Browsing: Formosa Files podcast

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 first emperor of China dispatched expeditions to the world’s far corners with a life-and-death task: find and bring back the elixir of immortality. Most famous among these explorers was a Taoist priest named Xu Fu, who sailed into the Eastern Seas. Xu Fu and his fleet vanished. Some legends say he settled in Japan. In Tim McGirk’s novel, Xu Fu goes beyond Japan, traversing the Pacific Ocean and landing upon the shores of the land of the May

Next week we will continue the Psalmanazar story, covering how his Formosan claims were challenged and how he defended himself. Our French conman had some very cunning explanations to rebut his challengers, and also the confidence that came from an increasing intake of drugs.

Today, the Kaohsiung Times gratefully begins running John Ross’ Taiwan in 100 Books (2020). It tells the story of Taiwan through the prism of some of the most important and/or most interesting English-language works on the country. Unfortunately, due to some dark publisher drama, the title is not currently available for sale; so, John is making it available here. In the coming months, we will, in weekly installments, be serializing the entire book.