Talking Taiwan

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Did you know that there's an annual flower show in New York featuring Taiwanese culture and orchids from Taiwan? Actually, I didn't know this until one of my listeners reached out to me and told me about the upcoming Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit at the Queens Botanical Garden. Since I'm based in New York, I feel it's my obligation to promote and inform people about all of the Taiwan-related events going on in New York. So I spoke with Pauline Huang, Chairwoman of the Queens Botanical Garden's Board of Directors, who personally spearheaded the Taiwan orchid exhibit, which is now in it's fourth year. I was really impressed by Pauline's personal commitment to the Queens Botanical Garden and her follow through to make the first Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit happen back in 2014. Talk about "putting your money where your mouth is." The Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit is coming up August 18-20th at the Queens Botanical Garden (43-50 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355). Listen to this episode to learn more about the music, art and culture of Taiwan that you'll experience at Taiwan: A World of Orchids. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How Pauline not only spearheaded, but gave her personal assurance to make the first Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit happen in only 2 months time The music and art you'll experience at the Taiwan: A World of Orchids exhibit Why Pauline believes it's so important to give back to your community How Taiwan is one of the top three countries that exports orchids What sets Taiwan apart from other orchid producing countries How you can buy a Taiwan orchid to take home for yourself Related Links: Qeens Botanical Garden Website: https://queensbotanical.org/orchids/ Queens Botanical Garden Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/queensbotanical/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Last year was the first year that there was a Taiwanese Waves concert at the Central Park Summerstage and it was smashing success! Thousands of people were introduced to Taiwanese musicians Anpu (also known as Deserts Xuan), Wonfu, and Sunset Rollercoaster. This year Taiwanese Waves has been invited back to Summerstage. Recently, I sat down to talk with Mia Min Yen, the founder and organizer of Taiwanese Waves. Mia spoke with me about the origins of her love of live music, how she was finally able to bring Taiwanese Waves to Summerstage, how the musicians featured this year (Fire Ex, Dadao Huang & Berry j, and Sangpuy) are representative of the cultural diversity of Taiwan, and her vision for the future of Taiwanese Waves. Taiwanese Waves is not only a great showcase for Taiwanese musicians, but also the only Summerstage concert series lineup to feature Asian musicians. Taiwanese Waves will be at the Summerstage on July 29th from 6:00-10:00 pm at the Rumsey Playfield in New York's Central Park. To learn more about Taiwanese Waves, visit: www.TaiwaneseWaves.com Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Where the name Taiwanese Waves comes from How Mia was finally able to bring Taiwanese Waves to Central Park's Summerstage Where Mia's interest in live music and bands came from How she curates the Taiwanese Waves concert series A preview of some of the musicians who will be performing at this year's Taiwanese Waves What's Mia's future vision for Taiwanese Waves Mia's other love of photography and where you can find on her Instagram Related Links: Taiwanese Waves website: www.TaiwaneseWaves.com Taiwanese Waves Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/taiwanesewaves/ Support Taiwanese Waves by purchasing a commemorative, limited edition Taiwanese Waves key ring here: https://goo.gl/8R2vPm YouTube clips of each of the musical artists that will be performing at Taiwanese Waves: Summerstage website: http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/summerstage/ Mia Min Yen on Instagram: www.instagram.com/miaminyenphotos

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: I first learned about Treya, an up-and-coming musician with an amazing voice about two years ago, when she was profiled on TaiwaneseAmerican.org. From then on she was definitely on my radar to have as a guest on the Talking Taiwan, but somehow the timing was just not right for it. As I waited for the stars to align, I've had the pleasure of experiencing her perform live several times. Now it's time for me to have her on Talking Taiwan as a guest, and the timing couldn't be better as Treya is in the midst of a Pledge Music campaign to raise funds for her first album. She's running a sort of crowdfunding campaign, which I happen to know a thing or two about. So I am really thrilled to be able support her at this time, and to let others know about her huge talent. On top of all this I have the distinct honor of being the first on record to have done an audio interview with her! Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Treya's thoughts on Taiwan and being Taiwanese and American Her musical inspirations and influences Treya's music writing process and her sources of inspiration How she deals with writer's block Working on her first album and her Pledge Music Campaign and what she has planned for it How you can support Treya's Pledge Music Campaign and what she is offering at different contribution levels Her thoughts on musicians independently producing their own music Related Links: To learn more about Treya, visit her website: http://www.treyamakesmusic.com/ To support Treya's Pledge Music campaign visit: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/treya Treya on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treyamakesmusic/ Hello Taiwan: http://www.hellotaiwan.us/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: It's that time of year again here in New York City. Spring is upon us, and as the weather warms up you'll find street fairs popping up all around the city. I've already run into a couple of them. If you have ever been in the city at this time of year, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's hard to miss it when you come across blocks and blocks of a wide New York City avenue that are closed off to traffic, and bustling with pedestrians instead. You'll smell the aroma of mouthwatering foods wafting in the air, and see a variety of vendors hawking their wares. Imagine a massive flea market and a block party all rolled into one. In the summer New York City is known for its free, open air, outdoor, public events with all sorts of cultural offerings ranging from classical music performances in Central Park to screenings of blockbuster movies at one of the Hudson River Park piers. Most notable for the Talking Taiwan podcast and our listeners, is the Passport to Taiwan, an outdoor festival dedicated to celebrating everything related to Taiwan. The festival takes place every May in Union Square Park and is a chance for the public to experience Taiwanese culture. There are arts and crafts demonstrations, community organizations represented, the ever-popular Taiwanese food stalls, and live music performances. Passport to Taiwan has been going on for 14 years and last year an estimated 10, 000 people were in attendance. The Hello Taiwan concert series was born out of the Passport to Taiwan and brings musical artists from Taiwan to New York to perform at the festival. This year's Hello Taiwan musical artists are truly representative the ethnic diversity of Taiwan. Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ysanne Spevack, the producer of this year's Hello Taiwan Tour. Ysanne herself is an accomplished musician who works with up-and-coming musical artists. I was really impressed with how she has embraced Taiwan and the Taiwanese music industry, which she compared to the U.K.'s. That's high praise indeed! This year's Hello Taiwan Tour runs May 24-29. Learn more about Hello Taiwan in this episode of the Talking Taiwan podcast. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What is the Passport to Taiwan The origins of Hello Taiwan and the Hello Taiwan tour The musical artists who will be performing at Hello Taiwan: Gina Can, Sean Huang, and Biung Taiwan's music industry and how it compares to the U.K.'s Hello Taiwan tour dates Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards, Taiwan's equivalent of the Grammys Ysanne's advice for aspiring musicians Related Links: Hello Taiwan Website Link: www.hellotaiwan.us/ Hello Taiwan Facebook Page Link: www.facebook.com/HelloTaiwanRocks// Music videos featuring musicians performing in the 2017 Hello Taiwan Tour: Sean Huang (singing to a woman dressed in a cockroach costume), Gina Can and Biung: Link: http://www.hellotaiwan.us/2017.html Treya's Pledge Music Campaign is now LIVE http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/treya To purchase tickets Link to purchase tickets to the May 27th Hello Taiwan concert at Joe's Pub featuring Sean Huang, Gina Can, Biung and Treya https://www.joespub.com/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/Joes-Pub/2017/H/Hello-Taiwan/ Talking Taiwan Episode 45 About the 13th Annual Passport to Taiwan Passport to Taiwan website Learn about Taiwan in New York Link: www.p2tw.org/ Ysanne's personal website http://www.helloysanne.com Ysanne's company website for Cherry Plum Media http://cherryplum.media

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: When Gus, the producer of Talking Taiwan suggested that I do an interview with David Frazier, co-founder and Festival Director of the Urban Nomad Film Festival, which first started in Taipei in 2002, I was intrigued. And after speaking with David about Urban Nomad, I found myself wishing that I'd be in Taipei at the time of the festival! We talked about how the Urban Nomad Film Festival is more than just a film festival. In the past it has featured poetry readings, live bands, exhibits, parties, and a host of other interactive events. At a glance, the Urban Nomad is part film festival, part music festival. But it is more than that. The goal of the festival's organizers has been to create a community-oriented event. David explained that the festival was inspired by punk rock's DIY ethic, and described the Urban Nomad Film Festival as participatory event and "a live art project." Learn where the name of the festival "Urban Nomad" came from, the fascinating evolution of the festival and what it takes to run a festival like this. The Urban Nomad Film Festival is definitely something worth checking out if you're in Taipei in the spring. To learn more, visit their website: www.urbannomad.tw Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How the festival has evolved since it first started in 2002 Where the name of the festival "Urban Nomad" came from What the Urban Nomad Film Festival is What it takes to run a festival like the Urban Nomad Film Festival The people and supporters of the festival Highlights from past Urban Nomad Film Festivals The New York connection to the Urban Nomad Film Festival The types of films that premier at the Urban Nomad Film Festival Related Links: www.urbannomad.tw (Urban Nomad Film Festival website) www.facebook.com/UrbanNomad.tw (Urban Nomad Film Festival Facebook page)

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: I love talking to entrepreneurs and small business owners. It's always interesting to learn how they started and have continued to build their businesses. For this episode I had the pleasure of speaking to Michael Forncrook about how he started a craft beer business in Taiwan. We spoke at great length, and what a lot of listeners don't know is that we do most our podcasts long distance, via Skype. For this interview I was in New York, and Michael was in central Taiwan. It might not come as a surprise that we've the occasional technical glitch, but it happened a record number of times during my interview with Michael. We actually had to hang up and reconnect four times! So I want to thank Michael for sticking it out with me and for supporting Talking Taiwan. We had such a fascinating conversation about a range of topics including what type of beer is healthier, the steps to brew beer at home, gypsy brewers, and advice for expats wanting to start a business in Taiwan. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How and why PB Craft hosts beer brewing classes Beer brewing in Taiwan and Asia Michael's company PB Craft The B2B agricultural food marketplace, that Michael is developing. He describes it as the Aliba or B2B Amazon for food products and beverages Can beer be considered healthy and what kind of beer is healthier? The benefits of beer spas How to brew beer at home Unique craft beer flavors What is a gypsy brewer? The craft beer industry in Taiwan and Asia. The challenges of running a business with your spouse Advice for expats interested in starting a business in Taiwan Entrepreneurship in Taiwan Beer Brewing Steps: Related Links: http://www.pbcraft.com (B2B beer and beverage consulting and materials supplier) http://www.diybeersupply.com.tw (B2B online store) http://AgriGoGo.com (new BB Agriculture Marketplace) 金鼎軒自釀啤酒 DIY Beer Supply Home Brew Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/%E9%87%91%E9%BC%8E%E8%BB%92%E8%87%AA%E9%87%80%E5%95%A4%E9%85%92-DIY-Beer-Supply-Home-Brew-483634355030591/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Ed Yen is a Taiwanese music producer, music executive, entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, audio engineer, theater designer, film score, commercial composer, A&R manager and vocal coach. He is the Executive Producer of Taiwan Music Express and CEO Of GCA.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: For this episode of Talking Taiwan, I stopped by the CMJ 2014 Taiwan Music Express press conference to interview Dwagie (大支), one of the hip hop artists who will be performing at the CMJ Music Taiwan Night Showcase in October. Dwagie is known for writing about social issues and most notably has collaborated with the Dalai Lama. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Where Dwagie's name comes from and what it means Dwagie's early musical influences How Dwagie grew up listening to the music of Nas How Dwagie will be collaborating with Nas How Dwagie has met and worked with the Dalai Lama Many of Dwagie's songs are about social issues like Facebook and the Sunflower Movement Why Dwagie writes songs about social issues Dwagie has written songs about stray animals and is a vegetarian Dwagie's experience and involvement with the Wild Strawberries Movement and Sunflower Movement How the Sunflower Movement has impacted Taiwan's society Who Dwagie will be collaborating with next Dwagie's advice to aspiring musicians Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/tt050-dwagie/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Around the time of the Sunflower Movement in 2014, which was a protest in response to Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou attempting to force passage of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (a trade pact between Taiwan and China), the Taiwan Voice Facebook page quickly became a major source of news about the movement. Students and activists occupied Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (Taiwan's parliament) from March 18-April 10, 2014. Sophie Ping-Ya Hsu spoke about how the Taiwan Voice Facebook page got started, her involvement in it and its impact. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How the Taiwan Voice Facebook page got started · How Taiwan Voice started in part to support the students who occupied the Legislative Yuan on March 18, 2014 · Sophie's background and connection to Taiwan · How Sophie got involved in the Taiwan Voice and met the others in the group · How the Taiwan Voice Facebook page was getting a thousand likes per day · Sophie's contribution to running the Taiwan Voice Facebook page was as an editor, she scanned through Chinese-language social media posts for information and news ideas, to coordinate with English translators and to post to the Taiwan Voice Facebook page · Sophie recruited people to help run the Taiwan Voice Facebook page · The core group that started Taiwan Voice Facebook were 10-15 individuals · Initially news and information related to social justice issues were posted to the Facebook page without any filtering · How Taiwan Voice made an impact in creating awareness about Taiwan over social media · How Taiwan Voice helped to gather momentum from abroad for the Sunflower Movement · How Taiwan Voice was a quick source of news about Taiwan Related Links: Taiwan Voice Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TaiwanVoice Sunflower Movement: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_Student_Movement Legislative Yuan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Yuan Ma Ying-jeou: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Ying-jeou

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Eric Tsai and Jenny Wang on Outreach for Taiwan talk to host Felicia Lin about Outreach for Taiwan.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Author Ed Lin on his Book, Ghost Month. Ed Lin talks about his latest novel - Ghost Month - which is his 5th book featuring Detective Robert Chow. The story centers around a mysterious murder that occurs in Taipei, Taiwan, during the 7th month of the lunar calendar. Mr Lin also talks about the writing process and his experiences as a novelist.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Echo Lin on Anti-Nuclear Protests in Taiwan. Echo Lin explains her role as Secretary General of the Environmental Jurist Association, an international group of legal professionals concerned about the lack of legislative frameworks that protect our planet from ourselves. She specifically discusses the controversies surrounding Taiwan's 4th Nuclear Power plant and why this remains a hot-button issue even nearly 30 years after it was approved by Taiwan's Legislative Yuan.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Borcheng Hsu talks about the 13th Passport 2 Taiwan Festival at Union Square in New York City. P2TW has grown to over 60 booths (1/3 are authentic Taiwanese food you cannot find in the US outside of someone's home) and how cultural groups are now being flown in direct from Taiwan. Mr Hsu also talks about the future of the event, and how it could be traveling to a city new you someday soon!

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Tony Chang on the Sunflower Movement.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Tony Chang on the Taiwan Independence Citizens Revolution.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Tony Chang on the Taiwan Independence Citizens Revolution.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Lawrence Lin about American Citizens for Taiwan. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/tt039-lawrence-lin/ In this episode we speak with Lawrence Lin the media spokesperson for American Citizens for Taiwan (ACT). ACT was established in 2009. The mission of ACT is to educate Americans on the importance of Taiwan to the U.S. and working to strengthen the U.S. Taiwan relationship. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: · How American Citizens for Taiwan (ACT) was started · In the beginning ACT focused on serving Taiwanese organizations · How ACT is focused on online advocacy work · How ACT uses popbox an online tool to facilitate letter writing campaigns for Congressional bills related to Taiwan · HR419 the Taiwan Policy Act · How ACT gets Americans involved or concerned about Taiwan by focusing on Democracy security and the economy · How ACT tries to make it easier for Americans to contact their congressperson about supporting bills related to Taiwan · How ACT is trying to reach others outside of the Taiwanese American community · Why it's important for Taiwan to be represented in the United Nations · The petition on Change.org regarding Taiwan being listed on ISO as Taiwan, Province of China · The challenges of ACT's work · ACT is a 501(c)(4) organization · Plans to set up American Citizens for Taiwan Foundation which will be a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to creating educational resources about Taiwan · One of the ideas for educational resources about Taiwan is a teacher's guide to teach about Taiwan · ACT's future projects and initiatives · New York's Passport to Taiwan · Canada's Taiwanfest Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/tt039-lawrence-lin/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Claire Hsieh about the STUF United Fund.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Chieh-ting Yeh about the Ketagalan Project.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: When I invited Andrew Watson onto Talking Taiwan to talk about the fourth annual Hello Taiwan Concert, I was pleasantly surprised by how our conversation touched on the 1990s music scene in Taiwan. Andrew was living in Taiwan at the time when he formed his band Feiwu (廢物樂隊), which will be performing at Hello Taiwan. Feiwu is the hard-rocking band who wrote and performed the classic "我愛台灣啤酒" ("I Love Taiwan Beer") and other original songs at Spring Scream and various venues around the island from 1997 to 2001. The band is well known as one of the core bands that pioneered the Taiwan independent music scene of the '90's along with Mayday (五月天), Cthonic (閃靈), 1976, The Chairman (董事長), and Quarterback (四分衛). This year, organizers of the Hello Taiwan Concert will be raising funds for Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines. Last year they raised $10,000 for the Breezy Point firemen who were themselves victims of Hurricane Sandy, when their houses were burned down in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Many of the Breezy Point firemen, were the first responders at the 9/11 terrorist attack. The bands that will be performing at Hello Taiwan include: Feiwu (廢物樂隊), Bikini Carwash, Torpid May, and The Underground Channel. There will be a special guest performance by Filipino American rapper, producer and performer, IZZY. Hello Taiwan will be hosted by Ben Hedges. journalist, producer and TV host. He now hosts New Tang Dynasty Television's show "Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo" 郝毅博是《老外看中國》的主持人. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this episode: The bands that will be featured at the fourth annual Hello Taiwan Concert Andrew's band Feiwu (廢物樂隊) and Code of Resistance What's going to be happening at the Hello Taiwan Concert How the Hello Taiwan Concert is a mix of a Taiwan-style night market with live music performances What brought Andrew to Taiwan Will Feiwu record a third album? The 1990s music scene in Taiwan How Andrew would compare the music scenes in Taipei and New York Andrew's Flushing restaurant recommendations Filipino rapper Izzy will be among those performing at Hello Taiwan How Ben Hedges the host of Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo (老外看中國) on New Tang Dynasty Television will be hosting Hello Taiwan Related Links: The Hello Taiwan website: http://www.hellotaiwan.us/ Feiwu's (廢物樂隊) Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/FeiwuBand Feiwu's (廢物樂隊) website: www.hsiung.net/feiwu Code of Resistance's Facebook page: www/Facebook.com/CodeofResistance Ben Hedge's You Tube Channel "Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo" 郝毅博是《老外看中國》的主持人: http://www.youtube.com/laowaikanzhongguo

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: When I spoke with Jesse Liu a concert promoter and manager of the Brazilian band Hibria, our conversation touched upon the music scene in Asia and comparisons between Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and South East Asia. Jesse also spoke more specifically about the music industry in Taiwan. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this episode: How Jesse balances managing a band and being a concert promoter The Brazilian band, Hibria that Jesse manages The financial risk involved in being a concert promoter The difference between being a band manager and a concert promoter How Jesse compares the various markets in Asia (e.g. Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and South East Asia markets) How Jesse compares the music scenes in Korea, China and Japan How Taiwan is still a leading producer of Chinese language pop music The most popular bands in Taiwan How Taiwan's music industry has changed over the course of Jesse's career What does it take to make a band successful? The challenges involved in booking shows for bands in China The music business in Taiwan Related Links: Jesse's concert promoting business Icon Promotions: www.icon-promotions.com Hibria's website: www.hibria.com Hibria's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HIBRIAOFFICIAL/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Television, Film Actor, and Producer Brian Yang.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with Brian Yang, the producer of "Linsanity" the Movie.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Here is an interview with entrepreneur Yao Huang, the founder of the Hatchery.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: I spoke at length with Eric de Fontenay, the Founder of MusicDish about topics ranging from the artists who will be performing at this year's Taiwan CMJ Music Showcase, the Asian music scene, Mandopop, J-pop and K-pop. It was a fun and fascinating conversation. Listen to hear preview clips from the artists who will be performing at the Taiwan CMJ Music Showcase, which will be held at the legendary New York City venue, Webster Hall and to learn more about the Asian music scene. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this episode: What is the CMJ Music Marathon The panels and events that will be happening during the CMJ Music Marathon (October 15- October 18) Bands that will be performing at the Taiwan CMJ Music Showcase: Joanna Wang, Miss Ko and DJ Noodles Sound clips from the artists that will be performing at the Taiwan CMJ Music Showcase How all three artists being represented in this year's Taiwan CMJ Music Showcaseare all female Taiwan's music and its place in the Asian music scene How Mandopop compares to J-pop and K-pop How China is developing its music scene The influence and popularity of K-pop Comparisons between the music scene in Taiwan and China How Eric started MusicDish and got involved with the Taiwan music scene The Spring Scream Concert that is held annually in Southern Taiwan The first MP3 lawsuit The Hsu-nami Partners and supporting organizations of the Taiwan CMJ Music Showcase Related Links: MusicDish website: www.MusicDish.com Facebook group dedicated to Mandarin music www.facebook.com/groups/musicdishchina, on Music Dish on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicDish_China https://twitter.com/MusicDish Asian In New York website: http://www.asianinny.com/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Jenny Wang spoke with me about Taiwan Week 2013, which is a week of events leading up to the Keep Taiwan Free Rally aka the UN for Taiwan (UN4TW). This year marks the 20th anniversary of UN4TW movement in New York. Listen to hear about all the fun daily events being planned for Taiwan Week. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What is Taiwan Week and how it got started What is the purpose behind Taiwan Week The connection between Taiwan Week and the UN for Taiwan Rally What activities and events are being planned for Taiwan Week The challenges in organizing Taiwan Week The kickoff concert event on Friday, September 6 and all events leading up to Saturday, September 14th, the day of The Keep Taiwan Free Rally The photo shoot with the Third Prince (三太子哪吒) Who the Third Prince is Related Links: Taiwan Week 2013 Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/528492097224586/ See What Happened at Taiwan Week 2012: http://youtu.be/k9Lm-fPRy1Q Keep Taiwan Free website: www.KeepTaiwanFree.org Twitter https://twitter.com/Keep_TW_Free Taipei Times article about the Third Prince (三太子): https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/02/21/2003555342

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Our guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan is Elena Liao, the owner of Té Company. She won last year's Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC). To learn more about the ECC listen to the previous episode about the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition. The name of her company, comes from the word "Té," for "tea" in Taiwanese Hokkien. Elena, the owner of Té in New York. Elena, founder of Té Company, is an avid tea drinker and a dedicated food enthusiast living in New York City. She was born and raised in Taiwan, then moved to the US in her early teens. Like most Taiwanese families, drinking oolong tea was part of her daily ritual growing up. Living in the food mecca of New York City, Elena was surrounded by foodies alike celebrating hand crafted espresso and the complex bouquet of artisanal wine. As her appreciation and knowledge for fine culinary craft blossomed, she found herself increasingly drawn to the delicate flavors of oolong teas. The childhood tea drinking tradition became more than a passtime. It became a culinary exploration, which led her to study oolong tea's history and artistic craftsmanship. Elena's love of tea was first nurtured by her family and her passion for it shines through in this interview. Our conversation turned out to be a deep dive into the world of tea. She spoke to me about artisanal teas, how tea can be aged like wine, and even used in cooking and baking. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What the name of her company Te comes from Her participation in the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC), which is organized by TAP-NY and the Taiwanese Merchants Association How she prepared her proposal for the ECC What advice she would give to anyone preparing to go through a competition like the ECC What she things is the one thing you need to succeed in participating in a competition like the ECC What she did with the money she won from the ECC How she got on the path to starting Te Company The research she's done about tea to prepare herself to be a tea merchant Her visits with tea framers in Taiwan tea leaves are picked in Taiwan How white, green, yellow, oolong and black tea can all be made from a single plant How tea is similar to wine or whiskey How tea ceremony can affect the taste of tea What is espresso tea The difference between drinking tea from a tea bag vs. loose leaf tea How tea can be aged How Elena comes up with new tea blends The difference between ice tea and hot tea How she uses oolong tea in cooking and baking What's next for Te Company Related Links: Te Company's website: http://www.te-nyc.com Taiwanese American Professionals- New York (TAP-NY): https://www.tap-ny.org/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: In this episode of Talking Taiwan I spoke with Crystal Tang, TAP-NY's Professional Chair and Jacqui Wu, TAP-NY's Co-President about the second annual Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC). The ECC is organized by the Taiwanese American Professionals - NY (TAP-NY) and the Taiwan Merchants Association. Crystal and Jacqui talked about the ECC's selection process and the impressive lineup of judges who are successful, prominent Taiwanese American entrepreneurs and business leaders. The ECC is an opportunity to showcase the Taiwanese American entrepreneurial spirit. This year the organizers have added a nonprofit category. Eight finalists will be chosen for the final event, which will be open to the public. At the final event, there will be cash prizes of up to $10,000 for winners, and an audience favorite will be chosen. Here's a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC) is- the competition opens June 1, with business plans due on July 31 How written proposals are selected for the second round The third round, which consists of eight proposals selected in the second round will be open to the public There will be cash prizes for contestants of up to $10,000 The two organizations organizing the ECC, the Taiwan Merchants Association and Taiwanese American Professionals - NY (TAP-NY) How the ECC was created by Bob Wu, the founder of TAP-NY The ECC judges, which include prominent Taiwanese American entrepreneurs and business leaders: Andrew Yang (Venture for America) Will Peng, Yao Huang, Dorothy Jean, Benny Wang (Timehop) The changes and improvements they've made to ECC for this second year of the competition, including the addition of a separate category for nonprofits On September 14th the top eight finalists will present to the judges and the audience There will be an audience favorite who will be awarded $1,000 Last year's ECC winner, Elena Liao Related Links: Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC) website: www.competition.tap-ny.org Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC) Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/435405363234006/ Taiwanese American Young Professionals – NY website: http://www.tap-ny.org Jacqui Wu was born in Hawaii and grew up in Taiwan. After graduating from Taipei American School, she moved to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, where she earned her Bachelors of Business Administration. Jacqui began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the Dispute Analysis & Investigations group, which focused on the accounting aspects in litigation and fraud investigation. She recently moved into investment banking and joined Sevara Partners LLC, a start-up boutique investment bank focused in mergers & acquisitions, restructuring advisory and capital raising. Jacqui is excited to be working with TAP to build a community of "expatriate" Taiwan-folk to pay homage to their Taiwanese roots and meet other foodies who appreciate delicacies like stinky tofu and chicken gizzard. Crystal Tang was born in New Jersey and lived there until moving abroad to Hong Kong in 8th grade. While she was abroad she had the opportunity to visit family in Taiwan multiple times a year and has come to think of it as home. After finishing high school, Crystal moved to New York where she attended Barnard College, studying Art History and Visual Arts. During undergrad, she was involved with the Taiwanese American Students Association and also participated in the Formosa Foundation's Ambassador Program. Crystal currently works as a Regional Director at Teach For America where she oversees recruitment and outreach efforts in New York.

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: Ho Chie Tsai is a founding Board Member who also wears many hats in the Taiwanese American community. As a frequent speaker on the collegiate conference circuit and youth summer camp programs, a past Program Director and current Board Member of the Taiwanese American Foundation, and a founder of the Taiwanese American Professionals chapter in San Francisco, he hopes to inspire a renewed sense of pride in personal identity and to increase activism and involvement within the greater Asian American community. Ho Chie holds an Electrical Engineering BS degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a Bioengineering MS and an MD degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In his spare time, he works as a pediatrician.