"Pretending to read through the noise"

Readers reply to Zito Madu and Nick Haggerty, plus an extraordinary performance by Peiyao Wang at Weiyuying.

Hello dear readers! We hope you’re well. Here in Taiwan, Omicron cases are on the rise. We passed a thousand cases for the first time this week, and the wave shows no signs of abating. The good news is that so far very few infected people have developed severe symptoms. While people are starting to get nervous, life goes on as normal. The government has made it clear that it’s moving away from a “zero-COVID” strategy—this stands in stark contrast to China, which has doubled down on the policy. (For a harrowing account of the Shanghai lockdown, see this article in the New York Times Magazine.) Here’s hoping Taiwan can withstand this wave.

The best thing about writing this newsletter is hearing from you! This week we’ve collected some reader responses to guest pieces by Zito Madu and Nick Haggerty. Nick also shares an exciting update at the end about meeting up with Chen Shui-bian in Tainan. (Stay for the bonus photograph!) 

Zito’s piece has had us thinking all week about waiting places. …