Hot Stuff

We're back with another episode of Hot Stuff.   In this episode, we continue our discussion with Ukrainian Voices Co-founder Oleksandr Shyn. How big is the Ukrainian community in Taiwan? Why should people in Taiwan take the time to understand Ukraine? What cultural similarities do Taiwan and Ukraine share? These are just some of the things we'll be getting into today - so hit play! You can...

Today's guest on Hot Stuff is Oleksandr Shyn. Oleksandr is one of the Co-founders of Ukrainian Voices, a Taiwan-based and volunteer-run platform that shares the stories and experiences of Ukraine beyond the headlines.  In this episode, Olek shares his experience  growing up in Ukraine as a fourth-generation Soviet-Korean, how Ukrainians have historically struggled with forming their own nation...

Today I will be bringing you part 2 of my interview with period equity advocate, Vivi Lin. In this episode, we discuss the importance of inclusive period education and what Vivi learned from the Scottish Menstrual Movement. Vivi also talks us through the steps of making sustainable long-lasting changes - policy changes are the first step, not the end.  You can browse the website of With Red, the n...

Every month around 1.8 billion people menstruate but talking about it is still a taboo all around the world. Today’s guest is seeking to change that - Vivi Lin! Vivi is founder of With Red, a non-profit organization that fights for period equity and battling the stigma around menstruation. With her team, Vivi set up the only museum in the world dedicated to periods, the Red House Period Museum, in...

Today I will be bringing you part 2 of my interview with Adjunct Sociology Professor at Fu Jen Catholic University, Louisa (張慶玉). Louisa has seven years of experience working as a flight attendant for China Airlines which informed her six year research project on the experience of working in the industry. How does working as a female flight attendant in Taiwan affect your everyday behaviour? Ho...

Today's special guest is Louisa (張慶玉), an adjunct sociology professor at Fu Jen Catholic University who also has seven years of experience working as a flight attendant for China Airlines under her belt. Louisa's past work has had a large influence on her research - she focuses on gender issues including Asian femininity, gendered emotional labor, and gender roles in Taiwan. She has als...

For today's episode of Hot Stuff, I am joined by SVP and General Manager of BBC Studios across Asia, Phil Hardman. I spoke with Phil following his first visit to Taiwan for PTS' 2023 International Symposium where he was a speaker. In this episode we discuss Phil's career transition, more about his role, and the challenges that come with navigating content distribution in Asia. We also...

The #MeToo movement first gained widespread attention back in 2017, when claims of sexual harassment and abuse consumed Hollywood and encouraged women worldwide to come forward about their experiences. However, in Taiwan nothing at that time happened on the same scale. Fast forward to June 2023, Taiwan's own #MeToo movement has started to grow.  For today's episode of Hot Stuff I spoke wit...

On this episode of Hot Stuff, I sat down with Sharon to discuss a recent incident that went viral on social media in Taiwan. From creations of memes to outrage at police behaviour, Taiwanese people were quick to react to the incident.  In this episode we talk about the response amongst the Taiwanese people, how the police are perceived in Taiwan, and our own experience with the police here. We’ll...

Taiwan is full of exciting events and creative experiences and the 2023 Formosa International Tattoo Expo in Taichung was not one of them to miss! Tune in to today's episode of Hot Stuff to hear me speak to Larry Wang, exhibitor and organizer of the convention, along with visitors and tattoo artists who came from all over Taiwan and the world. Find out what drew people to attend the expo, what...

A staunch friend or fighting for relevancy? On today's episode of Hot Stuff, we'll be getting into shortest-serving UK Prime Minister Lizz Truss' motives behind her recent visit to Taiwan, how the visit was recieved in the UK and Taiwan, and insights into her political career that don't seem to be being highlighted in Taiwanese media.   We'll also be discussing another topic th...

For part two of our interview Brian Hioe and I chat Taiwanese politics. In this episode Brian breaks down the roots and history behind the two main political parties in Taiwan and shares his insights on how Cross-Strait tensions affect domestic politics. We also discuss what the 2024 presidential election results could mean for China-Taiwan relations and the links between organised crime, politics...

For today's episode of Hot Stuff, I spoke with Brian Hioe. Brian is a writer, activist, and one of the founding editors of online magazine New Bloom which covers politics, activism, and social issues in Taiwan and the Asia Pacific region. His writing has been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Nation. He has also made numerous television and radio appea...

For today's episode of Hot Stuff, Sharon and I discuss beauty standards in Taiwan and beyond.  How is beauty defined in Taiwan and what are the origins behind it? Hit play to hear us share our experiences of dealing with body image growing up in Taiwan and the UK. We'll also discuss how definitions of beauty differ in Western countries to those in East Asia, the influence of advertisements...

For today’s episode of Hot Stuff you can listen to part 2 of my interview with language activist, A-Hôa. We talk more about what it means to be Formosan, the impact of marshall law on religion in Taiwan, and who should take responsibility to ensure the survival of Taiwanese. To wrap up the last four episodes where we've explored Taiwanese and its history, I’ll also be teaching you some daily T...

In today's epsiode of Hot Stuff I am joined by A-hôa. A-hôa continues to be outspoken about the importance of speaking and preserving the Taiwanese language. Part of his efforts to do this include making incredibly informative videos and lessons which you can find on his YouTube channel ( 足英台三聲道磅米芳 ) where he has amassed over 50,000 subscribers.  There's content from daily convers...

Today, I will be bringing you part 2 of my interview with Youtuber, A'ióng (阿勇). In this episode, we discuss the important and complex history of the Taiwanese language. We were unfortunately not able to cover all the nuances and aspects that deserve our attention but A'ióng provides a great brief history. If your understanding regarding this topic had been limited before, I hope that af...

For today's episode of Hot Stuff, I am joined by A'ióng (阿勇) whom you may recognise from his YouTube channel, A'ióng Tâigí (阿勇台語). Through his videos, A'ióng - an American native - aims to help other people learn Taiwanese, and he has now gained almost 40,000 YouTube subscribers. As someone who has struggled with trying to learn Taiwanese myself I was very excited to sit down...

Today I'm bringing you part 2 of my interview with lifestyle content creator Anni, or as she is also known, strawbanni. In this episode we get down to the ins and outs of what it's like to be a content creator. Some of the topics we discuss include what an average day looks like, how content creators generate income, and how becoming a content creator minimised the negative impacts of soci...

In today's episode of Hot Stuff I am joined by Anni, or as you might also know her: @strawbanni. Anni is a lifestyle content creator who has amassed more than 10,000 subscribers on Youtube, and over 46,000 followers on Instagram. Anni is Taiwanese Canadian and moved to Taiwan over a year ago where she has since released a lot of Taiwan-related content, from traveling in Taiwan and apartment vl...

In celebration of International Women’s Day tomorrow, I decided to invite some of the lovely women in my life on the show - Alice and Issy. Join us as we share our experience and tips for learning Chinese in Taiwan, what it's like to live here as an international student, and how it compares to the UK. Not sure which Chinese course to choose in Taiwan, or want to know where you should be explo...

Tap play to listen to part 2 of our interview with Seán McCormack and Judy Hsu from Animal Care Trust. In this episode Seán and Judy share more about the illegal and brutual snares that are causing dogs to lose limbs all over Taiwan.  We also discuss the lengths that ACT go to when carrying out a rescue, the emotional impact of working in rescue, and a very sad story about a little puppy, called L...

For today's episode of Hot Stuff, we have Seán McCormack and Judy Hsu from Animal Care Trust in the studio! Seán has been involved with rescuing animals and preventing animal suffering for more than 23 years, whilst Judy started feeding stray dogs since she was just ten years old. Click play to hear us discuss how their journey began, about Seán's meeting with Jane Goodall, what a typical...

Today I'm joined by Brendan Wong for a Valentine's special. In the Western calendar, the special day to celebrate loved ones is on February 14th, but if you're in Taiwan or elsewhere in Asia you could be celebrating up to three times a year! Hit play to find out more about how Valentine's Day is celebrated in Taiwan, Qixi Festival and White Valentine's Day. We'll be delving...

From Twitch to Youtube, Facebook to Instagram, the platforms on which you can consume livestream content are numerous. But why are people drawn to watching livestreams and why has it become such a popular and idealised job? Is it really as lucrative as people think? In today's episode we'll discuss this and more, as we take a look behind the rose-tinted facade of livestreaming.