Researcher warns against distorted historical dramas

A Chinese historian has said TV series aired in recent years that exaggerate or tamper with stories related to the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) for entertainment purposes have incurred wide spread condemnation from the public.

Sun Liping from the Party History Research Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee said the vulgar and falsified plots of such TV dramas are at odds with history.

The Chinese people and soldiers endured great physical suffering and made huge sacrifices during the 14-year war, with the loss of more than 35 million lives, while the Japanese invaders committed untold crimes against humanity, making the period one of the darkest in history, Sun said.

"China's victory in the war came at the expense of an extremely hard and bitter fight against the Japanese invasion," Sun said.

"Any attempt to distort, tamper with or even falsify this history deeply offends Chinese people, pacifists all over the world, and those who helped China during this war," she said.

"Telling the truth will benefit Chinese people and Chinese culture," she added.