Legacy Taipei hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight’s spotlight is on veteran Mando-pop songwriter and producer Kay Huang (黃韻玲), followed by pop artist Fang Wu (吳汶芳) tomorrow. From Japan, several bands come to Taipei for a show on Sunday. Participating musicians include jazz/soul ensemble Orange Pekoe and post-jazz combo Schroeder-Headz.
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Show starts at 8pm tonight and tomorrow, 6pm on Sunday
Photo courtesy of Swirrl and Super Napkin
■ Admission is NT$1,000 tonight and tomorrow, NT$1,800 on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Balmorhea, a minimalist instrumental ensemble from Austin, Texas, plays tonight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, accompanied by Taiwan’s chamber music group Cicada. Tomorrow, the venue hosts Japanese visual kei band D=OUT. Hong Kong indie stars My Little Airport take the stage on Sunday, and it is Hakka folk musician Ayugo Huang (黃連煜) on Thursday.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1), tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
Photo courtesy of Swirrl and Super Napkin
■ Show starts at 7:30pm tonight, 7pm tomorrow, 8pm on Sunday and Thursday
■ Admission is NT$1,300 tonight, NT$2,000 tomorrow, NT$1,700 on Sunday, NT$600 on Thursday, available online through ticket.ibon.com.tw, thewall.tw or at FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks
Tonight’s lineup at APA Mini (小地方展演空間) feature activist musicians Swirrl, post-rock act DWL and Super Napkin. Tomorrow’s roster include electronic/new wave group Jade Eyes (孔雀眼) and Pilots in the Sky and on the Sea (旅人). Blues/country/grunge outfit Anteater (食蟻獸) and punk/grunge band Raven Flats (烏鴉公寓) are among the performers on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Nuclear Fish Market
■ B1,147, Hangzhou S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市杭州南路一段147號B1), tel: (02) 2327-8658. On the Net: www.facebook.com/apamini
■ Show starts at 8pm tonight and tomorrow, 7pm on Sunday
■ Admission is NT$350, available through www.indievox.com
It is live music with pop rock/punk band Dr Coke (可樂博士) and ReBreathe (再一次呼吸) at Pipe Live Music, a major venue for indie music and parties, tomorrow. Featuring Japanese guitarist Ken Ohtake and bass player Toru Hayakawa, jazz trio Tokyo Chuo Line (東京中央線) jam out on Thursday.
■ 1 Siyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市思源路1號), tel: (02) 2364-8198. On the Net: www.pipemusic.com.tw
■ Show starts at 7pm tomorrow and 8pm on Thursday
■ Admission is NT$350 tomorrow and NT$700 on Thursday. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and at FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks
Tonight, Hakka activist musician Huang Wei-jie (黃瑋傑) shares the stage with Zoomie (陳柔米) at Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area. Tomorrow, Amis-Pinnyumaya folk icon Panai (巴奈) comes out and plays. Folk act Stanley Hong (洪詮翔) and solo rocker David Yang (楊大葳) play on Thursday.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號), tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net: www.witchhouse.org
■ Shows start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games, open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays, 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$350
Mando-pop singer Joanne Tseng (曾之喬) holds a birthday concert at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館) tonight. On Tuesday, Tu Ying (屠穎), Yang Teng-yu (楊騰佑), Lee Kuo-chao (李國超) and a few other veteran rockers from the 1980s will take the stage. Folk musician and producer Shen Sheng-jer (沈聖哲) appears on Wednesday.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ Entrance is NT$800 tonight, NT$400 on Tuesday, NT$500 on Wednesday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and tickets.books.com.tw
Acclaimed music producer and musician Bing (王治平) plays a gig at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) tonight. Time Jump (時空跳躍) fuses rock and electronic beats on Wednesday, with post-rock band Customood also on the bill.
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓), tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Show starts at 9:30pm tonight and 9pm on Wednesday
■ Admission is NT$400 tonight and NT$350 on Wednesday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight’s show features The Matt Fullen NonOrgan Group at Sappho Live, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows. The Flat Fives jam out on swing and R&B tunes from the 1940s and 1950s tomorrow.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段 102 巷1號 B1), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappholive.com
■ Shows start at 9:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$400
Pop group Anniedora (安妮朵拉) tours to There Cafe & Live House (那兒咖啡), a venue for indie music in Taoyuan, tomorrow.
■ B1, 454, Fuxing Rd, Taoyuan City (桃園市復興路454號B1), tel: (03) 339-8819. On the Net: www.therelivecafe.com
■ Show starts at 7:30pm
■ Admission is NT$400, available online through tickets.books.com.tw and www.indievox.com
Neo-psychedelia/alternative rock act Echo (回聲樂團) tours to Legacy Taichung, a spin-off of Legacy Taipei, tonight. Deathcore/death metal outfit Emerging from the Cocoon (破繭而出) celebrates the release of its second album on Sunday. On Wednesday, Tsou songstress Lea Kao (高蕾雅) performs with jazz/hip-hop combo Swing Black and Tsou musicians Hosa (部落樂團).
■ 117, Anhe Rd, Taichung City (台中市安和路117號), tel: (04) 2359-8780. On the Net: www.legacy.com.tw/taichung.
■ Show starts at 8pm tonight, 7pm on Sunday, 7:30pm on Wednesday
■ Admission is NT$900 tonight, NT$600 on Sunday, NT$500 on Wednesday. Tickets available online through www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Tomorrow, old-school punk act Nuclear Fish Market (輻射魚市) and Kaohsiung psychedelic rockers Bi (甲魚Bi) join forces at TCRC (前科累累俱樂部), a small venue for independent musicians and local artists in Tainan.
■ B1, 314, Simen Rd Sec 2, Tainan City (台南市西門路二段314號B1), tel: (06) 222-3238.
■ Show starts at 9:30pm
■ Admission is NT$250, available through www.indievox.com
Tonight, Japan’s Wednesday’s Campanella teams up with Taiwanese noise maker and performer Dawang Huang (黃大旺) at Live Warehouse, a main venue for indie music located inside Kaohsiung’s Pier-2 Arts Center (駁二藝術特區), while pop rockers Champion (強辯樂團) plays tomorrow. Japanese rockers The Band Apart and hardcore punks Lostage take the stage on Sunday.
■ 2-5 Dayi Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市大義街2-5號), tel: (07) 521-8114. On the Net: livewarehouse.tw.
■ Shows start at 7:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$600 tonight and tomorrow, NT$800 on Sunday. Tickets available online through tickets.books.com.tw
La Gitanita (小野狂花樂舞合作社) presents a Flamenco show tomorrow at In Our Time, a restaurant-cum-gallery located inside Kaohsiung’s Pier-2 Arts Center (駁二藝術特區), while Infancy (隱分子) blend jazz, classical with rock ‘n’ roll on Sunday.
■ 99, Penglai Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市蓬萊路99號), tel: (07) 521-0017
■ Show starts at 7pm tomorrow and 7:30pm on Sunday
■ Admission is NT$600 tomorrow and NT$200 on Sunday, available through www.indievox.com
Paiwan crooner Vusanai chants at Tiehua Music Village (鐵花村), an arts village in Taitung City, tonight, with Taitung Amis singer Long-ge (龍哥) also playing. Indie rock band Relax One (輕鬆玩) puts on a fun show tomorrow.
■ 26, Ln 135, Sinsheng Rd, Taitung City (台東市新生路135巷26號), tel: (089) 343-393. On the Net: www.tw.streetvoice.com/users/tiehua
■ Shows start at 8pm. Music venue and crafts shops are open 2pm to 10pm Tuesdays through Sundays. Weekend arts fair opens 6pm to 10pm every Friday, 3:30pm to 10pm every Saturday and Sunday
■ Admission is NT$250 tonight and NT$300 tomorrow. Tickets available online at tickets.books.com.tw
Taiwan’s English education system is being pulled apart by three opposing forces. Bilingual Nation 2030 pulls students toward English and global communication. Artificial Intelligence (AI) readiness pulls them toward digital judgment, verification and AI-mediated work. But Taiwan’s old exam culture pulls them back toward memorization, grammar drills, timed reading and correct answers. If the education system keeps using old exams to define success, it risks producing graduates who are neither genuinely bilingual nor genuinely AI-ready, but trained for tasks machines can already perform. The first force is Bilingual Nation 2030. Launched in 2018, the policy aimed to “help Taiwan’s workforce connect
It seems every few days one bumps into one of those “real man” comments in which Taiwan is urged to “face reality” or similar, and “make a deal,” with the speaker implying that soon it will be too late. “Deal” advocates always present themselves as having a superior grip on reality, and the manly ability to make the “hard choice.” Their testosterone-laden language often echoes that of Taiwan sellout advocates. Note that such commentary always specifies a process (“make a deal, work with, make progress”), never the end state of what occupation by a violent authoritarian colonialist state will entail. In
There are shadowy cabals plotting to sell out Taiwan to be annexed by China, by invasion if necessary. Fortunately, they are buffoons. In 2019, former Bamboo Union gangster and founder of the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP), Chang An-le (張安樂, colorfully known as “White Wolf”), led a protest at the Legislative Yuan against comments made by then-premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) that in the event of an attack by China, he would never surrender, but would protect the nation by fighting to the end, even if he only had a broom. Chang had party members bring a wooden casket that they
June 1 to June 7 "If all Taiwanese were as afraid of dying as you, then what would happen?” Physician Shih Chiang-nan (施江南) reportedly said this to his wife Chen Chiao-tung (陳焦桐) after she urged him to stop intervening on behalf of Taiwanese soldiers stranded overseas after serving in the Japanese Army during World War II. Shih had clashed with high-ranking officials over the issue, engaged in several heated arguments with Taiwan governor-general Chen Yi (陳儀) and allegedly shouted at general Ko Yuan-fen (柯遠芬), chief of staff of the Taiwan Garrison Command, over