PJ Vogt

That is most of what I knew about Taiwan before this week's episode.

I knew about it as an object in two other countries' designs.

I didn't know much more about the place itself.

How did Taiwan become a democracy?

How did Taiwan end up manufacturing all those high-tech chips?

How did an island this tiny become one of the most important places in the world?

So I did what I do these days when I'm curious.

I asked Garrett Graham, our show's senior producer, to find me one of America's foremost experts on Taiwan and also to select someone who's a really good storyteller.

It took him all of two days.

So now I'm going to recreate for you the journey we took from Search Engine Studios, a guided tour through modern Taiwan's history.

Do you mind just saying your name and what you do professionally?

And how did you find yourself curious about Taiwan in the first place many years ago?

So, and help me understand, like, you come into Taiwan studies curious about the indigenous people of Taiwan.

There's also overlaid on this, like, very tiny country a vast history of colonization.

Like, what other powers show up?

What do they do?

And how does it shape the place?

It's funny, the way you describe it sounds a little bit like the American frontier west.

Like all these people going out to this rugged place to make a new life for themselves.

There's already people there.