“When we saw Leeteuk from Super Junior speak Hakka at his concert, I was really moved because at that moment I realized this was no longer just a television program. It has become a sincere cultural exchange.”

In 2024, Hakka TV launched its first international co-production: Hakka Kitchen, a reality show that brings K-pop stars like Super Junior's Leeteuk together with Taiwanese artists to run a Hakka restaurant. This collaboration marked a breakthrough in Taiwan's media landscape—proving that ethnic media content and global pop culture can thrive together.

In this episode, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee sits down with Paul Shiang (向盛言), Director of Hakka TV, and I-Li Lo (羅亦娌), Program Manager of Hakka TV. I-Li walks us through the behind-the-scenes of this Taiwan-Korea collaboration, while Paul explores Hakka TV’s evolving role in fostering resilience among global democracies.

Useful links

• • Hakka TV website: https://www.hakkatv.org.tw/
  • The trailer of Hakka Kitchen 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzg7KPkdQso
  • The trailer of Trails to Hakka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FumQZflLVSg

“Hakka culture is not mainly about grand buildings or eye-catching symbols. It's not only about history and festivals. Instead, it lives quietly in everyday life, in our food, our language and our family relationships.”

Characterized by their hospitality and distinctive food culture, the Hakka (客家) are one of Taiwan’s major ethnic groups, comprising about 20 percent of the population. Over the years, however, the Hakka language has experienced a sharp decline in everyday use. Hakka TV (客家電視), a public media platform, leverages creative programming to foster appreciation of Hakka culture while working to revive this beautiful language. Today, it is also expanding its reach to engage a broader international audience.

In the first episode of Taiwan Salon Season 5, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee interviews Paul Shiang (向盛言), Director of Hakka TV, and I-Li Lo (羅亦娌), Program Manager of Hakka TV. Through various TV programs, their work not only sheds light on the vibrant Hakka culture, but also engages in a dialogue with the broader world through their unique Hakka perspectives.

Useful links

• Hakka TV website: https://www.hakkatv.org.tw/
• The trailer of Black Tide Island: https://youtu.be/FNxWjoJgPKI?si=9C8DJ24SL-fNHUei
• The trailer of Gold Leaf: https://youtu.be/7ysn_oBRv_w?si=2RatZkQVbqgqoh82
• TV Program Octopus News special series on the Russo-Ukraine War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDS7YdawwCI

“Don’t ask why nobody is doing this, you are the NOBODY.”

Confronted with frequent natural disasters—such as earthquakes and typhoons—and ongoing political challenges, including Chinese coercion, Taiwan has cultivated a resilient and highly creative civil society. Within this dynamic ecosystem, civic technology stands out as a distinctive force, blending grassroots activism with digital innovation to tackle complex social and governance problems.

In this episode of Taiwan Salon, GTI Communications Associate Yuchen Lee and Summer 2025 Intern Tracy Weener interview Ipa Hsiao-wei Chiu (瞿筱葳), the Co-Founder of Taiwan’s largest civic tech community, g0v (台灣零時政府). Ipa explains what makes Taiwan's civic tech community unique and how it thrives throughout this past decade, highlighting ‘openness’ as the core value of this long-standing digital activism.

Useful links

• g0v’s website: https://g0v.tw/intl/en/

• The book on Taiwan’s civic tech community and the story of g0v, “The NOBODY Movement: Civic Hackers and Digital Activism in Taiwan”: https://a.co/d/6QI27cP

• g0v Summit 2026: https://summit.g0v.tw/2026/

• Sch001 零時小學校 (g0v Elementary School): https://sch001.g0v.tw/

• The Minecraft Project by g0v Elementary School : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj4M7d3qBtk