Life

Random

Cannabis Decriminalization Advocates Rally on Ketagalan Boulevard

·April 15, 2023·2 min read

Cannabis decriminalization advocates held a demonstration and fair on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building today. Organizers claimed 2,000 were in attendance. While the demonstration was to mark 420, the rally took place instead today because of the weekend. This is the fifth time such a demonstration has been held in Taiwan, with last year’s demonstration called off due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic Read More

A Tale of Two May 4ths

English Life

·May 7, 2021·4 min read

A few years ago during the one-hundredth year anniversary of the May 4th Movement, when members of the pan-Blue camp, along with various Chinese nationalists, were outraged by the Tsai administration instead commemorating the date as “May the Fourth be with You”—Star Wars Day, I guess you could call it Read More

Taiwan People’s Party Wades Into Accidental Expression of Support for White Supremacy

English Life

·August 1, 2023·3 min read

The pan-Blue camp experienced another strange controversy regarding English-language messaging earlier this week when it came to the attention of the Taiwanese public that the website for Ko Wen-je’s TPP featured a slogan that read “Vote White, Vote Right.” Subsequently, podcast program Bailinguo, which focuses on international affairs, honed in on the bizarre optics of the website, which could be interpreted as expressing support for white supremacy Read More

Jiufen Old Street: A 2022 Pandemic Profile from a Taiwanese American Tourist

English Life

·September 21, 2022·8 min read

If you've heard of Jiufen, you might know it is the site of filming for many Taiwanese movies, most notably City of Sadness. You might have heard it has wonderful teahouses, and maybe from a friend you heard to try the taro balls there. But you probably first and foremost know it as where Hayao Miyazaki allegedly drew inspiration from in Spirited Away, the hit animated movie about a girl who loses her parents in the spirit world 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

Perhaps the Confusion is the Point: China’s Strategic Ambiguity in Drills

English Life

·April 13, 2023·3 min read

China continues to present mixed signals after the end of the three days of live-fire drills that it announced on Saturday Read More

Burying Taiwan’s History by Digging It Up

English Life

·November 5, 2021·4 min read

Several dozen people gathered outside of a small temple at the Nanshan Public Cemetery in Tainan on the afternoon of October 15th. The event, which was a guided tour of the cemetery, was organized by a group of local residents and academics who have devoted themselves to calling for the cemetery’s preservation. Namely, the Tainan city government is planning on demolishing the cemetery for redevelopment, though technically the cemetery is undergoing an evaluation as to its cultural value Read More

The KMT Does Not Know How to Wear Pants

English Life

·September 28, 2021·3 min read

The jokes started in 2018 after legislator Apollo Chen and then-chair Wu Den-yih appeared in a publicity photo together, awkwardly posing with their fists. If this wasn’t bad enough their pants went all the way above their waists, in a grandfatherly fashion. The image sparked a seemingly endless number of memes 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

“Life of a Mountain Road Monkey” Phenomenon Reflects Social Inequality

English Film Life

·August 19, 2023·3 min read

A YouTube animation, “Life of a Mountain Road Monkey”, has become a sudden overnight hit in Taiwan. At time of writing, the animation has to close four million views–a figure suggesting that one in six Taiwanese has seen the video Read More

The Many Strangers of Bangka

English Life

·January 5, 2021·4 min read

The thing about living in a city I really love is how many interesting characters there are. And you'll never know them all, no matter how hard you try. Where I live in Taipei—Bangka, the oldest and historically poorest district—has proven especially full of unique characters. All of these people have stories, but I'll never know them all Read More

Glory Holes: Plugging the Gaps in Taiwan’s Latest Military Memorial

Art English Life

·June 7, 2023·4 min read

A review of “The Infinite Glory of the Military Police” in the Songshan Creative Park Read More