Hello, I’m Alice Su, the Economist’s senior China correspondent based in Taipei.
And I’m here with my co-host David Rennie, the Economist’s Beijing bureau chief.
Legend has it that a thousand years ago, on a small island off Fujian province,
there lived a young woman with mystical powers.
And after she died, she was venerated as a sea goddess named Mazu.
Today, Mazu is still worshipped by the Chinese diaspora across the world, especially in Taiwan.
And that has caught the attention of China's Communist Party.
This week, we're asking: why is the Chinese government so interested in a 10th-century sea goddess?
And could Mazu even swing votes in Taiwan's upcoming elections?
This is Drum Tower.
From the Economist.
Hello, David, how are you?
I am happy because we are out of that brief window when there's no good fruit in the shops
and we are into summer fruit.
You know, there's that bit where spring fruit's great and then there's that late spring, not yet early summer.
But now the fruit is back.
But I'm guessing probably even better in Taiwan.
Yes, in Taiwan we are fully in mango season and there are all kinds of different varieties to choose from.
My personal favorite is this one called Aiwen mango.
Is that a little one or is that one of the ones that's like a rugby ball