AGP Executive Report

Taipei Biennial Buzz: Italian curator Cecilia Alemani has been tapped to lead the 2027 Taipei Biennial, promising fresh Asia-focused research and a new chapter for one of the region’s most watched art events. Hualien Summer Music: The 2026 Hualien Summer Carnival runs July 1–5 at Dongdamen Square, with Jam Hsiao, Show Lo and more plus K-pop/B1A4 members CNU and Gongchan, themed nights, and a local emerging-acts competition. Museum Sound & Politics: Taipei Fine Arts Museum opens “Attunement: Contemporary Politics between Mindscape and Soundscape,” using field recordings, bioelectrodes and other unusual media to explore how we perceive the world. Pop & Concerts: K-pop soloist Kim Sung Kyu wraps his “LV4: Leap to Vector” tour finale in Manila after 11 years, while Omoinotake drops “FLASHBULB” as a Hana Zakari no Kimi-tachi e anime opening theme and teases a September album plus Taipei dates. Fashion Retail Watch: H&M says its Ximending flagship will close at the end of 2026 as its lease expires, though it plans to keep expanding elsewhere in Taiwan. Music Tour Dates: FKJ announces an Asia tour including Taipei, and T.O.P reveals a “PRE-STUDIO 2026” Asia run with Taipei on Aug. 22. Sports Spotlight: Taiwan’s Lin Sheng Ming-Sun Liang Ching advance in badminton junior action, setting up a key mixed doubles semifinal path.

Cross-Strait Culture & Film: Taiwan’s White Terror gets a fresh international spotlight as “A Foggy Tale” (2025) is paired with the 1995 classic “Super Citizen Ko,” both exploring the search for the dead, memory, and dignity through very different survivor perspectives. Mandopop & Golden Melody Buzz: Jolin Tsai’s “Pleasure” wins Album of the Year at Taiwan’s 37th Golden Melody Awards, while producer Richard Craker says the secret to her global-ready sound is trust and creative patience. Music Industry How-To (Taiwan): At the Golden Melody Festival, music supervisor Brittany Whyte breaks down how supervision is really about making music serve story, not just picking hits. K-pop & Asian Tours: T.O.P announces “T.O.P PRE-STUDIO 2026” with Taipei set for Aug. 22, and Stray Kids sells out all five Seoul KSPO DOME dates for “RUN IT,” with Taipei on the route too. Gaming Live Music: Wuthering Waves’ concert tour lands in Los Angeles Oct. 17 after sold-out stops including Taipei Sept. 5. Tech/Entertainment Crossover: A report claims Amazon may use Taipei-based AIchip-designed processors in Kindle/Fire TV and other devices as AI compute demand drives in-house chip design. Sports (Taiwan-linked): Taiwan’s baseball legacy is traced in a Japan exchange story spanning the Noko team era to today’s Premier12 title.

Golden Melody Festival Buzz: Brittany Whyte, music supervisor for The Hunger Games and Riverdale, told Taiwan’s Golden Melody Festival that great supervision is about making music serve story. Mandopop Behind the Scenes: British producer Richard Craker said Jolin Tsai’s Pleasure came together through trust and creative patience—then Tsai walked away with major wins. Kawaii Goes Global: Nakagawa Yusuke and Kimura Misa argued Japan’s “kawaii” spread worldwide by staying true to its own identity, not chasing Western tastes. Taiwan Music Spotlight: DJ Swallow shared how she’s breaking nightclub stereotypes for women DJs in southern Taiwan. Sports & Culture: The Maccabiah Games opened in Jerusalem with thousands of athletes, after Australia reversed course and sent a smaller delegation. Local Law & Sports Betting: Taiwan police seized over US$300M in World Cup bets, arresting eight in a ring allegedly taking nearly NT$10B. Entertainment Tour News: Spirited Away’s stage play announced an international tour with stops including Taipei. Pop Star Update: F4’s Vanness Wu revealed his second marriage to Japanese singer Emi Aramaki.

Taiwan Arts & Stage: Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away stage adaptation has locked in an international tour that includes Taipei at the National Theater from Dec. 16, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2027, alongside stops in Toronto, Los Angeles, London and Tokyo—another big win for Taiwan’s live-theater scene. Music & Pop Culture: F4’s Vanness Wu confirmed his second marriage, with reports identifying his wife as Japanese singer Emi Aramaki; the label says fans should give them space. Film Industry: Netflix will expand its Taiwan Fund for Creative Equity with Yiyi Pictures for a second year, adding development-producer training and more post-production-focused workshops, with applications closing July 30. Sports & Culture: The 37th Golden Melody Awards wrapped successfully, with Mandopop megastar Jolin Tsai taking home top honors for Pleasure (Album of the Year). Local Entertainment Policy: New rules broaden which schools can hire foreign teachers, expanding arts, PE, music and activity classes, plus expanded disability and long-term care access for eligible foreign professionals.

Mandopop Spotlight: The 37th Golden Melody Awards wrapped in Taipei Arena with Ayal Komod sweeping Best Mandarin Album, Best Male Singer (Mandarin) and Best Composer, while Jolin Tsai’s Pleasure took Album of the Year and Best Female Singer (Mandarin). K-pop Update: SUPER JUNIOR expands with the new sub-unit SUPER JUNIOR-83z (Leeteuk & Heechul), debuting mini album Promise on July 13 and kicking off an Asia fan-con tour. Taiwan in the Spotlight: Taipei 101 and four other landmark sites will light up in red, white and blue for the U.S. Freedom 250 Global Illumination on July 4. Cross-strait Entertainment: China’s Southeast TV says it will air newly acquired Taiwanese dramas, the first provincial satellite channel move in over a decade. Game & Live Culture: Taipei Game Show 2027 is confirmed for Jan 21–24 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, with exhibitor recruitment now open. Local Music & Travel Buzz: Taiwanese singer Stella Chang talks her “sequel” era post-divorce ahead of her July 11 Singapore concert. Fan News: F4’s Vanness Wu revealed his second marriage—his wife is Japanese singer Emi Aramaki. Streaming/Anime: Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away stage adaptation confirms a North America run starting 2027. Touring Disruption: P-pop group BINI postpones the European leg of its Signals World Tour, with refunds promised via original ticket outlets.

Taiwan Pop Culture: F4’s Vanness Wu shocked fans by announcing he has remarried, sharing a photo with wedding rings after completing the Manila leg of his “FForever 1st World Tour.” Anime & Streaming: Pony Canyon unveiled a new global visual and confirmed worldwide streaming plans for the romantic-comedy kaiju anime *KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE, with Episode 1 set to begin streaming this month. Stage-to-Screen Buzz: Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away is headed to North America as a stage adaptation, with a world tour that includes Taipei, Toronto, Los Angeles, Tokyo and London dates. Film Hype (Controversy Included): Uwe Boll’s vigilante thriller Citizen Vigilante is climbing streaming charts after Elon Musk amplified it online; the film has faced bans and criticism over its anti-migrant messaging. Local Transit & Culture Access: New Taipei’s MRT Sanying Line officially opened, with free rides through Aug. 31 and connections to art and ceramics hotspots near stations. Luxury Travel Retail: Hennessy X.O’s “Odyssey of Travel” campaign is expanding across major airports including Taiwan, using city-themed decanters and immersive in-store activations.

F4 Buzz: Taiwanese-American idol Vanness Wu (吳建豪) shocked fans by announcing he has remarried, posting a photo of two hands with wedding bands after the Manila leg of his “F*Forever 1st World Tour.” Reports now point to Japanese singer-actress Emi Aramaki as his wife, with the couple reportedly registering their marriage in Las Vegas in May. Film & Pop Culture: Armie Hammer’s comeback thriller “Citizen Vigilante” has secured worldwide distribution rights after Elon Musk’s dramatic X intervention helped push the film globally—though Taiwan is still excluded from the deal. Taiwan Tech Watch: Taiwan prosecutors expanded raids tied to alleged illegal exports of advanced AI servers, searching Supermicro’s Taiwan office and other local firms after earlier seizures of Nvidia-equipped servers. Local Transit & Culture: New Taipei’s Sanying MRT line officially opened, cutting Yingge-to-Taipei commute by about 20 minutes, with free rides running through Aug. 31 and stops serving art and ceramics hotspots. Music Spotlight: Mandopop megastar Jolin Tsai continues to dominate headlines around the Golden Melody Awards, including wins for best album and Mandarin female singer. Sports (Taiwan in the Mix): Park Ji-hoon’s Asia fan concert tour keeps rolling—Seoul, Hong Kong and Taipei dates sold out fast, with Taipei set for July 5.

Taiwan Arts & Culture: New Taipei City just unveiled two themed cars for the Sanying MRT Line—one celebrating Hakka culture (indigo dyeing, “May snow,” and Dahan River motifs) and the other inspired by the New Taipei City Art Museum—turning daily commuting into a mobile art experience. Music Industry: Taiwan’s Golden Melody Festival conference spotlighted Asia’s live-music boom, with industry voices arguing that rising costs in Europe and North America are pushing tours east, and that smart scheduling plus government support can make multi-country routing work. Pop Culture Spotlight: TWICE’s Momo gets the fan-favorite profile treatment, from her early dance training to how she learned Korean and became the group’s main dancer. Film & Stage Buzz: Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away stage play announced a world tour—Taiwan dates run Dec. 17, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2027, with more overseas stops to follow. Entertainment News (Global): Prime Video set The Devil’s Mouth for streaming July 29, a freshwater cave survival thriller starring Kathryn Newton and Lana Condor.

Taipei Film Festival: Taiwan’s six-studio sci-fi anthology “BLISS: Beyond the Edge of Time” lands its world premiere June 30 at Zhongshan Hall, built from six I Ching hexagrams and mixing hand-drawn, anime-inspired art with 3DCG. Global Stage Buzz: Studio Ghibli’s “Spirited Away” stage adaptation is set for a major international run, with a Taipei opening in December before stops including Toronto and Los Angeles, plus a London return in 2028. Music & Pop Culture: Starbucks rolls out a Jay Chou “Fantasy” Summer Experience across Asia-Pacific, starting in Taiwan (June 20) with themed drinks, limited merchandise, and music-inspired in-store moments. Entertainment News (K-pop): A roundup on BTS brand power highlights how even casual on-camera items can sell out fast, as the group continues its ARIRANG world tour. Sports (Taiwan connection): Badminton’s Su Li-yang (Chinese Taipei) beats former world No.1 Kidambi Srikanth in the US Open final, 21-15, 16-21, 21-9. Local Crime Case: Sun Peng and Di Ying’s son Sun An-tso is indicted over alleged homemade flamethrower tests and firearms/public intimidation charges.

Golden Melody Awards Buzz: Jolin Tsai swept Album of the Year at Taiwan’s 37th Golden Melody Awards for Pleasure, also taking Best Mandarin Female Singer, while Chang Chen-yue (Ayal Komod) won multiple top honors and Sunset Rollercoaster grabbed Best Band—another big night for Mandopop and Taiwan’s wider language music scene. Cross-Strait Culture & Tourism: The Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council hosted a six-day southern Taiwan tour for Hong Kong influencers, with stops across Pingtung and Kaohsiung including Kenting, Cijin, and the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. Showbiz Spotlight: Jerry Yan’s F4 reunion continues to pull fans in with the “F Forever” world tour, while David Licauco shared a new HYROX Jakarta personal best as he keeps leveling up his fitness journey. Music Tech Interest: A low-cost AI Tutor program is pushing music learning into schools and communities by using an AI-backed library and exam prep—an idea that’s getting attention beyond Taiwan too.

Golden Melody Awards: Jolin Tsai swept Taiwan’s 37th Golden Melody Awards in Taipei, winning Album of the Year for “Pleasure” plus Best Mandarin Female Singer and more, while Chang Chen-yue also dominated craft categories and Ayal Komod and Sunset Rollercoaster took major wins. Mandopop Spotlight: The ceremony again highlighted Taiwan’s multilingual music scene, with awards spanning Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, and Indigenous-language works. F4 Reunion Fever: Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, and Vanness Wu landed in the Philippines for F4’s “F Forever” world tour, with Ashin of Mayday joining the Bulacan show and fans reliving “Meteor Garden” nostalgia. Fitness & Celebrity: David Licauco set a new personal best at HYROX Jakarta 2026, continuing his fitness journey while representing the Taiwan entertainment crowd beyond the stage. Sports (Taiwan in the mix): Taiwanese MLB infielder Cheng Tsung-che made his Red Sox season debut, and Pirates signed Taiwanese pitching prospect Lin Chun-hsi to a minor league deal. Arts & Culture Abroad: A Taiwan group, “The RITO Project,” brought offshore-island stories from Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu to Belgium’s Taiwan Culture Festival Leuven 2026.

Golden Melody Awards: Jolin Tsai swept Taiwan’s 37th Golden Melody Awards in Taipei, winning Album of the Year for “Pleasure,” plus Best Mandarin Female Singer and Best Vocal Album Recording. Mandopop Spotlight: Ayal Komod took Best Mandarin Male Singer for “Go With The Flow,” while Sunset Rollercoaster won Best Band for “Quit Quietly.” Art & Culture: A panda-themed art exhibition opened at Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Kaohsiung, featuring installations and cross-strait-themed works. Anime Buzz: “We Are Aliens” confirmed a Japan theatrical release for Sept. 25 after Cannes/Annecy success, and “KILL BLUE” is renewed for Season 2 with creator Tadatoshi Fujimaki sharing a new illustration. Pop Culture Live: F4’s Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou and Vanness Wu arrived in the Philippines ahead of their “F Forever World Tour” stop at Philippine Arena, with Mayday’s Ashin also on the bill. Sports (Taiwan in focus): Red Sox infielder Cheng Tsung-che made his MLB season debut, collecting his first career hit, RBI and walk in a win over the Yankees.

F4 Fever in Manila: Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou and Vanness Wu landed in the Philippines for the “F4EVER 1st World Tour,” with fans greeting the “Meteor Garden” trio ahead of tonight’s Philippine Arena stop, plus Mayday’s Ashin on the bill. Golden Melody Awards: Taiwan’s 37th Golden Melody Awards kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Taipei Arena, with red-carpet coverage on TTV and live streams via Line Today/Line Music, plus regional broadcasts in Singapore and Malaysia/Brunei. Music Industry Fallout: Junsu’s agency says an outsourced producer’s criminal case is personal and unrelated to the artist/company, after ending the collaboration once legal notices surfaced. Sports Spotlight: Taiwan’s Cheng Tsung-che made his 2026 MLB debut for the Boston Red Sox, collecting his first career hit, RBI and walk in a 6-1 win over the Yankees. Public Safety: A Taiwanese cheerleader, Wenwen (Wang Ching-wen), was stabbed in the neck by an alleged obsessed fan at a Taipei modelling event; she’s reported stable after surgery.

Taiwan Film Spotlight: Filipino actor Jeremy Mayores is set to star in a Taiwan-shot short film adapted from the acclaimed Taiwanese novel The Man with the Compound Eyes, directed by Kaohsiung filmmaker Sun Chieh-Heng and produced by Unseen Film Studios Taiwan. Indigenous Culture Exchange: Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation head Maraos called for stronger Lanyu–Batanes ties to preserve Austronesian culture, pointing to shared traditions like the Vunung communal food-sharing festival. Music & Community: CAPE announced its 2026 Emerging Executives Committee, backed by TAAF and the Chen family foundation, aiming to fast-track AAPI assistants and coordinators toward Hollywood executive roles. Global Screen Buzz: Netflix’s Korean drama Teach You a Lesson keeps surging, hitting 39.3 million views in three weeks and topping Netflix’s Non-English TV chart for a third straight week, including in Taiwan. Sports (Taiwan in the Mix): Naomi Osaka advanced to Wimbledon warm-up semis in Bad Homburg, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei also won her doubles quarter-final.

Taipei on the big screen in Brussels: The 15th L’Heure d’Été film festival in Belgium will spotlight Taipei as its thematic destination, opening with Tsai Ming-liang’s “Goodbye, Dragon Inn (不散)” and framing the choice as both a cinema-in-cinema meta pick and a cultural counterpoint amid rising tensions. Music & pop culture: K-pop legends BIGBANG kick off their 20th anniversary stadium tour with UK/Europe/US tickets going on sale today, and P1Harmony announces a three-city Asia run including Taipei. Local entertainment exports: Thai rap star Milli brings her “Milli Jaa Ehh! Asia Tour 2026” to Singapore, with Taipei listed among other stops. Indigenous culture ties: The head of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation calls for stronger Lanyu–Batanes exchanges to preserve Austronesian culture and protect shared waters. Gaming buzz: JOYCITY remasters its basketball game “Freestyle” as “Freestyle Reboot,” built on Taiwan-verified gameplay, with future expansion planned. Tech-meets-health: “Go Healthy With Taiwan 2026” draws strong Malaysian medical interest as diabetes rates climb. LGBTQ+ spotlight: A Pride Month feature ranks Taiwan’s homosexuality acceptance at 22% among surveyed Asian economies.

K-Drama Buzz: Netflix’s Squid Game is confirmed for a second season, with the original series’ big awards run (including SAG wins for Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon) still fueling global hype. Tech & Consumer Culture: Apple announced price hikes for Mac and iPad models due to soaring memory costs tied to the AI boom, sending its stock down nearly 5% after the move. Taiwan Creative Exports: TAICCA-backed Taiwanese animation YaYa’s Band is heading to Annecy, aiming to grow international co-productions and spotlight Taiwan’s unique storytelling. Music Spotlight: Japanese band Aooo is gearing up for its second album Rooom, with members sharing the creative direction behind the release. Local Arts Calendar: Taiwan audiences can also look to international arts momentum, from Venice Biennale’s AI-focused conversations to summer festival programming like Hong Kong’s 50th dragon boat celebrations. Digital Signage (Business): GO CAYIN rolled out web-based remote device management for digital displays, making playlist control easier for operators.