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 changing ideas of patriotism. Why have some Han Chinese nationalists objected to a new film celebrating Shi Lang’s conquest of Taiwan? And does Chiang Kai-shek look rather different if we view him principally as a Chinese nationalist – especially when compared with the Chinese Communist Party’s relationship with Stalin and the Soviet Union?

But all that is a modest preamble to two big announcements. First, there are some non-Formosa Files podcasts you should know about, including Eryk and John discussing Yang Shuang-zi’s Taiwan Travelogue on the Books on Asia podcast. John also chatted on that podcast with Tyrel Eskelson about his Taiwan 22: Travels in Paradox.

And John has another similarly named podcast, Bookish Asia with Plum Rain Press. He tells us about a new ten-part Bookish Asia series devoted to Dr. Chen Yao-chang’s historical novel A Tale of Three Tribes in Dutch Formosa.