New Bloom Magazine | Radical Perspectives on Taiwan and the Asia Pacific

Social Movements

Wave of Political Arrests Continues in Hong Kong, With Jailing of Demosisto Trio

Brian Hioe11/24/2020

A wave of arrests has taken place in Hong Kong over the past week. Three former leading members of the now-disbanded Demosisto were the latest to be arrested, with Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow, and Ivan Lam pleading guilty to charges related to a protest that took place last year. Wong, Chow, and Lam are 24, 23, and 26 respectively...

EnglishFeaturedNovember 2020Social MovementsYouth Movements7 min read

Annual Labor Demonstration Protests American Pork, with Controversy Regarding KMT Co-Optation Claims

Brian Hioe11/23/2020

The annual Autumn Struggle labor demonstration was held yesterday in Taipei. Autumn Struggle is traditionally one of the major labor demonstrations in Taiwan, along with International Workers’ Day on May 1st. Despite the name, it is not unusual for Autumn Struggle to take place during what is actually winter. However, this year’s demonstration saw significant controversy due to the perceived co-optation of the event by the KMT...

EnglishLaborNovember 2020Social Movements9 min read

Environmental Groups Protest Plan by Japanese Government to Dump Nuclear Wastewater in Ocean

Brian Hioe11/22/2020

Environmental groups demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this week to protest against a proposed plan by the Japanese government to dump 1.23 million tons of wastewater from the 2011 Fukushima disaster into the ocean...

EnglishEnvironmentalNovember 2020Social Movements5 min read

Pegatron Reports Show That Labor Abuses Continue at Taiwanese-Owned Factories in China

Brian Hioe11/16/2020

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Pegatron was in the news last week after reports that Pegatron was illegally using student labor in China. As a result, Apple has announced that it will be suspending business with Pegatron, though questions have been raised about Apple's claims that it intends to halt business with Pegatron until labor abuses stop at Pegatron factories...

EnglishLaborNovember 2020Social Movements6 min read

Arts/Culture

Review: Memories to Choke on, Drinks to Wash Them Down (夜香・鴛鴦・深水埗)

Brian Hioe11/14/2020

Memories to Choke on, Drinks to Wash Them Down, directed by Leung Ming-kai and Kate Reilly, stands out for its ability to evocatively conjure up the quotidian realities of Hong Kong. In many ways, the film, consisting of three shorts depicting everyday dramas set in Hong Kong and one documentary segment, proves a highly poetic one—a snapshot of Hong Kong as it is today, as well as a Hong Kong that may not last...

Arts and CultureEnglishFeaturedFilm and TelevisionNovember 20205 min read