What if China invades? For Taiwan, a TV show raises tough questions
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On the boulevard in front of the presidential palace in Taipei this weekend, Taiwan‘s worst nightmare was unfolding in front of film crews. A crowd of actors and extras portrayed one kind of chaos that might come with a Chinese invasion: a protest descending into violence and bloodshed. The scene being shot was for “Zero Day“, a new Taiwanese TV series that depicts an effort by China to take over the democratically governed island.
“Zero Day” will not air until next year, but it has already set off heated debates in Taiwan, after the release of a trailer. Supporters of the series say it could encourage a much-needed conversation about the threat that China poses. Critics have denounced it as scaremongering. Cheng Hsin-mei, the producer of “Zero Day”, said she wanted to jolt Taiwanese people out of what she sees as widespread complacency and reticence about the possibility of war.
The show “Zero Day”, a 10-episode series, imagines how China could mount a blockade around Taiwan, then try to overrun the island, a possibility that many experts see as increasingly plausible. The drama follows a Taiwanese TV presenter, an online celebrity, a (fictional) prez and prez-elect and other characters as they confront a weeklong Chinese campaign. The blockade leads to shortages on the island, looting and financial meltdown. Foreigners are evacuated. Finally, as Chinese troops land, fighting ensues. The characters wrestle with whether to flee or stay, and whether to collaborate or resist. The tone is somber, to judge from the show’s 17-minute trailer, which was issued online before the series had finished shooting.
Despite the extensive policy research that has been done about the risk of an invasion of Taiwan, until now, no movie or TV drama has explored these questions for a wider public, apparently because of the topic’s political contentiousness. Some Taiwanese actors turned down roles in the show, Cheng said, out of concern that they would be blacklisted by China or lose sponsors. The owners of some buildings or sites pulled out of agreements for scenes to be shot on their premises.
Critics, mostly from Taiwan’s opposition, said “Zero Day” amounted to propaganda for the governing Democratic Progressive Party. Opposition Nationalist Party, which argues for stronger ties with Beijing, pointed out ministry of culture and a govt-linked fund invested in the production, and that scenes were filmed at military sites and inside the presidential palace. Lo Ging-zim, one of the 10 directors involved in the series, said it was normal for Taiwanese TV and film productions to win some govt funding. Lo said he was inspired to join “Zero Day” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Zero Day” will not air until next year, but it has already set off heated debates in Taiwan, after the release of a trailer. Supporters of the series say it could encourage a much-needed conversation about the threat that China poses. Critics have denounced it as scaremongering. Cheng Hsin-mei, the producer of “Zero Day”, said she wanted to jolt Taiwanese people out of what she sees as widespread complacency and reticence about the possibility of war.
The show “Zero Day”, a 10-episode series, imagines how China could mount a blockade around Taiwan, then try to overrun the island, a possibility that many experts see as increasingly plausible. The drama follows a Taiwanese TV presenter, an online celebrity, a (fictional) prez and prez-elect and other characters as they confront a weeklong Chinese campaign. The blockade leads to shortages on the island, looting and financial meltdown. Foreigners are evacuated. Finally, as Chinese troops land, fighting ensues. The characters wrestle with whether to flee or stay, and whether to collaborate or resist. The tone is somber, to judge from the show’s 17-minute trailer, which was issued online before the series had finished shooting.
Despite the extensive policy research that has been done about the risk of an invasion of Taiwan, until now, no movie or TV drama has explored these questions for a wider public, apparently because of the topic’s political contentiousness. Some Taiwanese actors turned down roles in the show, Cheng said, out of concern that they would be blacklisted by China or lose sponsors. The owners of some buildings or sites pulled out of agreements for scenes to be shot on their premises.
Critics, mostly from Taiwan’s opposition, said “Zero Day” amounted to propaganda for the governing Democratic Progressive Party. Opposition Nationalist Party, which argues for stronger ties with Beijing, pointed out ministry of culture and a govt-linked fund invested in the production, and that scenes were filmed at military sites and inside the presidential palace. Lo Ging-zim, one of the 10 directors involved in the series, said it was normal for Taiwanese TV and film productions to win some govt funding. Lo said he was inspired to join “Zero Day” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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