Taiwan Salon

Epizode

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  S5E6: How does Civil Society Shape Taiwan’s Space Ecosystem? ft. Andie Wang (Taiwan Space Generation) 02.10.2026 20min

  As the Taiwanese government increasingly invests in its space capabilities, civil society is doing what state programs alone cannot: cultivating relations with international space communities which are often closed. With global competition in space technology heated, civil society organizations like Taiwan Space Generation (TSG) are playing an important role in building a resilient and sustainable space sector.In this episode, former GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Research Associate Jessica Shiao interview Andie Wang, President of TSG. Andie explains TSG’s mission to empower young professionals, foster cross-disciplinary dialogue, and conduct unofficial diplomacy for Taiwan. Together, we also discuss how space innovation can strengthen Taiwan’s image as a rising tech power while creating people-to-people exchange.
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  S5 E5: Moving Taiwan beyond Earth: Exploring Taiwan’s Space Policy and Technology ft. Andie Wang (Taiwan Space Generation) 01.09.2026 29min

  Taiwan’s space capabilities are taking off. From developing indigenous satellites to strengthening communication resilience, Taiwan is building its own space industry and seeking more cooperation with international actors.In this episode, former GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Research Associate Jessica Shiao interview Andie Wang, President of Taiwan Space Generation (TSG). She explores the evolution of Taiwan’s space programs and the policy ecosystem behind it. Andie discusses Taiwan’s satellite program, the role of the Taiwanese government, academia, and civil society, as well as opportunities to deepen US-Taiwan cooperation in this field.As space is an increasingly strategic domain, Taiwan has opportunities and challenges ahead in participating in international space cooperation. Listen to this episode to learn how Taiwan is building its place in the global space community and how space technology can be an avenue for Taiwan’s international engagement and soft power. 
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  S5 E4: Is AI a New Form of Colonization? Defending Indigenous Sovereignty in A Tech World ft. Margaret Yun-Pu Tu 31.07.2026 19min

  In the fourth episode of Taiwan Salon Season 5, former GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and GTI Ya-Hui Chiu Summer Fellow Cara Bilson interview Margaret Yun-Pu Tu, a PhD candidate in Law at the University of Washington and co-founder of the Seattle-based NGO Pacific Alliance for Autonomous Traditions, Indigenous Sovereignty (PAFATIS). Ms. Tu explores the impact of AI on indigenous cultures and how maintaining data sovereignty is essential for indigenous groups globally and within Taiwan.Ms. Tu discusses how unauthorized data collection through large language models (LLMs) and careless AI-generated content undermines the autonomy Indigenous communities have fought hard to achieve. Moreover, such exploitation extends beyond technology into broader diplomatic practices when it comes to Indigenous cultural diplomacy. However, she also highlights how solutions may be found in grassroots tech initiatives and responsible legislation that elevate Indigenous perspectives in the crafting of public policy.
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  S5 E3: Indigenous Peoples, Global Ties: Reimagining Taiwan through Its Pacific Roots ft. Margaret Yun-Pu Tu (a.k.a. Nikal Kabala’an) 04.05.2026 20min

  “Taiwan is not only a geopolitical hotspot—it's part of a much longer Indigenous history across the Pacific.”In Taiwan Salon Season 5 Episode 3, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Spring 2026 Intern Cara Bilson speak with Margaret Yun-Pu Tu, a PhD candidate in Law at the University of Washington and co-founder of the Seattle-based NGO Pacific Alliance for Autonomous Traditions, Indigenous Sovereignty (PAFATIS). Margaret shares her experience representing Taiwan at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), where Taiwanese Indigenous communities can circumvent diplomatic constraints and engage directly with Indigenous movements worldwide.Facing shared struggles—from language loss to land rights—Taiwan's Indigenous peoples and global Indigenous communities have naturally formed a sibling bond. Margaret explains how connecting with broader Pacific Indigenous networks empowers Taiwan's Indigenous movements to amplify their voices and reshape narratives about Taiwan's identity.Useful Links:UNPFII: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/indigenous-peoples/unpfiiPAFATIS (Pacific Alliance For Autonomous Traditions, Indigenous Sovereignty) website: https://www.pafatis.org/about-1Upcoming event in Seattle by PAFATIS: https://calendar.washington.edu/Id-Do-Anything-to-Survive-Life-Stories-of-Taiwans-Indigenous-Peoples-in-the-Interstices-of-Authoritarian-Rule/E197857780
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  S5 E2: When K-POP Meets Hakka: The International Engagement of Hakka TV ft. Paul Shiang and I-Li Lo 30.03.2026 26min

  “When we saw Leeteuk from Super Junior speak Hakka at his concert, I was really moved because at that moment I realized this was no longer just a television program. It has become a sincere cultural exchange.”In 2024, Hakka TV launched its first international co-production: Hakka Kitchen, a reality show that brings K-pop stars like Super Junior's Leeteuk together with Taiwanese artists to run a Hakka restaurant. This collaboration marked a breakthrough in Taiwan's media landscape—proving that ethnic media content and global pop culture can thrive together.In this episode, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee sits down with Paul Shiang (向盛言), Director of Hakka TV, and I-Li Lo (羅亦娌), Program Manager of Hakka TV. I-Li walks us through the behind-the-scenes of this Taiwan-Korea collaboration, while Paul explores Hakka TV’s evolving role in fostering resilience among global democracies.Useful linksHakka TV website: https://www.hakkatv.org.tw/The trailer of Hakka Kitchen 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzg7KPkdQsoThe trailer of Trails to Hakka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FumQZflLVSg
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  S5 E1: Can Television Save a Language? The Story of Hakka TV ft. Paul Shiang and I-Li Lo 11.03.2026 26min

  “Hakka culture is not mainly about grand buildings or eye-catching symbols. It's not only about history and festivals. Instead, it lives quietly in everyday life, in our food, our language and our family relationships.”Characterized by their hospitality and distinctive food culture, the Hakka (客家) are one of Taiwan’s major ethnic groups, comprising about 20 percent of the population. Over the years, however, the Hakka language has experienced a sharp decline in everyday use. Hakka TV (客家電視), a public media platform, leverages creative programming to foster appreciation of Hakka culture while working to revive this beautiful language. Today, it is also expanding its reach to engage a broader international audience.In the first episode of Taiwan Salon Season 5, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee interviews Paul Shiang (向盛言), Director of Hakka TV, and I-Li Lo (羅亦娌), Program Manager of Hakka TV. Through various TV programs, their work not only sheds light on the vibrant Hakka culture, but also engages in a dialogue with the broader world through their unique Hakka perspectives.Useful linksHakka TV website: https://www.hakkatv.org.tw/The trailer of Black Tide Island: https://youtu.be/FNxWjoJgPKI?si=9C8DJ24SL-fNHUeiThe trailer of Gold Leaf: https://youtu.be/7ysn_oBRv_w?si=2RatZkQVbqgqoh82TV Program Octopus News special series on the Russo-Ukraine War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDS7YdawwCI
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  Taiwan Salon Season 4 Episode 7: Ipa Chiu on Building Democracy through Open-Source Technologies 02.02.2026 41min

  “Don’t ask why nobody is doing this, you are the NOBODY.”Confronted with frequent natural disasters—such as earthquakes and typhoons—and ongoing political challenges, including Chinese coercion, Taiwan has cultivated a resilient and highly creative civil society. Within this dynamic ecosystem, civic technology stands out as a distinctive force, blending grassroots activism with digital innovation to tackle complex social and governance problems.In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Summer 2025 Intern Tracy Weener interview Ipa Hsiao-wei Chiu (瞿筱葳), the Co-Founder of Taiwan’s largest civic tech community, g0v (台灣零時政府). Ipa explains what makes Taiwan's civic tech community unique and how it thrives throughout this past decade, highlighting ‘openness’ as the core value of this long-standing digital activism.Useful linksg0v’s website: https://g0v.tw/intl/en/The book on Taiwan’s civic tech community and the story of g0v, “The NOBODY Movement: Civic Hackers and Digital Activism in Taiwan”: https://a.co/d/6QI27cPg0v Summit 2026: https://summit.g0v.tw/2026/Sch001 零時小學校 (g0v Elementary School): https://sch001.g0v.tw/The Minecraft Project by g0v Elementary School : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj4M7d3qBtk
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  Taiwan Salon Season 4, Episode 6: Aiong Taigi on Preserving Taiwanese and Learning the Inner Language 18.11.2025 47min

  Taiwanese (台語), also known as Tâi-gí, is the most widely spoken native language in Taiwan. During both the Japanese colonial period and subsequent martial law era (1949-1987), Taiwanese and other indigenous languages faced severe repression. While democratization has restored the freedom to speak Taiwanese openly, new challenges have emerged. As fewer young people speak the language, the question looms: how can this once-flourishing mother tongue survive in an era of globalization?In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and 2025 Ya-Hui Chiu Summer Fellow Carissa Cheng interview Aiong Taigi, a Taiwan-based American YouTuber dedicated to preserving and promoting Taiwanese. Aiong shared his experience learning Taiwanese as a foreigner, and how Taiwan’s language policies have evolved from the martial law period to today’s democratic society.Useful linksAiong Taigi: https://www.youtube.com/@AiongTaigi/featuredChiok-eng-tâi 足英台三聲道磅米芳: https://www.youtube.com/@saveTaiwanese/featuredMary Knoll Taiwanese Textbooks: https://journeytothewestresearch.com/tag/maryknoll-taiwanese/Taiwanese singer Hsieh Ming-yu (謝銘祐): https://open.spotify.com/artist/38kvukZeDwVBlhLnVVCKWwWebsite that archives lyrics of Taiwanese songs (台語正字歌詞): https://hackmd.io/@Et47FKHKRS2m83n-aEjwAA/HkqwImgdU
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 4, Episode 5: Honghong Tinn on Island Tinkerers and Semiconductors 30.10.2025 37min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Senior Programs Manager Adrienne Wu and Intern Trinity Tai interview Honghong Tinn, the author of Island Tinkerers and an assistant professor at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Drawing upon her research of influential Taiwanese “tinkerers,” Dr. Tinn talks about how Taiwan’s rise in high-tech industries has contributed to its international image and engagement.
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  Taiwan Salon Season 4, Episode 4: KJ Chang on Learning Taiwan's History through Board Games 18.09.2025 25min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Senior Programs Manager Adrienne Wu and Intern Diarra Molock interview KJ Chang, the founder of Mizo Games. KJ explains how Mizo Games—through board games like 2045 and Raid on Takao—combines fantasy, Taiwan’s history under Japanese colonization, and current cross-Strait tensions to create uniquely-Taiwanese playing experiences.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 4, Episode 3: Hsin-mei Cheng on "Zero Day Attack" and Taiwanese Media 02.09.2025 28min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Senior Programs Manager Adrienne Wu and Intern Diarra Molock interview Hsin-mei Cheng, the screenwriter and producer behind the series Zero Day Attack, which depicts the events surrounding a Chinese attack on Taiwan. With Hsin-mei, we discuss the importance of using popular culture to bring difficult-to-discuss topics to mainstream audiences and the challenges of producing such stories.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 4, Episode 2: Chris Horton on Journalism in Taiwan 14.07.2025 37min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Senior Programs Manager Adrienne Wu and Communications Associate Yuchen Lee interview Chris Horton, a freelance journalist based in Taipei. Chris talks about his journey to Taipei, international news coverage of Taiwan, and his upcoming book, Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 4, Episode 1: Caroline Fried and Siwei Huang on Nonpartisanship and Taiwan-Based Think Tanks 29.04.2025 38min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, host and GTI Program Manager Adrienne Wu interviews Director of Research Caroline Fried and Director of Engagement Siwei Huang from the Center for Asia Pacific Resilience and Innovation (CAPRI). For our season four premiere we speak with Caroline and Siwei about CAPRI’s work, the importance of being nonpartisan when doing policy research, and the challenges and opportunities of being a Taiwan-based think tank.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 3, Episode 4: Jay Lin on LGBTQ+ Media and the Pink Economy 31.10.2024 45min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Program Manager Adrienne Wu and Fall Intern Yuchen Lee interview Jay Lin, the founder and CEO of both Portico Media and GagaOOLala, to discuss GagaOOLala’s role as a global LGBTQ+ streaming platform and how the pink economy can benefit Taiwan.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 3, Episode 3: David Chang on Internationalizing Taiwan 19.09.2024 40min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Program Manager Adrienne Wu interviews David Chang, the founder and secretary-general of Crossroads, to talk about the organization's ongoing dual nationality petition and discuss what dual nationality means for Taiwan—as a country, society, and economy.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 3, Episode 2: Vanessa Hope on Invisible Nation and Tsai Ing-wen 30.05.2024 41min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Program Manager Adrienne Wu and Spring Intern Uma Baron interview Vanessa Hope, the director of documentary film Invisible Nation. Reflecting on the eight years she spent filming Invisible Nation, Vanessa Hope talks about why Taiwan and Tsai Ing-wen matter for democracies worldwide and how she approached telling Taiwan’s story.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 3, Episode 1: Jerry Liu on Cultural Policy after the 2024 Elections 27.03.2024 39min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, host and GTI Research Associate Adrienne Wu interviews Dr. Jerry C. Y. Liu, dean of the College of Humanities at the National Taiwan University of Arts and the founding president of Taiwan Association of Cultural Policy Studies (TACPS). For our season three premiere, we speak with Dr. Liu about TACPS’ recent cultural petition, recommendations for the incoming administration, and reflections on the 2024 elections.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 2, Episode 6: Gary Rawnsley and Diana Chiawen Lee on Communicating Taiwan’s Soft Power Capacity 27.10.2023 55min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, host and GTI Research Associate Adrienne Wu interviews Dr. Gary Rawnsley, head of University of Lincoln’s School of Social and Political Sciences, and Diana Chiawen Lee, an award-winning independent film producer and documentary filmmaker. Despite Taiwan’s vibrant and unique culture, the country struggles with communicating its story to international audiences. For our season two finale, we discuss how to better present Taiwan’s culture abroad and communicate its soft power capacity.
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  Taiwan Salon Season 2, Episode 5: Clarissa Wei on Taiwanese Food 08.09.2023 29min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, host and GTI Research Associate Adrienne Wu and former GTI Program Associate Zoë Weaver-Lee interview Clarissa Wei, a freelance journalist and the author of Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation. From bubble tea to beef noodle soup, Taiwanese food is a huge draw for tourists and an excellent way of introducing Taiwan’s culture to the world. But can food tell the story of Taiwan? During this episode, we discuss Taiwanese cuisine and how it connects to Taiwanese identity and history.
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  Taiwan Salon, Season 2, Episode 4: Annie Huang on Taiwan’s Civil Society 21.07.2023 32min

  In this episode of Taiwan Salon, host and GTI Research Associate Adrienne Wu and Summer Fellow Jonah Landsman interview Annie Huang, the regional project leader at Greenpeace East Asia. Taiwan’s vibrant civil society not only sets Taiwan apart from China, but also showcases Taiwan’s commitment to protecting human rights and holding the government accountable to its citizens. During this episode, we discuss what makes Taiwanese civil society unique and the challenges NGOs face when making transnational connections.