Written by Yi-Ting Chang. This article revisits Taiwan’s overlooked space history by tracing astronaut visits and the symbolic journeys of ROC flags into space during the Cold War. It reveals how diplomacy, identity, and geopolitics shaped Taiwan’s unexpected role in early space exploration.
Written by Aaron Su. This article discusses the crucial role of photography in consolidating a liberal multicultural order in Taiwan by obscuring dissent through visual depictions of harmonious Indigenous life. Drawing on fieldwork at Taiwan’s Cultural Health Stations, the author shows how photography portrays Indigenous satisfaction with current health policies, leaving little room for the everyday pressures, demands, and disputes.
Written by Linshan Jiang. This memorial essay reflects on the author’s time with Professor Tu Kuo-ch’ing, a deeply influential poet, scholar and the founder of the Center for Taiwan Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who passed away earlier this year. His passing left a profound and unexpected void. This essay shares how Professor Tu introduced the author to Taiwanese literature and supported her academic journey.
Taiwan and Japan use railway diplomacy to strengthen cultural and technological ties through heritage preservation, tourism, and smart rail innovation. Unlike China’s debt-driven projects, their approach prioritises sustainability and soft power. Expanding collaborations into Southeast Asia and integrating AI-driven rail systems will enhance their influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Written by Mu-Hsi Kao Lee. The article explores the experience of reading Taiwan Travelogue as a translated historical yuri novel. Kao Lee reflects on how the narrative, despite its clear genre and straightforward plot, evokes a sense of both satisfaction and longing in the reader. The article highlights the story’s ability to interweave historical and cultural details with the protagonists’ emotional connection, examining themes of desire, identity, and the complexities of relationships within a specific historical context.
Written by Chee-Hann Wu. This article discusses Taiwan Travelogue and its US book tour earlier this year. It highlights the controversial marketing strategy, the extensive use of footnotes to enrich the historical context, and the categorisation of the novel as queer literature due to the evident, though subtle, romantic undertones between the two female protagonists.
