David Reid

I was formerly based in Taiwan where I blogged at David on Formosa. Now based in Australia.

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Latest posts by David Reid

Taiwan: Responses to “Chinese mothers” article

  13 January 2011

An article in the Wall Street Journal by Amy Chua about the parenting practices of “Chinese mothers” provoked many strong reactions. Taiwan bloggers Taiwan-Born American and shu flies responded to the article by writing about their own experiences as Taiwanese-Americans.

Taiwan: Petrochemical industry pays for blog posts

  12 January 2011

Michael Turton writes about how the Taiwan Green Party accused the government of paying bloggers to write about a visit to petrochemical plants. Green Party member Pan Han-shen (潘翰聲) says the practice is greenwashing [zh-tw] and accused the government and corporations of forming a “$5,000 Party” (五千黨) [zh-tw].

Taiwan: Concerns about press freedom

  30 December 2010

Media freedom has come into the spotlight in Taiwan recently. Michael Turton has a good summary of the issues. A Taipei Times reporter writes about how the proposed changes to the child welfare law would affect her work.

Taiwan: Cycling used to construct culture

  24 December 2010

Taiwan in Cycles looks at an article from CommonWealth magazine and discusses how cycling and leisure activities are used to construct culture and promote an ideology of Chinese nationalism in Taiwan.

Taiwan: Controversy over history

  18 December 2010

At The China Beat Paul Katz writes about the controversy that erupted over an online poll to find the most influential figures in the hundred years of the Republic of China (ROC). The poll included Chinese Communist Party leaders such as Deng Xiaoping and Mao Zedong. The case raises key...

Taiwan: Two election rallies in Taipei

  9 November 2010

Taiwanese will vote in elections in five major cities on 27 November. Frozen Garlic observes two campaign rallies. The first for Eric Chu (朱立倫), the KMT candidate for Mayor of Xinbei City. The second for Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), a DPP candidate for Taipei City Council.

Taiwan: Internet freedom faces threats

  4 November 2010

Two recent incidents raised concerns about the government's attempt to limit freedom of speech on the internet in Taiwan. One incident involved threats of a lawsuit against the producer of a parody of a campaign video for Taichung Mayor Jason Hu. In the other incident the Ministry of Education demanded a...

Taiwan: Protecting biodiversity

  2 November 2010

Michael Turton interviews Dr. Bruno Walther about biodiversity in Taiwan. Dr. Walther has co-produced a documentary called Crisis of Life to educate people about the importance of protecting biodiversity.

Taiwan: March for gay rights in Taipei

  1 November 2010

30,000 people marched through the centre of Taipei on Saturday 30 October in the annual LGBT Pride Parade. Baxter Ramblings writes about watching the parade for the first time. The event's organisers uploaded many photos to their flickr photostream.

Taiwan: Foreign wives and citizenship

  26 October 2010

Sinocentric looks at the place of foreign wives in Taiwanese society. The number of foreign wives in Taiwan, mostly from China and Southeast Asia, has increased significantly in recent years.

Taiwan: Interview with Kimbo Hu

  22 September 2010

Trista di Genova interviews indigenous musician Kimbo Hu (胡德夫). Kimbo is well known for his music and has also been a leader in the indigenous rights movement in Taiwan.

Taiwan: Call for legal community to speak out

  26 August 2010

Lawyer and environmentalist Robin Winkler discusses how Taiwan’s government is gradually eroding  the separation of powers and the rule of law. He calls on those in the legal profession to speak out against this.

Taiwan: Anniversary of Typhoon Morakot

  13 August 2010

Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan in August 2009. Paul Katz looks at Xiaolin Village (小林村) one year after the disaster. The focus of the people is now on rebuilding their village.

Taiwan: Dolphin surviving after entanglement

  1 August 2010

The Taiwan pink dolphin known as TW-36 was entangled in a rope in September 2008. Save the Taiwan Humpback Dolphins reports the dolphin has recently been sighted again and is free of the entangling rope.