Coming soon! The first major book from our new publishing venture Plum Rain Press (English translation): "Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa" by Dr. Chen Yao-chang 陳耀昌.

TAIWAN HISTORY - Formosa Files Episodes

May 9, 2024

S4-E10 - Radio Wars

John recently visited the National Radio Museum in Minxiong Township, Chiayi County. This led to some research on the use of radio for propaganda. Whether harnessed by the imperial Japanese military or the CIA, “Free China” …
Feb. 29, 2024

S4-E4 - The Interesting Tale of When the Dalai Lama’s Brother Came to Taiwan

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-exi…
Dec. 21, 2023

S3-E38 - Merry Constitution Day! (and a Happy New Year)

December 25th. A special day celebrating the birth of... the Constitution of the Republic of China. Once a holiday that rather conveniently overlapped with Christmas, today you don't get the day off in Taiwan. So, to relieve…
Nov. 30, 2023

[ENCORE] Henry Kissinger (and president Nixon) Go to China, and Everything Changes for the Republic of China (Taiwan)

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 during the last four decades of the 20th century. Among the most conse…
Oct. 6, 2023

S3-E30 - When the Russians Bombed Taipei (and other aviation stories)

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 Taihoku (now the Songshan Airport 臺北松山機場 in Taipei City). We've got t…
Sept. 14, 2023

S3-E27 - When Taiwan (ROC) Blockaded China (PRC)

After retreating to Taiwan, the ROC government-in-exile ordered a naval blockade of China, which lasted officially until 1979. In the early years, it was much more aggressively enforced than one might imagine. There were int…
Sept. 1, 2023

S3-E25 - The Free China Junk Story - Part 3: Victory!

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 189…
Aug. 3, 2023

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, 1947. It’s usually referred to as the February 28 incident, but s…
June 1, 2023

S3-E13 - The Flag of Taiwan (?)

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 desig…
May 11, 2023

[Encore] Taiwan’s “Iron Man of Asia” - The Amazing CK Yang (楊傳廣)

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 vau…
April 13, 2023

S3-E9 - Nixon and Kissinger Grovel in China, and Taiwan's “China” Days are Numbered

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 brief Mao-Nixon meeting did start a thaw in relations, but Nixon may…
March 16, 2023

S3-E5 - Local Language Loanwords: A Lovely Hot Pot of Fujianese, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, English, and More

All languages borrow words from other languages. These “loanwords” often come with fascinating historical backstories, their adoption the result of encounters by traders, scholars, and adventurers; and the result of colonial…
March 2, 2023

S3-E3 - Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁: The Early Years

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 office, thus bringing 55 years of continuous KMT rule to an end,…
Feb. 2, 2023

S2-E40 - The Two Generalissimos - Francisco Franco and Chiang Kai-shek

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 was ruled as a one-party state, there were more connections than …
Dec. 29, 2022

S2-E38 - Dating in Taiwan

No, we're not talking about romantic adventures; in this episode, the "dating" we're discussing is the days, months, and years kind. Why is it about to become the year 112 in Taiwan? Why is 2023 not just the year of the rabb…