Ai-jen Poo: Inspiring Across Generations

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I had the opportunity to connect with Ai-jen Poo, activist and keynote speaker at the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA) East Coast Conference in New York City. Ai-jen serves as the Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Co-Director of the Caring Across Generations campaign. She was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in 2012 and was featured on Newsweek’s 150 Fearless Women list. Learn more about her story of how her Taiwanese roots influence…

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Taiwanese American Ang Lee Wins Best Director Academy Award for Life of Pi

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org congratulates Director Ang Lee for winning his 2nd Academy Award for Best Director! On Sunday, February 24th, 2013, Taiwanese American director Ang Lee was awarded his 2nd Oscar for Best Achievement in Directing for his vision and work on Life of Pi (2012). It seemed to be a surprise moment for Mr. Lee, though many in the Taiwanese American community and among his fans around the world rooted for this win, the 4th Oscar recognition for the film and the most of any film in…

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Composer George Shaw Closes the Year on a High Note

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org's Ho Chie Tsai takes a moment to catch up with composer George Shaw, who he interviewed back in 2009. Since then, George has continued working on musical scores for film, TV, and new media. Best known for his collaborations with YouTube stars, George has composed various music that has been featured in videos by NigaHiga, Kevjumba, Wong Fu Productions, Michelle Phan, and Mystery Guitar Man. Now, at the close of 2012, George has two major releases: The Christmas Album, a…

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Catching the Invisible Light

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Erin Li is a 2nd generation Taiwanese American filmmaker. TaiwaneseAmerican.org has been pleased to support her work in the past, which includes L.A. Coffin School, a film about a recently transplanted grandmother who enrolls in a school that claims to teach people how to start life anew. Her most recent film, To the Bone, tells the story of a preteen migrant farmworker who attempts to defy the status quo with unintended consequences for herself and her family. It was one of six films greenlit…

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Hey Lianne! How about that Video Interview?

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org's Ho Chie Tsai interviews internet celebrity, model, and former host of NMA.tv, Lianne Lin. Together, they swat at flying insects, while she talks about her background in the arts and evolving career path in the media. With over 1.7 million followers on Google+, there's no doubt that her wry yet witty sense of humor, her gorgeous looks, and her time spent as an NMA host has drawn a huge fan base worldwide. Her latest project is the development of her own YouTube…

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Culture and Language in David Henry Hwang's 'Chinglish'

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I’m no avid theatergoer, but I do love entertainment! Watching David Henry Hwang’s new comedic play, Chinglish, with a few TaiwaneseAmerican.org staff was definitely one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had all summer. We follow an American man on his business trip to China, where he is faced with language barrier, cultural differences, and conflicting values, all of which made signing a contract for his family’s sign-making firm way more complex than he thought. I truly enjoyed the play’s…

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Culture and Language in David Henry Hwang’s ‘Chinglish’

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I’m no avid theatergoer, but I do love entertainment! Watching David Henry Hwang’s new comedic play, Chinglish, with a few TaiwaneseAmerican.org staff was definitely one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had all summer. We follow an American man on his business trip to China, where he is faced with language barrier, cultural differences, and conflicting values, all of which made signing a contract for his family’s sign-making firm way more complex than he thought. I truly enjoyed the…

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TW in da House: Baohaus NYC

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org's special correspondent Jessica Kung chats with Baohaus' co-founder Evan Huang about the inspiration for their Taiwanese-themed restaurant. Evan and his brother Eddie started their trail-blazing journey in 2009 with a smaller shop in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Baohaus, now based in the Gramercy district, specializes in variations of "gua bao" or "koah-pau", the melt-in-the-mouth delicious Taiwanese-style pork belly bun. Look back to our first article about Baohaus…

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Singer-songwriter Nate Tao Shares his Language of Love

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TaiwaneseAmerican.org's Ho Chie Tsai chats with talented singer-songwriter Nate Tao about his career and passion creating music. Nate is an LA-based artist known for his smooth but powerful voice. He is of Taiwanese descent, born to deaf parents, but managed to discover his love for the most universal language, music. Nate was a guest performer for the Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP-LA) Annual Banquet & Casino Night and was kind enough to take some time out to share his story with us. Nate…

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Heart and Soul: Introducing American Citizens for Taiwan

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Recently, I stopped by Seattle and caught up with a couple of the organizers behind a new advocacy-oriented website and organization called American Citizens for Taiwan. In a quiet corner of a University of Washington cafe, Brock and Julie Freeman sat with me and shared their perspectives on and motivation for creating this online social media tool to mobilize the broader American community in support of Taiwan's democracy. As I listened to each share about their own personal thoughts and journeys,…

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