Taiwan Insight

SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN TAIWAN: ABUSE, ASSAULT, RAPE, AND TRAFFICKING ON THE ISLAND’S PAST AND PRESENT

24 June 2026 NGA Shi Yeu

Written by Charles R. Charrington. This article examines the pervasive reality of sexual violence in Taiwan, highlighting its deep historical roots, systemic failures, and modern digital complexities. It analyses how structural vulnerabilities, cultural stigma, and institutional gaps protect perpetrators while silencing survivors. The author underscores the urgent need for robust education, systemic accountability, and targeted reforms to dismantle entrenched rape myths and protect potential victims.

Taiwan the Ghost I(sle): Trans Songstress in Splendid Float (2004)

23 June 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Sheng-mei Ma. This article reads Splendid Float (2004) as an allegory for Taiwan’s uncertain political and cultural identity. Through the dual life of a drag queen and Taoist priest, the film links gender fluidity, folk funeral rituals, and queer performance to Taiwan’s status as a marginalised “ghost island,” and explores themes of belonging, loss, alterity, and national ambiguity.

Left-Handed Girl (2025) and Taiwan Subculture

22 June 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Sheng-mei Ma. This article argues that the film Left-Handed Girl (2025) uses Taiwan’s night markets, betel nut culture, and the stigma surrounding left-handedness to critique patriarchal power. Through a multigenerational family drama centred on women’s resilience, the film exposes how oppression is perpetuated by both men and women while imagining a restored matrilineal bond that challenges inherited social hierarchies and cultural prejudices.

Stealing the Show: How Cheerleaders Became the CPBL’s Most Powerful Demand Shifter

19 June 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Fang-Chang Kuo. The article examines how the CPBL transformed from a sport-centred league into an entertainment-driven spectacle, fuelled by celebrity cheerleaders like Lee Da-Hye. It argues that entertainment talent can rival superstar athletes in driving attendance, while highlighting how branding, social media, and novelty increasingly shape modern sports economics and fan culture.

Batting for the Nation(s): Baseball and the Conditional Rise of Competing Identities in Taiwan

18 June 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Daniel Yu-Kuei Sun, Jou Fei Huang and Thung-Hong Lin. The article examines how international baseball success influences national identity in Taiwan. Using polling data from the 2024 Premier12 tournament, the authors argue that key victories strengthened exclusive Taiwanese identity while reducing dual Taiwanese-Chinese identification. However, identity shifts varied by opponent and political affiliation, revealing the contingent, emotional, and contested nature of Taiwanese nationhood.

Myths, Misread: Taiwanese Baseball’s Identity Gap

17 June 2026 Chee-Hann Wu

Written by Jerry Chen. The article explores how Taiwanese baseball has been shaped by colonialism, nationalism, and identity politics, from Japanese rule to the Kuomintang era. It argues that myths surrounding youth baseball success and the “Chinese Taipei” designation obscure

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