From the ICONIC 2005 Taiwanese series 王子變青蛙 (The Prince Who Turns into a Frog) with its ambitious fulfillment of all classical elements (two exceptionally hot guys, collision-based amnesia) to the highest-grossing LGBTQ+ film in Taiwanese history, Your Name Engraved Herein, we can't wait to watch our way through Netflix's lineup of Taiwanese shows and movies. TV SHOWS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MppKF564QEk
Triad Princess 極道千金 (Netflix Original Series)
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Feature photo from the Office of the President
aka "Taiwan #1" All year long, we enjoy showcasing the best and most promising of Taiwanese America (and Taiwan). It has been our proud mission to highlight the amazing stories and people of our community. During this most challenging year in the midst of a global pandemic, inspirational stories have kept our spirits up. Now, with the year's end in sight, the annual superlatives lists have started popping up, and we've taken note. During the past…
FEATURE IMAGE: HELLO FROM TAIWAN, dir. TIFFANY FRANCES
We are beaming with Taiwanese American pride as our stories come to life and are being projected across the country! A global pandemic may have paused in-person film festivals and gatherings in America, but that hasn't stopped organizers from creating virtual film festivals accessible to a wider audience. Lucky for us because there are more than a handful of excellent Taiwanese and Taiwanese American films being showcased by several organizations…
During the past decade, Taiwan's burgeoning coffee scene has gained more attention, but the stories from news articles have tended towards the creative cafes and talented baristas who import quality beans from other major producers in the world. Rarely told is the story of Taiwan's own home-grown coffee bean. For connoisseurs of fine coffee, many do know that some of the best beans are grown in the high mountain regions around Yunlin county--a perfect altitude for production. In fact, if one visits…
The film begins with the universal cues of an orchestral warm up: a retrieved violin bow, the tell-tale crisp sleeves and cuff links of performance attire, the scrambling annotations, the conductor’s swelling flourish. This could be anywhere, until we catch glimpses of something cheerfully familiar, locating us in the heart of Taiwan: the interior of a double-decker bus (equipped with karaoke screens), a cup of bubble tea. Hwang’s recent documentary Between the Notes, now playing…
Editor's Note: Joyce was already living in Taiwan when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. If you are fleeing the states and traveling to Taiwan, or have recently done so, please practice self-isolation for at least 14 days - no matter how much you want to go out! Tricky Taipei has a great guide on life in Taipei during COVID-19, as well as an archive of coronavirus home quarantine stories. As I write this on April 28, Taiwan has announced its third day in a row of no reported new…
Are you a fan of foreign movies? Please join us on January 12th to celebrate the first anniversary of Taiwan Café Meetup Group. We will be kicking off the new year with a movie screening in SOMA, featuring Warriors of the Rainbow.
The Taiwanese movie, produced by John Woo and directed by Wu Te-Sheng, is based on Wushe Incident in 1930 when an aboriginal people in Central Taiwan rebelled against Japanese oppression. Through stunning cinematography, the action saga tells the story of the courageous…
The first and only Taiwanese player for the New York Yankees, Chien-Ming Wang held many titles: American League Wins Leader, World Series Champion, Olympian, Time 100 Most Influential, and The Pride of Taiwan. He had it all--until a 2008 injury forever altered the course of his career. LATE LIFE: The Chien-Ming Wang Story--named after the late sinking action on his signature pitch--follows the rise and fall of the international icon as he fights his way back into the Major Leagues through endless…
Editor's Note: Something we consider often is how language informs how we define and experience an ethnic or national identity. We wonder about the merits of raising bilingual, or even trilingual, children, and whether our mother tongues will ever find a place in communities that do not recognize them. Our contributors have discussed loss and mourning of such languages, but also learning and discovery. With language as vehicles in mind, Taiwanese American writer Eva Lou launched Madeleine Editions,…
I was born in the US and, like many second generation Taiwanese-Americans, I grew up speaking first Taiwanese (台語), and then English at home. I recall visiting Taiwan as a child and people finding it quite odd that my brother and I understood only Taiwanese—not Mandarin Chinese. Although my level of Taiwanese never reached beyond that of a kindergartner's, if I hear Taiwanese being spoken around me, I will always turn my head, unable to refrain from eavesdropping on the conversation. With…
