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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 of America's most powerful political figures; President Eisenhower landed here to a spectacular welcome in 1960. For decades, Songshan was Taiwan's main international gateway, until the opening of Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (now Taoyuan International Airport) in 1979. It reinvented itself as a busy domestic hub, only to be dealt another blow by high-speed rail. Yet Songshan survived, and today it offers convenient flights to cities in China, Japan, and South Korea. As Taipei once again debates whether to close the airport and redevelop its valuable land, Eryk and John look back at ninety years of aviation history. Image via Japanese travel blog

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 readers. His My Country and My People introduced millions of Western readers to China, while The Importance of Living preached the virtues of leisure, humor and occasionally doing absolutely nothing. After three decades abroad, the Fujian-born Lin came to Taiwan in 1966. In his final years, living in his beautiful Yangmingshan home overlooking Taipei, he wrote about the small pleasures that made his years in Taiwan among the happiest of his life.

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 this into a historical novel, Abacus. Hudson joins John from California to discuss this multigenerational saga. They begin with his grandfather’s journey from war-torn Wuhan, China, to Pingtung, Taiwan, in 1946. They then follow him to Yuanlin in central Taiwan, where he nearly lost his life during the 228 Incident of 1947. Later, in Taipei, he became involved with the mysterious Bai Tuan (White Group), a secretive organization of former Japanese military officers. John and Hudson also discuss immigration to the United States and the complicated family relationships that inspired him to turn his family history into fiction. (BTW, some listeners might know Hudson as Leeway (藍力威) from his time with the Taiwanese-American pop group Cool Silly (傻酷, Shǎ Kù).)

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 translator and author of the cycling travelogue Charinko. Together they unravel the complicated history of the man and his noodles. Going behind the familiar mythology, they explore his Taiwanese childhood, early business career, wartime troubles, an interesting family life (as in multiple wives), business failures, and the experiments that finally produced instant ramen. They also tackle a trickier question: did Andō really invent instant noodles? If you’d like to hear more from John and Tom about Tom’s Japan cycling adventures, you can listen to their two companion conversations: one on the Books on Asia podcast and another on Bookish Asia with Plum Rain Press. The two episodes explore different sides of the journey and of life in Japan. Books on Asia episodeBookish Asia with Plum Rain Press podcast page

NOTE: People not using Spotify can watch this video on YouTube. 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. Who knew that the country has long been a powerhouse in soft tennis and women’s tug-of-war? After multiple unsuccessful bids to host the Asian Games, Taiwan finally had its chance to put on a show: the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. We revisit this breakthrough event, which featured some fascinating sports (anyone heard of korfball or canoe polo?) and plenty of Taiwanese flavor.

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 medicine seller and a performing monkey, and living rough in the countryside. When he finally attended school, he excelled and eventually made his way to university in Taipei, where he studied law and met his future wife, Wu Chi-chao 吳繼釗 (Wú Jìzhāo). The couple returned to his hometown of Kouhu, working  as teachers, while Cheng’s autobiography, A Boat in the Vast Ocean, became a major bestseller. Cheng died in 1975, but his story lived on through a hugely successful film, the foundation established in his name, and the Cheng Feng-hsi Memorial Library in Kouhu. It’s a sad but inspiring story, and also a rare look at one of Taiwan’s forgotten corners (which happens to near John’s home).

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 of travel, hundreds of conversations and his book Taiwan 22, published by Formosa Files’ very own Plum Rain Press. John chats with Tyrel about his travels and his impressions of Taiwan. Along the way, they attend an unusual Indigenous festival in the mountains, visit a Taipei charity helping the homeless, and stand on the frontline islands of Matsu and Kinmen. Tyrel will be in Kaohsiung October 17 for a Taiwan 22 book event. Stay tuned for details.

NOTE: We know non-Spotify users may not be able to view this from here, but the program is also available on YouTube. Thanks. 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 election campaign into the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. On March 23, 1996, with two US carrier groups sent to the region and ROC soldiers on alert, more than ten million Taiwanese went to the polls. The leading candidates were incumbent KMT president Lee Teng-hui and the DPP’s Peng Ming-min, a veteran democracy activist and former political exile. Held in the shadow of PLA missiles, the election was a landmark in Taiwan’s democratization.

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 election campaign into the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. On March 23, 1996, with two US carrier groups sent to the region and ROC soldiers on alert, more than ten million Taiwanese went to the polls. The leading candidates were incumbent KMT president Lee Teng-hui and the DPP’s Peng Ming-min, a veteran democracy activist and former political exile. Held in the shadow of PLA missiles, the election was a landmark in Taiwan’s democratization.

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 influence of Shanghai liánhuán túhuà – “linked-picture” storybooks – in the post-WWII years. Also, central to today’s episode is the humble neighborhood rental bookstore, which put cheap popular reading into the hands of generations of Taiwanese. These books and shops were too popular at times for the government. Censorship and crackdowns were needed to protect the citizens. Enter the Comics Cleansing Movement. And listen and learn why the censors once objected to illustrations of talking animals. We wrap up with a mention of Ray’s anthology Memories of Taiwan: 37 stories about life in Taiwan by 19 artists from around the world. It’s being released with support from a Kickstarter campaign. To learn more about Ray Hecht, visit his Linktree profile. The main source for today was the excellent Taiwan Comics: History, Status, and Manga Influx 1930s-1990s by Lee I-Yun (translated by Timeea Cosobea).

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 factories, former “savages,” and scenic spots (not just any scenic spots but the official “Eight Views of Taiwan”). And we look at perhaps the most interesting aspect of colonial sightseeing: free guided trips to Japan for Indigenous Taiwanese leaders. These propaganda trips were meant to demonstrate why resistance to the Empire was futile, but they were not always home runs.

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 manufacturers of inexpensive toys and electronics during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, producing them for customers globally. The skills in the production of small motors, electronics, and plastics, as well as precision manufacturing, for remote-controlled toy planes, helicopters, boats, and cars would later lay the groundwork for Taiwan's early drone industry, providing the skills and supply chains. But beginning in the 1990s, Taiwan lost ground as manufacturing moved across the Taiwan Strait and China invested heavily in research and development and in large-scale drone production. Chinese companies such as DJI, founded in Shenzhen in 2006, have emerged and now lead China's dominance in the global commercial drone market, holding a lead in military drones as well. With Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 demonstrating the growing importance of inexpensive and attritable unmanned systems to modern warfare, Taiwan has accelerated efforts to build a domestic drone industry, reduce reliance on Chinese components, and incorporate drones into its war plans -- with roots going back to those skills gained from producing remote-controlled toys decades ago.  NOTE: The opinions shared by Mr. Barros are his own and do not reflect existing or previous affiliations.

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's factory," Taiwanese companies emerged as major manufacturers of inexpensive toys and electronics during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, producing them for customers globally. The skills in the production of small motors, electronics, and plastics, as well as precision manufacturing, for remote-controlled toy planes, helicopters, boats, and cars would later lay the groundwork for Taiwan's early drone industry, providing the skills and supply chains.But beginning in the 1990s, Taiwan lost ground as manufacturing moved across the Taiwan Strait and China invested heavily in research and development and in large-scale drone production. Chinese companies such as DJI, founded in Shenzhen in 2006, have emerged and now lead China's dominance in the global commercial drone market, holding a lead in military drones as well.With Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 demonstrating the growing importance of inexpensive and attritable unmanned systems to modern warfare, Taiwan has accelerated efforts to build a domestic drone industry, reduce reliance on Chinese components, and incorporate drones into its war plans -- with roots going back to those skills gained from producing remote-controlled toys decades ago. NOTE: The opinions shared by Mr. Barros are his own and do not reflect existing or previous affiliations.

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. Here is the link for this one. Created with Han Cheung from TAIWAN IN TIME.

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 rebellion and the tragic events of September 1652. This episode grew out of John and Scott’s special ten-part read-along of Dr. Chen Yao-Chang’s novel A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa, which follows Dutch, Chinese and Siraya characters in the mid-seventeenth century. You can follow that series on our sister podcast, Bookish Asia with Plum Rain Press. Podcast and Book Links Bookish Asia with Plum Rain Press - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/tw/podcast/bookish-asia-with-plum-rain-press/id1756322103 Bookish Asia with Plum Rain Press - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4f6I46PkxVv4VM6dqTGngX A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa - E-book (Plum Rain Press): https://www.plumrainpress.com/product-page/a-tale-of-three-tribes-in-dutch-formosa-e-book A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa - Paperback / Collector’s Edition (Plum Rain Press): https://www.plumrainpress.com/product-page/a-tale-of-three-tribes-in-dutch-formosa