Midnight Asia: Eat Dance Dream (2022–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Taipei, Taiwan - full transcript
[mysterious music]
[audience cheers echoing]
[Aki] Taipei is a city
that excellently showcases
a blend of both tradition and innovation.
There's no conflict at all.
I think it's integrated very well
in the city.
[theme music]
[Kathy] The nightlife in Taipei
is unexpected,
but a lot of people have also said
it means that we're one
of Asia's best-kept secrets.
It is a dynamic, young city,
with a young population
that's very international
but also rooted
in a lot of their Taiwanese traditions.
You'll see people walking into temples
to pay their respects
to their ancestors, to the gods.
People with really traditional values
co-existing with people
with a very modern viewpoint.
-[upbeat music]
-[cheering]
[Yolanda] Taiwan is advancing very quickly
in the last couple of decades.
It used to be very conservative.
But look at the progress we've made.
We're the first country in Asia
to legalize gay marriage.
I think Taipei is the most suitable city
to be yourself.
[giggling]
I'm so happy.
[Darice] I feel like
Taipei night is very free-flowing
because it provides
that space for expression
and the space for creativity,
when you can really be who you want to be.
[cheering]
[upbeat music]
[tranquil music]
[Kathy] People in Taipei
work extremely long hours,
some of the longest in the world.
So there's a whole nighttime economy
that really activates
at the end of the day.
And it's all about switching off
from work mode to kind of life mode.
STINKY TOFU
The warmth of the people
and the warmth of the city
means you end the night
usually with a really full heart
and a full stomach.
Xiaoye is like the tradition
of eating a midnight snack.
And the perfect place to get xiaoye
is the night market,
where you go for the best
of Taiwanese street food.
[vendor] One liver, one mix.
SESAME CHICKEN
[Kathy] All the people,
the smells, the senses…
They are the hubs
of where people would congregate.
And it feels like you could sit down
and chat with the people
eating right next to you.
-[bike bell dings]
-Or chat with the owner of the store.
Thank you.
Hey! Could you tell me
if your dad has been working lately?
[Kathy] You might be alone,
but you actually
never eat alone in Taipei.
So there are more than
20 night markets in Taipei,
but Ningxia is the one that's famous
for focusing only on food.
At other night markets,
you might go there for some shopping,
or to play some arcade games.
But when you go to Ningxia,
you know you're there to eat.
You can get everything
from pig's blood cake, stinky tofu.
You could get sweet potato balls
which are really hot right now.
There's also bubble teas.
There's also desserts there
with shaved ice.
So that's why Ningxia
kind of has the nickname
that it's the stomach of Taipei.
[light music]
[Kathy] At Ningxia Night Market,
there are stalls that are famous
for their signature dish.
And they've been doing it every night
for, you know, 30 years.
And there's this amazing
oyster omelet stall in Ningxia,
which is in the Michelin Guide.
And the crowds are just nonstop.
OYSTER OMELET, 75, RICE CAKE, 30
Ningxia's oyster omelet is quite famous,
so I came to try it.
I think its taste is like a…
kind of memory.
I've been coming here ever since
I can remember. Over 30 years already.
OLD TAIPEI STORE
YUEN HUAN PIEN OYSTER EGG OMELET
[Bing Xun] You must
nurture your customers.
Nurture this taste in them
so that it is past on
from this young generation
to the next generation.
They will always be familiar
with this taste.
So that they'll keep coming back
to eat in our restaurant.
This oyster omelet is our bestseller.
My name is Lai Bing Xun,
and I work in the food industry,
selling my special oyster omelet.
[sizzles]
You need a few things for the oyster cake.
Of course, you'll need a big pot.
[upbeat music]
You will need fresh oysters,
fresh eggs. Lots of it.
Vegetables like bok choy and spices.
Then mix in potato starch mixed in water.
To make it fragrant and crispy.
-[customer] It's delicious.
-So good, it's my favorite.
[Bing Xun] Every single day,
you have to work happily.
For people our age,
the happier, the better.
[laughs]
OYSTER EGG OMELET
[light music]
My second brother
came to Ningxia Night Market first.
After I left the military service,
I joined him.
When I got here, he was ready to quit.
He asked me if I wanted a stall.
I said yes. And so I started
working here immediately.
He also told me that if I wanted
to earn a lot and leave,
then I shouldn't be working in a stall
because it's lots of hard work.
It has been 52 years
since I took over the stall from him.
[light music continues]
Ningxia Night Market, today should be
in the top two of Taipei's night markets.
It has experienced a lot of setbacks too.
Twenty years ago,
Ningxia Night Market was just operating
on the side of the street.
And the vendors back then
were just occupying people's verandas.
The vendors' stalls
made the place look messy,
and very disorganized,
so the residents didn't like it
and somewhat opposed it.
Youngsters then, they really want
to go to the night market.
The mess they saw turned them away.
Our municipal government had a plan.
They wanted to relocate the stalls
to the middle of the street
and keep them there.
Some stall owners nominated me
as the association's president.
Honestly, I believe
that the entire experience
was a very big challenge for me.
[chuckles]
Of course, a lot of stall owners
didn't agree
about moving to the middle of the street,
because they've been doing business
comfortably by the veranda
for the past 30 or 40 years.
But I was able to get them
to complete the task smoothly.
Our overall plan was to clear
the verandas of 180 stalls,
and stalls on both sides would be moved
to the middle of the street.
I told our members
that they must clean their area daily
and maintain it at all times.
And that they must be very friendly
to all the residents around.
When we started planning,
I told our members
not to be repetitive in their menus.
-They must be innovative.
-[upbeat music]
During the one and a half year
transformation,
the night market's
culture rapidly developed.
Ningxia Night Market, I think,
has approximately 150 food stalls,
and they're not that repetitive.
Each stall offers different kinds
of food and drinks
compared to the stall next to it.
RONG'S PORK LIVER
The mixed soup
that we prepare has pork liver,
then there's thick pork soup,
and there's pork belly.
[vendor] Here, try it.
In my stall, if I sell rice dumplings
with pork liver soup,
the stall beside me
won't sell the same thing.
That's an unspoken rule
in the Ningxia Night Market.
[upbeat music continues]
[Bing Xun] People who come
here are mostly youngsters.
That means they find a sense of novelty
whenever they come to eat here
in the Ningxia Night Market.
[Bing Xun] This is almost done.
My son here has been working steadily
for the past 20 years as well.
[Bing Xun's son]
I'm really grateful to him
because he has been doing this
for 50 or 60 years.
Yes, and he gave me this platform
so that I can continue working hard
to earn money to raise my family.
I appreciate it.
[Bing Xun] Hey, did you know
what's coming on Friday?
I know.
[Bing Xun] The Ningxia Night Market
is a big family.
[stall owner]
The line for your stall is long.
-You have so many customers.
-No.
Yes, I saw it.
The line has reached the exit.
[Bing Xun] The most beautiful thing
in Taiwan
is the night market's human touch.
It allows me to live
and work here peacefully,
and contentedly,
get married, and have children,
and to live a very stable life.
So I also spare no effort in giving back
to this night market.
The night market changed me
and I changed it.
We complement each other.
[chuckling]
[light upbeat music]
[Yolanda] To me,
Taipei at night feels like fireworks.
It's very brilliant,
but it quickly disappears.
At night, there will be fireworks again,
and it will give us a different feeling
compared to previous nights.
I guarantee you that.
THE RED HOUSE
In the past,
I think Taiwan was, of course,
still relatively conservative
and closed off.
[indistinct chatter]
But I think that the changes have been
very big in the past 30 years.
Everyone has developed a good habit
of having healthy, respectful discussions.
Even if we disagree
with the other person's point of view,
we can still talk about it.
We just want to make this society
more diverse and more fun,
so that life isn't that serious
all the time.
In fact, there are still many things
that we can enjoy in life.
[upbeat music]
[cheering]
[Yolanda] Ximending is
such a prosperous place,
but when you walk behind The Red House,
you will find
that a very different world exists.
The Red House is a very special place.
It's an area
that's friendly to homosexuals.
They're welcome here.
Maybe you're there to look for prospects,
but when you walk in the direction
of The Red House,
you will want to have a drink,
have fun chatting,
and be yourself.
[people cheering]
[Yolanda] I'm Yolanda Mesula.
I'm a drag queen in Taiwan.
And I have been doing this
for about four or five years now.
And I can say it's liberating
ever since I started doing this.
I think I'm like a spark.
I'm the one that ignites fireworks
to make everyone feel like,
"Wow, it's so bright."
And I'm a character who is very happy.
Tonight, we're going to have a contest.
It's called the Taiwan Drag Talent Show.
We've invited four new generations
of Taiwan drag queens.
And there's a special guest
we call Dan Dan.
[Darice] There is
a local traditional culture
of males dressing up as females,
but there isn't any tradition
that I know of,
of females dressing up as males.
So I'm a drag king.
My drag king name is Dan Dan Demolition
because Dan Dan comes from
my Chinese name, which is Dan.
It's dan, which means
it's from the peony flower.
And in Chinese mythology,
peony is the king of flowers.
I identify as nonbinary and genderqueer.
So, basically, it means like
I don't really identify as male or female.
I prefer to be like neutral.
I sort of came into that because,
I don't know, just like the way
I always thought growing up.
And like I'm AFAB, which means
like you're "assigned female at birth."
But you know, I just thought
that was like a normal thing.
[pensive music]
I grew up in rural Minnesota.
My parents are both from Taipei.
They married in Taiwan.
Uh, but my first language
is actually Chinese
because my parents were super afraid of us
losing the culture
and losing the language.
I really fell in love with the place
because like, you know, I'd be here
for like a couple of weeks every summer,
and then interacting with my peer group
who are Taiwanese.
And that's very different from, like,
knowing my culture
from the perspective of my parents.
So like I already have friends here.
I knew I love the food.
I love the culture. I love the people.
There was something in my soul
that was just like,
"I really want to be in Taiwan right now."
Taiwan is a very open society.
They're very accepting.
You can do whatever you want, that's you.
It provides that space for expression.
For me, it was like being a drag king.
Drag kinging, it started out
just like with some friends
that gathered at their house.
We played with makeup.
We, like, came up with our drag personas.
I guess the idea was sort of, like,
to break gender barriers
and expectations and all of that.
And, plus, I love showmanship.
I like being theatrical.
I've never been very feminine growing up,
so that's why I did pageant, actually.
They teach you how to be, like,
professionally female on stage.
The whole time, I was like, I swear,
I feel like a drag queen.
[chuckling]
And so that's probably
why I got into drag later.
I don't like wearing costumes
that are uncomfortable,
that affects your movement.
And then like, I don't want to, like,
worry about not feeling comfortable
when I'm expressing myself.
[gasps]
Yes.
I picked this one because it was actually
pretty much what I had in mind.
So I wanted something fluffy,
um, for my arms,
just so it makes them look bigger
and more manly.
-[indistinct chatter]
-[pensive music]
So I'm performing tonight.
It's going to be a contest.
It's like super terrifying,
but then also like…
the best feeling in the world.
[pensive music continues]
[upbeat music]
[Brian] I think what's special
for Taipei's night,
for me, is that it allows me
to just see so many different things
that I don't see otherwise.
[upbeat music rises]
There is an increasing
underground culture.
And there are parts of the city that have
underground graffiti that does take place.
[engine revving]
[quirky upbeat music]
[Ogay] When I see the night view
in Taiwan,
I'm actually thinking about
which ones I can paint.
It's that simple.
My name is Black Chicken,
people call me Ogay.
That has been my nickname
ever since high school.
One time, the teacher was writing
on the blackboard,
and he suddenly turned around
and asked the class,
"Why is a chicken crowing?"
They looked at me. Since then, my friends
have been calling me Black Chicken.
I've been creating street art
for about 20 years.
And street art painting has brought me
to different places in Taiwan.
[mysterious music]
There are a lot of places
that are interesting at night.
So I especially want to go out
and explore new sights and sounds.
[mysterious music continues]
When I was a kid, I enjoyed exploring
the streets in the evening.
At night, I went all over Taipei
and painted in secret.
Back then, I would do it
in the middle of the night
because fewer people were around,
so they wouldn't notice me.
I painted quickly, and then ran away.
It feels very peaceful
to be painting here,
which is why I like to paint in ruins.
I think I'll paint a fat
and ugly crying face tonight.
You know, I was just informed now
that my daughter is still awake and crying
because she's waiting for me,
and I'm not home yet.
So I'm thinking
that I should paint a crying person.
It's a coincidence.
[hissing]
Most people think
that beauty is mainstream.
Sometimes, I'll deliberately do it
in a nonmainstream way
because the mainstream
is already very popular.
But I think my work can really make
a deep impression on people.
So I will try my best
to make this character ugly.
Then in the end, the image
of this fat guy just emerged.
-[indistinct chatter]
-[engine revs]
He's like my child.
I think it's very fun to let my child
appear in every part of the city
whenever possible.
[upbeat music]
In the past, I painted just to have fun,
to be happy because I was carefree.
And I never thought about making painting
my career or to earn a living from it.
[Brian] Ogay is one
of the more respected artists now.
He's displaying in art galleries.
His works are very recognizable.
You see them particularly in Ximending.
[Ogay] This street
we are visiting right now
wasn't like this before.
It was a very ordinary street,
and maybe no one passed through here.
People probably thought,
"Well, there's nothing to see here."
In the past, graffiti painters
would randomly paint here
and that was a headache
for the municipal government
because they spent
a lot of money to clean up the paint.
Then my friend said, "Why don't you
just save the money, right?"
"Subsidize us a little,
and we can help you
lay wooden planks or something."
It was a collaboration.
On the one hand,
I can make this place more beautiful,
and give graffiti painters a great place
to express themselves.
That can also attract more people
to the area.
[upbeat music]
Take Ximending as an example.
It has attracted people
from different places,
and they wanna visit
and experience the place.
[Brian] Ximending is known
as a hot spot for graffiti in Taipei.
You see very large murals in parks
and in public places.
I think that people
have come to view this as art,
rather than just some kind of thing
on a wall or defacing something.
[woman] You think it's okay
if I spray paint too?
-[Ogay] You can get nearer. Get closer.
-[woman] Okay.
[Ogay] Everyone who has seen my work said…
-It's very local Taiwanese.
-It will be like this.
When I was a little kid and a lot younger,
that remark would actually be derogatory.
So when people say,
"You are very local Taiwanese,
it's like telling a person,
he or she isn't trendy, handsome,
or beautiful enough.
It means you're too local and tacky.
[upbeat music]
When you say, "very local Taiwanese,"
these days it means that
being Taiwanese is a compliment.
And since it is local,
then it must be very good in quality,
integrity in all aspects.
I'm proud of my homeland.
Taipei at night actually
gave me a lot of inspiration.
[soft music]
[traffic noise]
[light upbeat music]
[Kathy] All across the world,
we've seen the cocktail culture
really exploding.
And in Taipei,
things are getting really creative.
And Indulge Experimental Bistro
has been leading the pack.
[upbeat techno music]
I'm making a classic version
of an espresso for you guys.
[Kathy] The owner, Aki Wang,
he's been named the godfather
of cocktail culture here in the city.
So actually,
there's a double espresso inside.
[woman 1] I need to wake up
early tomorrow so I can't.
-[laughter]
-[woman 2] We want you to stay awake.
[shaker rattling]
[laughs]
-[woman 2] Are you awake now?
-[woman 1] I am.
[Kathy] I think
Indulge Experimental Bistro
helped put Taipei on the map.
It's been named one of the top bars
in the world, actually.
Whenever people hear about Indulge,
they will say, "Oh, Indulge?
It comes from Taiwan."
It was hard at the start.
[engine revs]
[Aki] Ten years ago,
when I first opened Indulge Bistro,
Taipei was not quite ready yet
for this type of cocktails.
And even though there were so-called
professional bartenders,
at the time, they didn't know
what a classic cocktail was.
So in the first two years,
Indulge's business was very poor.
Actually, most of the bars back then
were using imported products
for their cocktails.
Through the flavors
that people have never tasted,
I wanted to introduce
that we are from Taiwan.
I want to use the spirit of my own
country to produce excellent cocktails.
[server] This one is really special
because we made a Baozhong tea with it.
Yes, you can refresh
your taste buds on the side.
[Aki] I realized that
tea is now very popular in our culture.
[client] It's like a tea ceremony.
Only this time
what you're drinking is alcohol.
[Aki] Before only the rich people
could taste tea,
and it was treated as a gift.
[smacks lips]
It's really amazing.
But you never see people adding their tea
to alcoholic drinks.
[light music]
The downtown area of Taipei
is actually very close
to the mountains and also to the oceans.
You can find a lot of ingredients
to make drinks and cocktails.
[Kathy] Something that
Aki Wang does which is really special
is that he goes into the mountains
to pick tea leaves and herbs,
and then he incorporates the flavors
into this modern cocktail culture.
[Aki] Taiwan has ferns that
can't be found anywhere else in the world.
So I use the ferns to represent imageries
of my cocktails.
[light music continues]
[Aki] I've started studying tea,
how tea can be best combined with alcohol
so that the delicate taste of tea
can become the main flavor.
It was difficult at first
because most people's concept of tea
is that they come in cups or bottles.
Today, we're preparing a combination
of jasmine with a little bit of jade tea.
It's like enjoying a good soup.
-You just suck it in.
-[hissing]
Through the air,
it lightly falls on your senses.
So it is quite an experience.
Basically, tea leaves
won't produce any bad results.
[light music]
I named this cocktail Sleepless Dawn
because I wanted to present
a three-way dialogue
between me, and the city, and nature
with the way I designed the drink.
The color represents dawn
and you'll see it. Sunrise.
You'll also the sunset.
It's the view from when
we're looking at the whole city
from the top of the mountain.
So we introduce these things
into the city.
That way, we give it a new life.
[upbeat music]
[merrymaking]
To me, the process of creating a cocktail
in Taipei combining nature
is a very simple and also a happy thing.
Okay, enjoy.
[upbeat music continues]
And so, until now
I'm very proud and very happy.
Thanks to efforts of people
in this industry,
Taipei has become one
of the most famous cocktail cities.
-[traffic noise]
-[light music]
[rhythmic upbeat music]
The nightlife in Taipei is
actually the window into Taipei's culture.
You could have the most high-rise,
flashy apartment building
next to this hundred-year-old temple.
And that's part of what Taiwan is.
Architecturally, but also socially.
[Kathy] At nighttime,
you'll see more professionals going in
to bai bai to pray to the gods,
or to speak to the mediums
or the psychics,
to ask about everyday problems,
to talk to them
as if they're a therapist, almost.
[shaman] Please don't forget,
keep looking forward to that place,
and go in your own direction.
[Kathy] And everybody is taking and giving
and kind of learning from each other
at the same time.
And it's all kind of mixing together here,
especially at nighttime.
People can really feel comfortable
going out and being themselves.
[indistinct chatter]
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music continues]
The contestants
I'm hosting today are quite special.
There will be a drag contest.
What's special is I'm hoping
that every contestant can perform
with real actual talent,
and not just lip-sync.
-[Darice] Hi. Hi.
-[Yolanda] Hello, Dan Dan.
-Hello. Hi.
-[Yolanda] Hi. Are you feeling fine?
-You think you can do it?
-I think so.
-You haven't applied makeup yet, right?
-Uh-huh.
-You have to put on your makeup now.
-Yes.
Yes.
[Darice] I guess I see myself
as a creative advocate for LGBTQ rights.
It's important to have somewhere
to like perform, to try out,
to workshop new things.
[Yolanda] Drag is a form
of performance for Dan Dan.
I agree with that very much
because I think drag is a method
of breaking away
from what you originally look like
and present it more artistically.
-Do you feel nervous?
-[Darice] Yes.
[Yolanda] A bit?
-Yes. A little.
-[Yolanda] A little?
-[Darice] A little too nervous.
-Yeah.
-But today, everyone is a drag queen.
-[Darice] Right.
You're the only one
who's different, right?
[Darice] Because there aren't
as many kings,
so, like, we really have to come together
and like fight for our space
in the LGBTQ-performing sphere,
because it is still very,
like, male-dominated.
[Darice] I think I'm fine,
it's just sometimes…
because the performances of drag kings
and drag queens are really different.
[Yolanda] Yes, well, I don't think so.
The performances are different,
but the spirit is the same.
[Darice] Yolanda is
very well-known in the scene
as, sort of, like a mother figure.
[Yolanda] When you start doing drag,
I think having a teacher
or a senior is very important.
I want to guide them in any way I can.
Not everyone understands about drag
and what it means for us.
[Darice] I don't know.
I don't know how to explain it.
It's just like…
It's like a manifestation
of a different facet of myself, I guess.
Yeah.
This one I'm a little nervous about
because it's my first time wearing it.
[Darice] Obviously, I have
a very different look from everybody else,
so we'll see what happens.
[giggles]
[Yolanda] Just remember
to have fun when you perform today.
Just have a good time.
[upbeat music]
[camera clicks]
[indistinct chatter]
All right, everybody!
It's time for the 2020 Drag Talent Show.
-Please let out a scream for yourselves!
-[applause]
Hi, everyone!
Please just enjoy the stage
and remember to have fun.
Don't be too nervous
because I can tell right away
-if you're not feeling fabulous.
-Okay.
-Are you feeling more nervous now?
-Okay.
-Have fun, and do you best, okay?
-Okay.
[audience shouting]
[upbeat music]
[cheering]
[audience shouting]
[Darice] I always feel nervous.
Every single time. So nervous.
[giggles]
But I sort of, um…
block it out, I guess.
Let's welcome our contestant, Dan Dan!
[cheering]
[upbeat music]
[Darice] I think a lot of drag
is actually just like improvisation.
It's very, like, freestyle
because you have to interact
with the audience,
and you have to, like, go with the flow
of what is happening in that moment.
It is a very, like,
participatory act, I think.
Okay, Dan Dan, is there anything
you would like to tell the audience
about your masculine outlook today?
Tell us.
I just hope that people can break
their concepts of having only two genders.
-Okay.
-[applause]
[cheers]
[Darice] I feel like
you need to give people a safe place
to be able to express
their needs and their wants
so that you can have
more marginalized communities,
you know,
be able to fight for their rights.
Taiwan is like one of the best
democracies in Asia.
And I say best,
as in, we have freedom of speech,
so that really gives us the environment
to have a lot of creative expressions.
So it's just like…
We're actually very lucky to have this.
[audience cheering]
-[applauding]
-[inaudible dialogue]
[Darice] This is sort of,
like, skull-inspired.
So I have, like, sparkly things for teeth.
-[host speaks Mandarin]
-And then I made the eyes scarier,
and the eyebrows are furry.
[Darice] Because I feel like
a lot will feel that, you know, like,
gender diverse or nonbinary people
are sort of weird,
or other, like sort of like a monster.
-[host speaks Mandarin]
-No, we're not monsters.
We're just people. We want to be loved.
-[host] Dan Dan!
-[audience shouting]
[Darice] I feel like in Taipei,
I really found, like, my community,
like my, you know, weird,
queer performing family.
[laughs]
[applause, cheers]
[Yolanda] I hope that we can
give Dan Dan some encouragement
because I like this spirit very much.
-I really like it.
-[applause]
You know, I like Dan Dan's courage
to break through oneself,
and have the courage to let everyone see
something different.
I think Dan Dan's presence here
has already surpassed the performance.
Dan Dan's presence lets everyone know
that there are different existences.
Give them a round of applause!
[audience cheering]
[Darice] The community here
is just like so supportive all around.
So every time that there is a competition,
or a performance, or anything,
it's always a celebration.
It's a celebration
like the community in Taipei.
-[all] Hi.
-[giggling]
[uplifting music]
[Kathy] I think for me,
Taipei at night is fulfilling.
You're really replenishing
your mind, body, and soul a little bit.
It all comes alive when the sun goes down.
[all chattering]
[upbeat music]
I think that Taiwan is very multi-faceted.
And this is where everyone
can really find a place where he belongs.
Many traditional cultures
are still alive today
partly because everyone
is trying very hard to preserve them,
and partly because
these cultures themselves
also apparently want to change
with the times.
[Aki] And this is a gift for you.
[laughing]
I'm so happy.
The City of Taipei, I think,
is very beautiful and also diverse
and tolerant.
You can always find the next reason
to find genuine happiness here,
and also, so many reasons to love it.
[inspiring music]
[closing theme music]
[audience cheers echoing]
[Aki] Taipei is a city
that excellently showcases
a blend of both tradition and innovation.
There's no conflict at all.
I think it's integrated very well
in the city.
[theme music]
[Kathy] The nightlife in Taipei
is unexpected,
but a lot of people have also said
it means that we're one
of Asia's best-kept secrets.
It is a dynamic, young city,
with a young population
that's very international
but also rooted
in a lot of their Taiwanese traditions.
You'll see people walking into temples
to pay their respects
to their ancestors, to the gods.
People with really traditional values
co-existing with people
with a very modern viewpoint.
-[upbeat music]
-[cheering]
[Yolanda] Taiwan is advancing very quickly
in the last couple of decades.
It used to be very conservative.
But look at the progress we've made.
We're the first country in Asia
to legalize gay marriage.
I think Taipei is the most suitable city
to be yourself.
[giggling]
I'm so happy.
[Darice] I feel like
Taipei night is very free-flowing
because it provides
that space for expression
and the space for creativity,
when you can really be who you want to be.
[cheering]
[upbeat music]
[tranquil music]
[Kathy] People in Taipei
work extremely long hours,
some of the longest in the world.
So there's a whole nighttime economy
that really activates
at the end of the day.
And it's all about switching off
from work mode to kind of life mode.
STINKY TOFU
The warmth of the people
and the warmth of the city
means you end the night
usually with a really full heart
and a full stomach.
Xiaoye is like the tradition
of eating a midnight snack.
And the perfect place to get xiaoye
is the night market,
where you go for the best
of Taiwanese street food.
[vendor] One liver, one mix.
SESAME CHICKEN
[Kathy] All the people,
the smells, the senses…
They are the hubs
of where people would congregate.
And it feels like you could sit down
and chat with the people
eating right next to you.
-[bike bell dings]
-Or chat with the owner of the store.
Thank you.
Hey! Could you tell me
if your dad has been working lately?
[Kathy] You might be alone,
but you actually
never eat alone in Taipei.
So there are more than
20 night markets in Taipei,
but Ningxia is the one that's famous
for focusing only on food.
At other night markets,
you might go there for some shopping,
or to play some arcade games.
But when you go to Ningxia,
you know you're there to eat.
You can get everything
from pig's blood cake, stinky tofu.
You could get sweet potato balls
which are really hot right now.
There's also bubble teas.
There's also desserts there
with shaved ice.
So that's why Ningxia
kind of has the nickname
that it's the stomach of Taipei.
[light music]
[Kathy] At Ningxia Night Market,
there are stalls that are famous
for their signature dish.
And they've been doing it every night
for, you know, 30 years.
And there's this amazing
oyster omelet stall in Ningxia,
which is in the Michelin Guide.
And the crowds are just nonstop.
OYSTER OMELET, 75, RICE CAKE, 30
Ningxia's oyster omelet is quite famous,
so I came to try it.
I think its taste is like a…
kind of memory.
I've been coming here ever since
I can remember. Over 30 years already.
OLD TAIPEI STORE
YUEN HUAN PIEN OYSTER EGG OMELET
[Bing Xun] You must
nurture your customers.
Nurture this taste in them
so that it is past on
from this young generation
to the next generation.
They will always be familiar
with this taste.
So that they'll keep coming back
to eat in our restaurant.
This oyster omelet is our bestseller.
My name is Lai Bing Xun,
and I work in the food industry,
selling my special oyster omelet.
[sizzles]
You need a few things for the oyster cake.
Of course, you'll need a big pot.
[upbeat music]
You will need fresh oysters,
fresh eggs. Lots of it.
Vegetables like bok choy and spices.
Then mix in potato starch mixed in water.
To make it fragrant and crispy.
-[customer] It's delicious.
-So good, it's my favorite.
[Bing Xun] Every single day,
you have to work happily.
For people our age,
the happier, the better.
[laughs]
OYSTER EGG OMELET
[light music]
My second brother
came to Ningxia Night Market first.
After I left the military service,
I joined him.
When I got here, he was ready to quit.
He asked me if I wanted a stall.
I said yes. And so I started
working here immediately.
He also told me that if I wanted
to earn a lot and leave,
then I shouldn't be working in a stall
because it's lots of hard work.
It has been 52 years
since I took over the stall from him.
[light music continues]
Ningxia Night Market, today should be
in the top two of Taipei's night markets.
It has experienced a lot of setbacks too.
Twenty years ago,
Ningxia Night Market was just operating
on the side of the street.
And the vendors back then
were just occupying people's verandas.
The vendors' stalls
made the place look messy,
and very disorganized,
so the residents didn't like it
and somewhat opposed it.
Youngsters then, they really want
to go to the night market.
The mess they saw turned them away.
Our municipal government had a plan.
They wanted to relocate the stalls
to the middle of the street
and keep them there.
Some stall owners nominated me
as the association's president.
Honestly, I believe
that the entire experience
was a very big challenge for me.
[chuckles]
Of course, a lot of stall owners
didn't agree
about moving to the middle of the street,
because they've been doing business
comfortably by the veranda
for the past 30 or 40 years.
But I was able to get them
to complete the task smoothly.
Our overall plan was to clear
the verandas of 180 stalls,
and stalls on both sides would be moved
to the middle of the street.
I told our members
that they must clean their area daily
and maintain it at all times.
And that they must be very friendly
to all the residents around.
When we started planning,
I told our members
not to be repetitive in their menus.
-They must be innovative.
-[upbeat music]
During the one and a half year
transformation,
the night market's
culture rapidly developed.
Ningxia Night Market, I think,
has approximately 150 food stalls,
and they're not that repetitive.
Each stall offers different kinds
of food and drinks
compared to the stall next to it.
RONG'S PORK LIVER
The mixed soup
that we prepare has pork liver,
then there's thick pork soup,
and there's pork belly.
[vendor] Here, try it.
In my stall, if I sell rice dumplings
with pork liver soup,
the stall beside me
won't sell the same thing.
That's an unspoken rule
in the Ningxia Night Market.
[upbeat music continues]
[Bing Xun] People who come
here are mostly youngsters.
That means they find a sense of novelty
whenever they come to eat here
in the Ningxia Night Market.
[Bing Xun] This is almost done.
My son here has been working steadily
for the past 20 years as well.
[Bing Xun's son]
I'm really grateful to him
because he has been doing this
for 50 or 60 years.
Yes, and he gave me this platform
so that I can continue working hard
to earn money to raise my family.
I appreciate it.
[Bing Xun] Hey, did you know
what's coming on Friday?
I know.
[Bing Xun] The Ningxia Night Market
is a big family.
[stall owner]
The line for your stall is long.
-You have so many customers.
-No.
Yes, I saw it.
The line has reached the exit.
[Bing Xun] The most beautiful thing
in Taiwan
is the night market's human touch.
It allows me to live
and work here peacefully,
and contentedly,
get married, and have children,
and to live a very stable life.
So I also spare no effort in giving back
to this night market.
The night market changed me
and I changed it.
We complement each other.
[chuckling]
[light upbeat music]
[Yolanda] To me,
Taipei at night feels like fireworks.
It's very brilliant,
but it quickly disappears.
At night, there will be fireworks again,
and it will give us a different feeling
compared to previous nights.
I guarantee you that.
THE RED HOUSE
In the past,
I think Taiwan was, of course,
still relatively conservative
and closed off.
[indistinct chatter]
But I think that the changes have been
very big in the past 30 years.
Everyone has developed a good habit
of having healthy, respectful discussions.
Even if we disagree
with the other person's point of view,
we can still talk about it.
We just want to make this society
more diverse and more fun,
so that life isn't that serious
all the time.
In fact, there are still many things
that we can enjoy in life.
[upbeat music]
[cheering]
[Yolanda] Ximending is
such a prosperous place,
but when you walk behind The Red House,
you will find
that a very different world exists.
The Red House is a very special place.
It's an area
that's friendly to homosexuals.
They're welcome here.
Maybe you're there to look for prospects,
but when you walk in the direction
of The Red House,
you will want to have a drink,
have fun chatting,
and be yourself.
[people cheering]
[Yolanda] I'm Yolanda Mesula.
I'm a drag queen in Taiwan.
And I have been doing this
for about four or five years now.
And I can say it's liberating
ever since I started doing this.
I think I'm like a spark.
I'm the one that ignites fireworks
to make everyone feel like,
"Wow, it's so bright."
And I'm a character who is very happy.
Tonight, we're going to have a contest.
It's called the Taiwan Drag Talent Show.
We've invited four new generations
of Taiwan drag queens.
And there's a special guest
we call Dan Dan.
[Darice] There is
a local traditional culture
of males dressing up as females,
but there isn't any tradition
that I know of,
of females dressing up as males.
So I'm a drag king.
My drag king name is Dan Dan Demolition
because Dan Dan comes from
my Chinese name, which is Dan.
It's dan, which means
it's from the peony flower.
And in Chinese mythology,
peony is the king of flowers.
I identify as nonbinary and genderqueer.
So, basically, it means like
I don't really identify as male or female.
I prefer to be like neutral.
I sort of came into that because,
I don't know, just like the way
I always thought growing up.
And like I'm AFAB, which means
like you're "assigned female at birth."
But you know, I just thought
that was like a normal thing.
[pensive music]
I grew up in rural Minnesota.
My parents are both from Taipei.
They married in Taiwan.
Uh, but my first language
is actually Chinese
because my parents were super afraid of us
losing the culture
and losing the language.
I really fell in love with the place
because like, you know, I'd be here
for like a couple of weeks every summer,
and then interacting with my peer group
who are Taiwanese.
And that's very different from, like,
knowing my culture
from the perspective of my parents.
So like I already have friends here.
I knew I love the food.
I love the culture. I love the people.
There was something in my soul
that was just like,
"I really want to be in Taiwan right now."
Taiwan is a very open society.
They're very accepting.
You can do whatever you want, that's you.
It provides that space for expression.
For me, it was like being a drag king.
Drag kinging, it started out
just like with some friends
that gathered at their house.
We played with makeup.
We, like, came up with our drag personas.
I guess the idea was sort of, like,
to break gender barriers
and expectations and all of that.
And, plus, I love showmanship.
I like being theatrical.
I've never been very feminine growing up,
so that's why I did pageant, actually.
They teach you how to be, like,
professionally female on stage.
The whole time, I was like, I swear,
I feel like a drag queen.
[chuckling]
And so that's probably
why I got into drag later.
I don't like wearing costumes
that are uncomfortable,
that affects your movement.
And then like, I don't want to, like,
worry about not feeling comfortable
when I'm expressing myself.
[gasps]
Yes.
I picked this one because it was actually
pretty much what I had in mind.
So I wanted something fluffy,
um, for my arms,
just so it makes them look bigger
and more manly.
-[indistinct chatter]
-[pensive music]
So I'm performing tonight.
It's going to be a contest.
It's like super terrifying,
but then also like…
the best feeling in the world.
[pensive music continues]
[upbeat music]
[Brian] I think what's special
for Taipei's night,
for me, is that it allows me
to just see so many different things
that I don't see otherwise.
[upbeat music rises]
There is an increasing
underground culture.
And there are parts of the city that have
underground graffiti that does take place.
[engine revving]
[quirky upbeat music]
[Ogay] When I see the night view
in Taiwan,
I'm actually thinking about
which ones I can paint.
It's that simple.
My name is Black Chicken,
people call me Ogay.
That has been my nickname
ever since high school.
One time, the teacher was writing
on the blackboard,
and he suddenly turned around
and asked the class,
"Why is a chicken crowing?"
They looked at me. Since then, my friends
have been calling me Black Chicken.
I've been creating street art
for about 20 years.
And street art painting has brought me
to different places in Taiwan.
[mysterious music]
There are a lot of places
that are interesting at night.
So I especially want to go out
and explore new sights and sounds.
[mysterious music continues]
When I was a kid, I enjoyed exploring
the streets in the evening.
At night, I went all over Taipei
and painted in secret.
Back then, I would do it
in the middle of the night
because fewer people were around,
so they wouldn't notice me.
I painted quickly, and then ran away.
It feels very peaceful
to be painting here,
which is why I like to paint in ruins.
I think I'll paint a fat
and ugly crying face tonight.
You know, I was just informed now
that my daughter is still awake and crying
because she's waiting for me,
and I'm not home yet.
So I'm thinking
that I should paint a crying person.
It's a coincidence.
[hissing]
Most people think
that beauty is mainstream.
Sometimes, I'll deliberately do it
in a nonmainstream way
because the mainstream
is already very popular.
But I think my work can really make
a deep impression on people.
So I will try my best
to make this character ugly.
Then in the end, the image
of this fat guy just emerged.
-[indistinct chatter]
-[engine revs]
He's like my child.
I think it's very fun to let my child
appear in every part of the city
whenever possible.
[upbeat music]
In the past, I painted just to have fun,
to be happy because I was carefree.
And I never thought about making painting
my career or to earn a living from it.
[Brian] Ogay is one
of the more respected artists now.
He's displaying in art galleries.
His works are very recognizable.
You see them particularly in Ximending.
[Ogay] This street
we are visiting right now
wasn't like this before.
It was a very ordinary street,
and maybe no one passed through here.
People probably thought,
"Well, there's nothing to see here."
In the past, graffiti painters
would randomly paint here
and that was a headache
for the municipal government
because they spent
a lot of money to clean up the paint.
Then my friend said, "Why don't you
just save the money, right?"
"Subsidize us a little,
and we can help you
lay wooden planks or something."
It was a collaboration.
On the one hand,
I can make this place more beautiful,
and give graffiti painters a great place
to express themselves.
That can also attract more people
to the area.
[upbeat music]
Take Ximending as an example.
It has attracted people
from different places,
and they wanna visit
and experience the place.
[Brian] Ximending is known
as a hot spot for graffiti in Taipei.
You see very large murals in parks
and in public places.
I think that people
have come to view this as art,
rather than just some kind of thing
on a wall or defacing something.
[woman] You think it's okay
if I spray paint too?
-[Ogay] You can get nearer. Get closer.
-[woman] Okay.
[Ogay] Everyone who has seen my work said…
-It's very local Taiwanese.
-It will be like this.
When I was a little kid and a lot younger,
that remark would actually be derogatory.
So when people say,
"You are very local Taiwanese,
it's like telling a person,
he or she isn't trendy, handsome,
or beautiful enough.
It means you're too local and tacky.
[upbeat music]
When you say, "very local Taiwanese,"
these days it means that
being Taiwanese is a compliment.
And since it is local,
then it must be very good in quality,
integrity in all aspects.
I'm proud of my homeland.
Taipei at night actually
gave me a lot of inspiration.
[soft music]
[traffic noise]
[light upbeat music]
[Kathy] All across the world,
we've seen the cocktail culture
really exploding.
And in Taipei,
things are getting really creative.
And Indulge Experimental Bistro
has been leading the pack.
[upbeat techno music]
I'm making a classic version
of an espresso for you guys.
[Kathy] The owner, Aki Wang,
he's been named the godfather
of cocktail culture here in the city.
So actually,
there's a double espresso inside.
[woman 1] I need to wake up
early tomorrow so I can't.
-[laughter]
-[woman 2] We want you to stay awake.
[shaker rattling]
[laughs]
-[woman 2] Are you awake now?
-[woman 1] I am.
[Kathy] I think
Indulge Experimental Bistro
helped put Taipei on the map.
It's been named one of the top bars
in the world, actually.
Whenever people hear about Indulge,
they will say, "Oh, Indulge?
It comes from Taiwan."
It was hard at the start.
[engine revs]
[Aki] Ten years ago,
when I first opened Indulge Bistro,
Taipei was not quite ready yet
for this type of cocktails.
And even though there were so-called
professional bartenders,
at the time, they didn't know
what a classic cocktail was.
So in the first two years,
Indulge's business was very poor.
Actually, most of the bars back then
were using imported products
for their cocktails.
Through the flavors
that people have never tasted,
I wanted to introduce
that we are from Taiwan.
I want to use the spirit of my own
country to produce excellent cocktails.
[server] This one is really special
because we made a Baozhong tea with it.
Yes, you can refresh
your taste buds on the side.
[Aki] I realized that
tea is now very popular in our culture.
[client] It's like a tea ceremony.
Only this time
what you're drinking is alcohol.
[Aki] Before only the rich people
could taste tea,
and it was treated as a gift.
[smacks lips]
It's really amazing.
But you never see people adding their tea
to alcoholic drinks.
[light music]
The downtown area of Taipei
is actually very close
to the mountains and also to the oceans.
You can find a lot of ingredients
to make drinks and cocktails.
[Kathy] Something that
Aki Wang does which is really special
is that he goes into the mountains
to pick tea leaves and herbs,
and then he incorporates the flavors
into this modern cocktail culture.
[Aki] Taiwan has ferns that
can't be found anywhere else in the world.
So I use the ferns to represent imageries
of my cocktails.
[light music continues]
[Aki] I've started studying tea,
how tea can be best combined with alcohol
so that the delicate taste of tea
can become the main flavor.
It was difficult at first
because most people's concept of tea
is that they come in cups or bottles.
Today, we're preparing a combination
of jasmine with a little bit of jade tea.
It's like enjoying a good soup.
-You just suck it in.
-[hissing]
Through the air,
it lightly falls on your senses.
So it is quite an experience.
Basically, tea leaves
won't produce any bad results.
[light music]
I named this cocktail Sleepless Dawn
because I wanted to present
a three-way dialogue
between me, and the city, and nature
with the way I designed the drink.
The color represents dawn
and you'll see it. Sunrise.
You'll also the sunset.
It's the view from when
we're looking at the whole city
from the top of the mountain.
So we introduce these things
into the city.
That way, we give it a new life.
[upbeat music]
[merrymaking]
To me, the process of creating a cocktail
in Taipei combining nature
is a very simple and also a happy thing.
Okay, enjoy.
[upbeat music continues]
And so, until now
I'm very proud and very happy.
Thanks to efforts of people
in this industry,
Taipei has become one
of the most famous cocktail cities.
-[traffic noise]
-[light music]
[rhythmic upbeat music]
The nightlife in Taipei is
actually the window into Taipei's culture.
You could have the most high-rise,
flashy apartment building
next to this hundred-year-old temple.
And that's part of what Taiwan is.
Architecturally, but also socially.
[Kathy] At nighttime,
you'll see more professionals going in
to bai bai to pray to the gods,
or to speak to the mediums
or the psychics,
to ask about everyday problems,
to talk to them
as if they're a therapist, almost.
[shaman] Please don't forget,
keep looking forward to that place,
and go in your own direction.
[Kathy] And everybody is taking and giving
and kind of learning from each other
at the same time.
And it's all kind of mixing together here,
especially at nighttime.
People can really feel comfortable
going out and being themselves.
[indistinct chatter]
[upbeat music]
[upbeat music continues]
The contestants
I'm hosting today are quite special.
There will be a drag contest.
What's special is I'm hoping
that every contestant can perform
with real actual talent,
and not just lip-sync.
-[Darice] Hi. Hi.
-[Yolanda] Hello, Dan Dan.
-Hello. Hi.
-[Yolanda] Hi. Are you feeling fine?
-You think you can do it?
-I think so.
-You haven't applied makeup yet, right?
-Uh-huh.
-You have to put on your makeup now.
-Yes.
Yes.
[Darice] I guess I see myself
as a creative advocate for LGBTQ rights.
It's important to have somewhere
to like perform, to try out,
to workshop new things.
[Yolanda] Drag is a form
of performance for Dan Dan.
I agree with that very much
because I think drag is a method
of breaking away
from what you originally look like
and present it more artistically.
-Do you feel nervous?
-[Darice] Yes.
[Yolanda] A bit?
-Yes. A little.
-[Yolanda] A little?
-[Darice] A little too nervous.
-Yeah.
-But today, everyone is a drag queen.
-[Darice] Right.
You're the only one
who's different, right?
[Darice] Because there aren't
as many kings,
so, like, we really have to come together
and like fight for our space
in the LGBTQ-performing sphere,
because it is still very,
like, male-dominated.
[Darice] I think I'm fine,
it's just sometimes…
because the performances of drag kings
and drag queens are really different.
[Yolanda] Yes, well, I don't think so.
The performances are different,
but the spirit is the same.
[Darice] Yolanda is
very well-known in the scene
as, sort of, like a mother figure.
[Yolanda] When you start doing drag,
I think having a teacher
or a senior is very important.
I want to guide them in any way I can.
Not everyone understands about drag
and what it means for us.
[Darice] I don't know.
I don't know how to explain it.
It's just like…
It's like a manifestation
of a different facet of myself, I guess.
Yeah.
This one I'm a little nervous about
because it's my first time wearing it.
[Darice] Obviously, I have
a very different look from everybody else,
so we'll see what happens.
[giggles]
[Yolanda] Just remember
to have fun when you perform today.
Just have a good time.
[upbeat music]
[camera clicks]
[indistinct chatter]
All right, everybody!
It's time for the 2020 Drag Talent Show.
-Please let out a scream for yourselves!
-[applause]
Hi, everyone!
Please just enjoy the stage
and remember to have fun.
Don't be too nervous
because I can tell right away
-if you're not feeling fabulous.
-Okay.
-Are you feeling more nervous now?
-Okay.
-Have fun, and do you best, okay?
-Okay.
[audience shouting]
[upbeat music]
[cheering]
[audience shouting]
[Darice] I always feel nervous.
Every single time. So nervous.
[giggles]
But I sort of, um…
block it out, I guess.
Let's welcome our contestant, Dan Dan!
[cheering]
[upbeat music]
[Darice] I think a lot of drag
is actually just like improvisation.
It's very, like, freestyle
because you have to interact
with the audience,
and you have to, like, go with the flow
of what is happening in that moment.
It is a very, like,
participatory act, I think.
Okay, Dan Dan, is there anything
you would like to tell the audience
about your masculine outlook today?
Tell us.
I just hope that people can break
their concepts of having only two genders.
-Okay.
-[applause]
[cheers]
[Darice] I feel like
you need to give people a safe place
to be able to express
their needs and their wants
so that you can have
more marginalized communities,
you know,
be able to fight for their rights.
Taiwan is like one of the best
democracies in Asia.
And I say best,
as in, we have freedom of speech,
so that really gives us the environment
to have a lot of creative expressions.
So it's just like…
We're actually very lucky to have this.
[audience cheering]
-[applauding]
-[inaudible dialogue]
[Darice] This is sort of,
like, skull-inspired.
So I have, like, sparkly things for teeth.
-[host speaks Mandarin]
-And then I made the eyes scarier,
and the eyebrows are furry.
[Darice] Because I feel like
a lot will feel that, you know, like,
gender diverse or nonbinary people
are sort of weird,
or other, like sort of like a monster.
-[host speaks Mandarin]
-No, we're not monsters.
We're just people. We want to be loved.
-[host] Dan Dan!
-[audience shouting]
[Darice] I feel like in Taipei,
I really found, like, my community,
like my, you know, weird,
queer performing family.
[laughs]
[applause, cheers]
[Yolanda] I hope that we can
give Dan Dan some encouragement
because I like this spirit very much.
-I really like it.
-[applause]
You know, I like Dan Dan's courage
to break through oneself,
and have the courage to let everyone see
something different.
I think Dan Dan's presence here
has already surpassed the performance.
Dan Dan's presence lets everyone know
that there are different existences.
Give them a round of applause!
[audience cheering]
[Darice] The community here
is just like so supportive all around.
So every time that there is a competition,
or a performance, or anything,
it's always a celebration.
It's a celebration
like the community in Taipei.
-[all] Hi.
-[giggling]
[uplifting music]
[Kathy] I think for me,
Taipei at night is fulfilling.
You're really replenishing
your mind, body, and soul a little bit.
It all comes alive when the sun goes down.
[all chattering]
[upbeat music]
I think that Taiwan is very multi-faceted.
And this is where everyone
can really find a place where he belongs.
Many traditional cultures
are still alive today
partly because everyone
is trying very hard to preserve them,
and partly because
these cultures themselves
also apparently want to change
with the times.
[Aki] And this is a gift for you.
[laughing]
I'm so happy.
The City of Taipei, I think,
is very beautiful and also diverse
and tolerant.
You can always find the next reason
to find genuine happiness here,
and also, so many reasons to love it.
[inspiring music]
[closing theme music]