China Media Group (CMG) has unveiled a six-part documentary series to mark the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration. Through archival materials, scholar interviews and firsthand testimonies, the series traces the shared roots of people of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland back to the Yangtze River Basin.
The documentary shines a light on resistance movements during the 50-year Japanese occupation, featuring personal stories of residents of Taiwan who refused to live under colonial rule. It reveals letters and memoirs from volunteers who crossed the Taiwan Strait to support the Chinese mainland during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, with some making the ultimate sacrifice.
A central theme is the role of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in uniting progressive Taiwan youth and guiding anti-Japanese efforts on the island. Rare artifacts and newly surfaced documents – such as draft releases of the Cairo Declaration and records of 1942 joint opposition by the Kuomintang and the CPC to international trusteeship proposals – underscore the historical steps toward Taiwan's return to China.
After restoration, the series shows how communities revived cultural traditions: ancestor worship ceremonies, visits by Taiwan delegations to Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum in Nanjing, the repatriation of Japanese prisoners of war and civilians, street renaming, and the revival of Mandarin education.
Filmed across more than a dozen provinces in the Chinese mainland and the Taiwan region, the production draws on research from archives in China, Japan and the United States. Many of the letters, diaries and artifacts featured have never before been seen.
Zhang Han, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, praised the documentary's scholarly rigour and storytelling. She said it defends the historical truth of Taiwan's restoration, challenges the "Taiwan secession" narrative and calls on compatriots on both sides of the strait, and overseas Chinese to remember history and support national unity.
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CMG airs documentary commemorating 80 years of Taiwan's restoration
cgtn.com
