Photographer and documentary film-maker, Tobie Openshaw shares his unique and privileged view of Taiwan's famous "Binlang Beauties" - the scantily-clad girls who make their living selling dangerous substances from glass booths on the roadside. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxMonga, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxMonga event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. In this fascinating and insightful talk, filmaker and photographer Tobie Openshaw confronts a few assumptions about those skimpily-clad girls sitting in glass boxes by the roadside all over Taiwan. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

Misadventures in Taiwan - video showing pole dancers at a temple celebration in rural Taiwan, betel nut girls selling betel nuts on the roadside

Teaser for a documentary on the unique betelnut culture (檳榔西施) in Taiwan - slightly expanded from the version posted here before.

Interviews with betelnut girls and their boss Taoyuan 檳榔西施