Taiwanese women transmitted secret messages and encouraged defections from China using radio broadcasts in the 1970s.
Historical backdrop: With a turbulent history marked by a bloody civil war, Taiwan and China engaged in an audio standoff with dueling propaganda broadcasts during the 1970s.
* Taiwanese women broadcasters played a key role in sending secret messages and trying to sway Chinese soldiers to defect.
A musical approach: Taiwan’s National Security Bureau leveraged the female voice, broadcasting the popular Taiwanese pop singer, Teresa Teng, whose music made its way to Chinese listeners via shortwave radios and powerful speakers.
* Teng’s clear enunciation and beautiful voice were believed to resonate with people and entice them to defect.
Cross-strait relations: These Taiwanese women broadcasters gained unique insight into cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan and witnessed Taiwan’s democratization.
* Women stationed on Taiwan’s outlying islands worked and lived under strict control from military authorities.
Life after broadcasts: The radio broadcasts ended in the 1980s as Taiwan began its transition to democracy, and many former women broadcasters found their place in a changing media landscape.
* Some women established careers in multimedia journalism, while others maintained deep connections with former Chinese listeners.
This summary was created by an AI system. The use of this summary is subject to our Terms of Service.
Leave a Reply