Author: Eryk Michael Smith

AmCham Kaohsiung was grateful and delighted to have the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan join the fun in the South.

Tourism Bureau Director Kao Min-lin (高閔琳) said that East Kaohsiung has a rich ecology, diverse cultures, and local craft traditions, and called on visitors to use the summer to explore the area at a slower pace.

There has also been growing cooperation between expat groups in northern and southern Taiwan. Te’Qin Windham, chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (CanCham), told KHT she was looking forward to this weekend’s event and was pleased to work with the American Chamber of Commerce in Kaohsiung to help bring Canada Day activities to southern Taiwan.

By Eryk Michael Smith/KHT Staff. Image via Fount Media. KAOHSIUNG — Police reportedly detained 31 suspected drunk or drugged drivers during a one-night citywide crackdown on Friday, the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The Kaohsiung City Police Department (高雄市政府警察局) deployed 610 officers at 51 checkpoints targeting high-risk roads, and entertainment districts. Police reported 13 drugged-driving cases and 18 drunk-driving cases, including one driver who refused a breath test. Officers also found seven people wanted by authorities for other legal reasons, and handled eight other criminal cases during the operation. Driving under the influence of drugs has become…

Hear stories of Taiwanese migrants in the Yaeyama Islands during the Japanese colonial era. On jungle-clad Iriomote Island, some suffered brutal conditions in coal mines. On nearby Ishigaki, Taiwanese settlers helped transform the island’s agriculture, developing its pineapple industry and also introducing water buffalo, whose descendants can be seen today pulling tourist carts.

Looking for the true story behind the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Jie)? There’s much more to it than dragon boat races and sticky rice dumplings (zongzi).
Many know the standard origin story of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, but Formosa Files uncovers the less-tidy roots of the holiday. The Dragon Boat Festival date falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month; once feared as the dangerous “Month of a Hundred Poisons.” Discover how people responded with temple rituals, protective herbs, and even arsenic-laced wine.

As we head into the 2026 World Cup, we take a look at Taiwan’s surprisingly rich football heritage.

The day’s larger theme was Taiwan’s maritime future. Cho said Taiwan’s technology sector and position in the Indo-Pacific have made it central to regional stability, adding that the country now has the confidence to “look at the world from Taiwan.” Taiwan, he said, should face the Pacific and the wider world rather than remain locked in a China-centered view.

The bridge began as a temporary railway bridge built in 2009 during Kaohsiung’s railway undergrounding project. After trains were moved underground in 2018, the tracks and overhead wires were removed, and the structure was converted into a riverside landscape bridge in 2021. Its planned removal now shows how the THSR extension is not just a regional transportation project, but a major urban construction challenge for Kaohsiung.

Pingtung mangoes are already exported to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, and the county government said it is continuing to invest in export infrastructure. A new international-standard agricultural packaging and processing facility is expected to begin operations early next year, featuring vapor heat treatment and cold-chain systems designed to support overseas shipments. Pingtung mangoes are already exported to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, and the county government said it is continuing to invest in export infrastructure. A new international-standard agricultural packaging and processing facility is expected to begin operations early next year, featuring vapor heat treatment and cold-chain systems designed to support overseas shipments.