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- vor 3 Tagenletzte Folge
Formosa Files is the world's biggest and highest-rated Taiwan history podcast. We use an engaging storytelling format and are non-chronological, meaning every week is a new adventure - and, you can just find a topic that interests you and check out that episode...skip stuff that isn't your thing. The hosts are John Ross, an author and publisher of works on Taiwan and China, and Eryk Michael Smith, a journalist for local and global media outlets. Both Ross and Smith have lived in Taiwan for over two decades and call the island home.
Email: formosafiles@gmail.com
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Chen Cheng: The Governor, Premier, and VP Who Helped Remake Taiwan – S6-E33
Chen Cheng (陳誠) was one of the most powerful figures in postwar Taiwan, serving as provincial governor, premier, and vice president under Chiang Kai-shek. A career soldier who became a reluctant politician, he helped stabilize Taiwan’s econ
Songshan Airport: Ninety Years in the Heart of Taipei – S6-E32
Opened by the Japanese in 1936, Taipei's Songshan Airport has witnessed wartime bombing raids (by aircraft piloted by both Soviet and American pilots), Cold War diplomacy, and tearful family farewells. During the Cold War, it welcomed some
Lin Yutang: The Importance of Living – and Coming Home to Taiwan – S6-E31
Writer, philosopher, linguist, inventor – Lin Yutang (林語堂) was one of the most famous Chinese intellectuals of the twentieth century, and for decades one of the people most responsible for explaining Chinese culture to English-speaking read
Abacus: A Grandfather’s Journey from China to Taiwan – S6-Bonus
When his grandfather died during the COVID pandemic, Hudson Wei realized how little he knew about the man who had raised him. Determined to uncover his story, he interviewed relatives, pieced together family memories, and eventually turned
Andō Momofuku: Was the Inventor of Instant Noodles Taiwanese? – S6-E30
Andō Momofuku is a household name in Japan, celebrated as the inventor of instant noodles. But his story actually begins in Puzi, a small town in southern Taiwan, where he was born Wu Baifu in 1910. John is joined by Tom Gibb, a Japan-based
Taiwan at the Asian Games – and the World Games Triumph of 2009 Asian Games – Snack 10
NOTE: People not using Spotify can watch this video on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adsj3koRDqc). As the 2026 Asian Games in Japan come to a close, Eryk and John look back at Taiwan’s sporting struggles and successes in Asia. Wh
Cheng Feng-hsi: A Boat in the Vast Ocean –S6-E29
Born into a poor farming family in coastal Yunlin County in 1944, Cheng Feng-hsi 鄭豐喜 (Zhèng Fēngxǐ) was severely disabled and spent much of his childhood crawling rather than walking. His early years included travelling with an elderly medi
Tyrel Eskelson’s Taiwan 22: Travels in Paradox – S6-E28
What happens when curiosity about Taiwan turns into something of an obsession? Canadian academic Tyrel Eskelson, who lives in Japan, set out to understand an island nation that kept appearing in the international news. The result was months
Ballots and Missiles: Taiwan’s First Presidential Election (1996) – S6-E27
Eryk and John look back at Taiwan’s first direct presidential election: the protests and constitutional reforms that made it possible, Lee Teng-hui’s controversial visit to Cornell University, and the Chinese missile tests that turned an el
VIDEO - Ballots and Missiles: Taiwan’s First Presidential Election (1996) – S6-E27
NOTE: We know non-Spotify users may not be able to view this from here, but the program is also available on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIkFhgvJ-gY). Thanks. Eryk and John look back at Taiwan’s first direct presidential electi
The History of Comic Books in Taiwan – S6-E26
John is joined by writer, artist and comics enthusiast Ray Hecht for a journey through Taiwan’s manga history. This story is sometimes reduced to Japanese comics and their Taiwanese spinoffs. Ray and John, however, get into the forgotten in
REMASTERED AUDIO: Colonial Tourism - Japanese Visit their Model Colony, While Tokyo Brings Indigenous Taiwanese to “The Motherland” to Show Off “Civilization” - S2-E35
We travel back to 1920s Taiwan, first in the company of Terry’s Guide to the Japanese Empire and then follow a Tokyo travel bureau itinerary for Japanese tourists to the island. Ride the rails with us as we visit Shinto shrines, sugar facto
Drones: From Toys to Weapons, with Bryce Barros – S6-E25
Defense analyst Bryce C. Barros tells Formosa Files about M.I.T. drones and their surprising connection to Taiwan's remote-controlled toy industry. Before China became the "world's factory," Taiwanese companies emerged as major manufacturer
VIDEO - Drones: From Toys to Weapons, with Bryce Barros – S6-E25
Apple Podcast users will need to visit YouTube to view this. Defense analyst Bryce C. Barros tells Formosa Files about M.I.T. drones and their surprising connection to Taiwan's remote-controlled toy industry. Before China became the "world'
TAIWAN IN TIME VIDEO - The Keelung Ghost Festival
We understand that APPLE Podcasts is not showing these videos. We will try to fix this issue, but in the meantime, they can be seen on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@formosafilespodcast2023/videos). Here is the link (https://www.youtube.
The 1652 Revolt: The Guo Huaiyi Rebellion – S6-E24
John is joined by writer and historian Scott Crawford to recount the bloodiest episode in the history of Dutch Formosa. A revolt, led by Guo Huaiyi, resulted in the deaths of several thousand Chinese. We look at what drove farmers to rebell
VIDEO - WHO WAS TAIWAN'S FIRST OLYMPIAN? feat. Taiwan in Time
This is a test video to see how it works on Spotify and Apple. These shorts can also be found onYouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Uyl4YygG8). Created with Han Cheung (https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2026/03/08/200385
VIDEO EXTRA - Taiwan’s Motorcycle Daredevil: Lu Ch’ing-an (呂慶安)
We covered this story in a previous episode. But we recently made a video about it for the Chinese podcast, so we added an English voiceover and are offering it as a video extra. Enjoy. Full story podcast episode link: Taiwan’s Motorcycle D
Bits and Pieces: Patriots, Traitors and New Plum Rain Press Books – S6-E23
The 1683 Battle of Penghu is over, but there’s plenty more to say after our last episode. Eryk reads some victory poetry by the Kangxi Emperor. John is not a fan. We then turn to changing ideas of patriotism. Why have some Han Chinese natio
The 1976 Double Ten-Day Bombings – S6 [Bonus]
CORRECTION: This episode originally said Wang Sing-nan was currently serving as a legislator. This was an error. Wang retired in 2012. We regret the mistake and we appreciate Steven Crook for pointing it out. -------------------------------
VIDEO - The 1976 Double Ten-Day Bombings – S6 [Bonus]
CORRECTION: This episode originally said Wang Sing-nan was currently serving as a legislator. This was an error. Wang retired in 2012. We regret the mistake and we appreciate Steven Crook for pointing it out. -------------------------------
VIDEO - 1683: The Battle of Penghu – S6-E22
AI images used are illustrations and most are not historically accurate. In July 1683, more than 400 warships clashed around the Penghu Islands in one of the greatest naval battles in Chinese history. Qing admiral Shi Lang had come to destr
1683: The Battle of Penghu – S6-E22
In July 1683, more than 400 warships clashed around the Penghu Islands in one of the greatest naval battles in Chinese history. Qing admiral Shi Lang had come to destroy the last major stronghold of Ming loyalist resistance: the Zheng regim
Taro Ice, Turnips and Pig’s Feet: Eating with President CCK – S6-E20
Long before social media, Taiwan had an unlikely food influencer: Chiang Ching-kuo (CCK), son of President Chiang Kai-shek. During his frequent inspection tours around the island in the 1970s and 1980s (as premier and later president), CCK
VIDEO - Taro Ice, Turnips and Pig’s Feet: Eating with President CCK – S6-E21
NOTE: Shorter, audio only version also available Long before social media, Taiwan had an unlikely food influencer: Chiang Ching-kuo (CCK), son of President Chiang Kai-shek. During his frequent inspection tours around the island in the 1970s
Chen Chu, Part 2: Tragedy, Triumphs, and the Transformation of Kaohsiung – S6-E20
In 1986, after more than six years behind bars, Chen Chu was released on parole. She immediately doubled down on Taiwan’s democratic struggle. In Part Two, we trace her rise from dissident to political heavyweight. We cover her role in foun
Taiwan’s Volunteer Bridge Builders: The Chiayi Ant Army – Snack 09
In 1960s rural Taiwan, crossing a river could be deadly. After children drowned on their way to school, a small group of charity workers in Chiayi decided to act. They had previously provided rice and coffins to the poor. But now they turne
[Encore] Searching for Black Gold in Taiwan – S6
We’ve got a new “snack” for you on Sunday, but today we’re revisiting an episode from 2022. Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s two expeditions of 1852–1854 pried open Japan. Less well known is that one of the American ships visited Keelung in nor
Chen Chu, Part 1: The Prisoner Who Would Lead Kaohsiung – S6-E19
Long before becoming a three-time mayor of Kaohsiung, Chen Chu (陳菊) spent decades in Taiwan’s democracy movement. Born into a farming family in Yilan in 1950, Chen Chu moved to Taipei to attend university, and was soon drawn into the danger
The Princess and the Policeman – S6-E18
In 1911, Baike Daole, the daughter of a powerful Atayal chief in the mountains of central Taiwan, was pressured to marry the Japanese policeman Shimoyama Jihei. Their “strategic marriage” was intended to help Japan control Indigenous commun
