The background of entertainer Jacky Wu (
The tiniest minutia was not overlooked -- and the audience just couldn't get enough. Even the high school graduation photo of Chang Wei-wei
Probably within no time at all, a soap opera will portray Chang as a Taiwanese variation of the heroines of the famous Japanese soap-opera "Oshin" (阿信) or the ancient Chinese tale "Chin Hsiang-lien" (秦香蓮), whose two female protagonists are heartlessly betrayed by their men. Who knows whether some producer is already hot on the trail of four child stars to play Wu's kids?
In the current atmosphere of "de-politicizing" Taiwan, we have way too much untapped social energy at hand. And if we examine the roots of celebrity-worshipping, we will see that at its core is a collective hysteria.
The secret of Wu's stardom, of his rise to the status of "local king"
On TV, Wu shows no mercy in for the flaws and mistakes of others, be it guests on his shows, other entertainers, or members of the audience. He lifts up women's skirts as a way of mocking them and he relentlessly picks on those who are weaker -- those whose tongues are less sharp, who are meeker. Wu's wit reveals a cruelty on the part of the general public that is generally hidden and restrained by society. His audiences love him, for he satisfies their voyeuristic desires. Jacky's rapid rise symbolizes the blood-thirsty nature of TV audiences.
Wu's predicament derives from the feeling of infinite invincibility that a celebrity often experiences at the peak of success. They often forget that when the audience's appetite has been endlessly provoked, its sense of cruelty also expands boundlessly.
Those who rise by making media waves will inevitably witness the power the media has to destroy idols.
Ping Lu is a social critic and columnist.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a politburo speech late last month that his party must protect the “bottom line” to prevent systemic threats. The tone of his address was grave, revealing deep anxieties about China’s current state of affairs. Essentially, what he worries most about is systemic threats to China’s normal development as a country. The US-China trade war has turned white hot: China’s export orders have plummeted, Chinese firms and enterprises are shutting up shop, and local debt risks are mounting daily, causing China’s economy to flag externally and hemorrhage internally. China’s
RSS