Leslie reviews Elon Musk's take on Taiwan in this week's Hashtag Taiwan.

[Why did Taiwanese celebrities celebrate China’s national day?] October 1 was China’s national day. At midnight that day, China state-run television channel CCTV put out a message on its social media that said “I love you China.” Within minutes, a number of Taiwanese celebrities shared that same post on their own social media. Why did those celebrities feel compelled to celebrate China’s national day? Leslie Liao takes a look. 

2022-10-04

[Beauty queen denied appearance over flag] Maggie Kao is representing Taiwan at the Miss Asia Global competition in Penang, Malaysia. But, earlier this week, she was denied an appearance because she was going to hold a flag that made China unhappy.   Watch more clips from “Taiwan Insider” at https://www.facebook.com/pg/TaiwanInsider/videos/ 

[Sound message, bad delivery] Taipei City mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung wants to install bidets on all of Taipei’s public toilets, which isn’t a terrible idea. But the former health minister took a lot of flak for a video proposing the idea. Why? It wasn’t the idea — it was the presentation.

[Path to escalation?] Taiwan’s Kinmen islands are less than 10 km away from the Chinese coast. Modern UAVs, or drones, can easily traverse that distance and get a look at the other side. One Chinese civilian drone that crossed over captured footage of two Taiwanese soldiers. Now, there are increased calls for the government to ward off such incursions. But, Leslie Liao is concerned that these drone interactions may escalate an already tense situation.

2022-08-31

[Taiwan ≠ China’s feelings] It seems like any conversation about Taiwan lately comes against a backdrop of how China would react or feel about that conversation. Leslie Liao thinks it’s time to stop and calls for a change in the way people talk about Taiwan.

[Chinese restaurants in Taipei means Taiwan wants unification with China] Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Taiwan is part of China because Taiwan likes Chinese food. How did she get to that conclusion? Leslie explains.   

[Highest-ranking US official to visit in 25 years] US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed in Taiwan on Tuesday night. Her arrival marks a historic moment in Taiwan’s foreign relations. While many people around the world were worried that Pelosi’s visit might bring about conflict, people in Taiwan were glad to have her here. 

2022-08-02

[The 8th most-watched movie on Netflix] Incantation is a Taiwan-made found footage horror movie that excelled at the domestic box office. It was recently made available on Netflix. Though most of its subject matter is specific to Taiwan, that hasn’t stopped the movie from shooting its way up the streaming service’s global rankings.

[Escape from the airport] A British man on a traveler’s visa couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Taiwan, so he hatched an elaborate plan to make it seem like he left the country. Some say he did it to stay with his girlfriend. Others say he just loved Taiwan that much. Unfortunately, authorities caught him, and he now faces a lifetime ban from entering Taiwan.   

2022-07-12

[Any publicity is good publicity!] An art exhibition in Tainan drew widespread social media attention after religious groups voiced concern that the show might conjure evil spirits. While detractors tried to get the show canceled, the widespread media coverage only drew more public attention. When the show finally opened last week…visitors formed lines around the block to check out the blasphemy.   

[He’s cleaned over 150,000 traffic mirrors…for free] After witnessing a traffic accident at age 68, Chang Hsiu-hsiung realized the fender bender he saw could have been avoided if the nearby traffic mirror was clean. Since then, Chang has been riding around northern Taiwan cleaning traffic mirrors out of the kindness of his own heart. Earlier this week, Chang’s family announced that he passed away at the age of 80. Today, we remember this man who made the world a better place.  

[A piano in the bathroom] 22-year-old Chinese-Belgian YouTuber Ceylan stirred some controversy when he tweeted that Taiwan’s houses are ugly. In this week’s Hashtag Taiwan, we think the guy might have a point. 

[The president “blows up” the Internet] Last week, President Tsai Ing-wen visited a marine brigade to make sure Taiwan’s armed forces were ready to defend the country. To many people, though, safety was not the main takeaway of Tsai’s trip. It was the pictures of her holding a rocket launcher.

[Northern or Southern?] As the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, people are no doubt getting ready to eat plenty of zongzi (粽子), or sticky rice dumplings. Taiwan has two popular versions. And this time each year, people online fight over which is better.  

[His name was John Cheng] In this week’s episode, we pay tribute to a man who saved lives by laying down his own.  Gofundme for Dr. John Cheng’s family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-dr-chengs-family

[A few minor changes…] On its website, the US State Department said that the United States recognizes Taiwan as part of China, and that the US does not support “Taiwan independence.” That changed last week. 

[Cardi B says it’s good for kids!] American rapper Cardi B put the spotlight on international Taiwanese dessert chain Meet Fresh a few weeks ago. According to Cardi, desserts like the one she shows are the key to longevity.

[Taiwanese man signs up for the Ukraine foreign legion] Taiwanese people are doing all they can to help Ukraine. A dedicated bank account for taking in donations to Ukraine has received over US$30 million. However, those who can’t donate are still trying to do their part. Wang Rui-ti, an Amis man from Taiwan, went to Europe to sign up and fight for Ukraine. 

[Who are these nine people?] A collage of nine portraits circulating the internet may look like the cast of a sitcom from the '80s, but that’s not the case. Leslie Liao gives you the lowdown on who they are, and why they may have made it onto TV later than they should have.

[Not the hero we deserve] This week on Hashtag Taiwan: One man quenches his thirst for justice…even if that means doing so in nothing but his underwear. 

[Taiwan very much stands with Ukraine] From politicians to artists and entertainers, people in Taiwan express their solidarity with Ukraine online.

[Money talks, but can it sing?] Cathay United Bank, one of Taiwan’s largest financial institutions, dropped an album on YouTube in late January, which then made its way onto Spotify in mid-February. What kind of music does a bank put out? Leslie Liao tells you. 

[Lantern Festival 2022] Images of impressive drone shows at the 2022 Taiwan Lantern Festival are circulating the internet. 1,500 drones took flight and arranged themselves into various images like tigers, lions, and more! Captivating light shows aren’t the only big hit at Taiwan’s Lantern Festival. One of the event’s souvenir accessories is going for high prices on the Internet.

[Yes, Taiwan sent athletes to the Beijing Winter Olympics] Four Taiwanese athletes will compete in three sports at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. You might think it’s unlikely given Taiwan and China’s strenuous relationship. Or, you might think it’s unlikely because Taiwan is in a subtropical climate with little to no snow. In today’s Hashtag Taiwan, Leslie follows Taiwan’s road to Beijing 2022, which is filled with controversy, speculation, and even a bit of celebration.  LINK: “Taiwan-desu” Hashtag Taiwan: https://youtu.be/Gpi-JH4rBjo

[Lithuanian chocolate…made from Taiwan cocoa beans?] A shipment of Lithuanian rum diverted to Taiwan from China is finally hitting store shelves on February 1. Leslie Liao tells you why there’s a bit of online controversy over the rum’s pricing. Additionally, chocolate from Lithuanian shop Ruta in Taipei is flying off the shelves. Leslie delves into why it might be a good idea for Lithuanian chocolate producers to begin sourcing their cocoa beans from Taiwan. 

[Red envelopes, seed money, and wall hangings] Every Lunar New Year there’s good food and plenty of gifts. Leslie Liao tells you about some of the goodies you can pick up around this time, and the places that are giving them away!  

Check out the Lunar New Year goodies that are going around this week as we welcome the Year of the Tiger in Taiwan.

2022-01-27

Hacker Group Anonymous hacked the Polar Institute of China’s website, plastering a webpage with pro-Taiwan images and words. Hackers also left links to “Fragile” a popular song by Malaysian singer Namewee and Taiwanese singer Kimberley Chen, which pokes fun at pro-Chinese internet users.

Taiwan’s military has been hard at work ahead of the Lunar New Year carrying out intensive training exercises. But for one bar in Ireland, Taiwan’s urban combat simulations struck a little too close to home. 

[If an earthquake happens…] But no one posts about it on social media, did it really happen? People in Taiwan don’t seem to think so, because whenever a tremor occurs, everyone’s first instinct seems to be to tweet about it. On Monday, a rather strong earthquake had people uploading some quite jarring videos online.

[Warning: Maps may cause diplomatic row] Last week, a map of Taiwan and China is said to have caused a stir at a US democracy summit. A video by Taiwan’s digital minister Audrey Tang was cut short and a news report claims it's because she showed Taiwan and China in different colors. Though US and Taiwanese officials claim that it was an honest mistake, it’s not the first time a map has caused problems for Taiwan. 

2021-12-06

China wants you to go to Taiwan in 2035] Leslie tells you why a Chinese video calling for people to visit Taiwan in 2035 creeps him out. 

[The biggest shopping day of the year in the entire world] What started out as a celebration for bachelors and bachelorettes has turned into a reason to blow large amounts of cash on things you don’t need. November 11th is Singles’ Day, a Chinese holiday that encourages people to spend, spend, spend! This holiday has made it to Taiwan and, like Chinese fighter jets crossing into Taiwan’s ADIZ, it has become an outlet for political tension.

[That doesn’t look like hip hop….] 64-year-old former KMT Legislator Shen Chih-Hwei is the head of Taiwan’s Street Dance Federation. This week, she rallied members of the Kuomintang, a political party with an elderly supporter base, to promote a street dance competition by getting them to show off their best moves on camera. Yes, really. As baffling as Leslie Liao finds the video, he would like to remind viewers that attempts to appeal to young people are not exclusively KMT. Other political parties

[Speaking with Jenna Lynn Cody a.k.a. Laorencha] Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on Sunday did a 20-minute piece about Taiwan. The segment has garnered millions of views on YouTube and has been widely covered in Taiwan. However, months before the episode aired, there was a petition asking Oliver to make such a segment. Leslie Liao speaks with the petition’s creator.  LINKS: John Oliver Last Week Tonight segment: https://youtu.be/9Y18-07g39g Jenna Lynn Cody’s Lao Ren Cha blog: https://laorencha.blogspot.com/ Jenna Lynn Cody’s Change.org petition: https://chng.it/8RQBQ8mzGH

[A French YouTuber flies 2,300 km to sell Taiwanese ice cream] French YouTuber “Ku’s dream” was invited to visit Palau after he donated money to a foundation that developed taro farms in the country. Ku jumped on the chance to visit the Pacific island nation, but he said he wanted to bring a piece of Taiwanese culture with him to share with the locals. Ku’s video documenting his transpacific efforts is earning massive praise and widespread attention.  LINKS: Ku’s Dream YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV1OpUwWJCMiv6gJCRR6yAg Taiwan’s ICDF: https://www.icdf.org.tw/mp.asp?mp=2

[For #TaiwanNationalDay] Last week, Taiwan celebrated the 110th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name). The celebrations weren’t confined to just Taiwan. Taiwanese representative offices and embassies brought the party to the rest of the world. However, there was one place that didn’t need a reminder to celebrate Taiwan’s National Day: India.  LINKS: Hats off to India Hashtag Taiwan- https://youtu.be/CFonzGL9KIA RTI 2021 National Day English live coverage- https://youtu.be/padLiIS9t7s

[China bans Taiwanese imports of these two fruits ] In March this year, China halted pineapple imports from Taiwan. Pineapple farmers recuperated rather quickly with the help of social media. Now, China has set its sights on wax apples and sugar apples, banning Taiwanese imports of those two fruits as well. Taiwan launched another online campaign to help wax apple and sugar apple farmers, this time, with a bit more experience under its belt.

[110,000 credit card transactions worth over US$90 million] Lithuania came through with 20,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses in Taiwan’s hour of need. That has since snowballed into strong diplomatic ties between the two countries. Lithuania faces immense pressure from China for choosing to side with Taiwan, losing millions of Euros in trade. However, Taiwanese people are thanking the European country for its support by opening their wallets. 

[The government plans on putting NT$1,000,000,000 into it] Earlier this week, government officials gathered to celebrate the long-awaited launch of Taiwan+. What is Taiwan+? Leslie Liao explains.

[The max is 110!] For far too long now, the world lacked an effective method to quantify how Taiwanese a person was. That changed when software engineer Zhung developed “TaiwanEx,” a fool proof method of measuring someone’s “Taiwan Level.” Link:  https://zhung.com.tw/taiwanex/

[Taiwan has POPCAT fever!] The objective of online game Popcat is to see how many times someone can click on a picture of a cat. And people in Taiwan (and around the world) are utterly crazy for it! Why? Leslie Liao has a couple theories on why something so simple captured the attention of so many.  Watch more clips from “Taiwan Insider” at https://www.facebook.com/pg/TaiwanInsider/videos/

[Taiwan has a dinosaur problem….] They run amuck during air raid drills, they dance for gods, and now, they’re getting vaccinated for COVID-19.

[White stripes against a green background and a grey shadow] It doesn’t look like much, but what’s now being dubbed as the “hawkeye meme,” has become a symbol of Taiwanese Olympic history. 

[For one day, Taiwan was “Taiwan” at the Olympics]   People made a big deal of it when a Japanese announcer called Taiwan’s Olympic team “Taiwan” during the opening ceremony. Leslie Liao explains why calling Taiwan “Taiwan” was so significant.  

2021-07-06

[A donation worth US$3 million]   Taiwanese entertainer Jia Yongjie captured a lot of attention this week because she managed to organize a drive to donate 342 high-end ventilators to hospitals around northern Taiwan. But, her efforts to help medical workers go above and beyond that multi-million dollar gesture.  

[Don’t go anywhere for the long weekend]   The Dragon Boat Festival long weekend is quickly approaching. Leslie Liao explains why staying put for the holiday means saving lives in Taiwan.  

[A new term puts people on edge]   People in Taiwan are tense enough as is, waiting for health authorities to update daily COVID numbers. However, last week, officials introduced a new term that has people scratching their heads. To many, it sounds like the government is putting a spin on the numbers, but how much “spin” is there really? Leslie Liao breaks it down for you.  

  [It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s...]   A man with a jetpack? A 15-second video posted to social media had people scratching their heads. A flying object that looked like a man wearing a jetpack over central Taiwan had aviation authorities scrambling to find out the truth!  

[Taiwan is the most dangerous place on Earth...]   At least, that’s what The Economist thinks. But, that title raised plenty of eyebrows in Taiwan, with many thinking it was a bit much. People who live here find the country to be safe, convenient, and, oftentimes, cute, as Leslie Liao will show you in today’s Hashtag Taiwan.  

[Here we go again...]   We’re one month away from the annual World Health Assembly! In recent years, China has barred Taiwan from attending, but Taiwan doesn’t accept exclusion from the WHA lying down. Every year, it lobbies other countries to let it into the WHA. This year, that campaign is getting a boost from a social media trend started by an international group of lawmakers.  

[People get mad because a typhoon’s not coming]   What do you do when you get mad at a typhoon? If you’re in Taiwan, you insult it on social media. Why would you get mad at a typhoon? If you’re in Taiwan, it’s because it’s not making landfall.  

[Twitter recognizes the #MilkTeaAlliance]   One year after netizens formed the Milk Tea Alliance, Twitter officially recognizes it with a special emoji!  

[Timeline cleanse]   News of the train derailment in Hualien dominated social media feeds over the past week. With  such tragic news, this week’s Hashtag Taiwan aims to cleanse your timeline by showing you the Hualien we know and love.  

[US$9.6 billion a day for dank memes] For some reason, a giant container ship blocking off the Suez Canal was a massive inspiration for meme-creators. We don’t get it either, but that’s not going to stop us from reviewing the gems that came out of this trend!

  [People change their names for a free meal] A restaurant in Taiwan offered people with a particular name a free meal. The catch? The person’s name had to contain the Chinese words for “salmon.” How many people LEGALLY changed their name for free food? The answer might surprise you!

[Racism caught on camera] Taiwan-based St. Lucian singer Keril was minding his own business when he drew the ire of a Taiwanese man. The man verbally harassed Keril for being black, but didn’t realize the irony of saying such things while wearing a Kevin Durant T-shirt.

[It’s a whopping 25-characters]   Names in Taiwan are typically made up of 3 Chinese characters. One man in Tainan decided to give himself the longest name in Taiwan for good luck. Why is the name lucky? Watch to find out!  

[Taiwan’s pineapples taste like freedom] China’s sudden ban on Taiwanese pineapples sent farmers into a panic, which, in turn, sent Taiwan’s leaders into an even bigger panic. Politicians from across the political spectrum came together to encourage the public to consume more local pineapples, spawning the hashtag #FreedomPineapple​.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai personally invited Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi to visit his city earlier this week. What earned Noguchi an invite from the mayor himself? Taking photographs of Taiwan that were out of this world!

2021-02-23

It’s the Year of the Ox! Leslie Liao breaks down how people born in other zodiac years will fare this year! Plus! Hashtag Taiwan’s very first fan submission! 

Duan Jin-wei may be 68-years-old, but you’ll often find her in crowds of people a fraction of her age! That’s because “The Nightclub Grandma,” loves tearing up the dance floor. The Nightclub Grandma exploded in popularity earlier this week. Here’s her story. 

Chinese leader Xi Jinping turned a few heads and cocked a few eyebrows when he gave an online address at a World Economic Forum conference earlier this week. That’s because Xi’s calls for peaceful and multilateral progress run contrary to China’s recent actions around Taiwan.

  An ongoing social media argument between Korean and Chinese internet users caught Taiwan’s attention earlier this week. It all started when popular Korean Mukbanger Hamzy called a certain food item “White Kimchi.” Why did this upset Chinese netizens? Leslie explains all!

Taiwan rolled out a new passport earlier in the week! How does it differ from the old one? Find out here!

2021-01-12

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2020-12-29

An opinion piece published in the New York Times claims that Taiwan is the most important place in the world. The article says that though Taiwan may be small, its computer chips are poised the change the world in a big, big way.

Would you banish foods you don’t like into a void of non-existence? That’s exactly what people on Taiwan’s social media were talking about this past week

A new social media trend in Taiwan invites people to share the way others have botched their names. The #打錯我的名字Challenge​ has caught on like wildfire, and Leslie Liao thinks it has something to do with the intricacies of the Chinese language!

Taiwan may not celebrate turkey day, but Leslie Liao found out that Taiwan can do turkeys very well. Not only are they a prized ingredient in a local delicacy, they’re also an inspiration for one 22-year-old spray paint artist.

  Taiwan's National Communications Commission just issued a decision that will shut down a controversial news station. The NCC said that it wasn’t going to renew CTi News’ broadcasting license, citing a history of questionable practices. However, some are saying the move is a revenge plot aimed at CTi News’ own political bias.

What would you be willing to do to pass a test? Would you be willing to go vegetarian for a month or give up coffee? One woman in Central Taiwan is going viral because of a promise she made to a local god.

Are you the kind of person that can look at a silent GIF and hear sounds? If you are, then you might want to participate in the 打一句有聲音的句子 challenge. What does that mean? Find out in this week’s Hashtag Taiwan!

Since 2014, Taiwan’s armed forces have organized annual mass weddings for servicepeople. This year, however, two couples are joining in the festivities as the very first same-sex pairs to get married at a military wedding.

A fight between Taiwanese and Chinese diplomats turned into a brawl when China showed up uninvited at a Taiwan National Day celebration in Fiji. Why did China appear at the reception? Because they didn’t like the cake.

There’s been a surge in India’s support for Taiwan lately. Why is that? Well, a recent spat between India and China has users in Taiwan saying “Namaste!”

Every year, Taiwan's National Day celebration committee decides on a theme, a logo, and a color scheme. Leslie wondered how the organizers decided on a color schene and went and found out!

For Moon Festival long weekend, Leslie reminds people to take it easy on the mooncakes. Delicious as they are, they are calorific.

Famed Japanese animation comapny Studio Ghibli released the rights to a selection of high-definition images from their films. What did people in Taiwan do? Turn them into memes, of course. 

Taiwan's Twitter-verse was swarmed with a bunch of new collectives. What inspired this movement on social media? The answer to that goes back to last year's protests in Hong Kong.

Why are people scarmbling to purchase a T-shirt after the Czech Senate Presient visited Taiwan? Find out here!

Are you bored out of your mind in lockdown due to the pandemic? Why don't you give the RTI Russian Service's newest competition a shot?

Hollywood actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt asked people to submit their pictures of Taiwan for a project! Many people, including city mayors, offered Levitt their best photos of Taiwan's landscape!

Travel restrictions put in place due to COVID-19 have made travelling quite unfeasible. Airlines are fulfilling people's desire to travel by offering flights to nowhere.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar came to Taiwan. This was a historic visit. Everything down to Azar's plane touching down in Taiwan was watched closely.

Many people in Taiwan started to end their social media posts with a certain phrase. Why? Because, apparently, the addition of that phrase turns their words into poetry!

The Taiwan Power Lottery jackpot hit a new high of NT$3.124 billion! People in Taiwan started buying lottery tickets like it was going out of style.

An elderly couple that own a laundramat in Central Taiwan have gone viral!

A food stall in Central Taiwan doesn't take poor online reviews lying down! Whoever runs social media over there has a bit of bite!

Taiwan and Somaliland agreed to establish representative offices with each other earlier this year. With that announcement, netizens from both countries reached out to each other to say 'hi'!

Over Dragon Boat weekend, people engaged in revenge tourism. Not regular old tourism, mind you. Revenge tourism.

On June 21st, Taiwan was treated to a rare annular solar eclipse. However, only parts of Taiwan could see the characteristic "ring of fire" this phenomenon would bring. Feeling like you missed out? Leslie tells you why you don't have to!

We casually throw around the word “Taiwan” everyday without much thought, but did you know that the country actually officially goes by "the Republic of China?" Online sentiment is shifting, with people calling on officials and companies to remove “China” from references to the nation, and just use “Taiwan” instead.

We're getting natural this week! In honor of Yangmingshan National Park becoming the world's very first urban quiet park. Leslie wants to talk about ornithology! What's that? Find out here!

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