Hear in Taiwan

Recently over 130 US congressmen called for China to be labelled a currency manipulator. US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner also said he thinks China eventually will decide it needs to adopt a flexible currency exchange rate policy.
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Jason Wu at the 2009 premiere of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Photograph by David Shankbone.

Jason Wu is the Taiwan-born designer who created US First Lady Michelle Obama’s one shoulder white chiffon inaugural gown.

Wu had only just begun his career as a fashion designer when he saw his custom-made dress on Michelle Obama on inaugural night in 2009. He hadn’t realized she had chosen it until he saw her on TV. The 26-year-old designer said he was surprised beyond imagination and that being a part of US history has been a life changing experience. Michelle Obama has also worn his works to visit Queen Elizabeth and to grace the cover of Vogue magazine. It was Vogue magazine’s editor at large that had introduced Obama to Wu.

Wu made the news recently when Michelle Obama donated her inaugural ball gown to the Smithsonian Institute.

You can listen to the full introduction to Jason Wu, our profiled Newsmaker for March 13, by clicking on the appropriate link here.

(photo courtesy of taiwantoday.com.tw)

In this two-part Soft Power, I talk to Ms. Tsai Chih-hsun, Secretary General of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR). We discussed issues ranging from women’s rights and the oppression of Chinese dissidents to the death penalty in Taiwan. Also, I take a look at Taiwan NGOs in the news as well as what’s been happening with Taiwan internationally.

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Last week, the US State Department issued an annual review of the global human rights situation in which it criticized China for a number of human rights violations. China’s State Council issued it’s own report on Friday accusing the United States of restricting the rights of American citizens in a number of areas.

In the March 17 edition of Think Tank, we talk with former Foreign Minister of the Republic of China on Taiwan, Mr. C. J. Chen (pictured at left), who is also a former representative to the United States. Minister Chen offers background on the global interest in human rights.

“Gradually, I believe that people came to the conclusion that human rights is one fo the main goals that humanity pursues,” said Chen. “But still, interpretations of human rights are varied. This is why in the last decades, people have been criticizing each other for their human rights records.”

Listen to the interview, by clicking on the March 17th edition of Think Tank, on our on-demand listening page.

In Taiwan, you can be sentenced to death for drug trafficking, among other crimes. Taiwan has not had an execution in 5 years, but there are 44 convicts on death row. Minister of Justice Wang Ching-feng dramatically resigned last week because she did not want to approve any of the executions. She wants to see the abolition of the death penalty.

But is Taiwan ready to abolish the death penalty? A recent United Daily News Poll shows that 74% of the people do not want to see the death penalty abolished in Taiwan. Join me on Think Tank  as I talk with Political Scientist Yang Tai-shuenn about the cultural issues keeping Taiwan from abolishing the death penalty. To listen, just click on March 16 on our on-demand listening page.

                                   A collapsed building in southern Taiwan (photo courtesy of CNA)

Taiwan is no stranger to earthquakes since the island is located in a seismically-active region. On March 4th, an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck the southern Kaohsiung county at a depth of five kilometers. It was the largest quake in Kaohsiung in 100 years though no one was injured and there was minor damage only. However, two more quakes struck southern Taiwan a few days later; one in Jiayi county with a magnitude of 5.1 and the other in Nantou county with lesser strength. According to Professor Kuo-fong Ma, a seismologist who is currently teaching at National Central University’s Department of Earth Science and the Graduate Institute, the two minor quakes that hit Taiwan could be triggered by the one in Kaohsiung. Ma said the scientific community still has much to learn about earthquakes and that Taiwan has been very lucky when it comes to the damage caused by the tremor. Ma also said the recent quakes have nothing to do with the powerful ones in Haiti and Chile.

Strange noises emanate from the woods on a summer evening. Things in the house go missing for no reason. You find the gate to the backyard swinging as though someone had just dashed through it, but there’s no one there. There are probably reasonable explanations, yet your mind proposes more otherworldly ones.

Every culture in the world holds some kind of belief of an ethereal world just behind our own. These beings are called by many names in many different national mythologies: faeries, the good people, elementals or tricksters. In Asia, and more specifically China and Taiwan, the trickster or faerie is known by another name: fox. A fox is neither human no beast, but an inhabitant of the space between. Chinese folklore is rife with these troublesome creatures. They make it their business to meddle in human affairs and their intentions are often mysterious.

Foxes in chinese are called 狐狸精 (Hu-li jing) or 狐仙 (Hu-xian). Like their animal namesake, foxes are cunning creatures and greatly fond of trickery. They may possess any number of magical abilities, but they are best known for shape-changing. If a fox disguises itself as a woman it is usually beautiful and seductive. If it is as a man, then it is typically handsome, scholarly and charming. But if the fox hasn’t done a good job of changing itself you might still see its tail.

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Finally I managed a picture of the beautiful pink hot springs hotel in Wulai. It’s called Yunding. Isn’t that just enticing. Wait until you get inside. For a moment, you’ll think you’re in Bali. Taipei is wet and cold again today. How would you like to forget all your worries and go for a nice, long soak in I think one of the most beautiful hot springs in Taipei, overlooking mountains and totally surrounded by serenity and quiet! Unfortunately the place does not offer any food except  tea (and light snacks?). So make sure you’ve eaten before you go or eat afterwards at the old streets of Wulai not far away.

(photo courtesy of Taiwantravelmap)