 2022·3 min read

Therapy Dogs is a creatively stylized take on high school, following two friends in their senior year. Though the film is unlikely to appeal to all viewers, given its deliberately disjointed narrative, it manages to capture something of the nihilism–and violence–of wayward teenagers Read More