David on Formosa

The Dalai Lama arrived in Taiwan on a China Airlines flight from Delhi late last night. He was welcomed by Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu before taking a specially chartered high speed train to Kaohsiung. Given the short time frame between the Dalai Lama’s invitation and his arrival in Taiwan it is not surprising there have [...]

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is set to visit Taiwan next week to provide comfort to the victims of the Typhoon Morakot. He was invited by DPP city and county chiefs in Southern Taiwan. President Ma Ying-jeou subsequently gave his approval for the visit. In December last year Ma rejected the possibility of the Dalai [...]

Indigenous people affected by the Typhoon Morakot disaster and supporters held a protest in Taipei today. They protested against the government’s reconstruction plan and fear they may be forcefully relocated from their lands as a result of the disaster. While marching from 228 Park to Ketagalan Boulevard they shouted, “We want to go home!” Meaning [...]

I visited Smangus this week to continue the research for my thesis. There were some significant changes in the village since my visit last year. The major one was the new classroom building near the main entrance to the village. Construction began in July last year and was completed in April. There are currently 12 [...]

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti (不能沒有你) is an intimate portrait of the relationship between a father and his daughter. Wu-hsiung, played by Chen Wen-pin (陳文尉), lives in an abandoned warehouse by the harbor in Kaohsiung where he undertakes the dangerous job of diving to repair boats. His daughter Mei, played by Chao Yu-Hsuan (趙祐萱), is [...]

Taiwanese extreme metal group ChthoniC’s  (閃靈) new album Mirror of Retribution (十殿) was scheduled for release in Taiwan on 8 August. However, as Typhoon Morakot hit at the same time, the release was delayed for a few days and the autograph signing activities in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung were cancelled. ChthoniC have responded to [...]