Taiwanese anchor Zhang Gengming, who is known as having the “longest legs” in the industry, stands tall at 188 centimeters and his long legs are especially eye-catching in the morning news, attracting fans of all ages and genders. Not only does he deliver the news, but he is also a Taiwanese language broadcaster who has recently been featured in a new segment on Formosa TV called “Learning Taiwanese through the News”, teaching audiences authentic Taiwanese slang.
Recently, he shared a saying, “People eat mouth-water, fish eat flowing water”, describing how people who speak well are more likely to have good relationships, just like fish follow the flow of water to find food.
Zhang Gengming grew up speaking Taiwanese with his grandparents, but at school, speaking Taiwanese would get him reported by classmates and punished with writing assignments. As a result, he has become accustomed to switching between Mandarin and Taiwanese.
However, even on the anchor desk, he has had his embarrassing moments. Zhang Gengming mentioned that the most challenging part of reporting news in Taiwanese for him is converting Mandarin scripts into Taiwanese, putting in a lot of effort to ensure clarity for the audience. However, he once made a blunder by accidentally reporting Mandarin news in Taiwanese during a broadcast slot. He admitted, “It was really embarrassing at that time.”
Due to the different phonetics between Taiwanese and Mandarin, Zhang Gengming believes that reporting news in Taiwanese can make it more lively and interesting. Growing up speaking Taiwanese with his family, he understands the importance of cultural heritage. He pointed out that over 70% of Taiwanese language users are over 65 years old, and he predicts that Taiwanese may gradually disappear in the next 20 years, especially with many young people being fascinated by social media and unknowingly influenced by Chinese terminologies. He hopes that through his broadcasts, more young people will have the opportunity to learn and practice Taiwanese, enhancing the audience’s identification and pride in Taiwanese culture. He added, “On the other hand, it can also help the elderly understand domestic and international events, providing family members with more topics for discussion.”