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
A Formosa Files INTERVIEW: Making History in Space, Taiwan Uni Team Puts Nanosatellites into Orbit - With Angel Menéndez
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) PhD candidate Angel B. Menéndez came to Taiwan from his native Guatemala on a full scholarship provided by the Taiwan…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
December 25th, Merry Constitution Day! - S3-E38
NOTE: Since this recording, Constitution Day -- as well as some other old holidays -- have been restored. December 25th. A special day celebrating the birth…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan Independence Activist Wu Li-pei: A Taiwanese-American Immigrant Story, Part Two - S3-E37
In the 1960s and 1970s, many tens of thousands of Taiwanese went into self-exile; most of them headed to the United States. The people who became…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Bonus Episode: SAVE THE BIRDS! ~ The origin story of the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan Independence Activist Wu Li-pei: A Taiwanese-American Immigrant Story, Part One - S3-E36
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Henry Kissinger (1923-2023)
Henry Alfred Kissinger died on November 29, 2023 at the age of 100. This incredibly controversial figure was a massive player in US politics and policies…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Stinky Tofu, and Other Musings - S3-E35
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... as well…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Fabulous Foods of Formosa (and Stinky Tofu) - S3-E34
Taiwan is a food-lover's paradise, with tasty treats, delicious dishes, scrumptious suppers, marvelous morsels... a versatile, vast variety of fabulous foods…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Tales of Tokyo and Taiwan - S3-E33
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Hakka Author Wu Zhuoliu, Part 2 - Japan’s Surrender and 2/28 - S3-E32
Writer Wu Zhuoliu 吳濁流 (1900-1976), sadly, never saw Taiwan blossom into a democracy. But he left us with some of the most important works ever written about…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
WELCOME TO THE PODCAST! - The "White Formosan" - S1-E1
Formosa Files 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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
A Formosa Files INTERVIEW: Manga Artist Mark Crilley Talks About His New Book - LOST IN TAIWAN
Mark Crilley is one of the top 10 American manga artists, and he has a new graphic novel out called LOST IN TAIWAN (2023). Formosa Files caught up with Mark…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
The Sport of Golf in Taiwan [ENCORE]
Hear the tale of Japanese colonial officials discovering golf as the "new cool thing for elites" -- and ordering a course built in just a few hours. Plus, the…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
The “Tea Thief” - Robert Fortune's Very Brief Trip to Taiwan (1854) - S3-E31
Tea was domesticated in China, and the knowledge of how to grow it, harvest it, and process it was a closely guarded secret. After basically becoming addicted…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
[ENCORE] The 4,300-Kilometer Chase of an Illegal Taiwanese Fishing Boat (1989)
Taiwan loves seafood, and boats from this island trawl for yummy ocean offerings thousands of kilometers away from our shores. Taiwanese fishing vessels are…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Photographing Taiwan – Interview with Chris Stowers [Bonus]
John chats with photographer Chris Stowers. In 1988, Chris sailed a traditional Indonesian boat on an epic sea voyage (a trip described alongside the…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
When the Russians Bombed Taipei (and other aviation stories) - S3-E30
Here's something we bet you didn't know: in 1938, Soviet pilots in Soviet planes (disguised to look like ROC Air Force planes) bombed the main airfield in…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan's Great Pork Apocalypse (1997) - S3-E29
Not gonna lie folks: this episode gets dark; the story of a super swine slaughter. But, there's also some tasty morsels of info on Taiwan's favorite meat, and…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Ox Ditches and an Unsinkable Warship - S3-E28
Remember those two Polish cargo ships and one oil tanker from the USSR seized by the ROC Navy in the 1950s? Well, the story has one highly interesting extra…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
When Taiwan (ROC) Blockaded China (PRC) - S3-E27
After retreating to Taiwan, the ROC ordered a naval blockade of China, which lasted officially until 1979. There were interceptions and attacks by the ROC…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan as part of the Philippines? Or a British or German colony? “What Ifs” of Formosan History - With Michael Turton S3-E26
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
The Free China Junk Story - Part 3: Victory! - S3-E25
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 Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Crossing the Pacific in a Junk - Trials and Tribulations (Part 2-3) - S3-E24
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Across the Pacific in the Free China Junk (1955) - Part One - S2-E23
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Barbie: Made in Taiwan - S3-E22
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Military Blockades of Taiwan - S3-E21
China's People's Liberation Army/Navy has been practicing for a possible blockade of Taiwan with ships, planes, and drones. This week, Formosa Files looks at…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Bonus Episode: 2-28: A Bad Beginning
In this special episode, we hear Eryk reading from chapter five of John’s “Taiwan in 100 Books.” The topic is 2-28, an event named after a date: February 28…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
[ENCORE] The Empire's Last Solider (29 Years, 3 Months, and 16 Days)
The last Japanese "holdout" of World War II was an Indigenous Amis Taiwanese named Attun Palalin, but in Japanese Formosa, he was Nakamura Teruo (中村 輝夫)…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
John Groot and John Ross Walk and Talk Historic Tamsui 淡水 - Part Two - S3-E20
Tamsui (Danshui) native John Groot and Formosa Files' John Ross continue their walk and talk around the old town. They’re on the trail of the 1884 Battle of…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Two Johns Take a "Walking Tour" in Historic Tamsui 淡水 - Part One - S3-E19
Strategically located near the mouth of the Tamsui (Danshui) River, the port town of Tamsui has a long, rich history. The Spanish built a fort here in the…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Getting Arrested in Taiwan - With Lawyer Ross D. Feingold - S3-E18
Formosa Files and Taipei-based lawyer Ross Feingold very much hope you never get arrested in Taiwan, or anywhere else for that matter. But should this…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
The Wrongful Execution of Chiang Kuo-ching, and the Death Penalty in Taiwan – S3-E17
Among the too many killings committed in the lawless year of 1997 was the execution of 21-year-old Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶), a soldier convicted of a horrific…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Bonus Episode: The American Institute in Taiwan - Kaohsiung Branch (2023)
It's the Fourth of July! Happy 247th Birthday, America! It's estimated that around 80,000 U.S. nationals live and work in Taiwan; most, however, do so in the…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Kaohsiung and Taiwan Celebrate Five Years of Weiwuying 衛武營國家藝術文化中心 – Part 2: Struggles & Victories! – S3-E16
John and Eryk have been commissioned to tell the tale of Weiwuying as this new Kaohsiung landmark turns five: in part two, we've got challenges galore to…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Kaohsiung and Taiwan Celebrate Five Years of Weiwuying 衛武營國家藝術文化中心 – Part 1: The Land & the Plan – S3-E15
As this already-iconic structure and performance center turns five, John and Eryk have been commissioned to tell its tale: it's a 40-year saga of a century-old…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Bonus Episode: Eryk Calls John for a Meanderingly Interesting Chat
Now that we're well into Formosa Files season three, your co-hosts add some background to stories we've told, try to clear up misconceptions about the ROC’s…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
S3-E14 - The Three “Pearl Harbors” of the Chinese Communist Party - with Ian Easton
Author of The Final Struggle, Ian Easton, sits down for a long chat with Eryk about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It's remarkable how close to extinction…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
A Formosa Files INTERVIEW: The Team that Gave Kaohsiung the Magnificent Weiwuying Performing Arts Center 衛武營國家藝術文化中心
Have you been to the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, 衛武營國家藝術文化中心, more commonly called Weiwuying? If not, you really should as it totally lives up to…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
[Encore] Mao's Taiwanese Spymaster
The Taiwan News recently did a feature on Formosa Files (link below), and in the article, this episode from 2021 is mentioned. We thought we'd re-release it…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
The Flag of Taiwan (?) – S3-E13
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Bonus Episode: Way of the Warrior - Martial Arts Master Chris Bates
Ever daydreamed about traveling to East Asia and studying under the great martial arts masters? American Chris Bates did just this, first coming to Taiwan in…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
American Luxury Cruise Ship Runs into Green Island (1937) - S3-E12
The SS President Hoover was a ship ahead of its time, with innovative engine designs, air conditioning in all cabins, and space for almost a thousand…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
[Encore] Taiwan’s “Iron Man of Asia” - The Amazing CK Yang
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Steve McQueen and “The Sand Pebbles” (1966) – S3-E11
The Sand Pebbles, which tells the story of the USS San Pablo, a US Navy gunboat operating in China in the 1920s, was shot in northern Taiwan over the winter of…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Lord of Formosa - Part Two: Coyett VS. Koxinga - S3-E10
Joyce Bergvelt's book Lord of Formosa is a novel, but she's an author who has extensively studied the Dutch colonial period and the main characters involved…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Bonus Episode: Answering the Mail
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…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Nixon and Kissinger Grovel in Beijing, and Taiwan’s “China” Days are Numbered – S3-E9
Long hailed as a “historic diplomatic breakthrough,” the reality is that US president Richard Nixon's 1972 trip to China has been rather oversold. Yes, the…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
John Thomson’s Early Photos of Taiwan - 1871 - S3-E8
Some of the earliest photos we have of Taiwan were taken by a British photographer who visited the southwest of the island in 1871. Taking pics back then was…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Lord of Formosa and the VOC - Part One - S3-E7
Arguably the single most important event in Taiwan’s history – and certainly the most dramatic story – was the arrival in 1661 of warlord and Ming loyalist…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Gladys Aylward, Ingrid Bergman, and the Inn of the Eight Happinesses – S3-E6
Eight happinesses? If you’ve heard of or seen the famous movie about the remarkable British missionary Gladys Aylward, you’ll know that the film (which was…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Local Language Loanwords: A Lovely Hot Pot of Fujianese, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, English, and More - S3-E5
All languages borrow words from other languages. These “loanwords” often come with fascinating historical backstories, their adoption the result of encounters…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Madou, Tainan: Pomelos and Priestesses - S3-E4
Today, the district of Madou (麻豆區) in Tainan City is home to about 43,000 people. It has a pleasant small-town feel, an economy mainly based on agriculture, in…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁: The Early Years – S3-E3
Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was a highly controversial two-term ROC president (2000–2008). How “A-Bian” studied and fought his way out of rural poverty to the highest…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Mel Gibson Makes a Movie in Taiwan (1979) - S3-E2
Ever heard of the film "Attack Force Z"? No? Don't worry... almost no one has. Filmed in Taiwan, this WWII story featured both Mel Gibson and Sam Neill, long…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Taiwan Typhoon Tales - S3-E1
With their fearsome winds and dramatic downpours, typhoons have long been a part of Taiwan's history. Join Formosa Files for a look at a few notable typhoons…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
The Two Generalissimos - Francisco Franco and Chiang Kai-shek - S2-E40
Relations between the R.O.C. (Taiwan) and Spain have never been as close as Taiwan's ties to, for example, the United States. But back in the days when Taiwan…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
[Encore] Japan Puts Paiwan Indigenous Taiwanese on Display at London Expo (1910)
At the turn of the 20th century, Japan was on a roll. After taking Formosa and Penghu from Qing China in 1895, Japan beat mighty Russia in 1905. Eager to show…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Kaohsiung to Kenting Road Trip (1875) - S2-E39
The southern peninsula of Taiwan was a "ship graveyard" for a very long time as unseen rocks and reefs gashed holes in the sides of vessels and left them…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
[Encore] Taiwan's Orangutan Craze and the Terrors of the Tiger Trade
You're hiking in the hills of Taichung in the early 1990s and suddenly come across ... an orangutan? What's more, this massive great ape is um ... in need of…
- The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
Bonus Episode: Among the Headhunters of Formosa - From Taiwan in 100 Books, by John Ross
This week we have another snippet from the audiobook of John's 2020 book, Taiwan in 100 Books. This extract tells the tale of Janet Montgomery McGovern, a…