A Broad and Ample Road

A Broad and Ample Road Based in Taiwan, we write about culture, politics, religion, & daily life. We're locally rooted and draw on our expertise in history, law, and advocacy. We've been recognized as one of the leading English-language publications covering Taiwan. Based in Taiwan, we write about culture, politics, religion, & daily life. We're locally rooted and draw on our expertise in history, law, and advocacy.

Plus: our love for Puma Shen and our next Live conversation with Lisa Cheng Smith of Yun Hai Taiwan Stories next week, October 7! For today’s newsletter, we feel so lucky to feature this extraordinary essay by Petula Parris, an editor and translator based in Taiwan. It continues our series on Taiwanese prisoners of war. If you missed our first piece—featuring Masao Gao, who was sent to the camps in Siberia and turns 100 years old this year—it’s been published at Unfiltered.

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Dear all, Michelle here. Thanks to everyone who tuned into our conversation with Chris Horton, author of Ghost Nation(Taiwanese Mandarin translation:《幽影之國》.) Our next conversation will be with Shawna Yang Ryan, author of Green Island and newly released Anatomy. (Click here to join our conversation on Wednesday, September 23rd at 8:30 PM EST).

Hello dear readers, Albert and Michelle here. Thanks to everyone who wrote in telling us that they enjoyed our conversation with Tim Mak at The Counteroffensive, a Ukraine-based outlet. We admire Tim, who’s been in Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion, and we were honored to speak with him. We’re grateful to Tim for showing solidarity with Taiwan and its precarious position today.

Based in Taiwan, we write about culture, politics, religion, & daily life. We're locally rooted and draw on our expertise in history, law, and advocacy. We've been recognized as one of the leading English-language publications covering Taiwan. Based in Taiwan, we write about culture, politics, religion, & daily life. We're locally rooted and draw on our expertise in history, law, and advocacy. We've been recognized as one of the leading English-language publications covering Taiwan.

Dear readers, We’re delighted today to share an essay from Su Shin, whom we met soon after we arrived to Taiwan five years ago. We were struck by her deep passion for Taiwanese culture and books. Su is the managing director of Bookman,an independent bookstore and publisher, and of BK Agency, a literary agency promoting Taiwanese titles to international markets. She’s hosted many bilingual events at Bookman.

Dear all, Hello dear readers! Thanks to all who replied to our missive about a film portraying the last living Taiwanese prisoner-of-war in Siberian camps. Our next rec: we urge everyone who lives in Taiwan to see All Things to All《為一切人，成為一切》in the theater. It’s a beautiful documentary depicting Catholic priests who have worked in Hualien for over 50 years.

Late in the documentary Memories Frozen in Time (《冰封的記憶》), directed by Hsu Ming-chun (許明淳) and available to stream for free on Taiwan’s PTV+, the camera settles on Masao Go (吳正男). Born in 1927 in Douliu, then part of Tainan Prefecture, Go was a Taiwanese subject of the Japanese Empire. Like so many young men of his generation, he was drawn into the imperial machine. At sixteen, without his parents’ consent, he volunteered for the Japanese army and trained as a radio operator.

Plus, congratulations to Yáng Shuāngzǐ & Lin King, event this Thursday with Plain Law & Khí-Sū, and good links! We’re delighted to share a guest photo essay by a talented photographer Eric Hsu. But first a quick update: we have an event this Thursday evening, May 28th with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文運動) and Khí-Sū Culture Publishing Ltd. (挑興文化), where we’re discussing director Hsu Ming-chun’s beautiful documentary Memories Frozen in Time.