Sous tension
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For the first time, a mainstream Taiwanese production addresses the possibility of a Chinese military invasion. A controversial subject that has complicated the realization of the project, still in filming.
The scene takes place on a small sandy cove in the Taiwanese archipelago of Kinmen, 5 kilometers off the Chinese coast. Despite the late hour, the night is not completely dark. Opposite, the skyscrapers of the Chinese metropolis of Xiamen cast a blue halo that is reflected on the sea. In a small bunker wedged between the rocks, a few young Taiwanese soldiers watch the shore behind sandbags. Suddenly, a dozen Chinese soldiers set foot on the beach. Shots are fired, the hand-to-hand fight begins. China has just begun the invasion of Kinmen.
“Cut!” suddenly shouts the young director Diana Chao, instantly breaking the heavy atmosphere on the set. The scene has to be redone. A stuntman’s underpants – fluorescent pink – have been seen on screen. The actors burst out laughing and the tension eases. The filming is that of the Taiwanese series Zero Day, which is scheduled to air in 2025. The ten-episode drama imagines the seven days leading up to a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan – without making any predictions about the outcome. Military uniforms, weapons and real bunkers: the scene is all the more disturbing given that China has increased its presence in recent years
