Paiseh to bother you: Garbage Collector

“Paiseh to bother you” is a brand new cross-media reality TV show on Radio Taiwan International (RTI) broadcast in Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese.

In recent years, many Hong Kong residents have come to Taiwan to start new lives, establishing a community of Hongkongers who have become our neighbors, classmates, friends and work colleagues, with Cantonese increasingly widely spoken around the country. However, when these individuals first arrived there were many things about life in Taiwan they found strange and the show title “Paiseh to bother you” comes from that feeling of being in someone else’s home and having to say “excuse me, I’m sorry to bother you but ...”

“Paiseh to bother you” explores different corners of Taiwan – experiencing daily life through the fresh eyes of new immigrants from Hong Kong. In the show, host Tsang Chi-Ho who is from Hong Kong experiences first hand being a garbage collector.

The production team for “Paiseh to bother you” is a mixture of Taiwanese and Hongkongers and Tsang Chi-ho himself is a renowned radio and television host from Hong Kong. Program producer Luk Yin Ling Edith and director Yick Wing Yan Gloria are also both from Hong Kong. The cameraman is from Taiwan and the editor from Hong Kong; the opening music was created by a Taiwanese composer, while the opening design comes from Hong Kong and combines the culture of both places, the creative process leading to many creative sparks.

Program No. 1: Garbage Collector
When a Hongkonger hears the music played by garbage trucks in Taiwan they immediately think of “ice cream trucks.” However, the way in which garbage is processed in Hong Kong and Taiwan is very different. How does one dispose of garbage in Taiwan? Tsang took two exams to officially become a garbage collector, picking up trash and cleaning the streets. There was even a special task he had not imagined in his wildest dreams. Let’s go with Tsang to the streets of Keelung to learn more about how garbage is processed in Taiwan.