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This is who we are.
This is what we do.
Dear Daughter, listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
You're listening to the documentary The Cultural Frontline on the BBC World Service and I'm Elaine Chong.
I'm British with Taiwanese heritage.
During my childhood, I enjoyed frequent trips to Taiwan to visit family in the summers.
And when I was in high school,
I used to watch Fated to Love You and listen to Jay Chou, who's now a mega global superstar.
As tensions between Taiwan and China intensify,
with China recently conducting military drills in the Taiwan Strait and still claiming their sovereignty over Taiwan,
we're going to be hearing from Taiwanese artists who are blazing a trail in their different media.
and we'll be talking about how they're responding to that complex relationship with their superpower neighbour.
But first, a bit of context.
China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be under Beijing's control,
and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island.
But Taiwan sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland,
with its own constitution and democratically elected leaders.
In January 2024, Taiwanese voters chose William Lai as their president.
It was the third presidential election victory for the Democratic Progressive Party,