The short play "Crossing the Sea" reflects the "two-way rush" of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait

China News Service, Beijing, October 6. Title: The short play "Crossing the Sea" reflects the "two-way rush" of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

China News Service reporter Rong Haisheng

During this year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the short play "Crossing the Sea" co-created by teams from both sides of the Taiwan Strait exceeded 200 million online views within 5 days of its release. Touching on the common emotional roots of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, this drama reflects the abundant momentum of people's "two-way rush".

"Crossing the Sea" tells the story that in 2007, Wen Xiu-ming, who was originally from Sichuan and worked in a bank in Taiwan, took the ashes of three veterans on a journey across the sea to find their roots, fulfilling the promise to their elders to return to their roots. The prototypes of the protagonists are Liu Dewen and Gao Binghan, two "soul ferrymen".

The truth is the simple background of "running in both directions".

Since 2003, Liu Dewen, the head of Xianghe District in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, has carried the ashes of hundreds of veterans who died in Taiwan back and forth across the Taiwan Strait for more than 20 years at the request of the next veteran, covering more than 20 provinces in the mainland. Gao Binghan, the figure who "touched China" in 2012, is a veteran himself. In the more than 30 years since he returned to Heze, Shandong with the first box of veteran ashes, he has sent hundreds of jars of veteran ashes back to his hometown. The story of the two is a realistic footnote that cross-strait people-to-people exchanges have maintained warmth and strength for many years.

Empathy allows "going both ways" to resonate.

The reunion of flesh and blood and the return of fallen leaves to their roots are the common aspirations of all Chinese people. In reality, the two "soul ferrymen" have received a lot of support and help from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and have also caused many Taiwanese young people to question their family connections. In the play, the wife's 50-year waiting, the brother's waiting for his younger brother, and the mother's longing for her son. Audiences on both sides of the Taiwan Strait saw the waiting of relatives of different veterans and felt the common emotion for "home". "Crossing the Sea" was released during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which also highlighted the themes of "going home" and "reunion". After watching the film, some Taiwanese people said that the moment the veterans "stepped onto" their homeland in the film, the obsession that spanned decades made them cry.

The short play helps "go in both directions" as a convenient carrier.

"Crossing the Sea" was jointly completed by creative teams and actors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and was broadcast on mainland platforms. Audiences at home and abroad interacted in real time in the barrage and comment areas; the short play format transformed real stories and common emotions into small, fast-paced, and easy-to-disseminate works, which were more quickly distributed to the screens of audiences on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Since the mainland announced ten policies and measures to promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation this year, Taiwanese dramas have been able to enter the mainland platform more smoothly, and Taiwanese industry players have also been able to participate in the creation of micro-short dramas. At a time when the short drama industry is moving toward high-quality products, policy goodwill and the market's desire for high-quality content have combined to provide the ground and communication channels for masterpieces such as "Crossing the Sea".

"Crossing the Sea" resonates fundamentally because of the historical memories shared by both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and also because the understanding of "home" on both sides of the Taiwan Strait has the same origin. The temporary political climate may create barriers and hinder exchanges, but the common concern and pursuit of "home" and reunion among people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have always been maintained. (over)