Taiwan Talk

Jonathan Lin (林沛祥) comes from a family of politicians. But it took the urging of students involved in the Sunflower Movement to entice him to run for a seat in the Legislative Yuan. He tells I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo how that unfolded, and what it means for him to be a freshman lawmaker representing Keelung as part of the opposition KMT. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

I-C-R-T's John Seaward chats with Oscar-nominated documentary maker, S. Leo Chiang about what inspired him to put his thoughts into a film that caught the attention of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. You can find the documentary short here . -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Philippe Grelon is an avid sailor who did much to encourage recreational sailing as a sport in Taiwan. Philippe and his son Cosmas speak to I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo about the early days of sailing in Taiwan, and their quest to capture the top spot in this year's Rolex China Sea Race, sailing in "A Plastic Ocean" or TPE 003. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Can technology really help you find the partner of your dreams? Coffee Meets Bagel Co-Founder and CEO Arum Kang thinks so. She tells I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo how algorithms could be the 21st century Cupid singletons are looking for. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Lawyer and longtime Taiwan resident John Eastwood's social media now features curated images of some of Taipei's most iconic colonial buildings. He speaks to I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo about his interest in local architecture: what spurred it and what captures his imagination. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Japan and Italy may sit on different, faraway continents, but Initia's Chef Kunihiro Hagimoto says its easy to catch the similarities between the two cuisines -- and what they are -- during a chat with I-C-R-T 's Hope Ngo. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Taiwan may be a democracy today but it wasn't always this way. Writer and historian Mark O'Neill spent some years in Taipei during the 1980s -- he covers that period in his latest book in a chat with I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

As CEO of Taiwan NextGen Foundation, Chen Kuan Ting dreamt of "empowering the next generation of Taiwan's leaders". Today he has a chance of turning his vision into actionable plans as a member of the incoming Legislative Yuan. He speaks to I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo about his legislative agenda. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Cynthia Wu is a successful businesswoman and philanthropist who wears many hats. Most recently, she had been at the Legislative Yuan for just over a year before she was asked to be the running mate of TPP Vice-Presidential Candidate Ko Wen-je. Wu tells I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo what drew her to politics, and what she hopes to achieve as she re-enters civilian life. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Taiwan's Indigenous languages have gone through centuries of social upheaval and marginalisation, But many of these languages still persist in Indigenous communities - and so do the people determined to save, document and revitalise them. In this episode, guest host Aspen Beilharz talks to Apay Ai-yu Tang, linguist and Associate Professor at National Dong Hwa University, about her work to ensure t...

Building a successful wedding and event planning company can't be easy, but it's all in a day's work for Lin Ching Ching of Taipei's Chin Chin Weddings. Hear how the self-confessed "farm girl" built a thriving business by doing something young men and women can dream about -- owning a high-end event planning firm with a designer client roster. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

The dust has settled and the 2024 Presidential and Legislative Elections are behind us. What can we expect of the incoming administration, and the new Legislative Yuan? I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo speaks to Sara Newland, Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College and a scholar of local politics in China and Taiwan. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

There may not be absentee voting in Taiwan, but that won't keep members of the island's overseas community from weighing in on the elections which happen on January 13. In this special report for ICRT, Keith Menconi reveals how San Francisco-based Taiwanese feel about the polls. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

2023 saw the end of COVID restrictions and new iterations of existing trade ties with Western allies. Stanford University Taiwan specialist KharisTempleman looks at the year that was in the area of foreign relations. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

YouTube Co-Founder Steve Chen rode out most of the COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan. The (literal) move gave him the opportunity to study Taiwan's startup ecosystem up close. Has anything changed since that time? He shared his thoughts with I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo in an interview that took place last summer in this encore presentation. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

What does it take to introduce a cuisine that not many people may be too familiar with, and turn that into the cornerstone of a Michelin-starred offer? Zea's chef de cuisine Joaquin Elizondo talks about what brought him to Taipei, and the role his restaurant plays in bringing the flavors of Latin America to the island. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Hailing from Ivory Coast, Ange Samuel Kouamé has made his name in Taiwanese football with spectacular goal scoring - and in 2023, he became naturalized as a Taiwanese citizen. He talks with guest host Aspen Beilharz about his story, and how he overcame challenges to reach a footballer’s dream of playing on the world stage. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

With most of life returning to normal, few of us remember that it was just a year ago in November that the Taiwan government began easing its COVID-related restrictions. I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo looks back at the conversations she's had with personalities within the food and restaurant industry, as well as hospitality space to ask them what they remember about business in the time of the coronavirus, ev...

Bed and Breakfast owner Wayne Wang has spent nearly all his life living in and exploring Sun Moon Lake. He tells I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo why he remains entranced by the area and how best to explore the lake, which international media once described as one of the most beautiful bike trails in the world. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In 2016, Peter Sutton left a successful career in international finance to create Woodpecker Learning – a language learning app with a unique methodology, informed by his own experience learning Chinese. Guest host Aspen Beilharz talks to Peter about a life of travel and innovative learning design. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Award-winning novelist Kevin Chen sits down with I-C-R-T's Tim Berge to talk about life's twists that led him to write "Ghost Town", which won the prestigious Taiwan Literature Award for Books by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and the Golden Tripod Award. It was also was one of the New York Times' most anticipated books of Fall 2022; was selected by Library Journal for their Best of Worl...

Award-winning jazz vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu has experienced remarkable success in both the US and Taiwan, but her path to this point was anything but straightforward. She started her career in classical music, and made a radical change to turn herself toward a new, inspired direction. Guest host Aspen Beilharz talks with Lu about her journey in music and what drives her now as an artist. -- Hos...

It might be difficult to find a link between a traditional condiment like soy sauce with a western style beverage like kombucha. Gene Chung shows I-C-R-T's Hope Ngo how he bridged the gap between the traditional condiment and the trendy beverage; he also makes the case for taking the lessons learned from working at his family's soy sauce company (which involves fermentation) to make his personal b...

For 30 years, Taiwan’s Women Make Waves International Film Festival has showcased women’s perspectives and films on a wide range of social issues. Guest host Aspen Beilharz sits down with festival programmer Huei-Yin Chen to talk about her career working with film, and the history and mission of the festival. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Taiwan is on the world's culinary map for its night markets and street food. It's not as known for fine dining, but Taipei's Tairroir could change that. The Michelin Guide describes the restaurant's name as a play on "Taiwan" and "terroir", and its cuisine, a "love letter" to Chef Kai Ho's home island. Chef Kai sits down with ICRT's Hope Ngo in a rare, exclusive interview… and yes, he fed her too....