A Day in the Life of Model & TV Host Janet Hsieh

Janet Hsieh 謝怡芬, the beautiful model and TV show host of "FunTaiwan" on the Discovery Travel & Living Channel, is one busy girl who is always working and jet-setting worldwide. She shares her explorations with a growing audience in Taiwan and throughout Asia. While in Taipei, TaiwaneseAmerican.org's Ho Chie Tsai drops in to say hello between photo shoots and appointments to hear what she's been up to during her recent adventures. Check out our first interview with Janet back in February…

Connecting with Janet Hsieh, Host of Discovery’s Fun Taiwan!

Depending on where you're tuning in from, you may or may not have heard of Janet Hsieh, an American-born Taiwanese model and the current host of Discovery Travel & Living Channel's "Fun Taiwan." Broadcast throughout 25 countries around Asia, this show has gained wide recognition for Janet as she explores many of the hidden treasures throughout Taiwan! Adored by her many fans for an adventurous and playful personality, one can find her beautiful face plastered on billboards and advertisements…

Formosa Betrayed – Giving Voice to History Via the Big Screen

Contributors: Ho Chie Tsai, Shawna Yang Ryan, and Anna Wu February 28th, 2009. 8:12 pm: On a snowy Illinois evening, two mysterious hooded Asian "thugs" approach Professor Wen. They shoot him at point blank range. He tumbles to the icy ground --setting the on-screen instigating episode that inspires the Hollywood political thriller, Formosa Betrayed. Flashback 2 hours... 6:12 pm: The valet pulls our car up to the front of our posh Hollywood hotel, situated next to the famous Kodak…

From East to West with Wong Fu Productions

During the past year, I was fortunate enough to hang out with the guys of independent filmmaking company Wong Fu Productions on three separate occasions, in three different cities. As they jet-set from coast to coast, campus to campus, their fans instantly recognize them and never quite allow them to be the international secret agents they hoped to be. Their fans know what I’m talking about. Despite the young crowds that recognize and surround them wherever they go (I even noticed discrete phone…

An Interview with Jimmy Tsai of Ping Pong Playa

I recently caught up with Taiwanese American actor Jimmy Tsai, who plays Christopher "C-dub" Wang, a suburban urban-wannabe who dreams of a career as a pro basketball player in the unbelievably funny comedy film, PingPong Playa, just now hitting theaters. Christopher "C-Dub" Wang is the anti-"model-minority" Asian American lead character who lives in the shadow of his older brother, a doctor and ping pong champion. When C-Dub reluctantly takes his mother's place as the the ping pong teacher…

Literary author Francie Lin talks about a different kind of Foreigner

Francie Lin may have never visited the Taiwanese criminal underworld or sang in a seedy karaoke bar, but she has written an acclaimed debut novel, The Foreigner, set in the hidden alleys of Taipei. Emerson Chang is a 40-year-old Taiwanese American virgin who has met his mother for dinner every Friday night for fifteen years. But after her unexpected death, long-buried secrets and family loyalty will take him on an unpredictable journey back to Taiwan—and to the rebellious younger brother lost…