William I had the pleasure of living in Taiwan twice, once for a month as a college freshman with a paltry three months of Chinese language and history study to shakenly rely on; second following graduation for 18 months, after which I came on a one-way ticket to Japan by freighter with $100 and a phone number. I learned much about Taiwan and retain a deep love for the country. With TSMC moving in, those with little knowledge of Taiwan may want to fill in gaps of this tumultuous and controversial time. Of surprise to me during my first visit was that the elderly only spoke the Taiwanese dialect - and Japanese, due to the 50-year period under Japanese rule. A movie popular during my time there portraying the time in ‘45 when the defeated Japanese colonists were leaving for the uncertainty of their war-devastated country was quite controversial as it portrayed positive aspects of Japan’s colonial rule. I couldn’t find that exact movie, but it turns out many in the same vein have been made since - IMBd reviews many, as this list http://tinyurl.com/5dhs3t39 shows, some of which are available with English subtitles on Youtube. In addition, this short article from Asianometry titled “How Japan Nurtured Taiwan’s Colonial Economy: A complicated legacy, with long-lasting repercussions” is a must-read: http://tinyurl.com/yc57hs35 TSMC’s move is an historical game-changer for our city. Let’s catch up with the history behind it.