FORMOSA FILES PODCAST S5-E3 - 228, White Terror, the Formosa Incident, and Nylon Deng: Part Two

NOTE: This episode is not suitable for young children.

The story of Nylon Deng is too often painted in terms of good/bad, black/white…but almost nothing is ever so binary. January 1989: Deng is summoned to answer charges of sedition/treason for publishing an idea for a constitution for the “Republic of Taiwan.” He vows not to be taken alive. However, unlike almost every article about him, Formosa Files isn’t going to stick to the script of “the police tried to break in and he self-immolated.” Instead, we try to offer some new perspectives on his fiery end. Was Deng a “martyr”? Were he and his followers’ actions actually non-violent? Taiwanese independence and democracy activist Nylon Deng (Cheng Nan-jung 鄭南榕) will forever have a place in the pantheon of Taiwanese democracy heroes. But heroes – of course – are human.

#formosafiles #podcasts #taiwan #history #formosa

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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.