President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) marked the second anniversary of his inauguration on Wednesday with a press conference alongside Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Secretary-General to the President Pan Men-an (潘孟安). Themed “30 Years of Direct Presidential Elections: Boldly Pursuing the Future,” his address traced Taiwan’s democratic journey back to its first direct presidential election in 1996, urging citizens to unite in safeguarding democracy for the next generation. 

Join me for another round of global positive news, followed by the first of a three-part interview with Hui Tsyr exploring life in exchange and her approach to creating theatre using what she calls “border resources.”  In today's news: Last Thiinma speaker, linguist sing on 'The Piano' to save language.  Study backing four‑day week highlights talent retention and productivity gains. North Sea oyster rewilding project to release 15 million juveniles.  This episode's stories are sourced from ABC, Techfixated, and The Guardian. 

Seth meets Michelle in the studio to get geeky about his own life journey exploring his nerdy side!  From the original Nintendo to Magic the Gathering, listen to his adventures!

Do you have any loved one, whether it is your partner or a family member, whom you would like to spend your life with? Today, we are going to listen to a Tâi-gí song that explores this kind of deep bond: "等待雨散" (Waiting for the Rain to Stop) by Won Fu (旺福).   This warm and gentle song uses rain as a metaphor for life’s difficult moments, reminding us that love means staying together, holding hands, and patiently waiting for the clouds to clear. The songwriter, Min, once shared that he wrote the song while his father was battling cancer. When he finally recorded the track, he tried to sound happy, but his heart wasn't truly in it.   Looking back, he found that he had been immersed in grief, unaware that he had a bunch of friends who stayed with him and brought him joy. He eventually realised: “Instead of waiting for the rain to stop, why don’t we seize the day and have fun while holding the umbrella together?”   Let’s learn a few lines from the song, so that...

Join us for today's episode featuring two letters and various ways of submitting a reception report. To submit your report, the most direct way is through our online reception report form:  https://www.rti.org.tw/en/content?uid=11 If you find this format inconvenient, please don't worry. We also welcome reception reports for our MW and SW broadcasts in any format you prefer. You can send them to us via: Email: rti@rti.org.tw Or Website: Through the "Contact Us" section on our official page. If you want to contact us and have your message read on air, you can send a letter to P.O. BOX 123 199 Taipei Taiwan English@rti.org.tw or reach us on social media, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, @Rtienglish 

Over the last two episodes, we looked at the emotional realities of pursuing dreams — from the uncertainty and comparison that come with feeling “stuck in the middle” of the journey, to the hidden costs of ambition, burnout, and overwork. But in this third part of the conversation, the focus shifts toward something quieter and perhaps something even more difficult to confront: what happens when achievement itself stops feeling meaningful? In this deeply personal episode, Mary Anne reflects on how modern life constantly pushes us toward productivity, optimization, and the pressure to keep chasing the next milestone. From family expectations and social media to hustle culture and the endless pursuit of self-improvement, it becomes really easy to tie our self-worth entirely to what we accomplish. This episode asks an important question many people quietly struggle with: in the middle of trying to build the life of our dreams, are we forgetting to actually live it? Blending...

Members of the public have launched websites including "Rat Radar" and "Taipei Rat Tracker" which allow residents to upload photographs, submit reports, and search for rat activity by location. Does the recent rat problem expose deeper issues in how the city manages its infrastructure? Some argue that it does, while city officials maintain that rat reports to their 1999 hotline have actually decreased. Formosa Fauna is back this week to entertainingly educate you about animals both in Taiwan and abroad! Spend the next 20 minutes listening to this episode and feeding your noggin with fun facts about the animal kingdom so you can become smarter than all of your friends. Want to share your own story and have it read on air? Send your story (photos welcome) to tristan@rti.org.tw! See you every week for Formosa Fauna Fridays!

Good day and welcome to another episode filled with classical music! Once again, I am joined by Gwhyneth Chen, a Taiwanese-American concert pianist who is widely regarded as one of the foremost pianists of her generation. Last week, we discussed how she began playing the piano, her early education, and the dedication required for practice. We also explored her work teaching piano to Alzheimer's patients for cognitive benefits, as well as her achievements, including winning a cash prize. Today, we will continue our discussion by examining the differences between playing solo and with an orchestra. We will highlight the importance of soloists performing from memory, how to manage situations where someone plays from the sheet music, and the necessity of thoroughly understanding the scores. Later, we will delve into the changes that have occurred over time in Taiwan's classical music scene. Lastly, we’ll talk about which genius composer she would choose to have dinner with from...