Commentary: Why 'Ne Zha 2' failed to be released in Taiwan despite strong appeals

Editor's note: Min Rui is a journalist from the Culture Programming Department of CGTN. The following commentary reflects her own views. If you are interested in communicating with her, please send an email to min.rui@cgtn.com.

If I told you that the fate of a movie's release in a particular region hinges on a lottery draw, what would you think? Sounds like something straight out of a wacky comedy, doesn't it?

But this is indeed a reality. In Taiwan, the local authorities established a "lottery" system for movies from the Chinese mainland. Each year, it allows only 10 mainland films the opportunity to be released in the region.

This screening rule has limited the choices for Taiwan audiences; consequently, it is difficult for them to have a comprehensive understanding of the development level of the mainland and mainland films. This intentional limitation often results in late viewing of trendy films and a poor selection of movies.

Except for the Chinese mainland, the film market in Taiwan is quite open to elsewhere. Based on a review mechanism, there's no import quantity quota. Once approved by the relevant authority, imports can proceed smoothly.

Can you sense the unfriendliness oozing out here? Cultural exchanges should be founded on equality, openness and inclusiveness. This lottery scheme infringes upon the rights of Taiwan residents to enjoy diverse movies and tries to set up cultural barriers across the strait.

A top-notch movie inherently exudes charm. Since "Ne Zha 2" was released during Spring Festival, it has fully attracted the attention of people in Taiwan. There were some 400,000 comments from Taiwan online calling for the movie to be released in the region right away.

Many impatient Taiwan viewers went to the mainland to watch this movie during Spring Festival and the winter vacation. Just this week, the number of viewers of the movie "Ne Zha 2" exceeded 300 million, making it the first movie in Chinese film history to reach this milestone, and its box office sales also soared to 14.6 billion yuan (about $2 billion) and is still on the rise.

Wang Changtian, the producer of "Ne Zha 2" and the chairman of Enlight Media, said all is prepared for the movie's release in Taiwan from the mainland side. “Once the screening permission from the Taiwan side is issued, audiences can see 'Ne Zha 2' in no time,” Wang said.

As for why it still has not been released in Taiwan, according to the lottery scheme, "Ne Zha 2" has to wait until 2026 and be fortunate enough to win the lucky draw and pass the review mechanism. To many insiders who are skeptical of the mechanism, it shows the diffidence of the Taiwan authorities, as the mainland's film and television industry has far outperformed Taiwan in recent years, in all aspects.

During the ongoing Two Sessions, China's foremost annual political event, Tao Jun, a deputy from the Taiwan delegation, suggested that more Taiwan people, especially young people in Taiwan, be made aware of history and inherit traditional Chinese culture.

The iconic character of Ne Zha is vividly manifested in folk cultures and pop cultures across the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. To a great extent, this powerfully attests to the fact that these cultures share the same root.

Despite different adaptations, the core of Ne Zha – his resistance and justice – remains consistent across the Taiwan Strait. The Ne Zha belief is a vital element of Taiwan's culture, embodying people's memories of and cultural inheritance from their ancestral homeland. It will be a great pity if "Ne Zha 2" is not released in Taiwan.

2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the recovery of Taiwan. Against this background, more efforts will be made to expand cross-strait exchanges and promote closer relations between compatriots on both sides.

First-time visitors from Taiwan to the Chinese mainland will be offered more conveniences, such as free admission to historical sites. On social media platforms like RedNote and TikTok, many videos exist where young people from Taiwan record their experiences of traveling, working and living on the mainland and share them with relatives and friends in Taiwan. This has, to some degree, broken down communication barriers.

Just as Ne Zha screams out in the movie "The world's prejudice is like a colossal mountain, yet I'll shatter it with a kick," nothing can impede the younger generations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait from communicating, learning and loving each other's movie, culture, history, and social landscapes.