Stories from and

Worst Drought In A Decade Hits Taiwan

  10 March 2015

As a subtropical/tropical island, Taiwan usually covers with wetness and green. However, last year, there were only two typhoons, the island is now facing the worst drought in a decade. Independent reporter Chu Shu Chuan reported that the storage of 12 major reservoirs is reduced to less than 50%, according...

What is Sinology?

  12 December 2014

Sinology is still unknown to many people, as Isma Ruiz writes after attending the I International Congress of Sinology in Spanish, last June at the University of Tamkang – Tamsui, Taiwan. Although the focus was translation and interpretation of classic Chinese books, the necessity of learning a new language when...

Call to Stop Construction to Protect the Leopard Cats in Taiwan

  24 April 2014

Leopard cat is listed as a vulnerable species [zh] in Taiwan. Since the big cats live in the forests and jungles in both plains and in hilly areas and their home range is very broad, their habitats in Taiwan are easily disturbed by new construction projects. The Taiwanese environmental evaluation...

Taiwan's Sunflower Movement on Reddit

  4 April 2014

Four Taiwanese students joining the Sunflower Movement opened an Ask Me Anything on Reddit to answer questions regarding their protest against the closed-door trade deal with China.

Taiwan #CongressOccupied: Wild Lily Turns into Sunflower

  21 March 2014

The Wild Lily student movement took place in March 16 1990 at Freedom Square in Taipei is the most significant historical event that marks the democratic struggle in Taiwan. As a result of the movement, temporary provisions effective during the period of Communist rebellion in Taiwan was terminated and the...

A Slogan on March 8 Anti-Nuke Protest in Taiwan

  10 March 2014

In the anti-nuke protest on March 8, 2014, a demonstrator promoting marriage equality held a sign saying: “Why can 23 millions citizens in Taiwan decide whether we can get married and why cannot the same 23 millions people decide whether we want the fourth nuclear power plant or not?” The...

A warning message sent to Taiwan from Ukraine

  8 March 2014

The decision Russia made to send military force to Crimea worries many Taiwanese. Taiwan Explore, a blogger who devoted to introducing Taiwan, explained the parallels between Taiwan and Ukraine and why many Taiwanese feel worried about themselves when they watch the news about Ukraine these days.

Podcast: Taiwan

  5 February 2014

Sinica Podcast held a discussion about Taiwan from their personal experiences. The discussion explores Taiwanese's personal identity, their culture, media situation, health care system, as well as Taiwan's political relations with the mainland.

Taiwan: Protest Against Legislation on Marriage Equality

  2 December 2013

The Legislative Yuan in Taiwan passed the first reading of the “marriage equality“ bill [zh] on Oct 25, 2013. On Nov 30, more than 300000 people protested against this bill, in particular against the proposal on same-sex marriage. J. Michael Cole, a Taipei-based freelance journalist, described what he observed in...

Comics Comparing Hong Kong and Taiwan Society

  10 November 2013

Kevin Tang from Hong Wrong translated a series of comics depicting the differences between Hong Kong and Taiwan by a Hong Kong-based Taiwanese artist JIEJIEHK. Below is one of the comparison that vividly shows the difference between the restaurant services in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Taiwan: National Day in Protest Mood

  12 October 2013

There were three protests on the National Day against the 4th nuclear power plant, the unfair referendum law, and the untransparent process of the service trade agreement with China.

Hong Kong: A Cautionary Tale for Taiwan

  8 September 2013

A group of 300 individuals in Hong Kong published a statement in Taiwanese newspapers warning the Taiwan society against Sinicisation [i.e. the bad influence of mainland China]. The statement has two versions one published in Hong Kong and one in Taiwan. Dictionary of Politically Incorrect Hong Kong Cantonese has translated...

100 Million Signature Campaign for Resolution of Japan's ‘Sex Slaves’ Issues

  6 September 2013

The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan has launched a new campaign to gather 100 million signatures. Their online petition, in eight different languages, calls on Japanese government to offer an official apology and legal reparations to the victims and asks the international community to join their cause....

Taiwan: Online Dictionary for Aboriginal Peoples

  7 August 2013

The first online dictionary of the native language used by the aboriginal peoples [zh] in Taiwan had its debut on August 5, 2013. The first stage of this online dictionary includes the native language of the the Bunun people, the Tao people, the Truku people, the Saisiyat people, the Thao...

An Undeniably Racist Song, ‘Asian Girlz’ Sparks Controversy

  31 July 2013

Packed with Asian stereotypes and fetishes, song ‘Asian Girlz’ by ‘Day Above Ground’ has invited controversy and angry comments. Blogger Angry Asian Man typed down the entire lyrics to comment [if they have not] ‘run out of stereotypical Oriental stuff to list off, the song would have gone on for another ten minutes”. The...