HoChie Tsai

20 years ago, @hochie71 registered the TaiwaneseAmerican.org domain to start constructing a living archive of second-generation Taiwanese Americans. He envisioned it as a space for us to find each other and explore our heritage, identity, and values in community, and to make the gifts of connection and belonging accessible to people everywhere. A peek into our archives reveals his decades of bringing people together in a time when it was “hard to be Taiwanese.” Today, we flourish in that foundation: an abundance of storytellers across every medium, creators and small businesses (just look at our annual gift guide!), and thoughtful, principled leaders who navigate daily what it means to be proud of our identity, in service to our broader communities. This Giving Tuesday, we humbly invite you to support our work. We are fully volunteer-run with so many dreams for our community. Your contributions sustain community initiatives, such as compensating writers, funding our annual Betty L. Yu and Jin C. Yu Creative Writing Prize, and encouraging other indie initiatives.感謝 for being our people! Find us at taiwaneseamerican.org/donate (also linked in bio).

What a privilege to speak with @taiwanplus producer Eric Tsai for #ZoomInZoomOut about Taiwanese American community-building! EIC Leona Chen talks about how almost 20 years ago, @hochie71 built @taiwaneseam_org as a “living archive” for the “endless possibilities for Taiwanese Americans” and how growing up in Taiwanese America + being raised by first generation elder-activists has taught her to treat Taiwan’s complexity as an opportunity for creativity. 🎥: Watch the full interview (15 minutes), linked here and in bio. https://youtu.be/v15TtVGjoSk 💛: Gratitude to Eric Tsai, Alec MacDonald, and the @taiwanplus production team; and everyone on the @taiwaneseam_org team over the years, plus all our friends who make an appearance in the full video, including our author/illustrator community, @tafnc1 @tafagram and @yunhaishop 💖Can you believe we turn 20 soon?!

Honored to deliver a keynote address at the North American Taiwanese Medical Association’s annual banquet in SoCal. It was challenging, but I managed to touch on a little something for everyone in this diverse, multigenerational audience of NATMA elder & newer leaders, community representatives, trainees, students, and family members. I also managed to squeeze in some stories of how I found pride in my own Taiwanese American identity through formative experiences attending the Taiwanese American Foundation summer conference as a teen. The nicest surprises of the evening included bumping into one of those high school friends I made at TAF, meeting some parents of the kids I went to camp with or served as a counselor for decades ago, several people who knew my parents (including my dad’s former medical school classmate), and many young people who’ve been following @taiwaneseam_org . Thank you to everyone who came to find me afterwards to tell me how inspired they were. The best feeling is when I can move the youngest in the audience—they are my target demographic!

I appreciate all the friends and community members who stopped by @tafestival or found me at the @taiwaneseam_org booth! It’s always so nice seeing folks from all the various parts & times of my life!

Shout out to all our hardworking @taiwaneseam_org friends who are small business owners, creators, and foodie folks helping to share our Taiwanese culture & flavors to the broader community! We enjoyed seeing you at @tafestival and respect the hustle!

Special thanks to our TA book author friends who joined us at the @taiwaneseam_org x @onwaverly booth at @tafestival ! You are telling our stories and shining light on our unique identities! We also love playing a role connecting you in real life—and watching you express your admiration to fellow literary heroes, taking photos with each other, and getting autographs!

I’ve lost count how many times @taiwaneseam_org has been here at SF @tafestival —maybe about 20? Regardless, it only gets bigger and better each year—it feels like an outdoor daylong party! Plus, temporary tattoos made by @k4ktina just make everything more fun! Special thanks to @onwaverly book shop for joining us a second year in row!

Another sunny Taiwanese American Book Fair full of friends who write, tell, and uplift our stories ❤️ Our hearts are so full! @onwaverly @tafestival

I’m grateful to be sitting casually at the intersection of Taiwanese & Taiwanese American creative & media worlds. Every once in a while, I get to be the one who chooses the room where it happens—this SF cafe just coincidentally turned out to be Taiwanese-owned, which I discovered just minutes before everyone arrived when I met the kind owners. It was definitely a sign that this would be a lovely brunch! It all started with a DM from the fantastic tour organizer & founder of @taiwanesewaves @miaminyen that award-winning indie singer-songwriter/actor @enno_cheng was coming through town. I knew my friend @janetagram —the ultimate Taiwanese American crossover celebrity as TV host, actor, model, speaker—was in town for a screening of @zerodayattack2025 (where she plays Taiwan’s president!). Obviously, I had to see if I could gather her, Enno & manager @phaiphailee together as their paths crossed in the SF/Bay Area. From there it grew to include Bay Area newcomers @missmisshope (model, actress, author, and co-founder of the fitness and lifestyle brand @hyphy.tw ) and @sabrina810914 (fitness, gym owner, influencer) rounding out this amazing confluence of talented & influential Taiwanese women in the creative space! I also can’t forget to shout out these supportive Taiwanese American friends from the VC/tech/entrepreneurial space @dlusanity & @awu who also play a huge role behind-the-scenes in the Asian American media world supporting @goldhouseco @a3foundationorg #goldopen Hollywood movements advancing AAPI representation. Thanks for hanging out, old friends & new ones! Great start to AAPI Heritage Month for me! We rise together!

All my life, I’ve carried a deep pride in my roots and Taiwanese identity, mostly behind the scenes. Nowadays, it feels incredibly meaningful to share what that truly represents. It’s our people, our culture, and the stories that have shaped us. Kicking off AAPI Heritage Month at Taiwanese Heritage Night with the San Francisco Giants ⚾️ Love the energy, the community, and the pride we share. Thank you @hochie71 and @annawuphoto for always bringing us together 🙌 一直以來，我都默默懷抱著對自己台灣根的驕傲。現在，能夠分享這份意義——我們的族群、文化與故事，對我來說特別珍貴。 在舊金山巨人隊台灣傳統之夜，為亞太裔傳統月揭開序幕 ⚾️ 喜歡這份能量、這個社群，以及我們共同的驕傲。謝謝 HoChie Tsai 和 Anna Wu 總是把大家聚在一起

Members & allies of the Taiwanese American film & media club reppin’ at @vcmediaorg #LAAPFF2026. @taiwaneseam_org

Visiting the quintessential Taiwanese American corner of Brooklyn for @winsonbakery x @yunhaishop . Also found one of the last @theacspace T-shirts, which I thought were sold out. Check the QQ Horse cap designed by @lisa.cheng.smith ! And, finally caught Win Son co-owner Josh Ku on this trip! Mission accomplished to launch my APIA Heritage Month & Taiwanese American Heritage Week in May!