How Mainlanders View Taiwan's Programs about the Mainland

Unlike scholars coming for short-term visits, most mainlanders here are permanent residents--spouses of Taiwanese, or the young or elderly who came to Taiwan to live with relatives. They have had a good long time to observe Taiwan's television.

Though coming to Taiwan for all sorts of different reasons, these mainlanders, still small in number, share hard-to-shake feelings for the land where they lived for decades. Viewing these programs about the mainland is one way they quell their yearning for what was home.

Ma Yu, a mainlander married to the actor Lu Chih, and Teng Hai, a student at Fuhsing High School who came to stay with relatives, say that they are still very concerned about the situation there even if they themselves are over here. Nevertheless, when these programs come at the same time as dramatic serials, Ma says she's apt to turn the dial to the more engrossing serials.

There are people who watch with an attitude of curiosity. Fu Hsiao-mei says she is fascinated by the places in the mainland she has never been.

Different likes:

Although mainlanders one and all, they have differing views of Taiwan's mainland programs. Still, after getting away from the mainland's educational ("liberating") programming, now they tend to prefer shows that aim to entertain.

Teng Hai makes a quick comparison of Taiwan and mainland television: "Mainland television is more rigid. It's a little bit like a classroom lecture. Taiwan's television is much livelier and much more entertaining." Teng Hai and Ma Yu both like CTS' "Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains." Besides the history and geography (much more interesting than what's found in the textbooks), the lack of political judgments is another reason they like it. Fu Shao-mei likes to watch CTV's "Wonders of China" because the customs of minorities featured in the program differ so from life in the cities.

But "The Journey of 8000 Miles," the granddaddy of all these programs, elicits widely differing opinions.

Lin Shan-le, who came to Taiwan to live with relatives, and Li Lan, a student at Hsinpu Junior College, praise "8000 miles" for its deep and fertile subject matter and for daring to tackle sensitive issues. That lover of dramas Ma Yu, on the other hand, believes that "8000 Miles" goes too far in directly judging mainland trends and cross-strait relations. Sometimes, she says, it has a sneering or glibly debasing tone that makes it more difficult for her to accept.

Yet does the content of these programs fit with their personal experiences on the mainland? These mainlanders feel that what is on television doesn't differ much from real life, and because the mainland authorities have adopted a policy of pushing certain areas for travel, Taiwanese produced programs have entered some areas that even mainlanders can't visit, such as the southwest border and the area between Manchuria and Russia, and so they often feel that it's an eye-opening experience.

Ma Yu says these programs are very true to life. Very few programs in the mainland will show backward or impoverished areas, and Taiwan's programs spend a lot of time filming there. But Taiwanese production crews won't take time out to stay anywhere for long, and in the view of these experienced travellers it's here where the shows come up short.

Fu Hsiao-mei cites her hometown of Hangzhou. Last time "Wonders of China" only introduced such scenic attractions as the West Lake and White Dike. But many other places, such as the Mausoleum of General Yueh-fei and the Temple of Inspired Seclusion, are worth reporting on.

The more you love, the more you find at fault:

Some people have even greater expectations for programs of this kind.

Sun Miao of Taipei Junior College of Technology says that he wishes the segments introducing stores or medical treatment on the mainland weren't so much like advertisements. Teng Hai feels that Taiwan doesn't care enough about the mainland. He suggests that the programs should be more timely in their coverage, more deeply considering social phenomena and problems on the mainland.

Ma Yu says that she once asked her friends and relatives here about what they thought about this kind of mainland program. She concluded that "Taiwan viewers are undiscriminating. They don't want to add a little analysis and thought. Their attitude is like they are looking at foreign scenery. " Although she and they are alike Chinese, she feels the Taiwanese lack concern for their mainland compatriots. All these mainlanders hope these programs will steer away from belittlement, so that these programs serve as a form of cross-strait exchange, an ideal starting point for communication.