#Showbiz: New TV show imagines China invasion, gives Taiwan viewers wake-up call
In the show, Zero Day Attack, a Chinese warplane goes missing near Taiwan. China then sends swarms of military boats and planes for a blockade as Taiwan goes on a war footing. Panic ensues on the streets of Taipei.
At viewings in Taipei last week, attendees included the top US diplomat in Taiwan, Raymond Greene, who is director of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Taiwanese tycoon Robert Tsao, a strident critic of Beijing.
The series is set to premiere on August 2 in Taiwan, followed by its Japanese release on Amazon Prime Video.
"Presenting such a situation (of conflict) can lead to more discussion about what we should do if it really turns into reality one day," said Blair Yeh, a 35-year-old engineer, after watching the first episode at the Taipei premiere last week.
The premise of Zero Day Attack is a topic that has for years been considered too sensitive for many Taiwanese filmmakers and television show creators, who fear losing access to the lucrative Chinese entertainment market.
More than half of the show's crew asked to remain anonymous on the crew list, and some people, including a director, pulled out of the production at the last minute, its showrunner Cheng Hsin Mei told Reuters.
But as China steps up military threats — including at least six rounds of major war games in the past five years and daily military activities close to Taiwan — the upcoming drama confronts the fear by setting the 10-episode series around a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
The drama focuses on several scenarios Taiwan might face in the days leading up to a Chinese attack, including a global financial collapse, the activation of Chinese sleeper agents, and panicked residents trying to flee the island.
"Without freedom, Taiwan is not Taiwan," says the actor who plays a fictional Taiwanese president in a televised speech, urging unity after declaring war on China, in the show's trailer.
The live broadcast then gets abruptly cut off, replaced by a feed of a Chinese state television anchor calling for Taiwanese to surrender and report "hidden pro-independence activists" to Chinese soldiers after their landing in Taiwan.
"We've been comfortable for a long time now," said viewer Leon Yu, a 43-year-old semiconductor industry professional, adding that Taiwan's freedom and democracy must be preserved.
"There's still a lot of people out there burying their head in the sand and don't want to face the dangers of the present."
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