(Isstories Editorial):- Beijing, China Oct 24, 2025 (Issuewire.com) – On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China, scholars on the island as well as industry insiders noted the absence of restoration narratives in films produced under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, calling for a compelling cinematic retelling of this history to foster a more accurate understanding of cross-Straits relations.
On October 25, 1945, the Chinese government announced that it was resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan. The ceremony to accept Japan’s surrender in the Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the Allied powers was held at today’s Taipei Zhongshan Hall.
“It is regrettable that, under the influence of the DPP authorities, Taiwan’s film and television industry has largely refrained from exploring themes related to Taiwan’s restoration and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression,” Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, told the Global Times.
With the Chinese mainland having rolled out films including Dead to Rights and Evil Unbound, audiences in the Taiwan region have access to these materials through multiple channels, leading many young people to report that they have only recently become aware of the heroic history from 80 years ago, Hsiao said.
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This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
In 1895, after suffering defeat in a war with Japan, the Qing government was forced to cede Taiwan and Penghu Islands. Fifty years later, the Chinese people overcame Japanese aggression during World War II, ending Japan’s colonial rule in Taiwan and restoring the island to the motherland, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
“The current Taiwan authorities have indeed not given the Taiwan’s restoration day the attention it deserves,” a young Taiwan-based scholar told the Global Times on Thursday. The scholar added that more films and television works should depict the history before and after the restoration and the process of breaking free from Japanese colonial rule.
Back in 1976, Eight Hundred Heroes, which is set against the backdrop of the Songhu Battle in 1937, was released in Taiwan. It chronicles the historical event in which a single battalion of soldiers led by Xie Jinyuan was ordered to hold back the Japanese forces at the Sihang Warehouse.
Everlasting Glory, which similarly portrays the heroic story of General Zhang Zizhong during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, was also released in Taiwan in 1974.
However, the current cognitive distortions in historical understanding among Taiwan’s younger generations primarily stem from the tampering of history curricula during Chen Shui-bian’s administration, with no sustained corrective force emerging over the years to address these biases, Shi Chuan, a professor at the Shanghai Theater Academy, told the Global Times.
In this context, the film and television industry in Taiwan has also failed to promote accurate historical perspectives, constrained not only by underlying political manipulations but also by insufficient production investments and limited market vitality, Shi told the Global Times.
However, the recent mainland TV series Silent Honor offers a promising model for restoring historical truth, helping the younger generation on the island rebuild a correct history view. Its success largely derives from a faithful adherence to historical facts and high production standards — a replicable approach that could similarly be applied to narratives on Taiwan’s restoration and return to the motherland.
Despite market and political influences driving the “de-Sinicization” narrative that impacted people from the Taiwan, the rise of short videos among youth on the island has also helped them recognize the value of their misrepresented history, Hou Guan-qun, an industry insider from the Taiwan, told the Global Times.
Cross-Straits cultural exchanges in film and television are now mutually accessible, which is significant for audiences from both the Taiwan island and Chinese mainland. Although, under the influence of the DPP, productions in Taiwan have largely avoided exploring such themes, many people from the region have already encountered these important mainland works, Hsiao said.
“I believe this development holds great importance for people on both sides of the Straits,” Hsiao added.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202510/1346394.shtml
Anna Li
