The story of a little-known CIA effort to build a “Third Force” – a democratic alternative to both Mao’s Communists and Chiang’s Nationalists.

2018年，台灣通過《國家語言發展法》，正式將台灣手語 (Taiwan Sign Language, TSL)納入國家語言之一。臺灣聾教育，以及臺灣手語的發展，都是從日治時期開始。而在臺灣聾教育的歷史中，有一位相當重要的人士：林文勝先生。他是創立於日治時期，現今臺北市立啟聰學校的第二任校長，同時也是位聾人。究竟臺灣聾教育與這位林校長有些什麼關係呢？這次的FORMOSA FILES中文版在2025年12月時來到臺南，訪問兩位臺灣手語教育的先驅：史文漢（Wayne H. Smith）老師以及丁立芬老師，由他們來與我們一起聊聊，臺灣聾教育與這位「三個第一」的林文勝林校長。

According to the United Nations World Happiness Report, Singapore’s global happiness ranking between 2012 and 2024 ranged from 22nd to 35th. From 2012 to 2017, Singapore was ranked the happiest country in East Asia. Although it dropped slightly to second place between 2018 and 2022, it regained the top spot in East Asia in both 2023 and 2024.

The Kaohsiung Times continues its serialization of John Ross’s Taiwan in 100 Books with the second half of Chapter Two, which examines the end of Dutch rule on Formosa.

CHAPTER TWO – EARLY FORMOSA: Part 1 Above: A scene of what is today Tainan City, from Dr. Chen Yao-chang’s A Tale…

Even as TSMC’s international footprint reaches unprecedented scale, the center of gravity of global chip manufacturing remains—and for the foreseeable future will continue to remain—firmly anchored in Taiwan.

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.

2025 recaps show how tightly streaming data is now woven into the way people understand their own media habits. For the platforms, they are also powerful annual marketing campaigns. For users, they have become a kind of digital diary of what they listened to, watched, and talked about throughout the year.

We continue with our serialization of Taiwan in 100 Books and find out what became of George Psalmanazar, a young Frenchman claiming to be a native of Formosa. He was the author of An Historical and Geographical Description of Formosa (1704), one of history’s greatest literary hoaxes.

“Watermelon farmers are suspected of using chicken manure as fertilizer, resulting in stench and attracting flies. The flies affect traditional banquets held by the Paiwan communities there.”