Formosa Files Podcast Episodes

In this short segment, John and Eryk first make the stunning observation that summer in subtropical Taiwan is hot. They then reflect on the "Pacific Story," an NBC radio docu-drama from 1944, an episode that was a hit with listeners. Moving along, they talk about a new podcast for book lovers: Book…

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。

A horrific murder of an American teenager by two other American teenagers in 1985 led to some serious soul-searching: How could the international community in Taiwan (some of whom don't speak Chinese well enough to get help from local sources) aid those going through mental health crises, are in ne…

若要說到全世界最知名的外來語，那大概就是「茶」這個字，無論「Cha」或「Tea」，都是隨著陸海貿易流傳世界。而臺灣以及鄰近的中國東南沿海，也因為頻繁的與外國商人貿易或甚至被殖民，而借用、借出了許多字彙，甚至還曾經發展出用於貿易的奇妙語言。

LISTEN TO THE STORY OF THE ORANGUTAN CRAZE IN CHINESE! 1980年代的臺灣，正在享受經濟起飛的成果，可謂「臺灣錢淹腳目」。社會變得富裕了，卻也開始追求各種稀奇古怪的補品與寵物。 過去有不少動物由於被記載有「壯陽」、「袪風」等療效，而被臺灣大量進口或走私進來販售。例如虎骨、虎鞭、犀牛角等。尤其臺灣早期甚至還有當眾屠虎，直接現場叫賣的情況。在1984年，有記者深入拍攝相關過程。照片後來輾轉流傳國際...

It’s January 1944 and the tide of WWII has changed. Though it will be a long hard grind, victory is on the horizon. To “better inform the American public,” about the situation in the Pacific, NBC creates a series of radio documentary dramas in Hollywood, with expert writers and professional voice a…

1945年，美國在日本廣島、長崎投下兩顆原子彈，雖然結束了戰爭，卻為全世界帶來核武的衝突與創傷。而在中華民國，蔣介石也迫不及待的想要加入核武俱樂部。尤其在國府於1949年撤退來臺、1964年共產中國核試成功後，蔣介石對核武的焦慮更加深刻。從1965年起，臺灣在水面下祕密進行核武的實驗及武器級原料的製備，卻在1988年因為張憲義叛逃到美國而被全面終止……

John talks with Chris Bates about one of Taiwan’s greatest ever martial artists, Hong Yixiang 洪懿祥 (1925–1993). He was Taiwan’s foremost master of the Chinese internal martial arts (which consist of baguazhang 八卦掌, xingyiquan 形意拳 and taijiquan 太極拳.) The Hong family learnt these fighting forms from e…

隨著海空軍實力加強，中國近年一直威脅要封鎖臺灣。然而在國民政府遷臺的至少十年之間，卻一直是中華民國在封鎖共產黨中國，而且還搞出相當嚴重的外交危機，差一點點就讓中華民國海軍在國際法上成為名實相符的海盜團體。到底當時發生什麼事呢？就讓我們來一起聊聊當時中華民國的領海關閉政策。

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…

During the Mao Zedong years, China was off-limits to Western researchers. Some came to Taiwan as a substitute, among them American anthropologist Frank Bessac. John chats with Michael Aldrich, author of “Old Lhasa: A Biography,” about Bessac’s work in Taiwan. They also recount his adventures in Chi…

臺灣，或說中華民國史上的第一夫人（以及想成為第一夫人的人），大多都是新聞報導關注的焦點，甚至如蔣宋美齡般成為世界知名的人物。然而在第一夫人的行列中，卻有一位稍顯黯淡無聲的夫人－蔣方良女士，即前總統蔣經國先生的夫人。且這名身居高位卻低調沉默的第一夫人，甚至不是中國人，而是來自「敵方」的俄國人……

On Saturday May 18th, 2024, a group of local lawmakers will visit Taiping Island 太平島, a tiny strip of coral and sand in the Spratly Islands more than 1,500 km away from the southern tip of Taiwan. As anyone who reads the news knows, numerous islands, reefs, shoals, and even barely visible rocks sca…

In the previous episode, we told you how these three rather stunning neo-classical Chinese buildings came to exist. This week, we’re looking at them through a “culture and society” lens. The massive statue of Chiang Kai-shek remains on its pedestal at the CKS Memorial Hall. A place built to venerat…

The History of Taiwan: Formosa Files, rated as the best Taiwan history podcast, has gained a lot of new listeners of late, and many seem to begin listening from where they first encounter the program. But there are lots of great Taiwan history episodes from seasons 1-2 and, as this one is the one t…

Join us as we try to answer some questions we've gotten, such as "What is Whisby and... just why?" You'll also discover Eryk's shameful secret (he loves betel nuts!), and hear John's opinion on re-introducing the extinct clouded leopard.

In this fun Season Two finale, John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith battle with the AI phenomenon ChatGPT. Who knows more about Taiwanese history, John or the scarily omnipotent AI chatbot which may soon render humans obsolete? Does Eryk know more about Kaohsiung’s Nanzih District than the smartest mac…

As Formosa Files gets ready to end Season 2 and move into Season 3 (fingers crossed), John and Eryk pick season highlights, answer listener questions, talk about topics for upcoming episodes, and discuss those less-than-tidy "footnotes of history."

In this special episode, we thank listeners and talk briefly about season two (We are now being listened to in 90 countries/regions!!), and share an excerpt from the audiobook of John Ross' 2020 "Taiwan in 100 Books" related to Father Barry Martinson and the famous globetrotting Taiwanese author Sa…

In this special episode, we talk about where the inspiration for the Formosa Files podcast came from, and share an excerpt from the podcast's origin source: John Ross' 2020 book "Taiwan in 100 Books." After our quick chat, enjoy a segment from chapter one of the audiobook of "Taiwan in 100 Books" …

Why is "Kaohsiung" spelled so strangely? Shouldn't it be closer to "Gao-Shung"? (Or we could just use Hanyu Pinyin, "Gāoxióng"). Well, many names in Taiwan are spelled with the Latin alphabet, using a romanization system popularized by Mr. Herbert Giles, a British consul who spent 25 years in the t…

Taiwan's only English radio station, International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT) has been a part of millions of Taiwanese -- and many an expat in Taiwan's -- lives since it took over from the US military in 1979. Tim Berge, a 30+ year Taiwan resident, has spent most of his years here working for IC…

After the heirs of Koxinga surrender to the Qing, the imperial court isn't sure what to do with the island -- but a wily admiral convinces Emperor Kangxi to keep it. Plus: the story of the person who arguably wrote the very first Taiwan travelogue.

The Dutch put up a good fight... but a traitor seals their fate. Here's the end of the story of how the Dutch lost Taiwan.