x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files

John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith

Formosa Files is the world"s biggest and highest-rated Taiwan history podcast. We use an engaging storytelling format and are non-chronological, meaning every week is a new adventure - and, you can just find a topic that interests you and check out that episode...skip stuff that isn"t your thing. The hosts are John Ross, an author and publisher of works on Taiwan and China, and Eryk Michael Smith, a journalist for local and global media outlets. Both Ross and Smith have lived in Taiwan for over two

history

All Episodes

00:23:50

New Year Special – The Taiwan Joss: The Shadow and...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/02/19

新年快樂 (Xīnnián kuàilè) from Formosa Files! As we head into the Year of the Horse, we have something different: pirates in the Taiwan Strait, both factual and fictional. We look at a Japanese woman who became a notorious pirate leader in the 1930s. And we follow the Shadow, a mysterious crime-fighter whose 1945 novel The Taiwan Joss centers around a jewel-studded statue of Koxinga (the Ming loyalist who defeated the Dutch in Tainan in the 1660s).Speaking of fiction, Plum Rain Press – our publishing

en

00:29:36

Wanderings Through Formosa (1898) – Part 3 – S5-E49

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/02/12

In the final episode, the pace picks up as we follow Austrian traveler Adolf Fischer on his 1898 journey through Japanese-ruled Taiwan. He heads into the dangerous hill country of central Taiwan and later gives us some memorably morose lines about gray, cholera-scarred Penghu. Fischer treks from Takao (Kaohsiung) across the southern mountains to the East Coast. Along the way, he has encounters with the Paiwan indigenous people involving fermented maize liquor and canned meat diplomacy, and yodeling

en

00:29:46

Wanderings Through Formosa (1898) – Part 2 – S5-E48

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/02/07

In Part 2, we continue in the footsteps of the cultured Austrian traveler Adolf Fischer on his 1898 journey in Japanese-ruled Taiwan. From the commercial enclave of Tōa-tiū-tiâⁿ (Dadaocheng), we cruise downriver to Tamsui (Danshui), meet the famed missionary George Mackay, hear warnings about rebels in the nearby hills, and solve a crocodile mystery. After overcoming Japanese suspicions that he might be a spy for the German Kaiser, Fischer heads south to Shinchiku (Hsinchu). Drawing on his 1900

en

00:29:46

German Wanderings Through Formosa (1898) – Part 1 –...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/02/05

The first in a special three-part series, this is a Taiwan travel account never before told in English. Formosa Files has had Streifzüge durch Formosa (1900) translated into English. This travelogue, Wanderings Through Formosa, describes a journey through Japanese-ruled Taiwan in the spring of 1898 by Adolf Fischer, a cultured, sharp-tongued Austrian traveler. It offers a vivid outsider’s view of the island less than three years after Japan took control. What he found here was quite different from

en

00:28:52

Taiwan’s Motorcycle Daredevil: Lu Ch’ing-an (呂慶安) –...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/01/29

From “Muddy Ditch” in Chiayi County, Lu Ch’ing-an (1944–2011) rose to national fame as Taiwan’s Father of Motorcycle Stunts. The story starts with an apprenticeship at a local scooter repair shop, where the mechanically gifted boy fell in love with motorbikes. Still a teenager, he was inspired by the ROC Air Force’s Thunder Tigers aerobatics team to start flying on two wheels. Over the next few decades, he would amaze audiences and break records. His biggest triumph came in 1983, when he jumped over

en

00:25:33

The CIA Plan to Remove CKS (Part 2): S5-E45

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/01/22

The Cold War is heating up as the CIA continues to build a “Third Force” – a democratic alternative to both Mao’s Communists and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists. A secret army is being trained on the islands of Okinawa and Saipan. But when these Chinese special forces are dropped inside the PRC to gather information and organize anti-communist guerrillas, there is a grim reckoning. Most perished. Built on a house of cards of faulty intelligence, this ambitious covert project would quickly and quietly

en

00:27:10

The CIA Plan to Remove President Chiang Kai-shek...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/01/15

Standard histories tell us that after fleeing to Taiwan, Chiang Kai-shek became America’s staunch Cold War ally – an immovable figure with an iron grip on Fortress Formosa. But behind the scenes, parts of the U.S. government were quietly exploring ways to push him aside. Today we uncover a little-known CIA effort to build a “Third Force” – a democratic alternative to both Mao’s Communists and Chiang’s Nationalists. From whispered WWII assassination plots to secret Cold War schemes involving

en

00:26:36

S5 - [Remastered Encore] Ghost of Green Island: the...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/01/08

Before this encore, a quick announcement: we are looking for (human) artists for a 2027 calendar project. If you're interested, get ahold of us. Thx! The SS President Hoover was a ship ahead of its time, but just seven years after being commissioned, the ship ran aground just off Green Island, which in 1937 was a part of the Japanese Empire. This encore presentation is a riveting adventure involving a possibly intentional bombing, a journey along the unfamiliar East Coast of Formosa in the dark,

en

00:26:19

Shih Ch’ien: Taiwan’s “Father of Beggars” – S5-E43

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2026/01/01

Shih Ch’ien (施乾) is a young, well-educated Taiwanese man with a coveted government job in the Japanese colonial administration. But he turns his back on this comfortable life to live among society’s outcasts. In 1923, aged just 24, he founded a shelter for beggars, Aiai Ryō (愛愛寮, the “House of Love”) in Taipei’s Wanhua district. There, he would spend the rest of his short life caring for the destitute and demonstrating his hands-on approach to helping the poor. Shih loved beggars but hated begging;

en

00:29:49

War Against Wuxia: Jin Yong, Banned Books, and...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/12/25

Wuxia (武俠) novels are martial-arts stories full of swordsmen and swordplay, secret techniques, and chivalrous outlaws. Think Robin Hood crossed with Taoist mysticism and Chinese history. John talks with Taipei-based writer Scott Crawford about the genre – and Jin Yong 金庸 (1924-2018), the most popular and influential wuxia writer. Generations of admiring readers across Asia have devoured his many books. But Taiwan’s government was not a fan. Enter, the Rainstorm Project – a long-running crackdown

en

00:27:38

Opium Paste and Stamped Silver: Early Japanese Rule...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/12/18

When Japan took control of Taiwan in 1895, it inherited a financial mess: a chaotic mix of chopped silver, copper cash, and foreign coins. The new colony also cost far more to subdue and administer than it brought in. Yet during that demanding first decade, able administrators such as Gotō Shinpei turned things around, bringing monetary order and eventual profitability. The United States took notice. In its own new colony, the Philippines, American officials followed Taiwan’s monetary reforms and

en

00:40:16

AUDIO ONLY - Taiwan’s Funeral Strippers: “Dancing for...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/12/11

THIS IS AUDIO-ONLY. A LONGER VIDEO VERISON IS AVAILABLE. This episode may not be suitable for minors. Yes, funeral strippers are real, and their story is far more complicated than the headlines. With anthropologist Marc L. Moskowitz as our guide, we climb aboard Taiwan’s infamous Electric Flower Cars, neon-lit mobile stages where dancers perform during funerals and temple processions.In this dual episode (video/audio only), Eryk chats with Professor Moskowitz about his documentary, ⁠Dancing for the

en

00:47:28

Taiwan’s Funeral Strippers: “Dancing for the Dead” –...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/12/11

Note: This episode may not be suitable for minors. Yes, funeral strippers are real, and their story is far more complicated than the headlines. With anthropologist Marc L. Moskowitz as our guide, we climb aboard Taiwan’s infamous Electric Flower Cars, neon-lit mobile stages where dancers perform during funerals and temple processions.In this dual episode (video/audio only), Eryk chats with Professor Moskowitz about his documentary, Dancing for the Dead. The discussion explores how this controversial

en

00:25:13

Shulinkou Air Station – Part 3: Taiwan and the Gulf...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/12/09

We end our Shulinkou trilogy by tying together the surprisingly interconnected Taiwan–U.S.–Vietnam story. It’s July 1964, and two U.S. Navy destroyers are in Taiwan preparing for an intelligence-gathering mission off the coast of North Vietnam. Shulinkou Air Station provided intel, specialized equipment, and trained personnel for the USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy – ships about to play starring roles in the controversial incident that helped draw the United States fully into the Vietnam War.Amid this

en

00:31:38

Shulinkou Air Station – Part 2 – S5-E38

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/12/04

We continue the story of the Shulinkou Air Station and the American military in the early 1960s. We tackle Taiwan’s infamous gravel-truck killers (urban legend or fact?), get slapped by Typhoon Gloria, and have our duck-hunting excursion interrupted by the Generalissimo’s latest China invasion plans. And we follow the trail of controversial crimes and court verdicts which led to the ROC and U.S. finally signing a Status of Forces Agreement. On a lighter note, we also take time out for some catered

en

00:32:03

Shulinkou Air Station – Part 1 of 3 (early 1960s) –...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/11/27

It was one of Taiwan’s most secretive Cold War outposts: Shulinkou Air Station (樹林口空軍情報站), a joint-service U.S. intelligence base perched on a misty plateau west of Taipei. Built in 1955, it was a hub for the interception, decryption, and analysis of enemy radio and electronic communications.In Part 1 of this three-part series, we focus on the early 1960s and the everyday world of the young servicemen and officers stationed there. Join them as they resist the character-destroying temptations of

en

00:34:17

Special Episode: A Farewell to Dr. Chen Yao-chang,...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/11/19

Pioneering researcher, physician and historical novelist Dr Chen Yao-chang passed away at the age of 76 on November 17. He will be deeply missed by family and friends. John and Eryk had the pleasure of getting to know this kind and talented man through our publishing wing, Plum Rain Press. Our first book in fact was the English-language edition of his breakout novel, A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa. (wonderfully translated by He Wen-ching.)In this special episode, you'll hear a recording

en

00:28:19

Unfinished Projects – unbuilt buildings, unfilmed...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/11/15

Ever taken Kaohsiung’s cable car across the harbor, had fun at Chiayi’s Universal Studios theme park, marveled at Taiwan’s Statue-of-Liberty-style gift to the US (a giant Moon Goddess monument)? Well, no, you couldn’t have because these projects were never realized. These are just a few of the many bleached bones we explore from the graveyard of broken dreams.AND – there will be an extra episode coming this Saturday with a wild premise. Is it possible the ancient Chinese settled in Taiwan during the

en

00:28:46

S5 Bonus: Taiwan and Xu Fu (with Chris Stowers)

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/11/15

Ancient Chinese records tell us that in 210 BC a Taoist priest and alchemist named Xu Fu (徐福) sailed east to find the elixir of immortality for the despotic Qin Shi Huang. China’s first emperor was obsessed with cheating death (as revealed by his huge tomb complex in Xi’an, with its thousands of terracotta warriors); he outfitted Xu Fu’s expedition with everything needed to establish a settlement – equipment, supplies, and several thousand young men and women. Xu Fu and his companions never returned

en

00:33:51

Altars and Outlaws: Ben Sando on Taiwan’s Underworld...

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files ·

2025/11/06

We’ll let Benjamin Sando, research fellow at the Global Taiwan Institute, and our guest for this week’s episode, describe the topic: “From the early days of Han Taiwanese society, through the period of Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) martial law and on to the era of democratization, the influence of Taiwan’s gangs has evolved. The activity of some gangs (but not all) has spread beyond extracting profit from local territory – through extortion, prostitution, and gambling – to international transactions

en

314 results

Similar Podcasts

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

جنود خلدهم التاريخ

ALSUMOOD PODCAST

Film History - Daily

Inception Point Ai

Madonna - Biography Flash

Inception Point Ai