Shows / The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Formosa Files is the world's biggest and highest-rated Taiwan history podcast. We use an engaging storytelling format and are non-chronological, meaning every week is a new adventure - and, you can just find a topic that interests you and check out that episode...skip stuff that isn't your thing. The hosts are John Ross, an author and publisher of works on Taiwan and China, and Eryk Michael Smith, a journalist for local and global media outlets. Both Ross and Smith have lived in Taiwan for over…
Episodes
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
"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, which focuses on four important China-related…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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 (1900)…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
AUDIO ONLY - Taiwan’s Funeral Strippers: “Dancing for the Dead” – S5-E40
THIS IS AUDIO-ONLY. A LONGER VIDEO VERISON IS AVAILABLE. This episode may not be suitable for minors. Yes, funeral strippers are real, and their story is far…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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 passed away at the age of 76 on November 17. He will be deeply missed by family and…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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) sailed east to find the elixir of immortality for the despotic…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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, and our guest for this week’s episode, describe the topic: “From the early days of…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
“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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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)…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Miss Universe 1988 – Live from Taipei: Taiwan’s Record That Will (Probably) Never Be Broken – S5-E26
Long before 1988, Taiwan’s beauty pageants had been mired in rumors — winners accused of marrying into political dynasties, whispers of contests doubling as…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Nuclear Power in Taiwan – S5-E25
From Chiang Kai-shek’s nuclear ambitions to the fallout from Chernobyl and Fukushima, Taiwan’s nuclear story has always been controversial. The ROC once came…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Operation Ichi-Go: Japan’s Final WWII Offensive – S5-E24
This episode was released on August 15th, 2025, exactly 80 years after the Empire of Japan unconditionally surrendered to the Allies following the atomic…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Chiang Kai-shek’s Secret Coma, and the Cross-Dressing Ms. Kung — S5-E23
In the summer of 1972, Chiang Kai-shek vanished. He missed Double Ten parades. However, Madame Chiang (Soong Mei-ling), and the step-son she loathed (future…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
“Lip-Sticked” Taxi Drivers and the Founder of the China Post: A Look at Taiwan’s Women in 1963 — S5-E22
Supreme Court judges, bus conductors, chemists, even radio stars — in this episode, we look at how women were making their mark in 1960s Taiwan. Our source is…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan’s First Belgian Student, Madame Chiang’s Midlife Canvas, and the Immovable Last Emperor’s Cousin (Bits & Pieces) – S5-E21
Another Bits and Pieces episode: We jump from Belgium to Yemen to 1950s Taipei, where we meet Pierre Ryckmans, a young scholar who arrived in Taiwan on a cargo…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Honey Buckets and Whole-Wheat Faith in Free China – S5-E20
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Seedless Watermelons and a Secret War in the Desert: the Taiwan–Saudi Arabia Story – S5-E19
Taiwanese pilots flew combat jets in Saudi uniforms over Arabian skies? Yes. This week, learn about what may seem like an unusual friendship: the close ties…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan’s 1930s Pop Boom, and Its First Pop Queen – S5-E18
Han Cheung, the man behind Taiwan in Time, the long-running history column in the Taipei Times, returns to tell the story of Taiwan’s first pop star. Liu…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Popeye, Prison, Soy Sauce and Satire: Bo Yang 柏楊 – S5-E17
Bo Yang 柏楊 (1920-2008) was a Chinese historian, author, dissident, provocateur, and one of Taiwan’s most controversial commentators. After arriving in Taiwan…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan vs. South Korea - A Conversation with Author Chris Tharp
Fellow “Asian tigers” South Korea and Taiwan share strikingly similar modern histories: Chinese influence, Japanese colonization, Cold War struggles, rule by…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Teresa Teng 鄧麗君 – “Asia’s Eternal Queen of Pop” (2025 Remastered Re-release)
It has now been 30 years since the passing of Teresa Teng 鄧麗君, the legendary Taiwanese singer who transformed Asian pop music, and even influenced regional…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Calculating Fate: Taiwan’s Fortune-Telling Fever of the ’90s – S5-E16
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Shanghai–Taiwan Connections, Part 1: Mark Kitto on Helen Zia’s “Last Boat” — BONUS EPISODE
Some have called Taipei a “mini-Shanghai.” If true, the emphasis might need to be on the word “mini.” The population of the greater Shanghai area is nearly 30…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taipei Times “Taiwan in Time”– Han Cheung, the man behind the excellent weekly history newspaper column – A FORMOSA FILES INTERVIEW
You've read his work (or you should); this awesome guy has been pumping out informative weekly history columns (and now YouTube videos) for close to a decade…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
American Student’s Op-Ed Sparks Taiwan’s Self-Awareness Movement – S5-E15
In 1963, a 32-year-old American grad student in Taipei wrote a newspaper editorial complaining that Taiwanese people were great at treating friends kindly, but…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
EXTRA FOR HARDCORE LISTENERS! Hear the entire story of Japanese doctor Takagi Tamoe in this unedited, 27-minute version
For those of you who want more specific info, here is the entire conversation John Ross enjoyed with Dr. Jimmy Lee on the remarkable life of Dr. Takagi Tomoe…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Takagi Tomoe: The Japanese Doctor Who Devoted Himself to Taiwan – S5-E14
In 1902, Dr. Takagi Tomoe arrived in newly-colonized Japanese Formosa as a seasoned Japanese medical expert sent here to battle bubonic plague – one of the…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
1962: Taiwan’s Bloody Year You’ve Never Heard Of -S5-E13
PLEASE NOTE: Formosa Files 中文版 has a new, separate feed. Hear it HERE, or on our website. Thanks! This week, Formosa Files digs into two wild and almost…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Chinese and Taiwanese Names… Too Many Names! – S5-E12
Your name carries history, identity, and sometimes in Taiwan, salmon? In this episode, we explore Taiwanese/Chinese naming traditions: family names…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! 重要公告
The Chinese podcast hasn’t disappeared; it’s now got its own feed. FORMOSA FILES中文版的節目沒有消失！我們成立了新的頻道（SPOTIFY、APPLE），並將所有的中文版 podcast 章節移動過去。之後FORMOSA…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
“China’s Titanic” (1949) & The Cruise That Ended in Cremation (1994) - S5-E11
Often called “China’s Titanic,” the 1949 sinking of the Taiping claimed over 1,000 lives as desperate refugees fled Shanghai for Taiwan. Forty-five years…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan in the “Teens” (1911-1919) – S5-E10
This early part of the twentieth century was filled with revolutions and wars (including the First World War). Formosa, however, was a relatively stable…
The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa FilesFORMOSA FILES IN CHINESE! CH54-永和勵行中學殺人事件—臺灣1962年兩大連續殺人案（2）
1962年，在當時的臺北縣永和鎮發生了一件轟動全臺的連續殺人案。一位（被）退休的老師持槍進入勵行中學，造成七死三傷的慘案。然而這件案件最引人注目的，卻反而是兇手的身分以及他在案發後的詭異行徑。這集的 Formosa Files 中文版 Podcast，就讓兩位主持人來跟大家聊聊這起喧騰一時的殺人事件。 主持人簡介：…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taoyuan Magistrate Mass Murder and Gangsters in the Taiwan Government - S5-E9
After the “execution-style” murder of Taoyuan Magistrate Liu Pang-yu and half a dozen others at Liu’s official residence in November 1996 by assassins deemed…
The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa FilesFORMOSA FILES IN CHINESE! CH53-更寮腳營區殺人事件—臺灣1962年兩大連續殺人案（1）
過去的臺灣，似乎並不是一個非常平靜的地方。在1960年代，對外有持續發生小規模衝突的共產中國，對內則有軍隊紀律、匪諜滲透、省籍情節等問題。雖然實施了戒嚴，但社會的治安依然不甚穩定。而在1962年，民國51年，就發生了兩件駭人聽聞的連續殺人案。這集的 Formosa Files 中文版…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan’s Stock Market Bubble – And the Crash of 1990 - S5-E8
Shortly after the Lunar New Year of 1990, the Taiwan Stock Exchange (the Taiex) hit a peak of almost 12,500. Eight months later it had fallen to a low of about…
The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa FilesFORMOSA FILES IN CHINESE! CH52-臺灣戰後至今的人口問題—節育與「催生」政策
臺灣在戰後很快的成為「復興基地」，接收了百萬播遷來臺的中國軍民，但仍需儲備「反攻大陸」所需的兵力；再加上農業社會需要大量人力，政府於是鼓勵生育，臺灣人口也隨之快速增加。然而在八十年後的今日，臺灣的生育率卻是世界倒數，人口也開始節節下降。這集的 Formosa Files 中文版…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Communist Parties in Taiwan (and the gruesome tale of Tomb Sweeping Festival 清明節) – S5 - Mini Episode
Taiwan is enjoying a four-day break for Qing Ming Jie, usually called Tomb Sweeping Festival (or Day) in English. Formosa Files is taking a bit of a break as…
The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa FilesFORMOSA FILES IN CHINESE! CH51-不名譽的「榮譽白人」—SA295號空難與臺斐關係
臺灣自從1971年退出聯合國以來，在國際上逐漸面臨被孤立的困境。無獨有偶的，此時在非洲也有另一個被國際孤立的國家：南非。雖然非常具有爭議性，但兩個國家確實攜手合作了很長的一段時間，臺灣人當時在南非甚至還被授與「榮譽白人」，直到曼德拉上台後轉與中國建交為止。而就在兩國關係還相當密切的1987年，在印度洋上發生了一起空難，…