Hit drama revives buried history
A powerful TV series uncovers the truth about underground patriots who gave everything for the nation, Xu Fan reports.
In 2018, veteran Chinese scriptwriter Lu Min received a commission that would forever transform her understanding of history, loyalty and sacrifice. The assignment seemed straightforward at first: write a screenplay about Wu Shi, a senior Kuomintang officer who risked his life to secretly assist the Communist Party of China after becoming deeply disillusioned with the Chiang Kai-shek regime. But what began as a writing task evolved into a seven-year journey into one of the most hidden and dramatic chapters of modern Chinese history.
Lu soon uncovered stories that had sparse academic records: between 1949 and 1950, more than 1,500 CPC agents operated as part of a vast underground intelligence network in Taiwan. Their collective mission was clear but perilous — to gather intelligence that would support the nation's reunification efforts during a volatile moment in history. At the heart of this network were four key figures: Wu Shi and his three comrades. Their bravery shaped critical historical outcomes that faded from public memory — until now.
The resulting series, Silent Honor, has recently gained high popularity, exemplified by its peak rating on China Central Television's CCTV-8 exceeding 4.1 percent — the benchmark for a blockbuster drama is consistently above 1 percent — and its 685 million online views.
