Taipei New Bloom was a fascinating operation on so many different levels. Mainly, it is an on-line newspaper covering Taiwan and Southeast Asia. It is also an all-volunteer social enterprise supported largely by coffee and liquor sales at its bar, because it is also an event space in the basement, hosting cultural events along with panels and political discussions. We met with founder, writer, and organizer Brain Hioe at the space New Bloom now rents in the working-class area of Taipei, and it was an education about New Bloom and Taiwan in general.
Brian started New Bloom a decade ago in 2014 at the height of the Sunflower Movement and along with others has been working there ever since, as one of the half-dozen core members. His paid job is with a Philippines-based NGO, which involves traveling extensively around the region, but he adds the work with New Bloom and other projects to that paycheck. His backstory was also interesting. Born in Taiwan to a Taiwanese mother and an Indonesian father, he lived in the Hudson Valley north of New York City for almost 20 years and graduated from New York University. He then answered the call of the movement, which resonated with a number of Taiwanese youths, as those of us from different times and generations could easily appreciate.
New Bloom is an interesting read. It has won a place as a popular online news source, and the only one that is all in English. The editorial committee is large, with a significant number of Taiwanese-Americans, although Brian said most of the core was now Taipei-based. Reading the bios, it slanted left, with deep roots in the student movement that had been a key driver of Sunflower. New pieces are up daily, and they are deeply written and researched. I read several of Brian’s articles that focused on political corruption, including some wild real estate development scandals involving the mayor, as well as others about current events. The Organizers Forum members asked a million questions, but one of them was his view of the future of New Bloom. He was frank and tentative. Ten years was an accomplishment, but sustainability was unsettled. At 32-years-old, he was also unsure how long he could stay the current course.
Brian was fast-talking and sharp as a tack and handled a range of questions without being arrogant or patronizing with us, as we tried to get our arms around this complicated city and country. Minimum wages had increased through political action, but the two labor federations were divided over their relationships with the two main political parties and their diametrically opposed positions on relations with the Chinese mainland, which was a recurring theme. Public employees are not allowed in formal unions, making institutional labor more conservative, and not much of a factor in the social movements. The dominant tech and chip manufacturing industry is militantly anti-union. There are a lot of people doing different things, but not much evidence of community organizations of tenant unions. Rents were relatively low, but homeownership largely out of reach for younger people. Much of the energy of the Sunflower Movement had dissipated now, with many going into politics or government with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is now in power.
We have a lot to learn and Brian and New Bloom were a great introduction, setting us on the path to a much deeper and more sophisticated understanding of the city and country.