The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files

formosafiles@gmail.com

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Taiwan’s First Sex Change (1953-1955) – S6-E17 (Not suitable for minors)

July 09, 2026

NOTE: This is our first episode to be labeled “explicit,” not due to bad language, but because it includes reasonably direct anatomical references. It may be best not to play this aloud when minors are present.We start with the relatively unknown story of Taiwanese boys condemned to become eunuchs in Emperor Qianlong’s imperial palace, their fate sealed simply because they were the young sons of rebels. We then turn to the first gender affirmation surgery (as it might be called today) perform...

Sky Cop TC Brown Returns – S6-E16

July 02, 2026

TC Brown returns to Formosa Files – and to Taiwan – after 53 years away. A former U.S. Air Force security policeman stationed at CCK Air Base in Taichung for most of 1968-73, TC reflects on his recent trip back to the island, the Taiwan he remembers from the Vietnam War era, and the Taiwan he found today. John talks with TC about his memoir Made in Taiwan and town patrol in Taichung’s “Dirty Dozen” bar district. We also visit Hualien through Wang Chen-ho’s bawdy novel Rose, Rose, I Love You, ...

The Fake Fishmonger – Snack 08

June 28, 2026

In the early hours of morning, Eryk and John head to a market in Taichung. Actually, they let Lin Kai-lun do that and all the other hard work. Lin is a third-generation fish seller, whose Chinese-language memoir A Guide to Fake Fishmongering tells a story of family debt, backbreaking labor, and the culture of Taiwan’s wet markets. It’s a moving story (the family brought low by gambling) and funny too (there’s some questionable medical advice). So, gather around the “urine tree” for a work-ti...