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"China’s Backstory: The History Beijing Doesn’t Want You to Read" by Scholar and Podcaster Lee Moore – S5-E51
John talks to Lee Moore about his 2025 book China’s Backstory: The History Beijing Doesn’t Want You to Read, (https://www.unsungvoicesbooks.com/lmoore) which focuses on four important China-related stories that often make headlines: Taiwan,
New Year Special – The Taiwan Joss: The Shadow and the Pirates – S5-E50
新年快樂 (Xīnnián kuàilè) from Formosa Files! As we head into the Year of the Horse, we have something different: pirates in the Taiwan Strait, both factual and fictional. We look at a Japanese woman who became a notorious pirate leader (https:
Wanderings Through Formosa (1898) – Part 3 – S5-E49
In the final episode, the pace picks up as we follow Austrian traveler Adolf Fischer on his 1898 journey through Japanese-ruled Taiwan. He heads into the dangerous hill country of central Taiwan and later gives us some memorably morose line
Wanderings Through Formosa (1898) – Part 2 – S5-E48
In Part 2, we continue in the footsteps of the cultured Austrian traveler Adolf Fischer on his 1898 journey in Japanese-ruled Taiwan. From the commercial enclave of Tōa-tiū-tiâⁿ (Dadaocheng), we cruise downriver to Tamsui (Danshui), meet th
German Wanderings Through Formosa (1898) – Part 1 – S5-E47
The first in a special three-part series, this is a Taiwan travel account never before told in English. Formosa Files has had Streifzüge durch Formosa (https://www.amazon.de/Streifz%C3%BCge-durch-Formosa-Adolf-Fischer/dp/1016895437) (1900)
Taiwan’s Motorcycle Daredevil: Lu Ch’ing-an (呂慶安) – S5-E46
From “Muddy Ditch” in Chiayi County, Lu Ch’ing-an (1944–2011) rose to national fame as Taiwan’s Father of Motorcycle Stunts. The story starts with an apprenticeship at a local scooter repair shop, where the mechanically gifted boy fell in l
The CIA Plan to Remove CKS (Part 2): S5-E45
The Cold War is heating up as the CIA continues to build a “Third Force” – a democratic alternative to both Mao’s Communists and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists. A secret army is being trained on the islands of Okinawa and Saipan. But when t
The CIA Plan to Remove President Chiang Kai-shek (Part 1): S5-E44
Standard histories tell us that after fleeing to Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek became America’s staunch Cold War ally – an immovable figure with an iron grip on Fortress Formosa. But behind the scenes, parts of the U.S. government were quietly ex
Ghost of Green Island: the 1937 SS President Hoover Shipwreck [Encore]
The SS President Hoover was a ship ahead of its time, but just seven years after being commissioned, the ship ran aground just off Green Island, which in 1937 was a part of the Japanese Empire. This encore presentation is a riveting adventu
Shih Ch’ien: Taiwan’s “Father of Beggars” – S5-E43
Shih Ch’ien (施乾) is a young, well-educated Taiwanese man with a coveted government job in the Japanese colonial administration. But he turns his back on this comfortable life to live among society’s outcasts. In 1923, aged just 24, he found
War Against Wuxia: Jin Yong, Banned Books, and Taiwan’s “Rainstorm Project” – S5-E42
Wuxia (武俠) novels are martial-arts stories full of swordsmen and swordplay, secret techniques, and chivalrous outlaws. Think Robin Hood crossed with Taoist mysticism and Chinese history. John talks with Taipei-based writer Scott Crawford ab
Opium Paste and Stamped Silver: Early Japanese Rule in Taiwan – S5-E41
When Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895, it inherited a financial mess: a chaotic mix of chopped silver, copper cash, and foreign coins. The new colony also cost far more to subdue and administer than it brought in. Yet during that demand
AUDIO ONLY - Taiwan’s Funeral Strippers: “Dancing for the Dead” – S5-E40
THIS IS AUDIO-ONLY. A LONGER VIDEO VERISON (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txGj2rtxILs) IS AVAILABLE. This episode may not be suitable for minors. Yes, funeral strippers are real, and their story is far more complicated than the headlines.
Taiwan’s Funeral Strippers: “Dancing for the Dead” – S5-E40
Note: This episode may not be suitable for minors. Yes, funeral strippers are real, and their story is far more complicated than the headlines. With anthropologist Marc L. Moskowitz as our guide, we climb aboard Taiwan’s infamous Electric F
Shulinkou Air Station – Part 3: Taiwan and the Gulf of Tonkin – S5-E39
We end our Shulinkou trilogy by tying together the surprisingly interconnected Taiwan–U.S.–Vietnam story. It’s July 1964, and two U.S. Navy destroyers are in Taiwan preparing for an intelligence-gathering mission off the coast of North Viet
Shulinkou Air Station – Part 2 – S5-E38
We continue the story of the Shulinkou Air Station and the American military in the early 1960s. We tackle Taiwan’s infamous gravel-truck killers (urban legend or fact?), get slapped by Typhoon Gloria, and have our duck-hunting excursion in
Shulinkou Air Station – Part 1 of 3 (early 1960s) – S5-E37
It was one of Taiwan’s most secretive Cold War outposts: Shulinkou Air Station (樹林口空軍情報站), a joint-service U.S. intelligence base perched on a misty plateau west of Taipei. Built in 1955, it was a hub for the interception, decryption, and a
Special Episode: A Farewell to Dr. Chen Yao-chang, and a Look at His Novel “Three Tribes”
Pioneering researcher, physician and historical novelist Dr Chen Yao-chang (https://www.kaohsiungtimes.com/dr-chen-yao-chang-pioneer-of-taiwans-bone-marrow-transplantation-dies-at-76/) passed away at the age of 76 on November 17. He will be
Unfinished Projects – unbuilt buildings, unfilmed films, unrealized dreams – S5-E36
Ever taken Kaohsiung’s cable car across the harbor, had fun at Chiayi’s Universal Studios theme park, marveled at Taiwan’s Statue-of-Liberty-style gift to the US (a giant Moon Goddess monument)? Well, no, you couldn’t have because these pro
S5 Bonus: Taiwan and Xu Fu (with Chris Stowers)
Ancient Chinese records tell us that in 210 BC a Taoist priest and alchemist named Xu Fu (徐福) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu_Fu) sailed east to find the elixir of immortality for the despotic Qin Shi Huang. China’s first emperor was obse
Altars and Outlaws: Ben Sando on Taiwan’s Underworld – Gangs, Temples, and Political Influence – S5-E35
We’ll let Benjamin Sando, research fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute (https://globaltaiwan.org/2024/08/taiwans-underworld-part-1/), and our guest for this week’s episode, describe the topic: “From the early days of Han Taiwanese society
“The Eleventh Commandment” – the First Western Movie Shot in Taiwan – S5-E34
This wonderfully weird story is part of our “almost-no-one’s-ever-hear-of-Taiwan-trivia” collection, and man… it’s wild. Plot synopsis: A Cold War warrior movie director makes the first Western film in Taiwan in the winter of 1959/1960. In
Bits & Pieces: “Women of the Orient” and Around the World in a “Half-Safe” Amphibious Jeep (1956) – S5-E33
In this Bits & Pieces episode, John makes Eryk read some cringe-inducing lines from a guide to “the women of the Orient.” Then, they set off on one of history’s strangest adventures: the world-spanning voyage of “Half-Safe,” an amphibious j
From Ashes to Innovation: Japan, Taiwan, and the Spirit of the Osaka Expo of 1970 – S5-E32
In 1968, just 23 years after the end of WWII, Japan became the world’s second-largest economy (and would remain so until 2011, when it was overtaken by China). In 1970, Japan highlighted its rise from the ashes by holding the Osaka Expo (ht
Swearing with Chickens, and other Taiwan Bird Adventures – S5-E31
Inspired by Taichung’s recent hosting of the World Bird Fair, Eryk and John explore Taiwan’s rich avian diversity and look at bird omens, bird gambling, and bird superstitions. Star species make cameo appearances, but it’s the humble chicke
The U.S. Breaks Relations with a Loyal Ally for the First Time in History: Former AmCham Taipei President Robert Parker Tells the Story of “Derecognition” – S5-E30
Everyone knew it was coming, but when U.S. President Carter announced on Dec. 15, 1978 that Washington D.C. was switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in two weeks, both the Taiwanese people and the foreign community (then
Golden Taiwan Travels (1967) – S5-E29
Travel with Eryk and John as they explore Taiwan using the 1967 edition of a long-forgotten guidebook: The Golden Guide to South & East Asia. Taiwan was then a new travel destination full of rewards for the tourist willing to get off the be
The San Cha Mountain 三叉山 Incident of 1945 – Taiwan Marks 80 Years Since Double Tragedy [S5 Reedited Encore]
Imagine you’re an Allied soldier in the Pacific during WWII. You’re captured by the Japanese, survive brutal conditions as a POW, and the dangerous voyage in a “hell ship” to Japan, where you endure more years of captivity. Finally, in Augu
Made in Taiwan: A Naïve American’s Chaotic Journey to Manhood in an Exotic Culture During Radical Times – Formosa Files chats with Vietnam vet and author TC Brown – S5-E28
Bargirls, bar fights, beer, and bong hits – yes, those topics are covered, but this interview features much more than salacious tales. TC Brown, who first came here at the age of 18, served in the U.S. Air Force as a police officer – or “Sk
CCK: The Largest U.S. Military Base in Taiwan During the Vietnam War – S5-E27
With sprawling 1,750-acre grounds and a record-setting 12,000-foot runway, CCK stood as America’s most significant Taiwan base during the Vietnam War. At times hosting as many as 8,000 U.S. troops, CCK was a vital airpower logistics hub. Fr
