Check out a day in the life of the fall 2019 TTT media team.
Fortnite vs. PUBG – what you need to know | Leo Lin – Grade 7
Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) are two of the most popular games of 2019. Both have more than 200 million registered accounts, and both of these games are online player versus player (PVP) battle royale games. Also, both Fortnite and...
Sacrifice | a short story by Henry Lin – Grade 10
Many years ago, Yu-Guang was born to a small and poor family in Taiwan. During this time, Taiwan was under the Qing Dynasty’s rule. Under such an oppressive environment, Yu-Guang was the only hope of his family. His name, Yu-Guang, means the last beam of light in...
Chinese is the most difficult subject to learn | Victor Lu – Grade 10
Chinese is one of the most popular languages in the world, and it is one of the most complicated. Today, most schools in Taiwan require all students to attend Chinese classes in order to train their basic knowledge and language skills of Chinese. However, learning...
What is music theory and why is it so important? | Henry Lin – Grade 10
Amateur musicians consider music theory to be the most useless and boring thing about music, so much so that it actually harms creativity. However, this is false. On the contrary, it helps composers quickly write pieces and allows musicians to understand what to play...
Starbucks vs. Louisa Coffee | Estella Tong – Grade 10
Louisa Coffee is a local coffee brand established in 2006. It has been expanding over the past few years, with a total of 462 branches in Taiwan. It now has more branches than Starbucks has in Taiwan. Starbucks has been in Taiwan for years now. It is well known for...
Japanese anime and fashion in Taiwan | Ryan Yu – Grade 8
People do crazy things for anime, like when a man married an anime hologram. Anime is incredibly popular, especially in Taiwan, and has become a lifestyle for many people. It has spread Japanese culture and has changed fashion, especially in some groups in Taiwan....
Taiwan Pride Parade 2019 | Taipei Teen Tribune Staff
On October 26th, Taipei hosted the annual Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade. Taipei Teen Tribune writers were on site to interview participants, observe the event, and report on their experience. Why Pride matters Theresa Liao Taiwan is the first Asian country to legalize gay...
Percussion instruments that look easy but are actually extremely difficult to play | Henry Lin – Grade 10
Whenever I tell people I play percussion in orchestra, they always ask, “Percussion? Isn’t that just hitting as hard as you can and so everyone hears you?” This sucks, because percussion is actually very difficult, and percussionists, or people who play percussion in...
5 reasons why you must visit Banff National Park | Estella Tong – Grade 10
Located in Alberta, Canada, Banff National Park in definitely a place you must add to your summer bucket list. After stampeding through one of Canada’s most popular summer events, the Calgary Stampede, you should give yourself a break from all that craziness and enjoy...
Taipei MRT vs. public buses – why the MRT is better | Victor Lu – Grade 9
In modern times in Taipei, transportation systems are well developed, and they extend in all directions. People can travel around the city efficiently and easily. MRT and buses are both public transportation systems in Taipei, moreover, they are the most popular ones....
Google fined 170 million for violating children’s online privacy on YouTube | Leo Lin – Grade 7
On September 4, 2019, Google agreed to pay 170 million dollars as a fine for illegally gathering children’s personal information online. The way Google did this was by using identification codes to track children's web browsing history. Google illegally gathered kid’s...
Education in Taiwan vs. Japan | Estella Tong – Grade 10
Japan is considered to have one of the best education systems in the world. Though the basic school system in Japan is literally the same as Taiwan’s (which is six years of elementary school, three years in both junior and senior high school, and four years for...
Taiwan should grant foreigners citizenship | Adam Huang – Grade 9
Citizenship is being an official member or part of a country. In many countries, it gives the right to vote, ability to serve in the military, and more. After staying in a country for a few years, immigrants often qualify to apply for citizenship. The majority of...
Is Facebook dead? | Stephanie Wang – Grade 9
Facebook has always been the top social media app that is used by every one over the world, until Instagram and other apps’ emerge and popularity. Facebook is used as a tool to connect the whole world together, to let others know us better, to share opinions we’re...
The fall of HTC | Josh Fan – Grade 12
HTC has been a successful phone company for many years as well as having been one of the largest phone producers inTaiwan. However, in recent years it has begun to fall and people don’t hear about HTC as much anymore. There are a lot of reasons to why this is...
Lessons for Taiwan from the Hong Kong crisis | Irene Lin – Grade 12
A controversial revision to the extradition bill in Hong Kong brought many of its citizens to the streets, calling for a withdrawal. Huge scale demonstrations have been constant since June 9, with an estimated 1.03 million people gathering on the first day; according...
Taipei Fine Arts Museum – July 2019 Exhibitions
Recently a few Taipei Teen Tribune writers visited Taipei's famous Fine Arts Museum. They took the time to review some of their favorite exhibits. If you have the chance, head up to the museum near Yuanshan MRT Station for some amazing exposure to the arts. "Cold...
How students actually approach their writing assignments | Phil Wang – Grade 11
The clock on the wall ticks, trying to reach the number 12; the sound of typing fills the quiet atmosphere as if the keyboard is going to break any second; the congested eyes of the student stick to the screen. All of these phenomena occur due to an essay due at...
Taiwanese night markets? More like nightmares. | Ethan Lin – Grade 8
Taiwan’s night markets have been one of Taiwan’s most important cultural icons for years. They are a great place to spend time with friends. The jaw-dropping aromas further excite the tourists who visit. However, the night markets pose food-welfare risks, can affect...
Why Taiwan shouldn’t declare independence | Irene Lin – Grade 12
Taiwan has been struggling to maintain a stable relationship with its diplomatic allies, while China, Taiwan's biggest economic partner and an influential country around the world, continues to suppress Taiwan. While some see a declaration of independence as the...
Five foods you must eat in Taiwan | Stephanie Wang – Grade 9
Taiwan not only has a unique geography that can’t be found anywhere else in the world, it also has some delectable street food that you probably have never tried. These delightful, traditional, and inexpensive treats are something you need to check off your bucket...
Problems with politics in Taiwan and how to fix them | Carson Hu – Grade 11
Taiwan’s politics and government have been praised as one of the most successful in transforming from autocracy to democracy. Yet after almost 30 years of transformation, politics in Taiwan are still plagued by an unscrupulous press, populism, and outdated laws. To...
OpEd: Literature isn’t boring – you are | Kyle Huang – Grade 9
Literature seems like the one subject that students do not care about. To students, it is an insignificant part of their teenage lives compared to all the action that is happening around them. In stark contrast to school drama, gossip, social media, or even other...
Learning how to write essays is the hardest thing | Alex Sun – Grade 5
Writing well is daunting even to those who are native English speakers, so it is gratifying when we see students apply the methods they've learned at Englist to convey their thoughts, opinions, and arguments coherently in an English essay. In doing so, they also find...
Taiwan’s new education format | Estella Tong – Grade 8
Education in Taiwan is a controversial topic. With its test-based system, teaching methods, the amount of homework and political issues, complaints come from all directions. Taiwan is famous for its students spending time after school at cram schools, which means...
Taiwan needs to develop its own military industries | Carson Hu – Grade 11
War is a never ending business. It is in the public's interest to boost our country’s economy and national security. This why Taiwan should invest more in national defense technologies. Constant threats For the past 70 years Taiwan has constantly been under the direct...
Best dance studios in Taipei | Chloe Hsu – Grade 7
There are tons of dance studios in Taipei, so people might not know which studio is the best. Every studio has its own positives, but I’ve done some research on which dance studios are the best. According to my research, HRC, Dance Soul, and The Best Crew, or TBC, are...
Pilot Strike: Labor Rights v.s. Citizen Rights | Irene Lin, Grade 12
The Taoyuan Pilot Union led a strike on February 8th against China Airlines (CAL). The strike lasted eight days, with pilots demanding better working conditions and labor rights. The action marks the very first pilot strike in Taiwan’s history. Like the flight...
Insidious creatures of the internet | Phil Wang – Grade 11
There was once a man who wanted to download pirated games on his computer. He then went surfing online for reliable sources to download. However, the moment he executed the download file he found on the pirate website, a window popped out saying “Your files have been...
A history of “light novels” | Phil Wang – Grade 11
Archaic words evolve different meanings as time passes. “Nice” used to mean “silly, foolish, and simple”, but now, it means “attractive, enjoyable, and pleasant”. Literature also works in a similar way, especially light novels which developed largely since the...
Taiwan’s Department of Education must limit the number of tests students take | Kyle Huang – Grade 9
Lengthy tests and numerous exams can have a severe psychological impact on students. Surveys conducted by United Daily News show 4 out of 35 students in Taipei have depression or suicidal thoughts. Department of Health statistics indicate that suicide attempts caused by pressure in school are the second largest factor leading to teenage deaths. Tests […]
Opinion: Taiwanese students need MORE hours at school, not fewer | Tricia Liao – Grade 12
Going to school is a process that everyone will experience in their life. In each country, the starting time and ending time of school is different, so students around the world stay at school for different amounts of hours. Some countries have longer school days, some have shorter ones. Due to this difference, students from […]
Woodpecker Learning – a review | Lily Chen – Grade 9
Learning a new language requires a huge investment of time, but it doesn’t necessarily cost much money. Simply downloading an app on your smartphone can be your unlimited access pass to the world of languages. Woodpecker, which is an app invented by Woodpecker Learning allows language learners to acquire a foreign language naturally by watching […]
Death in literature: East vs. West | Minnie Chen – Grade 12
Death in novels often shows a writer’s relationship with death, and moreover, their life philosophy. Different countries’ cultures have greatly influenced writers’ interpretations of life and death, and makes them see the death as either something positive or passive. Death in Japanese literature Many Japanese novels use death to tell their story, like Akutagawa Ryūnosuke’s […]
Fake news, duped audiences, and an irresponsible media | Irene Lin – Grade 12
Politicians often use the phrase “fake news” to oppose criticism from rivals. One false comment causes no harm, however, with the widespread social networks, anything online could easily go viral. Both media and audiences should learn to accept different ideas even if they conflict with their beliefs. On September 6, two days after Typhoon Jebi […]
Why you should stop drinking bubble milk tea | Ethan Lin – Grade 8
Bubble tea is packed with sugar Sweetness of the tea can trigger an addiction Bubble tea is poisonous because of the plastic it generates People should stop drinking bubble milk tea. This sounds absurd, but it is the truth. Although bubble tea is affordable and delicious, it is like a drug; it is unhealthy, it’s […]
4 reasons you should listen to Jazz instead of Pop | Kyle Huang – Grade 9
Pop music is akin to Mcdonald’s, and doesn’t provide real musical nourishment Jazz music makes demands of its audience Pop melodies are repetitive and brainwashes its audience Most people around the world listen to pop songs. Taiwanese people are no exception. They go to KTVs together and sing the same songs over and over; at […]
How organic chemistry affects society | Lily Chen – Grade 9
Examples of organic chemistry exist all around us Both fertilizers and pesticides, which are essential for agriculture, are produced using organic chemistry Organic chemicals are often used in pharmaceutical manufacturing Organic Chemistry has a reputation as a hard class and a difficult science to master. Being that it requires great memory and also firm understanding […]
Ba-wan in Taiwan | Claire Liao – Grade 8
Ba-wan is known as the Taiwanese meatball The two main kinds of ba-wan are the Northern style and Southern Style Sauces come in pink and white Ba-wan, also known as the Taiwanese meatball, is a specialty food found in most night markets. It includes meat and bamboo packed in gelatinous starch made with rice flour […]
Taiwan’s claw machine phenomenon | Irene Lin – Grade 12
Machines are often programmed to make winning nearly impossible Arcade stores are often open 24 hours and don’t require workers Low entry requirements have drawn rookies into the arcade business Claw machine stores have recently begun to dominate the streets in Taiwan, drawing passers-by in to try their luck. By spending a measly ten dollars, […]
Why are iPhones so overpriced? | Josh Fan – Grade 11
For the same price you could get other top-of-the-line phones The same features can be found phones by other brands Apple’s decision to remove standard 3.5 mm jacks has limited customers’ choices in headphones Millions of people firmly believe that iPhones are the best in the phone world. But is that true? There are a […]
Why we should all be worried about global warming | Carson Hu – Grade 12
Sea levels have been constantly rising since the year 1000 Island countries are vanishing from the world map Increases in ocean temperatures give typhoons more chances to develop Over the past 200 years global warming has become one of the most serious threats to human society. Dramatic increases of average temperature have already started to harm […]
Life Lessons in Anime | Phil Wang – Grade 12
Love is one of the most common themes in anime Anime often features internal struggle and human dilemma It’s easy to understand and empathize with characters Life lessons often come from either personal experience or advice from adults. However, these lessons also exist in anime, and can sometimes be more profound and real. People ignore […]
5 common types of scenes in Taiwanese dramas | Minnie Chen – Grade 11
Commonly used plots are easy to understand Viewers can comprehend what’s going on within minutes of watching Dramatic plots may be repetitive, but still get high TV ratings Taiwan dramas feature long episodes, ridiculous plots, and actors speaking in Taiwanese. It’s assumed that most viewers are 40 to 80 year old women. These viewers often […]
Top 5 mobile games in Taiwan | Brian Tu – Grade 11
Arena of Valor has gotten over a million downloads since being introduced November 2016 Many popular video games played in Taiwan are multiplayer games Games are a tool to connect with others Since the introduction of the smartphone, video game playing has been integrated into our daily lives. Whether you are on the bus, the […]
Kids should learn English when young | Estella Tong – Grade 8
More and more people are sending their kids westward English teachers in both private and public schools are sometimes not native speakers The “grammar formula” can be hard to understand English has played an important role in world history. Since the Qing dynasty, Chinese people have sent kids to study in the West. Even now, […]
Earthquakes in Taiwan: how Taiwan handles them | Carson Hu, Grade 12
Schools in Taiwan are required to conduct at least one earthquake drill every year Taiwan has stricter building regulations than most countries The government has set up an early warning system for emergencies With over 18,500 earthquakes occurring each year, Taiwan is used to them. On average, every two to three years there will be […]
Why English education in public schools is useless | Irene Lin – Grade 12
Many students are incapable of having an actual English conversation Lessons are designed for tests rather than practical usage More time needs to be spent reading, writing, and speaking English is one of the major subjects that students in Taiwan often go to cram schools for. While public schools do have English classes, they’ve failed. […]
Newspapers vs. Online News | Lily Chen, Grade 9
Online news is updated more frequently, but it’s difficult to tell whether it’s reliable Newspapers are a waste of paper Newspapers have fewer photos and no distracting videos People have invented more efficient ways to spread news after the industrial revolution, and in such a modern society and high-tech world, people prefer to read news […]
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