No More Military Unification? The Ccp's Major Film "Penghu Sea Battle" Unexpectedly Withdrawn

No more military unification? The CCP's major film "Penghu Sea Battle" unexpectedly withdrawn (video)

[People News] Hello, audience friends, and welcome to "Zhongnanhai Decode." I am Sun Ning.

Imagine this scenario: a film with an investment of hundreds of millions of RMB, directed by a renowned filmmaker, designed to "promote national prestige" and demonstrate military deterrence to Taiwan—a "military unification blockbuster"—suddenly "disappears" without warning at the height of its promotional campaign, just when countless fans are eagerly awaiting its release!

This is not a fictional Hollywood script, but a real event that unfolded in the Chinese-language film industry this summer. The historical war blockbuster, humorously dubbed the CCP's "ceiling of military unification propaganda"—"Penghu Sea Battle"—was originally set to premiere in mainland China on July 25 during the peak summer season. However, with less than a week to go before its release, the official pre-sale channel for this blockbuster remained eerily quiet, with no signs of opening. Just as countless theater managers across China were anxiously waiting, shocking news broke online: "Penghu Sea Battle" was abruptly halted by the CCP's National Film Administration and withdrawn indefinitely!

As soon as the news emerged, public opinion erupted. This super production, which cost hundreds of millions of RMB and constructed tens of thousands of square meters of elaborate real sets in Quanzhou, Fujian, and Wuxi, Jiangsu, and featured top stars like Yi Yangqianxi, Zhao Liying, Hu Jun, and Wang Xueqi, how could it suddenly be "cut off" by its own regulatory authority just as it was about to be released?

Reflecting on those years, the promotional slogan for this film was incredibly arrogant! On October 25, 2025, coinciding with the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) so-called '80th Anniversary of Taiwan's Restoration,' the state media CCTV grandly released the first trailer for 'The Battle of Penghu.' In the trailer, Wang Xueqi portrays Shi Lang, who kneels before the Kangxi Emperor, played by Yi Yangqianxi, while a narrator provocatively declares: 'Shi Lang, obey my command. I order you to lead the naval forces, advance to Penghu, conquer Taiwan, and bring a perfect conclusion to the world!' The film's official Weibo account even brazenly stated: 'Penghu is China's Penghu, Taiwan is China's Taiwan,' and 'What is separated must reunite, what is divided must unite.'

Is this really a historical film? It is clearly a psychological intimidation tactic aimed at the people of Taiwan. Yet, this film, which aligns perfectly with Beijing's 'political correctness,' was unable to secure the public screening permit, commonly referred to as the 'Dragon Seal,' before its release, leading to its abrupt withdrawal. What hidden secrets lie behind this situation? How did the CCP's united front strategy completely 'backfire' within the web of lies it has created? Today, let us delve into this matter.

Using history to shoot oneself in the foot

To understand why 'The Battle of Penghu' has backfired, we must first revisit the real historical event of 1683. The main plot of this film recounts how the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty ordered the Fujian naval commander Shi Lang to lead an army to attack Penghu, ultimately defeating the Ming Zheng regime's navy and forcing Taiwan to submit to the Qing Dynasty.

The propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party initially devised a well-thought-out strategy, aiming to leverage the historical narrative of 'Shi Lang attacking Taiwan' to draw parallels with the current situation in the Taiwan Strait. Their goal was to instill a message of intimidation among internet users in China and the Taiwanese public, suggesting that 'if you do not accept unification, be prepared for military action.' However, they failed to realize that history cannot be manipulated at will. When they tried to force the complex historical narrative into the modern Communist Party's united front framework, the film's historical logic exposed three fundamentally irreconcilable flaws.

The first of these flaws lies in the film's male protagonist—Shi Lang.

In the film's portrayal, Shi Lang is depicted as a righteous hero who sacrifices his life and blood for 'national unification.' Yet, a cursory glance at authentic history textbooks reveals that the historical Shi Lang was far from the figure the Communist Party presents! Shi Lang was originally a general of the Ming Dynasty and a subordinate of Zheng Chenggong's father, Zheng Zhilong, later following Zheng Chenggong in resisting the Qing Dynasty. However, due to personal grievances and a domineering personality, Shi Lang ultimately betrayed the Ming Zheng and surrendered to the Qing Empire.

In traditional Chinese Confucian culture and historical perspectives, Shi Lang's actions are defined by a specific and highly disgraceful term—'Er Chen,' or simply 'traitorous general.'

This situation has led to a highly awkward political paradox. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) promotes nationalism vigorously within the country, consistently denouncing "traitors," "betrayers," and "national traitors," while demanding absolute loyalty to the "Party" and the nation from everyone. Ironically, in their meticulously crafted "pro-unification blockbuster," they plan to glorify a historically typical "traitorous general" who betrayed his own country and allied with foreign enemies, even praising him for his "justifiable betrayal" and "righteous invasion." 

After watching the trailer, many mainland netizens took to Weibo and Douban to express their skepticism: "The Communist Party opposes betrayal every day, yet today they want us to idolize a traitor of the Ming Dynasty, Shi Lang, who led foreign troops to attack the Han people? Isn't this encouraging everyone to become a traitor?" This contradiction in values strikes at the most sensitive nerve of the CCP's censorship apparatus—if they choose to praise Shi Lang, how can the CCP demand absolute loyalty from its military and citizens in the event of future conflicts in the Taiwan Strait? 

The second major obstacle to the release of 'The Battle of Penghu' lies in the nature of the enemies and allies in this war. 

The film intends to portray the Qing Dynasty army, clad in Manchu Eight Banner uniforms and sporting queue hairstyles, as they bombard and eliminate the Ming Zheng military and civilians defending Taiwan. Historically, what status did the Ming Zheng regime, led by Zheng Chenggong and his descendants, hold in the hearts of the Han people? It was the last stronghold of the Ming Dynasty on the Chinese mainland after its collapse, a place that preserved Han clothing and culture, a land of loyal subjects and illegitimate offspring. Zheng Chenggong is widely recognized as a national hero across the Taiwan Strait; he expelled the Dutch and reclaimed Taiwan, thus safeguarding the dignity of the Han people.

In recent years, there has been a notable surge in the enthusiasm for Hanfu and a heightened sense of Han ethnic identity among the Chinese mainland populace. When contemporary viewers, who strongly identify with Han culture, sit in a cinema watching the Qing army—characterized by their shaved heads and different attire—slaughter their fellow Han compatriots dressed in Ming dynasty Hanfu, who are defending the moral traditions of Huaxia, which side will they emotionally align with?

This is where the irony lies: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aimed to use this film to promote patriotism, but it has inadvertently caused a rift among patriotic netizens. Many have expressed their frustrations on forums, stating, 'When watching the Qing fight the Ming in the cinema, who am I supposed to support? If I support the Qing army, I feel I am betraying my ancestors; if I support the Ming Zheng, I become the villain obstructing unification?' The film's promotional campaign forcefully urges everyone to back the Qing army, which symbolizes 'just unification,' in their quest to eliminate the Ming Zheng regime that upholds Han culture. This absurd historical narrative is self-defeating in its propaganda, as it not only fails to steer internal public opinion but also incites significant division and backlash among netizens.

The third major obstacle preventing the release of 'The Battle of Penghu' is the film's excessively loud rhetoric on 'military unification,' which disrupts the CCP's strategic control over Taiwan's unification efforts.

In its promotional efforts, the film aggressively proclaims 'unifying Taiwan, unstoppable,' with trailers filled with scenes of relentless cannon fire and bloodshed. However, given the current extraordinarily complex international landscape, particularly with the Russia-Ukraine war now in its fifth year, the Western world remains highly alert and responsive to geopolitical aggression from authoritarian regimes.

If "The Battle of Penghu" were to be prominently released at this time, it would effectively signal to the world that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is considering military action against Taiwan. This could be interpreted by the international community as a "false signal" indicating that the CCP is on the verge of launching a war. For the CCP, which is currently grappling with internal and external challenges, facing economic stagnation, and in urgent need of foreign investment, this would undoubtedly represent a significant international political burden.

Moreover, Wang Huning, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has been fervently promoting slogans like "maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait" and "the two sides of the strait are one family" during the Taiwan work conference earlier this year. Beijing aims to exert pressure on Taiwan while keeping it within a "grey area," intending to intimidate without triggering a full-scale conflict too soon. However, this film behaves like a politically naive and fervent populist, immediately causing chaos and pushing cross-strait relations into a bloody atmosphere of "either you die, or I die." Such actions, described as "low-level red, high-level black," disrupt the CCP's tactical approach and are ultimately crushed by the CCP to "prevent the military unification narrative from being excessively hijacked by populism."

Carrots and Sticks

The release and subsequent withdrawal of "The Battle of Penghu" act as a barometer, clearly reflecting the deep-seated anxieties and indecisiveness the CCP faces in its Taiwan policy. However, we should not mistakenly assume that the CCP has lowered its guard against Taiwan simply because of the failure of a propaganda film. On the contrary, this situation exemplifies the most insidious and refined aspect of the CCP's united front strategy—"one hand soft, one hand hard."

This strategy can be simply described as 'carrot and stick'. When it seeks to deceive and numb you, it can present the 'gentlest' smile imaginable; however, when it is prepared to consume and eliminate you, its fangs are sharper than those of any beast.

We can break down the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) 'two-handed' united front tactics as follows:

The CCP's 'soft' approach is never genuine goodwill; it is honey that is laced with deadly poison. Its primary goal is to erode the Taiwanese people's will to resist from within through comprehensive and multi-layered infiltration, thereby achieving 'victory without fighting'.

On one hand, the CCP promotes its so-called 'beneficial policies for Taiwan', establishing a 'cross-strait integration development demonstration zone' in Fujian, and using markets, capital, and entrepreneurial subsidies to attract Taiwanese youth and entrepreneurs to the mainland. On the other hand, it frequently imposes bans on Taiwanese pineapples, custard apples, and grouper under the pretext of 'detecting harmful organisms', or threatens to revoke the tariff benefits of the ECFA. This economic shackle, which can be tightened at any moment, is intended to create dependency in specific Taiwanese industries, thus politically discouraging them from opposing Beijing.

In addition to economic coercion, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is actively enhancing its cultural brainwashing and cognitive warfare against Taiwan, a role that films like 'The Battle of Penghu' were originally intended to serve. Beyond the cinema, the CCP is also leveraging social media platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu to present content infused with a Greater China ideology in the form of humorous skits, popular phrases, and travel vlogs, subtly infiltrating 'into the island, into households, and into minds.' They invite Taiwanese netizens, influencers, and even prominent commentators to mainland China for 'free travel and filming,' using these individuals to promote messages like 'how fast the high-speed rail is in the motherland' and 'how good Huawei's phones are.' This strategy aims to reduce the younger generation in Taiwan's skepticism towards authoritarian regimes and create a false sense of unity with the notion that 'we are all the same.' 

Simultaneously, the CCP is frequently funding and organizing Taiwanese temple delegations to engage with the mainland, capitalizing on shared folk beliefs such as Mazu and Baosheng Dadi. Behind these seemingly friendly religious activities lies a network of interest transfer and political mobilization orchestrated by CCP United Front officials and shadowy figures from the Taiwan Affairs Office. Their goal is to establish 'red cells' at the grassroots level in Taiwan, which can influence public opinion during critical election periods.

Furthermore, the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) united front strategy places a strong emphasis on creating divisions within Taiwan. The CCP is particularly adept at the tactic of 'pulling one faction while attacking another.' They actively search for 'agents' within Taiwan, intentionally inciting conflicts among political parties, generational divides, and class struggles. By leveraging Taiwan's valuable democratic freedoms, they disseminate narratives of 'distrust of the U.S.' and 'fear of war,' leading the Taiwanese people to doubt themselves and turn against each other. As long as Taiwan remains in turmoil, the CCP sees an opportunity.

When Taiwan recognizes the sinister nature of the CCP and refuses to accept the poisoned carrot, the CCP's 'big stick' comes down without mercy. Its 'hard' approach is marked by comprehensive and unrestrained state violence and intimidation.

In recent years, from the 'Joint Sword' exercises to various unnamed surprise military drills, the CCP's aircraft carriers, stealth fighters, and missile destroyers have been encroaching on Taiwan's surrounding air and sea space almost daily in a 'sausage-slicing' strategy. Their military aircraft frequently cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and naval vessels enter Taiwan's contiguous zone. This high-intensity military gray zone harassment is designed to exhaust the national military and dull the vigilance of the Taiwanese people, with the aim of establishing a 'new normal' in the Taiwan Strait under CCP leadership.

The Beijing authorities are actively engaging in legal warfare, having issued the so-called 'Opinions on Punishing 'Taiwan Independence' Stubborn Elements Who Split the Country and Incite Crimes of Splitting the Country According to Law'. They openly assert their 'long-arm jurisdiction' over the people of Taiwan, with the maximum penalty being death. This represents a form of psychological intimidation against all citizens of Taiwan, employing terrorism-like legal provisions to create a collective silence within Taiwanese society, a phenomenon known as the 'chilling effect'.

On the international stage, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is relentless in its efforts to suppress Taiwan's space for survival. They use substantial financial incentives to persuade Taiwan's remaining diplomatic allies to cut ties, and they actively obstruct Taiwan's participation in United Nations organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization. They even attempt to distort United Nations Resolution 2758, seeking to 'internalize' Taiwan within the framework of international law, thereby providing a legal shield for their future acts of aggression.

This reveals the true nature of the CCP's united front strategy: when they are soft, they present themselves as 'brother compatriots' who care for you; when they are hard, they become the 'tigers, leopards, and wolves' intent on crushing you. The temporary withdrawal of the 'Penghu Sea Battle' is not an indication that the Communist Party has laid down its butcher's knife; rather, during this instance of 'hard power propaganda', they realized that their facade was poorly constructed, exposing their true intentions. Consequently, they hastily pulled down the curtain and retreated backstage to reapply their makeup.

The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) predatory ambitions have never wavered.

History serves as a mirror. The Battle of Penghu, which took place over 340 years ago, ended in the complete destruction of the Ming Zheng regime due to internal morale collapse. Today, the controversy surrounding the removal of the film 'The Battle of Penghu' reveals more than just a farcical episode of internal censorship within the CCP; it highlights a grim reality that must be acknowledged:

The CCP's ambition to annex Taiwan and eradicate its democratic constitutional system has persisted without interruption since 1949, not for a single day, moment, minute, or second.

For the CCP, Taiwan's very existence represents the most significant challenge to its authoritarian legitimacy.

Many may wonder why the CCP is so fixated on Taiwan, an island with a population of over 23 million, when it governs 1.4 billion people across vast territories.

The answer lies in Taiwan's success, which has debunked the CCP's narrative that 'Chinese people are unfit for Western democracy.' The people of Taiwan have demonstrated that a democratic nation with a predominantly Chinese population can achieve high levels of freedom, a robust rule of law, respect for human rights, and advanced technology and economy. Taiwan acts as a mirror, exposing the corruption, despotism, and backwardness of the Communist Party's regime. As long as the flame of democracy continues to burn in Taiwan, the people of mainland China will see hope, which is a source of discomfort for the CCP's dictatorial leaders.

Moreover, for Xi Jinping, who occupies the highest position in Zhongnanhai, the concept of 'complete unification of the motherland' has become deeply intertwined with his personal 'historical achievements' and the legitimacy of his indefinite re-election. To address the severe internal crises of economic collapse, youth unemployment, and political purges, he seeks an external military adventure to divert attention from domestic issues.

The Chinese Communist Party aims to use the film 'The Battle of Penghu' to depict modern Taiwan as a reflection of the Ming Zheng regime, which was plagued by internal conflict and ultimately faced ruin. They hope that after viewing the film, the people of Taiwan will succumb to despair, believing that 'resistance is futile, and surrender is the only path to peace.'

However, this represents the Chinese Communist Party's most misguided historical delusion. Today's Taiwan is fundamentally different from the Ming Zheng of 1683.

Today, Taiwan stands as an essential pillar of the global democratic alliance. The people of Taiwan understand that surrendering to the Communist Party will not lead to 'peace,' but rather to a complete disillusionment similar to that experienced in Hong Kong, where freedoms are stripped away, properties are seized, and future generations are subjected to indoctrination, leading to irreversible consequences.

History does not simply repeat itself. While the iron cavalry of the Qing Dynasty may have crushed the Ming Zheng's warships three centuries ago, the missiles of the twenty-first century and the global democratic alliance will not tolerate authoritarian regimes trampling on the freedoms of the Taiwan Strait.

The peace and security of Taiwan have never depended on the 'goodwill' of dictators or the release of a propaganda film; the future of Taiwan is firmly in the hands of every Taiwanese who cherishes freedom and courageously defends democratic values!

That wraps up this episode. If you liked our program, we encourage you to give us a thumbs up, subscribe, and activate the notification bell. We also welcome your thoughts on the withdrawal of 'Penghu Naval Battle' in the comments section. See you in the next episode!

(‘Zhongnanhai Decoded’)
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