China Hope for Reunification: Which painting shows that China is keeping alive the hope of reunifying Taiwan?

To commemorate the establishment of the modern Chinese state on China’s National Day i.e. October 1, 1949, the Chinese army released an animated short film. This short film showed two fragments of a torn historical scroll painting. One part of this painting is currently shown in China and the other part in Taiwan. According to state media outlet Global Times, the films expressed hope for shared cultural heritage and reunion between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. China has always claimed the self-ruled island as its own territory, but in recent years China has built up a large military presence around the island. Chinese President Xi Jinping also told the Communist Party national conference last year that Beijing was prepared to take the island of Taiwan by force if necessary. What are China’s claims on Taiwan and how has this painting now become a symbol of possible reunification? Let us tell you through this report.

Whose painting is this and what is shown in the video?

The 14th century painting ‘The Dwelling in Fuchun Mountain’ was created by artist Huang Gongwang. It is an ink painting that shows mountains and settlements in eastern China and is considered a great classical work. Over time it was handed over to art collectors. According to the National Palace Museum of Taiwan, where one of its two parts is kept. In 1596 it was purchased by Dong Qichang and later mortgaged to Wu Zhengzhi. Wu’s grandson liked the scroll so much that he wanted to take it with him when he died. The painting was secretly saved by his son, consigned to the flames on his death bed. However, the front portion of the scroll was destroyed. An attempt was made to restore it but it broke into two parts. The smaller fragment titled “Leftover Mountain” is now in the collection of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, China. While the larger part, known as the “Master Wuyong Scroll”, is in Taipei City, Taiwan. On October 1, the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command released an animated film titled Dreams Come True on Fuchun River. It showed two imaginary characters representing two fragments of the painting. At the end of the film the two characters come together, magically making the painting whole again.

What are China’s major claims on Taiwan?

China has claimed that Taiwan was part of it until Japan captured the island after a war in 1895. Japan then lost World War II (1939–45) and had to give up its territories. Following a civil war in the 1940s between mainland China’s two major political groups – the Communists and the Nationalists (or Kuomintang Party), the Communists were victorious in 1949, while the Nationalist Party largely retreated to Taiwan. Both the Communists and the Nationalists claimed to be the official China under the names People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Republic of China (ROC), respectively. But as the PRC grew in terms of its economic size and its economy opened up to the rest of the world by the 1980s, more and more countries began to officially recognize it as China while maintaining only informal relations with Taiwan. Started. Today only 13 countries have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

How does the painting relate to China’s claims on Taiwan?

The Chinese military has released a film showing the two pieces being reunited, a move seen as part of its larger overtures to Taiwan. The Global Times, in its article about the painting, also pointed to the separation of cultural relics with the relocation of the Palace Museum to the island of Taiwan half a century ago. This refers to another episode of historical parallels between China and Taiwan – how cultural artifacts were sent from Beijing to other parts of China and Taiwan for safekeeping amid the Japanese invasion in the 1930s. Another such transfer occurred due to the civil war between the Communists and the Nationalists.