FORMOSA FILES PODCAST S4-E20: Democracy Fighter and Taiwan History Professor Gerrit van der Wees
Did you know that all the water buffalo in Taiwan are the descendants of a group of these bovines from Indonesia (formerly the Dutch East Indies)? These poor water buffalo were put on a sailing ship by the Dutch in 1648 and sent to Taiwan! Who knew? Well, former Dutch diplomat and current George Mason University Taiwan history professor Gerrit van der Wees does… and that’s not all he knows.
It was a genuine pleasure to chat with a person who's not only studied Taiwan extensively but who also played a big role in Taiwan’s fight to become a democracy. The day before former President Tsai Ing-wen stepped down, she honored van der Wees by conferring on him the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon, primarily for his work as chief editor of Taiwan Communiqué, a bi-monthly publication that chronicled Taiwan’s transition to democracy from 1980 to 2016.
Cover: Former Dutch diplomat and current George Mason University Taiwan history professor Gerrit van der Wees stands next to former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen after she conferred on him the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon, on May 19, 2024, the day before she stepped down after serving two terms. (Via CNA)
#formosafiles #podcasts #taiwan #history #formosa
--
The Formosa Files podcast is sponsored by the FRANK CHEN FOUNDATION (陳啟川先生文教基金會)
Website: https://www.frank-chen.org.tw/
This top-rated history podcast tells stories from the history of Formosa (Taiwan) from circa 1600 C.E. - 2000 C.E., via interesting, lesser-known short stories presented in a non-chronological order.
HOSTS: John Ross is an author and co-founder of publisher Camphor Press, which specializes in books on Taiwan and China in English, while Eryk Michael Smith has worked as a writer and journalist for multiple media outlets in Taiwan, including the island's only English-language radio station ICRT (FM 100.7). Both Ross and Smith have lived in Taiwan for well over 20 years and call the island home.
