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A Miao Church Choir Thrust into the Spotlight

·April 16, 2022·2 min read

The documentary "Singing in the Wilderness" is a look at a church chorus thrust into China's national stage after fame from participating in a televised singing competition. What makes this chorus especially interesting is that all its members are Miao—one of China's officially recognized ethnic minorities. Unlike the Muslim Uyghurs and Hui or Buddhist Tibetans, the Miao receive little international focus, which makes this documentary especially notable Read More

A Glimpse of Singapore from Afar: A Review of Eternal Summer of My Homeland

Books English

·June 14, 2023·1 min read

Agnes Chew's Eternal Summer of My Homeland, written about the author’s homeland of Singapore while living in Germany, is a capable collection of short stories. Consisting of eleven short stories, the collection is briskly paced given their length Read More

In Search of a Lost Limb

English Film

·September 10, 2021·3 min read

Offering a fluent interplay of the humorous and melodramatic, A Leg is a standout film. A Leg is the directorial debut of Chang Yao-sheng, who penned the script for A Sun, which won Best Film at the 2019 Golden Horse Awards. As such, it may not be surprising that A Leg manages to be a similarly deft work. Chang successfully makes the leap from scriptwriting to directing Read More

“Hotel Saltwater” Depicts Rural Taiwan During the White Terror

English Film

·March 25, 2024·2 min read

In its first two episodes, Hotel Saltwater is a capable enough depiction of the farmers’ movement during the White Terror. In particular, Hotel Saltwater is based on the life and times of farmers’ movement activist and eventual DPP legislator Tai Chen-yao, taking its name from a biography of Tai’s early life Read More

What’s Behind Pingtung County Offering Bounties on Invasive Species?

English Life

·July 23, 2022·2 min read

Pingtung County recently began offering cash rewards for local residents that bring in an invasive vine, as part of an effort to prevent its spread. The vine, Mikania micrantha, is among the world’s 100 most invasive species, and is known for its ability to rapidly spread, even from branchlings, and it smothers native species by blocking access to sunlight Read More

“One Hundred Years and Hope” Profiles the Japanese Communist Party Whilst Avoiding High Drama Or Emotionality

English Film

·February 18, 2023·3 min read

Documentary "One Hundred Years and Hope" offers a capable peek into candidates and campaigns of the Japanese Communist Party Read More

Review: Walking the Crack (在夾縫中行走)

English Life

·January 13, 2023·1 min read

“Walking the Crack” sets out to be a “walk-able” exhibition in some form, citing Michel de Certeau in its abstract. Read More

A Romanticization of Taiwanese Gangster Life

English Film

·September 21, 2021·3 min read

Gatao: The Last Stray is a competent gangster film of its genre, as a prequel and the third of three films in the Gatao franchise. Of course, one would expect a romanticization of gangster life from a film of the genre and, in this respect, Gatao stays the course Read More

Bad Taiwan Takes: Reactions from DC to Lai’s Comments on a White House Visit

English Life

·July 20, 2023·3 min read

A report in the Financial Times earlier this week indicated that some in Washington DC were upset with DPP presidential candidate William Lai for suggesting that one day he hoped to see a Taiwanese president visit the White House. As the same article quoted an official stating that the White House had not been in contact with the Lai campaign over the remarks, those unhappy about Lai’s comments may not be from the White House, but could be from the State Department Read More

“Dear Mother I Meant to Write About Death” Offers a Powerful Look at Mortality and Mother-Daughter Relations

English Film

·July 26, 2023·2 min read

Filmmaker Siyi Chen uses an artistic approach to explore mortality, and her own relationship with her cancer-stricken mother Read More

“Demigod: The Legend Begins” Breathes New Life Into Taiwanese Puppetry

English Film

·August 22, 2022·3 min read

“Demigod” celebrates a mainstay character of renowned Taiwanese traditional puppetry studio Pili Puppetry, and introduces the art form to new audiences Read More

Film Preservation as a Struggle Against Inevitability

English Film

·December 14, 2021·3 min read

Archiving Time, an hour-long documentary on Taiwanese film preservation currently available on Taiwan+, is a well-executed take on what could be a rather cut-and-dry subject. Namely, the film proves an argument for the importance of film preservation, as well as a documentary film that details the process Read More