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Taiwan’s First Sex Change (1953-1955) – S6-E17 (Not suitable for minors)
NOTE: This is our first episode to be labeled “explicit,” not due to bad language, but because it includes reasonably direct anatomical references. It may be best not to play this aloud when minors are present. We start with the relatively
Sky Cop TC Brown Returns – S6-E16
TC Brown returns to Formosa Files – and to Taiwan – after 53 years away. A former U.S. Air Force security policeman stationed at CCK Air Base in Taichung for most of 1968-73, TC reflects on his recent trip back (https://www.taipeitimes.com/
The Fake Fishmonger – Snack 08
In the early hours of morning, Eryk and John head to a market in Taichung. Actually, they let Lin Kai-lun do that and all the other hard work. Lin is a third-generation fish seller, whose Chinese-language memoir A Guide to Fake Fishmongerin
Snakes of Taiwan (with Gerrut Norval) – S6-E16
Does a “triangular head” mean danger? Did the wartime Japanese release experimental snakes on Yangmingshan? Do you really collapse after a hundred steps if a hundred-pacer bites you? Herpetologist Gerrut Norval joins John Ross to talk snake
Keelung to Ishigaki Ferry: Taiwan’s Forgotten Yaeyama Stories – Snack 07
To celebrate the new Yaima Maru ferry service (https://yaimaline.com/en/) connecting Keelung with the Yaeyama Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaeyama_Islands), Taiwan’s nearest neighbors, we uncover stories of Taiwanese migrants ther
The Dragon Boat Festival Story: Qu Yuan, Myth, and History – S6-E15
Looking for the true story behind the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Jie)? There’s much more to it than dragon boat races and sticky rice dumplings (zongzi). Many know the standard origin story of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, but Formosa Files
Football in Taiwan: From Missionaries to Mulan – S6-E14
As we head into the 2026 World Cup, we take a look at Taiwan’s surprisingly rich football heritage. Although a minor sport today, there have been periods of intense popularity and success. The soccer story starts more than a century ago wit
The Great Formosa Tsunami Mystery – Snack 06
The disaster was so terrible, so deadly that shocking reports of it reached as far away as Europe; they claimed that in 1782, Taiwan had been devastated by a colossal tsunami. Some accounts said the island had almost disappeared beneath the
VIDEO: Should Taiwan Change its Time Zone? A Chat with Sasha B. Chhabra – S6-E13
Who owns Taiwan’s time? Taipei-based political commentator and author of Formosa Review substack (https://formosareview.substack.com/p/sunlight-is-sovereignty) Sasha B. Chhabra helps us wind back the history of Taiwan’s clocks, from local r
Should Taiwan Change its Time Zone? A Chat With Sasha B. Chhabra – S6-E13
Who owns Taiwan’s time? Taipei-based political commentator and author of Formosa Review substack (https://formosareview.substack.com/p/sunlight-is-sovereignty) Sasha B. Chhabra helps us wind back the history of Taiwan’s clocks, from local r
A German in Dutch Formosa: Caspar Schmalkalden – S6-E12
In the mid-1600s, Caspar Schmalkalden left war-ravaged Europe to work as a soldier and surveyor for the Dutch. After spending time in Brazil, he sailed to Batavia and finally to Formosa, where he lived among Dutch colonists, Chinese settler
Taekwondo in Taiwan: From the Marines to Olympic Gold – Snack 05
Taekwondo may be Korean, but few places have embraced it as enthusiastically as Taiwan. Introduced in the 1960s for the military, the fast-kicking martial art quickly spread to the wider community. Before long, Taiwan had become one of the
The Tanaka Memorial: A Secret Blueprint for World Conquest – S6-E11
In the 1930s, a mysterious document known as the Tanaka Memorial shocked the world. Supposedly written by Japanese Prime Minister Baron Tanaka, it outlined a strategy for conquering Manchuria, China, Southeast Asia, and even the United Stat
Bridges of Taiwan – S6-E10
John Ross and special guest John Groot celebrate the opening of the remarkable Danjiang Bridge in Tamsui (Danshui). They explore the bridges that transformed Taiwan: the Xiluo Bridge over the mighty Zhuoshui River, once the longest bridge i
Chen Shu-chu: Taiwan’s Vegetable Vendor Philanthropist – Snack 04
In this Mother’s Day edition, we celebrate the extraordinary life of Chen Shu-chu (陳樹菊), a humble vegetable seller from Taitung who quietly donated millions of NT dollars to schools, charities, and orphaned children – while continuing to li
Taiwan Ghosts: Haunted Hotels, Trickster Spirits, and Vengeful Widows – S6-E9
Ghosts of all kinds – wandering spirits, water ghosts looking for substitutes, mountain demons, and many more; welcome to the strange supernatural world of Taiwan. Eryk and John, fortified with protective amulets and holy mantras, bravely s
Guns in the Mountains: Taiwan’s Indigenous Firepower – S6-E8
We head into the mountains to tell the story of the deep relationship between Taiwan’s Indigenous communities and firearms. The warriors’ incredible skill and ingenuity with guns enabled them to hold off Qing dynasty forces, Western punitiv
Ping-Pong with Mao in Taiwan: The Chairman (1969) – S6-E7
Join us as we step into the strange Cold War world of The Chairman, a forgotten 1969 spy thriller starring Hollywood great Gregory Peck. The movie, which was partly filmed in Taiwan, is about a scientist sent behind the Bamboo Curtain to st
The Celebrity Forensics Expert: Henry Lee – Part 2 – S6-E6
It’s 1965, and Henry (27) and Margaret (26) Lee have moved to the USA. She’s working as a schoolteacher, and he’s trying to make ends meet however he can, including by washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant and teaching kung fu. After some
Shoes, Graves, and Fingerprints: Henry Lee in Taiwan – Part 1 – S6-E5
To mark the recent passing of Henry C. Lee (李昌鈺) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Lee_(forensic_scientist)), one of the world’s most famous forensic scientists, we examine his extraordinary life. In Part 1, we’re in impoverished postwar
Bonus episode: Taiwan’s Sugar Railways (with Prof. Dafydd Fell) -S6
John talks with Professor Dafydd Fell of SOAS University (https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/dafydd-fell)about "The Twilight Years of Taiwan’s Sugar Railways" (https://www.gjtaiwan.com/new/product/the-twilight-years-of-taiwans-sugar-railways?srsl
Taiwanese Tea in America, American Spies in Formosa – S6-E4
In 1904, colonial Taiwan tried to impress America with oolong tea at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Just five years later, two American spies disguised as South African zoologists were secretly roaming Japanese Formosa – but they weren’t inves
Wasabi – Green Fire from the Mountains – Snack 03
That little green blob of spicy paste beside your sushi and sashimi has an amazing backstory. The notoriously fussy plant is grown in the mountains of Taiwan (special shoutout to Chiayi County). It arrived in Alishan with the Japanese colon
The Extraordinary Life of Huang Chin-tao (Part 2) – S6-E3
Huang Chin-tao (黃金島) was never a household name, but his life story is the story of modern Taiwan. In this concluding episode, we follow Huang from the 2.28 uprising in 1947 as he joins a resistance group led by a rare combination: a Taiwan
Huang Chin-tao: a History of Taiwan Through One Man’s Life (Part 1) – S6-E2
This is part one of the extraordinary life story of Huang Chin-tao (黃金島 Huáng Jīndǎo). In fact, he seemed to live not one life but many; he was a Japanese naval recruit, a combat soldier, a survivor of typhoons and pirates, an armed rebel d
Chopsticks – The “Quick Little Boys” of East Asia – Snack 02
What do Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam have in common? Chopsticks. In the second Formosa Files Snack, Eryk and John explore the cultural story behind one of East Asia’s most iconic everyday objects. Why did chopsticks replace spoo
Taiwan’s Forgotten Horse History: Cowboys, Cavalry, and the Racing Craze – S6-E1
Horses have never played a big role in Taiwan’s history – or have they? Eryk and John start Season Six of Formosa Files and celebrate the Year of the Fire Horse by uncovering a series of surprising equine stories. We have prehistoric horses
The Taiwan "Tugou," or Mountain Dog – Snack 01
Their lineage is ancient. They are loyal, smart, and great hunting companions. But Taiwan’s native dog almost went extinct, and today it’s hard to say how many “pure breeds” are left, if any. These medium-sized dogs, with pointy ears and a
Rambling Review of Season Five, and Introducing the Formosa Files "Snack"
Looking back over S5, the adjective "fascinating" is repeatedly used by both John and Eryk, who struggle for words a bit to describe their gratitude to listeners, our sponsor, and for the honor of having a platform to tell stories and hear
George Kerr and Formosa Betrayed (with Prof. Jonathan Benda) – S5-E52
American George H. Kerr was the most important Western eyewitness and chronicler of the February 28 Incident of 1947, the violent uprising and brutal crackdown that shaped Taiwan’s modern politics and identity. Kerr first lived in Taiwan in
