The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files
by John Ross and Eryk Michael Smith · 367 episodes
History
Formosa Files is the world's biggest and highest-rated Taiwan history podcast. We use an engaging storytelling format and are non-chronological, meaning every week is a new adventure - and, you can just find a topic that interests you and check out that episode...skip stuff that isn't your thing. The hosts are John Ross, an author and publisher of works on Taiwan and China, and Eryk Michael Smith, a journalist for local and global media outlets. Both Ross and Smith have lived in Taiwan for over two decades and call the island home. Email: [email protected]
Latest episodes
-
26 min
Songshan Airport: Ninety Years in the Heart of Taipei – S6-E32
Opened by the Japanese in 1936, Taipei's Songshan Airport has witnessed wartime bombing raids (by aircraft piloted by both Soviet and American pilots), Cold War diplomacy, and tear…
-
29 min
Lin Yutang: The Importance of Living – and Coming Home to Taiwan – S6-E31
Writer, philosopher, linguist, inventor – Lin Yutang (林語堂) was one of the most famous Chinese intellectuals of the twentieth century, and for decades one of the people most respons…
-
34 min
Abacus: A Grandfather’s Journey from China to Taiwan – S6-Bonus
When his grandfather died during the COVID pandemic, Hudson Wei realized how little he knew about the man who had raised him. Determined to uncover his story, he interviewed relati…
-
35 min
Andō Momofuku: Was the Inventor of Instant Noodles Taiwanese? – S6-E30
Andō Momofuku is a household name in Japan, celebrated as the inventor of instant noodles. But his story actually begins in Puzi, a small town in southern Taiwan, where he was born…
-
21 min
Taiwan at the Asian Games – and the World Games Triumph of 2009 Asian Games – Snack 10
NOTE: People not using Spotify can watch this video on YouTube. As the 2026 Asian Games in Japan come to a close, Eryk and John look back at Taiwan’s sporting struggles and success…
-
32 min
Cheng Feng-hsi: A Boat in the Vast Ocean –S6-E29
Born into a poor farming family in coastal Yunlin County in 1944, Cheng Feng-hsi 鄭豐喜 (Zhèng Fēngxǐ) was severely disabled and spent much of his childhood crawling rather than walki…
-
27 min
Tyrel Eskelson’s Taiwan 22: Travels in Paradox – S6-E28
What happens when curiosity about Taiwan turns into something of an obsession? Canadian academic Tyrel Eskelson, who lives in Japan, set out to understand an island nation that kep…
-
37 min
Ballots and Missiles: Taiwan’s First Presidential Election (1996) – S6-E27
Eryk and John look back at Taiwan’s first direct presidential election: the protests and constitutional reforms that made it possible, Lee Teng-hui’s controversial visit to Cornell…
-
38 min
VIDEO - Ballots and Missiles: Taiwan’s First Presidential Election (1996) – S6-E27
NOTE: We know non-Spotify users may not be able to view this from here, but the program is also available on YouTube. Thanks.Eryk and John look back at Taiwan’s first direct presid…
-
30 min
The History of Comic Books in Taiwan – S6-E26
John is joined by writer, artist and comics enthusiast Ray Hecht for a journey through Taiwan’s manga history. This story is sometimes reduced to Japanese comics and their Taiwanes…
-
26 min
REMASTERED AUDIO: Colonial Tourism - Japanese Visit their Model Colony, While Tokyo Brings Indigenous Taiwanes…
We travel back to 1920s Taiwan, first in the company of Terry’s Guide to the Japanese Empire and then follow a Tokyo travel bureau itinerary for Japanese tourists to the island. Ri…
-
21 min
REMASTERED AUDIO: A Formosa Files INTERVIEW: Dr. Dafydd Fell from SOAS takes us on a Mini-Deep Dive into Taiwa…
We generally don't discuss politics very much on this podcast, but, when one of the world's most well-established international experts on politics in Taiwan is gracious enough to…
-
24 min
Drones: From Toys to Weapons, with Bryce Barros – S6-E25
Defense analyst Bryce C. Barros tells Formosa Files about M.I.T. drones and their surprising connection to Taiwan's remote-controlled toy industry.Before China became the "world's…
-
27 min
VIDEO - Drones: From Toys to Weapons, with Bryce Barros – S6-E25
Apple Podcast users will need to visit YouTube to view this.Defense analyst Bryce C. Barros tells Formosa Files about M.I.T. drones and their surprising connection to Taiwan's remo…
-
2 min
TAIWAN IN TIME VIDEO - The Keelung Ghost Festival
We understand that APPLE Podcasts is not showing these videos. We will try to fix this issue, but in the meantime, they can be seen on YouTube. Here is the link for this one. Creat…
-
28 min
The 1652 Revolt: The Guo Huaiyi Rebellion – S6-E24
John is joined by writer and historian Scott Crawford to recount the bloodiest episode in the history of Dutch Formosa. A revolt, led by Guo Huaiyi, resulted in the deaths of sever…
-
4 min
VIDEO - WHO WAS TAIWAN'S FIRST OLYMPIAN? feat. Taiwan in Time
This is a test video to see how it works on Spotify and Apple. These shorts can also be found on YouTube. Created with Han Cheung from TAIWAN IN TIME.
-
3 min
VIDEO EXTRA - Taiwan’s Motorcycle Daredevil: Lu Ch’ing-an (呂慶安)
We covered this story in a previous episode. But we recently made a video about it for the Chinese podcast, so we added an English voiceover and are offering it as a video extra. E…
-
24 min
Bits and Pieces: Patriots, Traitors and New Plum Rain Press Books – S6-E23
The 1683 Battle of Penghu is over, but there’s plenty more to say after our last episode. Eryk reads some victory poetry by the Kangxi Emperor. John is not a fan. We then turn to c…
-
16 min
The 1976 Double Ten-Day Bombings – S6 [Bonus]
CORRECTION: This episode originally said Wang Sing-nan was currently serving as a legislator. This was an error. Wang retired in 2012. We regret the mistake and we appreciate Steve…