"The Founding of a Republic"

Releasing tomorrow, Sept. 17, "The Founding of a Republic'' (建國大業) is China's new propaganda movie, just in time for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. This movie has an all-star Chinese cast from Jet Li, Jackie Chan, to Zhang Ziyi, which is something sure to catch the attention of many people. From the trailer, seems like a decent film from a purely entertainment value standpoint. But I'd be very cautious to take any of what is portrayed in this "historical" movie as anything but close to accurate.

A first for these types of movies coming out of the PRC-controlled, China Film Group, is that it will be the first time that the KMT is semi-portrayed as the good guys (along side the CCP obviously), with Japan (always) as the bad guys. This movie is likely to get a screening in Taiwan next year, and will likely be used by both sides of the CCP-KMT platform to promote a greater "Chinese consciousness. " Think of it as a way the reconcile the two sides of the Taiwan-strait, ignoring the fact that China continues to hold Taiwan hostage with estimates of anywhere from 1000 to 1700+, just for Taiwan.