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Bad Taiwan Takes: Pre-Disaster Tourism in Taiwan

·October 29, 2023·2 min read

A June piece in The Telegraph, on the joys of tourism in Taiwan as it is under geopolitical threat, proves a bizarre exercise in colonial disaster tourism–or pre-disaster tourism, if you would, seeing as there has been no Taiwan contingency as yet Read More

Bad Taiwan Takes: The KMT Attempts to Depict Itself as “Hawkish” on China

English Life

·October 24, 2023·4 min read

A recent article on the Brookings Institution titled “From dove to hawk: KMT’s transformation and the quest for new guardrails in cross-Strait relations”, by Dennis Lu Chung Weng, proves a strange exercise in the KMT’s attempts to depict itself in a positive light to the US. Seeing as the article appeared in the same timeframe as an article by former Sunflower Movement student leader Lin Fei-fan, this seems to be the Brookings Institution’s attempt to present the KMT’s viewpoint Read More

Review: Social Forces in the Re-Making of Cross-Strait Relations

Books English

·October 22, 2023·2 min read

Andrew Beckershoff's Social Forces in the Re-Making of Cross-Strait Relations is a useful look at the backdrop of events that later led to the 2014 Sunflower Movement. Read More

“Fly in Power” Ably Documents the Work of Red Canary Song

English Film

·October 21, 2023·2 min read

Fly in Power documents the work of Red Canary Song, the coalition of Asian and Migrant sex workers and massage workers formed after the death of Yang Song during a police raid in Flushing in 2017. The documentary takes a ground-level look at not only what Red Canary Song does, but also the perspectives of members as to how they understand their work, why they joined, and their backgrounds Read More

What Does A Former Murderer Running for Office (Yet Again) Reveal About Taiwanese Politics?

English Life

·October 18, 2023·3 min read

Although it is not actually the first time that he has run for president, the presidential run of former convicted murderer Lan Hsin-qi has drawn attention in recent days Read More

“And Miles to Go Before I Sleep” is a Powerful Document of Police Brutality Against Migrants

English Film

·October 16, 2023·4 min read

by Brian Hioe 語言: English Photo credit: Film Poster AND MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP proves a powerful document... Read More

Koreeda’s “Monster” Proves a Humanistic Take on Childhood

English Film

·October 10, 2023·2 min read

Monster, Hirokazu Koreeda's latest, is the latest of the esteemed Japanese director’s humanistic takes on family. This time around, however, Koreeda zooms in on the issue of childhood bullying Read More

Review: Lalaland by 1300

English Life

·October 8, 2023·1 min read

Lalaland, by 1300, is a hypnotizing listen. Backed by a thumping backbeat, the track alternates between vocal textures by the members of 1300 in turn. Though clocking in only at three minutes and thirty seconds, the track proves a many-layered one, unfolding through narratively different vocal sections Read More

“Seven Days in Heaven” Blends Youthful and Flippant Rebellion With Distinct Taiwanese Flavor

English Film

·October 5, 2023·3 min read

2010 tragicomedy "Seven Days in Heaven" explores a working-class family’s mourning rites amidst a southern Taiwanese backdrop Read More

Recently Restored “Teenage Fugitive” Peeks Back at Tsai Ming-liang’s Earlier Output

English Film

·October 1, 2023·2 min read

The 1984 Taiwan New Wave film "Teenage Fugitive" was recently restored—and it highlights the earlier style of a young Tsai Ming-liang, who co-wrote its script Read More

Transmasculine Storytelling in Taiwan Reaches New Heights with Gia-Yeh Huang’s 《等一下，我的身分證字號是不是給錯了！？》

Art English

·September 28, 2023·3 min read

《等一下，我的身分證字號是不是給錯了！？》(hereafter referred to as “等一下") is the first part of an autobiographical solo performance trilogy written and performed by Gia-Yeh Huang, the first publicly out trans man in Taiwan to run for office during the 2022 local elections for a Hsinchu City Council seat, and directed and produced by Yu-i Liang. Bringing audiences into Huang’s life story through witty writing and exceptional acting, 《等一下》 opens up new creative space for transmasculine storytelling in Taiwan during an era of increased public engagement on transgender issues. Read More

“She’s Talking in Island” Depicts A Roving Dialog Between Taiwan’s Sunflower Generation and Gen Z

English Film

·September 24, 2023·3 min read

Set mostly in a car driving through Taipei, "She's Talking in Island" pairs a Millennial documentary filmmaker with a Gen Z high school student on a reflection of life and society Read More