Taiwan’s arts sector faces systematic Chinese influence, with publishers changing “Taiwan” to “Taipei” for Hong Kong awards and media companies replacing writers who express political views on China and Taiwan. That, anyway, is the conclusion reached by the independent Taiwanese outlet b.l!nk in a recent pair of reports published on September 5 and 6 (here and here). According to the reports, cultural exchange programs disguise unification messaging as business partnerships. One editor wrote: “Through media exchange programs, they give your company money while spreading unification ideas during activities.”
More Stories from this Region
Shanghai’s Last Newsstand
As China pushes a national reading initiative and AI reshapes information, one Shanghai shop offering 1,000 publications represents a vanishing era of relative editorial…
Are You Dead Yet?
A daily check-in app sparks debate over sensitivities around death in China while grappling with the country’s growing crisis of solo-living and related safety concerns.
Paper Cuts
The closure of dozens more newspapers signals the final fizzling of China’s once-vibrant metropolitan print media sector at the outset in 2026.
Global Dreams in Small-Town China
As international communication centers proliferate across China down to the county level, Xi Jinping’s grand vision for global “discourse power” meets absurd local reali…
Italian Film Wins at Golden Rooster Awards
“There’s Still Tomorrow,” about domestic abuse and women’s emancipation, wins Best Foreign Film after a strong performance at the Chinese box office.
Dynastic Differences
Beijing’s film celebrating the 1683 conquest of Taiwan backfires,prompting authorities to censor criticism.