Religion In Taiwan Episodes

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 live a modest life behind a market stall. Born in 1950 into poverty, Chen Shu-chu was forced to leave school at just thirteen after her mother died in childbirth. For half a century she worked at the stall and saved her earnings, giving them to the needy. Chen’s lifetime of extraordinary generosity eventually brought her international fame. In 2010 she appeared in Time magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people. This is an uplifting story of how a seemingly ordinary market vendor became one of Taiwan’s most admired figures.

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 step into the murky shadowlands of Taiwanese ghost lore and modern supernatural encounters. For this episode, they draw heavily on anthropologist Lin Mei-rong’s collection of more than 150 ghost stories from across Taiwan. You’ve probably heard of water ghosts. But have you heard of the mysterious “Little Girl in Red” who lures hikers deep into the mountains? Or paper funeral dolls that come alive? How about “Yin” temples dedicated not to gods, but to wandering spirits? Lock your doors and windows, light some incense, and prepare to be spooked (and amused).

THIS IS AUDIO-ONLY. A 47-MINUTE VIDEO VERISON 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. With anthropologist Marc L. Moskowitz as our guide, we climb aboard Taiwan’s infamous Electric Flower Cars, neon-lit mobile stages where dancers perform during funerals and temple processions. In this dual episode (video/audio only), Eryk chats with Professor Moskowitz about his documentary, ⁠Dancing for the Dead.⁠ The discussion explores how this controversial tradition took root, why it exploded into public debate in the 1980s, and what it reveals about Taiwan’s rural-urban cultural divide. Critics call it immoral. Performers call it a livelihood. Fans say it keeps the spirits and the crowds entertained; enjoy this provocative, colorful, and surprisingly heartfelt look at one of Taiwan’s most misunderstood cultural practices.

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 Flower Cars, neon-lit mobile stages where dancers perform during funerals and temple processions. In this dual episode (video/audio-only), Eryk chats with Professor Moskowitz about his documentary, Dancing for the Dead. The discussion explores how this controversial tradition took root, why it exploded into public debate in the 1980s, and what it reveals about Taiwan’s rural-urban cultural divide. Critics call it immoral. Performers call it a livelihood. Fans say it keeps the spirits and the crowds entertained; enjoy this provocative, colorful, and surprisingly heartfelt look at one of Taiwan’s most misunderstood cultural practices. Audio only version also available. Follow us on social media and leave a comment/review!

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 chicken that gets the spotlight in this episode… and the chopping board! (Apologies for Eryk’s fondness for certain sound effects). The beheading of chickens at temples was once a common folk judicial ritual – yes, oaths of legal innocence were sworn before temple gods with the aid of feathered sacrifices. Sounds a bit gruesome, but trust us; it’s a fun episode. We swear it before the City God (whack!).

In this episode, a young American missionary family boards a cargo ship for Taiwan in 1955. What could go wrong? Four weeks, a typhoon, and a customs nightmare later, they arrive in a land where whole-wheat flour is exotic, and blonde kids conjure crowds. Taipei in the 1950s was “fragrant,” with open sewers and “honey buckets” filled with human waste used as fertilizer. This week on Formosa Files, we bring you a missionary tale of faith, grit…and refrigerator duties.   Leave a comment, follow us on social media and/or give us a rating or review – it's much appreciated and helps others discover this podcast.

Some people bought Tamagotchis in the '90s. Others? They paid birds to predict their future. In this week’s episode, we take a glimpse into Taiwan’s wild obsession with fortune-telling — and what it reveals about culture, comfort, and even politics. From oracle bones to rose stones, the history of Taiwanese divination has been an unpredictable ride.

Your name carries history, identity, and sometimes in Taiwan, salmon? In this episode, we explore Taiwanese/Chinese naming traditions: family names, generational names, courtesy names, and how colonization, politics, and even sushi promotions have shaped them. From the chaos of post-war name changes to the viral “Salmon Naming Incident” of 2021, join Formosa Files for a fascinating and funny audio journey into what our names say about us.

Part of the landscape, but not really given much thought, paifang 牌坊, also known as a pailou 牌樓, are a part of traditional Chinese architecture. They are generally an arch used as a gateway. But they are not just decorative, they have a long history and deep significance. In this first chat of 2025, John and Eryk muse about archways, filial piety, and chastity, and then detour into Taiwanese military prostitution and brothels. Happy New Year and perhaps you’d care to join the Formosa Files team in a new year’s resolution: pay more attention to things around us that might seem mundane, and discover the stories behind them.

John chats with Michael Aldrich, author of “Old Lhasa: A Biography,” about relations between Taiwan and Tibet (specifically the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala, India). Despite Taipei and Dharamshala sharing a common foe, this relationship was for decades a difficult one. First of all, there was Taiwan’s rather comical claim of sovereignty over the Roof of the World (as reflected in the ROC government agency responsible for it, the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission.) And although Taipei’s various aid programs were appreciated, there was also often-secret involvement in Tibetan exile politics. A turning point came in 1997 with the landmark visit of the Dalai Lama. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and head of the Tibetan exiles, or, according to the Chinese Communist Party, a “splittist” and a “wolf in monk’s robes.” His visit was a tremendous success and led to the establishment of an Office of Tibet in Taiwan. We hear…

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.

Gyalo Thondup རྒྱལ་ལོ་དོན་འགྲུབ has had a very interesting life. Born in 1927, he’s the second-eldest brother of the current (and 14th) Dalai Lama. Brother Thondup has long been an unofficial envoy for the Tibetan leader-in-exile, and in May 1950, Gyalo Thondup became the first “officially acknowledged” Tibetan to visit Taiwan since 1949. What was he doing here? Why Taiwan? What were then-president CKS's feelings about Tibet? Find out in this week’s Formosa Files episode.

A generation of Taiwanese left (or you might say “fled”) Taiwan in the 1960s and 70s, with most going to the United States. Some went to school there and stayed, while others emigrated as they saw no future for themselves and their families in the then one-party ROC state. This Taiwanese diaspora was a boon for America; intelligent, hard-working, educated people, many of whom went on to contribute greatly to the American economy and US culture. However, some of these exiles dreamed of a day when their political views could be spoken aloud in Taiwan without fear, and when that day finally came in the late 1990s, some returned and some then also participated in local politics. Wu Li-pei, a pro-independence, pro-democracy activist, was one such man. Wu's life (1934-) spans modern Taiwanese history and his story of being from “two countries” is one many others experienced – US immigrants for whom Taiwan always remained home.