Nightmares of a Chinese invasion inspire taboo-breaking entertainment in Taiwan
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. TAIPEI—For years, residents of Taiwan who were curious what a Chinese invasion might look like had to rely largely on their own imaginations. Now they are starting to get help.
In November, filming is set to wrap up on “Zero Day," a 10-part series that portrays a fictionalized attack by China—a first for Taiwanese television. An early preview, packed with A-list talent, generated more than a million views on YouTube and debate in local media. Recent flirtations with the theme across the island’s cultural spectrum include a dystopian novel set in a future Taiwan ruled by Beijing, a multivolume graphic novel that imagines Donald Trump sending U.S.
forces to help repel an invasion, and a board game that invites players to simulate resisting a Chinese attack. Taiwan has long struck visitors as surprisingly sanguine in the face of the threat posed by its large authoritarian neighbor, which claims the self-ruled island as its own and hasn’t ruled out the use of force to assert control. The local entertainment industry steered conspicuously clear of the topic for decades.
Questions over the willingness of people in Taiwan to confront the dangers posed by China linger in Washington, where some lawmakers worry the U.S. could be drawn into a conflict that the island’s own residents don’t take seriously. The new wave of invasion-related content captures a shift in the public psyche in Taiwan, according to Cheng Hsin-mei, producer and lead scriptwriter of “Zero Day." “On the surface, Taiwanese people may not seem to feel the threat, but in reality, that fear exists," she said.
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