Cultural Stories Episodes

The incredible story of Amis Taiwanese Olympic decathlete Maysang Kalimud, better known as CK Yang (楊傳廣), was one of the first stories featured in the first season of Formosa Files (December 2021). At that time, John and Eryk bemoaned how little-known this amazing Indigenous Taiwanese athlete is and expressed hopes a movie about him might get made. Well, we got the next best thing: a riveting documentary about the man who is arguably Taiwan's Olympic "greatest of all time" (GOAT) by CNN legend Mike Chinoy.

每年的農曆七月，就是臺灣民俗的「鬼月」。傳說在這個月裡，「好兄弟」們會回返陽間，人們也會準備各式供品讓祂們享用。而這個特別的月裡，也有非常多的禁忌；雖然現代人不一定願意再遵守這些禁忌，但一定都曾聽過身邊的人談論這些奇妙的規矩。不過「鬼月」真的是中華文化傳統當中的習俗嗎？這集podcast就讓兩位主持人來跟大家聊聊「鬼月」的一些歷史小故事與禁忌。

臺灣的便利商店密度，幾乎已經可說是舖天蓋地的程度。在城市中，幾乎每兩三個路口就有一間；城市以外的區域，便利商店也是上山下海無所不在。臺灣人個人乃至於整個社區的生活習慣，都因為便利商店而發生了翻天覆地的變化。至於便利商店在臺灣，又有些什麼有趣的故事呢？就讓Formosa Files中文版的兩位主持人來跟大家聊聊。

臺灣的機車密度世界第一，若再加上其它大小車輛，大概也是世界數一數二的程度。而在臺灣，各種車輛都免不了要掛車牌，也讓車牌成為臺灣的日常街景。然而臺灣的車牌實際上經歷多次改版，街上也時常可以看到懸掛舊式車牌的車輛。而從開放車牌自選號甚至競標以來，也讓車牌有些不一樣的意義與「價值」。究竟這個最日常的風景，會有些什麼樣的故事？在這集裡，就讓Formosa Files中文版的兩位主持人來跟大家聊聊臺灣車牌的一些小故事。

細心一點的聽眾朋友可能會在日常當中發現，「4」這個數字在生活中很容易被「消失」，尤其在樓層數和車牌號碼裡，很多時候都看不見「4」；但在國外，不見的卻常常是「13」這個數字。除此之外，在我們的生活裡還有許多數字，當然就又有許許多多的疑問。例如說，大家有沒有想過，為什麼臺灣電話的區碼是從臺北的「02」開始，沒有「01」？在這集裡，就讓Formosa Files中文版的兩位主持人來跟大家簡單聊聊一些數字的小故事。

今年（2024）年是麥當勞來臺40週年（1984-2024）。當初麥當勞準備要進來臺灣時，並不如預想般順遂，甚至對臺灣的農業造成衝擊。然而繼麥當勞之後，臺灣的速食餐廳開始蔚為風潮，各家連鎖品牌開始湧現，甚至還出現了臺灣本土品牌的速食。究竟麥當勞與速食，在臺灣有些什麼故事呢？就讓Formosa Files中文版的兩位主持人來跟大家聊聊。

Gladys Aylward and Ingrid Bergman: The former, a British-born Christian missionary to China and Taiwan, the latter a three-time Academy Award winner. However despite very different lives, the two will forever be connected after a book about Aylward was turned into a Hollywood movie starring Bergman. Formosa Files has the whole story in this week's encore episode, including: Why the film wasn't shot in Taiwan, and why Gladys thought Bergman was a "wicked woman."

芭比娃娃是陪伴許多人童年的娃娃，2023年甚至還有一部以芭比娃娃為題材的電影發行，也再一次讓這個世界級的娃娃成為熱門話題。然而有許多人不知道，從1960年代起一直到1980年代，全世界有超過一半以上的芭比娃娃都是在臺灣生產製造。當時芭比娃娃的美泰兒公司（Mattel, Inc.）與臺灣的華夏塑膠策略聯盟，在臺灣臺北縣泰山鄉（現在的新北市泰山區）設立「美寧工廠」，生產芭比娃娃並外銷到世界各地。如果是年紀稍大一點的聽眾朋友，搞不好您以前的芭比娃娃就是M.I.T.的喔！重要單字：icon、packaging

LISTEN TO THE STORY OF ⁠TAIWAN'S MUSICAL GARBAGE TRUCKS ⁠⁠⁠IN CHINESE! 說到臺灣日常中最特別的聲音，莫過於幾乎每天都在大街小巷裡響起的〈少女的祈禱〉與〈給愛麗絲〉。臺灣垃圾車播放音樂，其實遠自1968年（民國57年）就已經開始。一路發展到現在，垃圾車的「曲目」也有許多變化，但臺灣人聽得最久、最習慣的還是這兩首曲子，也成為臺灣日常最特別的文化。這集就讓我們來聊聊臺灣垃圾車的音樂文化。

People do indeed marry ghosts in Taiwan! Formosa Files does not mean to mock or in any way be disrespectful to local traditions. Instead, we hope this episode’s two main ghost stories – one (probably) a tall tale – and the other a true story of a man taking a ghost bride, will offer listeners important insights into Taiwanese culture, belief systems, folk religion, and ideas about family, and filial piety. More common in yesteryears, but ghost marriages remain part of local traditions into the 21st century.

Welcome in the Year of the Dragon with this encore of a classic episode from Season Two. Eryk claims all Taiwanese/Chinese holidays are based on sad stories filled with misery, terror, and death. John disagrees. And so the two go over the major holidays celebrated here, and, well, you be the judge of who wins this argument. Also, we cover holidays that used to be part of our calendar, until we had to give them up in exchange for two-day weekends. AND, a very Happy New Year from Formosa Files and the Frank C. Chen Foundation.

Nancy Chen Baldwin's early life – when she was sold by her parents to a bargirl for US$100 – might sound like something out of a novel set in the Middle Ages. But the old practices of selling, “lending,” giving, and unofficial adoption of children persisted in Taiwan until relatively recent times. Nancy, in many ways, was one of the lucky ones; she wasn't sold to a brothel, as some other young girls were back in the post-war years when Taiwan was desperately poor. But her tale of suffering, relocating to the USA, and finally triumphing over her demons deserves to be heard, as it's both educational and inspirational. Nancy released her book “One Thousand Layers of Water and Clouds: The Tale of A Taiwanese Daughter” in September 2023, and not long after, she spoke with Eryk from her home in the United States.

“Blatant sex capital of Asia, where vice is legal and the price is right,” was how one book described Taipei in 1969. Listen as Taipei-based journalist David Frazier takes us through the history of Taipei’s first foreign-oriented red light district, an area of girlie bars and nightclubs that was, and still is, known as the “Combat Zone.” Frazier explains how this infamous entertainment zone formed around nearby US military bases, the history of prostitution in modern Taiwan, and how a bar zone became a conduit for Western culture.

Frank C. Chen was the mayor of Kaohsiung from 1960 to 1968. The foundation that bears his name is the reason we have Formosa Files. Paul Chen is one of Frank Chen's sons (b. 1944), and in 1979, he established the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society. Why? Well, he and his dad were once avid hunters, and Paul Chen kept noticing there were fewer and fewer birds, and set out to do something about it. Today, Mr. Lin Kun-hai 林昆海 is the society's General Secretary, and in this bonus episode, we hear from both the founder and the person still leading the charge to SAVE THE BIRDS!

Although Eryk is as sick as a dog, both he and John are in very high spirits, and not just because, once again, they get to chat about stinky tofu. In this "bits and pieces" episode there's some jumping around, a look back and a look ahead. But most importantly, we tease an exciting new development! No, Formosa Files isn't going into the Chou Doufu business, but rather... Well, find out by listening to the show.

Taiwan is a food-lover's paradise, with tasty treats, delicious dishes, scrumptious suppers, marvelous morsels... a versatile, vast variety of fabulous foods. John and Eryk aren't really down with the whole clichéd, “let's make stuff about foreigners eating stinky tofu” phenomenon, but we decided to do a food episode, topped with some yummy yarns from yesteryear. Hear the origin story of the locally globally-famous Chiayi turkey rice, the 15-star gourmet Din Tai Fung restaurant chain, and finally, yes, we'll sniff out some feelings on chou doufu 臭豆腐, the smelly snack that seems to somehow always steal the show.

This week we're looking at Tokyo, and telling a few tales that connect events in that major world city to people, places, and things in Taiwan. ポッドキャストをお楽しみください!

Taiwanese history would have been very different except for a few pivotal moments. “Sure,” you might be thinking, “that's true everywhere.” However, the “what ifs” Michael Turton and Eryk Michael Smith talk about today are especially fascinating because of Taiwan’s strategic location. The Spanish and Dutch had short-lived settlements here in the 17th century, but either could easily have lasted for centuries. Later would-be colonizers included the UK (they considered using the east coast as a penal colony à la Australia), the US, and Germany. Turton lays out an interesting list of “what ifs” to support his argument that Taiwan being in the sphere of “Chinese” influence is an anomaly of history -- and was never inevitable. Check out formosafiles.com for links to articles by Michael Turton, pics, images, and more.

Today John Ross and Chris Stowers (a man who has first-hand knowledge of what it's like to sail on an old-fashioned sailing boat) end our three-part series on the amazing voyage of the Chinese junk (built possibly in the 1890s) that made it -- not without overcoming considerable difficulties -- from Keelung to San Francisco in 1955. We discover the fates of the two chickens brought along for the long sea trip (Mildred 1 and Mildred 2), and, of course, learn what happened to our adventurous crew. We won't give away any spoilers, but let's just say there's also a nice twist on what eventually happened to the Free China junk itself.

We continue the amazing tale of six men who set sail from Keelung in 1955 aboard the Free China junk to join a trans-Atlantic yacht race. They were attempting to show that an old-fashioned Chinese vessel could compete against some of the world's best boats. But first they need to cross the Pacific Ocean. It’s an inauspicious start, and we find Paul Chou and his shipmates in need of rescue and ordered to return home. But will they? Guest Chris Stowers draws on his experience sailing on a traditional Bugis craft in Indonesian waters to help us navigate this heartwarming story. This is part two of a three-part story, and part three drops tomorrow.

In 1954, a man living in Keelung 基隆 asked himself, “Could an old-fashioned Chinese junk beat modern yachts in a race on the high seas?” The answer? -- An almost unbelievable tale involving a boat that would become world-famous: the “Free China” junk (自由中國號) This week, John Ross and Chris Stowers (Stowers was part of a crew that also sailed on a wind-powered junk-like ship), tell the first part of this incredible story of bravery, perseverance, and a more than a little luck.

Seen the Barbie movie? No worries... Eryk saw it for you, and he noticed one thing they didn't mention in the film: from 1967-1987, most of the world's Barbie dolls were made in Taiwan. Factories in the tiny town of Taishan 泰山 (now a district of New Taipei City) churned out millions of these well-made toys before Mattel moved operations to cheaper manufacturing locations. Plus, we've got info on traditional Taiwanese toys and John ends this week's episode with a strange tale of "possessed" paper dolls.

You'll see the "Blue Sky, White Sun, and Red Earth" flag everywhere across Taiwan, and each year, streets are lined with this banner to celebrate Double Ten Day on October 10th. But is it really the flag of Taiwan? Who designed it? Today's episode is all about the ROC flag: an engrossing tale involving Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a martyr, warlords, and more. Learn about the various flags which contended for the honor to represent the Republic of China. Had fate gone differently, there might have been a five-striped banner flying from Taiwan’s flagpoles, or a really strange "hippy" one. Scroll down and you'll find it, as well as all the other flags talked about in this episode.

Decathlete athletes are special. The sport is TEN events: sprint 100 meters, then 400 meters, then race 1500 meters; then comes 110 meters with hurdles you have to jump, then it's on to the long jump, the high jump, pole vaulting, discus throwing, javelin throwing, and finally, shotput. It's exhausting just reading that list, let alone doing it. But Maysang Kalimud, from the Amis Indigenous group in Taitung, won silver in the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Competing against his friend, American Rafer Johnson, Maysang Kalimud, better known by his Chinese name, CK Yang (楊傳廣 1933-2007), lost the gold medal by a hair's breadth, and became the first Olympic medalist from Taiwan. The man the international press called “The Iron Man of Asia,” may have been the greatest all-round athlete to ever compete for Taiwan. We love this story, so we're re-releasing it this week – enjoy!