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Anachronisms In Chinese War Films & Television Serial Dramas

by on Sunday, March 6, 2011 90 comments comments

 

Anachronisms in Chinese war films and television serial dramas.

Chinese war movies and television serial dramas have long been the butt of jokes amongst Chinese netizens online, especially among Chinese military enthusiasts, due to the absurd use of weapons and props by both the Chinese and enemy forces portrayed on screen. The term “穿越” (chuan yue, to pass through or time travel) is often used to describe anachronisms in these productions that fail to conform to actual historical circumstances.

Below is a collection of Chinese internet posts about Chinese TV shows that have been ridiculed by netizens for their inclusion of weapons and props far more advanced than the time periods they are set in, with some pointing out that if the Chinese actually had such weapons at the time they would have easily won the war.

From Tiexue & Mop:

There is no most dumbfounded, only even more dumbfounding!! Chinese domestic war films/series time-traveling image collection

Domestically produced war films or television series have always been controversial, the reason being that the enemy is always portrayed as having low intelligence, dying immediately upon shot. Whereas our military are all incomparably heroic, almost invincible and ever victorious.

Look at these pictures below, they’ll definitely dumbfound/stun you.

AK-47! How about it!? Back then during the war [World War II], the New Fourth Army was already using such a powerful weapon to attack the enemy! But don’t forget, the AK-47 was created by Russian Kalashnikov in 1947! Our country replicated the AK-47 in 1956 to create the Type 56 assault rifle.

Another AK-47! In the 30’s and 40’s did China already have such a divine weapon??!

The Japanese Army [of WW2] equipped with the extremely advanced weapon, the AK! Note the red circle!

The Japanese Army again, their equipment and weapons not conforming to history, the red circle exposing the crew sound-recording equipment…

Look at this one, Sten submachine gun…completely ahistorical (The Sten was manufactured in 1940, and even in 1942 the British troops in North Africa were using American Thompsons…but here the [Chinese] Nationalist Army was already using it in the 30’s)

Comments from Tiexue:

173空降旅:

Chinese directors, are you really all retarded? [Because] if you all aren’t, then [that means] us audiences are.

午夜独酌:

In reality when most people watch war movies, [they are] not watching a gun show.

faaxxx:

In movies about the resistance against the Japanese, the enemy is always retarded. I don’t understand what the directors are trying to portray, [because if] it took 8 years to fight a retarded enemy, doesn’t that mean our own side was even more retarded?

蓝blues:

Who knows, maybe they intended to make a comedy series all along…

googl:

Next they’ll equip the People’s Liberation Army with Katyusha rockets, B-52 Stratofortresses, AC-130 gunships, Hummers, Merkava tanks, OCIW…let them all become the legendary Terminator!!!

From Tiexue:

“Southwest Anti-Bandit Stories”: We will cross through time to the very end

Comments from Tiexue:

新兵小仲:

As has been said before, nothing is impossible/unacceptable in Chinese TV series.

as578053076:

Anachronistic handguns are not a big deal because handguns are hard to spot, but anachronistic big guns are really funny, even an idiot can spot [the mistake]!!!

《猎鹰1949》“Falcon 1949” [a show set in 1949]

M21, some people also call it M14

AWP/AWM

“This is a Mauser” [it's clearly not]

Even an M700

一匹小马:

Drag the directors out and have them shot!
Good thing I didn’t watch this series!

she_21372000:

Be content, make do with it! If you don’t like it, you can change the channel!! That they didn’t equip them with M4s is already good enough!! Nevertheless! I too always wondered why the L96 rifle and M9 pistol appears in “Falcon 1949”! What more, people in it are dumb enough to call it something else!!

songranfamas:

When closely comparing these two pictures, [I've realized] the director is rather “skilled”, even learning how to PS promotional posters…I’m speechless…

From Tiexue:

Extremely dumbfounding! World War II American soldiers in Chinese TV series!

Yesterday I saw someone introducing the new series “The Great Rescue”, and I was dumbfounded me through and through; so I went online to look it up and it is said this series will be dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the victory over Japan and will be aired in August on CCTV-1 or CCTV-8, by which time everyone can throw up!

Not bad, even the 101st Airborne Division has come to China. But, given that they’re American soldiers, why did they hire all Asians?
[Is it because] the director doesn’t have the money or doesn’t want to hire a few foreigners to play the extras?? Don’t tell me this is part of the TMD legendary Nationalist Army (101st Airborne Chinese Branch)??

Blame me for being ill-informed, but for the US Army in World War II to have actually had such advanced camouflage, [it’s] probably made up by the director. The helmets are also NB [daringly ridiculous], including both World War II and Vietnam era ones. It was not until 2004 did the US Army switch the shoulder patch from stitched on to Velcro. The Nationalist Army’s right shoulder patch is even more TM science fiction.

Discovered yet another weapon that has traveled through time, I’m speechless.

While I’m at it I want to say: “Director, your use of shanzhai Thompson and Grease Gun is so TM dumbfounding, do you not have the money to make it better? Director: “What do you know? The money was all spent on ‘casting’ women. Without women, how am I supposed to have ‘inspiration’? It’s not like you don’t know that my ‘head’ is actually down there.”

Regarding Chinese television series I can only say: Puke, puke until you’re used to it. Congratulations directors, you have all TM succeeded again in disgusting us.

Comments from Tiexue:

公车:

I can ignore the clothes and races, but the time-traveling [anachronistic] guns are unbearable. At any rate, I don’t watch such crap retarded movies/television shows.

wzz126:

Our China is more suited for making sci-fi movies/TV series.

strausgeorge:

Louzhu doesn’t understand, that’s the 101st Airborne Pacific Task Force, coming especially to the Celestial Kingdom to help the war effort. They are all foreign friends!

海滨9988:

Retarded director + stupid cunt costume designer + dumbass props designer = this series

海军哥哥:

Not respecting the audience is actually equivalent to not respecting yourself!

From Tiexue:

From a single photo, we can see the true quality of Chinese television serial dramas

1. Face is completely touching the bolt, [if she] opens fire, her little face will be blown apart and no one will want her anymore.

2. The bolt is not pulled down, the gun is completely unlocked.

3. The piece of cloth has no real function, the gun sleeve is made so poorly, on one end a small piece is covering the gun lock, and there is no way of pulling the bolt.

4. The trigger guard on the gun is too fake; one look and it is clearly not “original/authentic”.

5. That sniper scope is too far [from the eye]. This way there is no way to see things clearly, let alone shooting accurately.

6. The position of that gun stock is placed so clearly wrong, without placing it under the armpit, the moment she opens fire her face will certainly be blown apart, perhaps even her head will be blown apart.

7. Shooter’s left hand is too high; this way you can’t keep the gun steady.

8. The director and military consultants (don’t know if any were hired) for this series must all be stupid, [because] just one shot reveals so many problems. In fact, it is just irresponsible. Besides, how could there be so many sniper rifles during that time, when simply having a gun was already a blessing for the Eighth Route Army. Can you please stop raping the eyes and hearts of Chinese military enthusiasts?

9. Do you not know how to use the eye piece and scope? How could they be attached like this? [The scope is sideways.]

Comments from Tiexue:

liping2993:


I’ve this picture before and always felt something wasn’t right but didn’t know where the mistakes were, so louzhu has the sharper eye, having dissected every mistake on [this picture of] the girl with the gun, very satisfying!

swj55:


Louzhu, allow me to correct you you a bit. The woman’s uniform is clearly from the War of Liberation era [Chinese Civil War] or not long after the War of Liberation [the series is set during in WWII]; Another is that this rifle is bolt action meaning that it has to be reloaded after every shot, whereas you only pointed out how the gun bolt cannot move freely but did not say how the bullets will eject from the gun; Also, the gun stock should go against the shoulder not the armpit; One more, this gun’s scope resembles the one in “My Brother’s Called Shun Liu” [another Chinese television drama] where the scope is also attached sideways. This lousy series is called “Saving Female Private Shi Tuhui”, which is basically the Chinese version of “Saving Private Ryan”.

忠贞不二：

KALASHNIKOV GRANT ME POWER!

aylwqgg:

I remember a report that said: When a certain American film company was filming “Platoon”, the actors were sent to the Philippines for over a month of military training,
I also remember the older generation of Chinese actors said that to make a good film, they always had to go somewhere to experience the life there before the filming began.
Don’t know whether or not these actors these days will still [first go] experience the life [they portray on screen]?
From the picture above, [I] feel like she’s a cheap slut who managed to slip into our army.

shioroamada:

It’s already good enough that the gun is not held backwards, everyone don’t have such high expectations…

  • Big-bib

    Lol.

    Sofa time :)

  • Gut

    Should have had a historian prop’s manger.

    or they could worked in an advanced black weapons program into the storyline.

  • Confucius says

    Man, chinese netizen are one pathetic pedantic bunch.

    • Cerebus

      No, they’re not, not any more than netizens of any other nationality. What you see above are just a bunch of “military enthusiasts”. You ever been on a gun forum? It’s just like this.

      • dirtywhiteboy

        don’t feed the troll

    • Joe

      What’s the problem? They’re military enthusiasts. I think you’re just a boring person with no interests.

    • http://www.ethansenglishcafe.com Ethan

      Confucius did not speak like that, I can’t believe the directors here at Chinasmack would portray Confucius speaking in such a modern way! Totally unrealistic!!

  • nereis

    There must be thousands of old bolt actions still around. Whats the deal with not doing your job properly?

    • Anonanon

      The old “military veterans” that served in the line of duty who were hired for this were probably the real deal…

      ….coast guard….sanitation department!
      “You were a garbageman!?”

  • Hongjian

    Buget constraints.

    Watch high-buget, high-quality flicks like “The Assembly”, if you want historical correct weapons.

    And yeah. Its that “Grass is always greener” all over again.
    Watching lots of big-buget holywood flicks with totally ahistorical and wrong and rage-worthy weapons, it’s clear that Chinese netizens are ignorant, self-important fucks again.

    • nereis

      Or they could be people with a higher standard when it comes to historical accuracy.

      “Chinese netizens are ignorant, self-important fucks again.”

      You mad brah?

    • http://www.facebook.com/kedafu Kedafu

      you are 牛B correct Comrade Hongjian! that last sentence of yours…..

      have you ever seen

      大阅兵

      that is “the big parade” for all you non-Chinese speaking, non 50c people

      great movie about sino-viet war back in the “80ies”

      LOOK for the subliminal messages!

      you can see that on

      http://www.56.com/u51/v_NTg0NzYwMzE.html

      —

      song of the article,

      and it was a tough choice……. alot of songs…… QQ music player……. ALOT!

      going with

      Spirit In The Sky
      -Norman Greenbaum

      五毛党

    • red_five

      Yeah, The Assembly is rather good. They even managed to cobble together a half-decent pass at a Sherman (all things considered).

      Chinese serials and films also have a really awful habit of blatantly ripping their sound tracks from their western contemporaries. A stolen sound track, while seemingly minor, can really destroy the credibility of a production.

      • staylost

        “can destroy the credibility”?

        Simply stealing anything entirely destroys the credibility. I’m not going to say it is a travesty or anything like that, and not everything needs credibility, but these shows are like most modern Chinese martial arts: cheap fun, but not applicable to reality. I think the only way one can defend the wording “can” is if one believes these Chinese war drama’s credibility was already shot, and so cannot be any further ruined. Not an indefensible position if I may say so myself.

      • Fliao

        It was supposed to be an M26 Pershing.

  • http://luojianchuan.net Jianchuan

    Alas, people shouldn’t be too tough about the directors or the prop team.

    One has to be submissive to get a license to make these shows. And, come on, we all know that any thing that’s capable of launching a bullet is banned in China.

  • http://www.matthewsawtell.com Matthew A. Sawtell

    Some of the comments were amusing – given how WWII flicks produced in the U.S. or Europe have had a devil of a time getting proper equipment together (in terms of weapons, vehicles, etc.), espeically as the decades past. Usually, you will see smaller budget flicks use US tanks or plane painted in Axis colors. Other flicks, like “Saving Private Ryan” or “Tora, Tora, Tora” on expensive is too big to have equipment purpose made for the movie. However, uniforms and little things like ‘historical accuracy’ are usually kept to better quality. From what I have seen with these P.R. Chinese movie clips, it appears that most are at the level of ‘Pearl Harbor’ (the Ben Affleck bomb from a few years back), i.e. “taking a train from New York to London”.

    • staylost

      Wow. That Pearl Harbor movie is my least favorite screen show in the world. It is an insult to American servicemen and to the USA. It enrages me to even remember it.

      I’ve boycotted the director and avoided Affleck movies since that drivel was released.

      To balance all that negativity:

      Awesome war movie everyone should see:

      Letters from Iwo Jima.

      Clint Eastwood, while a so so actor, is an insanely good director. Both he and Mel Gibson fit in that weird niche of jerks you’d probably never want to hang out with in real life, and weren’t even that great of actors, but have a ridiculous amount of talent at actually making movies.

      • http://www.foarp.blogspot.com FOARP

        Agree that Eastwood is awesome (both as a director and as an actor) but Gibson? His films are a pile of ahistorical garbage. Braveheart? Mostly made up. We Were Soldiers? Likewise, most of it didn’t happen. The Patriot? The US ambassador to the UK ended up issuing an apology for it.

        • staylost

          My opinion is that they weren’t great actors (doesn’t preclude ‘good’), but great directors.

          Mel Gibson didn’t direct The Patriot, an award winning movie that Americans happily defended against British criticism, nor did he direct We Were Soldiers, which I’ve never bothered to see.

          Braveheart is generally regarded as a masterpiece, regardless of its admitted loose grasp on historical fact.

          The most important fact here is that none of the above films were trying to be anything but historical fiction, or a moviegoers retelling. It is unfair to criticize Mel Gibson on his work with films as ahistorical while not criticizing Clint Eastwood for his huge range of “based on a true story” westerns. They have also both directed fiction.

          I may fail to convince you, but I would like to point out that, in my opinion, the greatest contribution Gibson has made is the epic Apocalypto. Both it and Eastwood’s work since “Letters…” are prime examples of the reason I have interest in movies.

          • http://www.foarp.blogspot.com FOARP

            Call me a dyed-in-the wool 愤英 if you like (OK, I am) but Gibson’s Anglophobia was there for all to see way before his anti-Semitism became publicly known.

            Gallipoli was the first, and had a scene in which a British officer brutally ordered wave after wave of Australians to attack an impregnable position. In real life, it was an Australian.

            Braveheart was also a total load. If the film had been made about anyone but the English, the portrayal of the English basically trying to commit genocide on the Scots by an organised campaign of raping their women folk the night before their wedding night (something which did not happen) would have caused demonstrators to take to the streets.

            The Patriot was also a real load. The scene where British soldiers burn a church filled with un-armed civilians (once again, something which did not happen) portrays the British as being like the Nazis. The US ambassador was quite right to condemn this.

            Yes, I am a 愤英, but we are not talking about the burning of the village in Oliver Stone’s Platoon which we can at least say occurred in real life at least once (My Lai) even if it is not indicative of a general trend (although JFK was bloody terrible). We are talking about him consistently opting to appear in films which invent historical events which never happened and which portray the British as genocidal murdering scum. British history has many dark moments, the film Ghandi did a good job of portraying one of the worst ones (the Amritsar massacre), one wonders why it is necessary to invent them.

          • k2000k

            Mel Gibson is a crazy individual but Galipoli was based off of true events, the Aussies were thrown to die, and Mel Gibson was a young actor, I hardly think he picked the roll because of Anglophobia, more than likely he was stocked to be working in a big budget film. And give the man credit, Apocalypto and the Passion, however you feel about the subject matter, were far better films than most of the swill that comes out.

  • McCurry

    LOL at the MW2 copy paste job.

    I always love how retarded the Jap sounded when speaking Chinese, it always cracks me up

  • Anonanon

    Reality check: waste thousands on a team of “military specialists” or scout out Chinese NEET/war enthusiasts for console.

    Lol @ the AWP though. IT scared me in Counter-Strike back in the day because of how loud it was. I’m sure we’d have a mutiny if it was used in the 40s or whatever when everyone else was carrying peashooters. Haha

  • TomTuttleFromTacoma

    http://www.chinasmack.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/chinese-nationalist-army-sten.jpg

    Clearly the mistake is that Sargent Schultz was working in a POW camp in Germany and not fighting the Japanese.

    http://preview.tinyurl.com/5y6wd

  • Irvin

    If its so stupid why do people still watch it or pay any attention to it?

    I myself don’t know shit about the retarded props until I read this article because I don’t watch boring made in china movies or series.

    • Joe

      HURRDURR I DON’T WANT TO THINK.

    • Anon

      Due to boredom we are here. It will get even more boring and then, we can either evolve beyond humanity or die of boredom.

      http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/02/23/beyond-the-borg/

      http://hplusmagazine.com/2011/03/02/fiber-optic-neural-interfaces-tests-to-begin-soon/

      When are those labourer/blue collar/technician androids to be rolled out? Automate the automatons and let the people live in luxury. This should be the last generation of workers – EVER. And when this happens, we will know who the ‘Useless Eaters – aka Consumers or Breeders’ are and who the REAL innovators and drivers of society will be. Those who do not innovate but merely copy will languish and die away. Consumerism and Capitalism died the moment WISDOM and a true sense of SPIRITUAL ‘Manifest Destiny’ reached Earth.

      Let China lead in innovation – new goals of humanity ! What would be cool? Not material goods, or wealth, as the bounty and wealth of the world belongs to all mankind and cannot be claimed over by anyone. But honing of PERSONAL abilities like TELEKINESIS, TELEPORTATION, INTERDIMENSIONAL TRAVEL and preferably ONLY the non-technological versions to boot (we do not need more robots, we need organic Gods not machine ones or should foster towards organic ones), all while remembering HUMAN RIGHTS. Not having to eat or drink and not starve would be a good focal point too.

      China and probably BRICS isn’t as lame minded about profits and Capitalism, being a Socialist familiar nation if the lure of neurotech oppression (why oppress fellow humans when automatons can be created?). A Wikileak type advanced alien species’ could be watching in horror as we go about on the daily grind (who needs to work with the invention of worker bots), much less involve ourselves in war or depopulation agendas !

      The post-Millenial Great Leap Forward is now to free the Chinese citizen from ever having to work again, also to ensure MENTAL AUTONOMY. Create self drive vehicles and work free life for citizens, though the only duty citizens themselves need to do is keep to the 2.1 population child maximum to not further stress the world’s sustainability.

      NO EXCUSES. Time to raise the stature of the citizens CCP. China has the space (among largest nations) and the tech (robotics-android) and the resources (solar for electricity), sufficient ocean water to desalinate (worries about sea currents bringing corexit or other pollutants to Chinese shores in a few? years though). 2nd GREAT LEAP FORWARD in a decade is NOTHING for BRICS!!!

      Meanwhile Good work on the military initiative, the only thing a super power needs to do is to be able to play policeman if need be, our current self appointed policeman is a crook in uniform IMHO, and contributes NOTHING to the planet. Corruption? Attitude shift? Think, BRICS could liberate mankind for all eternity.

      2nd GREAT LEAP FORWARD in a decade is NOTHING for BRICS!!!

      • Capt. WED

        THIS. BEST. CHINA. SMACK. POST. EVAR.

        I. ALREADY. WELCOMED. OUR. OUR. ANDROID. BREEDING. OVERLORD.

        PRAISE. BE. TO. THE. OVERLORD.

  • Jess

    I think this ‘would’ be amusing if not for the fact that they ask me to laugh at a group of people just like myself. (What do I know about guns and army uniforms?)
    A lot of the people commenting come across as being really obnoxious and elitist. It’s not the usual, “Teeheehee, he’s wearing a modern wristwatch in Ancient Greece. How silly~!” that you normally get. The comments are much more condescending. And it’s an awkward standard, because while we frequently ridicule movies for plot holes, goofs like these are generally comical in nature. We attack the coherency of the film, not the prop mistakes.
    I get that these comments are selected for interest, but they still don’t seem very…friendly.

    • staylost

      If you made a movie about cooking and in that movie people made what they called apple pie with a pumpkin, it would be ridiculed. If you make a movie about war and call some gun another type, you should also be ridiculed.

      Personally, I can’t tell the difference between the guns except for the super obvious AK. But I’m glad there are people who can and that they make a big stink about it. I wouldn’t enjoy these programs if they weren’t giving an accurate look into our past.

      I have no use for false patriotism, racism, violence for its own sake, or the drama potential of war situations. I’m watching to gain edification on what actually happened.

      Since it is many details that make up any actual event, the loss of a detail is a departure from us being able to actually learn about that event.

  • Tommy

    Good job Fona, on all that translation. Seems likes a lot of work.

    • http://www.about.me/joe.xu Joe

      Thanks

      • Sunshine

        Good job Joe!

        characterscharacters

    • kathy

      her name is fiona and not fona

      • staylost

        Are you talking about the flora and the Fauna?

      • Alikese

        I thought it was phone-a.

        • Alikese

          Short for Bananaphone-a.

  • Curren$y

    Chinese people still make these propaganda movies? They were so cheesy and seriously downplayed the intelligence of the Japanese. Like a Chinese comment above said, if the Japanese were retarded, then the Chinese must have been way retarded. When are China and the Chinese people going to move forward? Damn.

    • justmega

      No $hit! It’s just like black people always bitching & moaning living in the past. Get over it! The way to advance past the Japanese is to overtake them in business, culture, MANNERS, etc. Pfft, like that will ever happen. F’ing Cockroaches.

      • DRaY

        Yeah!! like the Jews and their dayum Holocaust!
        ..People shouldn’t remember the past!!! I mean, it’s like the Blacks, Chinese and Jews, should have all been wiped out, so we don’t have to hear their complaining and watch their stupid movies!!.. JErk!

        • staylost

          Hey, I’m a Black Chinese Jew, and I take offense at that statement! Our movies are usually exciting! Like ET and Crouching Tiger and White Girls! C’mon!

          • Alikese

            What’s your name? DaXiaohui Weinstein?

    • Sunshine

      Maybe when Japan admits and apologizes?
      No, I think apologizing is too much to ask. I’ll settle for admitting.

      Though I agree wholeheartedly on the uselessness of the unnecessary amount of unnecessarily cheesy propaganda movies. Seeing this from the Chinese government’s point of view: How else are the newer generation going to learn of our past?

      • Curren$y

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_war_apology_statements_issued_by_Japan

        After WWII, Japan has officially acknowledged and apologized explicitly many times. Of course, nothing will ever make the crimes right, but we as a people have to move on eventually.

        • Sunshine

          No. I’m not talking about war. War happens. People “get over it”.
          I was referring to the Nanking Massacre.
          A direct quote from (also) Wikipedia:
          “The massacre remains a contentious political issue, as various aspects of it have been disputed by some historical revisionists and Japanese nationalists,[3] who have claimed that the massacre has been either exaggerated or wholly fabricated for propaganda purposes.”
          “Although the Japanese government has admitted the acts of the killing of a large number of noncombatants, looting and other violence committed by the Imperial Japanese Army after the fall of Nanking,[8][9] some Japanese officials have argued that the death toll was military in nature and that no such crimes ever occurred. Denial of the massacre (and a divergent array of revisionist accounts of the killings) has become a staple of Japanese nationalism.”

          Tell me, what is your definition of moving on?
          I don’t see how Chinese people are doing anything different from Jewish people in regards to the Holocaust, and that is WITH Germany accepting and apologizing the occurrence of the event.

          • Sunshine

            Another atrocious item the Japanese simply refuses to acknowledge: Unit 731.

          • B-real

            I will have to agree with the Japs in the Nanking incident. They were raping and pillaging like most forces did back in their day. You know the typical, invade, kill the locals or potential militants which was any abled body male. Some ladies around the point of entry, round them bitches up make them slaves and if they cause you any problems kill them. Attacking the hospitals and so called green zones was a fucked up thing to do. Nanking was not the worse and for sure wasn’t the only occurrence of inhumanity from Japan. Nothing different from when Mongolians took over. Not to compare with the holocaust.

            China is butt hurt over the fact that this small Nation had a poweful force and exploited its weakness again. Engulfed in civil wars over power, thriving poverty on top of that white people occupied their land. These films are designed to instill hate of old enemy they plan to hit back when the time is right. Most African Americans have no ill feeling toward todays white man spite what you read or see on TV. But I have to agree with certain checks and balances are put in place to keep from history repeating itself. The new generation should be educated but not told how to feel about. I’ve been on too many dates where me and a Chinese lady has a choice between noodles from korea or from Japan virtually identical taste and preparation just the origin is different. So i’ve been stuck eating Korean food many of my dates. Kind of an extreme way to live your life when you couldn’t have imagined what these people’s great grand parents actually went thru. I understand the grief my Great grand mother went thru during struggles in America as a black women but up til she died she held no grudge for her fellow white man. No one alive today should have true hate of any past wrong doing of that nature, even if they deny it. Its something to be weary of but nothing more. China does not intend to accept any oppologies without hitting them back. They wanna hate and make sure that a large part of their population agrees with this hate, so when its time for the call to go to war with these guys there will be no public opposition.

            Plus film makers can only create what the Gov allows thru the airwaves. If the Gov would stop scensorship these guys can actually make some shows outside of Anti-jap, kung fu, farmers farming, farmers moving out of the farm, rich people moving to the farms, police shows of busting the same gangster, and the fucking Munky King (how many those do you need to see in 1 day?) shows and movies.

          • staylost

            I heavily agree that both the Japanese government AND the United States government (as the group that promised immunity and avoided dispensing justice when they had the power) that rewarded this behavior (731) absolutely need to clean their closet and get this stuff in the open.

            It isn’t just China that deserves an apology (though they are the main party wronged), but the human race as a whole. Many of the things that went on are something no one should ever even have to read about. It easily rivals the worst of Hitler’s Nazis.

          • guizi

            > Nanking Massacre. – - – - – - – - the massacre has been either exaggerated or wholly fabricated for propaganda purposes.”

            I dont say it was a hoax, as it happened, but I think it was exaggerated Some years ago, I read a news article about it. Historians from Japan and China often make conference to talk about historical issues. I heard it very tough for Japanese historians, as Chinese side never change their attitude and often political issues are involved. So Chinese side always insisted the number of nanking victims was 300000, but that year they changed a little and admitted that the number could be different. Japanese historian said that Chinese side seemed to be becoming under less political influence. So, I think we need more time to know a best possible number as we can get.

            > Another atrocious item the Japanese simply refuses to acknowledge: Unit 731.

            Any source?

        • Sunshine

          Maybe I’m not the best one to speak to regarding this matter as my opinions are subjective for I have lost family members who could otherwise have enjoyed life in its simplicity as I do today sitting behind the comforts of my computer screen.

          I do move on with my life. But I will never forget.

          • guizi

            As a Japanese, I am sorry for you. It happened long ago, and I was not born yet. But I was born in a hospital and studied in schools which were built by Japanese who perhaps fought in the war. As this, today’s Japanese people have many things connected to the war. And if today’s Japanese people refuse to connect themselves with the war, as it happened in their grandfathers days, they become like insects that after giving eggs there is no family relationships. We are human being with family relationship and human connections.

            At the same time, I want to say that please dont exaggerate, fabricate things, and ignore Japanese side.

            Here, I give some links about Japanese textbooks, which I choose from those written by Chinese people.
            http://tieba.baidu.com/f?ct=335544320&lm=0&rn=30&tn=postBrowserN&sc=0&z=183658973&pn=0&word=%BA%BA%B7%FE

            http://www.dongyangjing.com/disp1.cgi?zno=10038&&kno=003&&no=0024

            http://www.dongyangjing.com/disp1.cgi?zno=10038&&kno=003&&no=0025

          • Sunshine

            “At the same time, I want to say that please dont exaggerate, fabricate things, and ignore Japanese side.”
            ^
            ???????????????
            ????????
            Please show me where I was fabricating, exaggerating things????????????
            For the record, I do not hate Japanese people who are in the rliving now, nor do I dislike them. I am simply suggesting to Curren$y the reason as to why some Chinese people may not seem to “move on”.

            B-real, after reading your first paragraph, I decided there was no need to continue.
            “I will have to agree with the Japs in the Nanking incident. ”
            “Nanking was not the worse and for sure wasn’t the only occurrence of inhumanity from Japan. ”
            ^Okay? Am I supposed to take you seriously after seeing those two sentences in the same paragraph??

            Guizi:
            Any source?
            ^You can do a little research on your own. Look for English sources.

            Thank you staylost.

            B-real: Please don’t even bother replying to my posts any more as you can be sure I will not read them. I’m sorry you wasted your time typing out that long paragraph.
            Have a nice day everyone.

          • Sunshine

            Also, guizi:
            Thank you for providing those links. They were very interesting to read.

            I just wanted you to know that most Chinese (minus the young, hot-headed netizens) do not hate the Japanese. My father, who is in a more direct relation to the Nanking Massacre than me, as it was his relatives that were killed in it, does condemn the Japanese officials at the time who ordered the attack, however in no way holds a grudge against Japanese people now. In fact, numerous times he has expressed his desire for me to visit/work in Japan when I graduate, so that I may open my eyes and gain the experience of basking in the fastest technologically-growing country in the world. He has also praised the Japanese for their continuous practice of traditions and mannerisms. Never once have I heard that he would like to seek revenge of any kind.

            See, people do move on. I brought this topic up to Curren$y because it seemed like he was brushing it off as if it were some playground dispute in elementary school, and once the teacher makes both sides apologize, things will be all dandy and forgotten the next day. Maybe I should given it more thought, as it is still a sensitive issue.

          • guizi

            > Please show me where I was fabricating, exaggerating things????????????

            Sorry, I thought you are one of those who bash Japan for anything. But I want to say one thing. If some Japanese guys say that the number of death in Nanjing was not 300000, is it the reason to say Japan is refusing to admit Nanjing? Your comment has this kind of logic. So I thought there is exaggeration. To tell the truth, I am one of those who think the death toll is not 300000. I reached this conclusion after reading several books including rabe diary.

            What I always dont understand is when some Japanese say a different thing from what Chinese people believe, it automatically becomes that Japan does not admit war crimes. No one small thing is allowed, it automatically becomes that whole Japan dont admit.

            About ten years ago, a Japanese publishing company tried to translate the rape of Nanking by Iris Chang. The translators and publisher are left wingers, so they are on the China side. They found lots of errors in the book, and they thought that if translated with errors there will be lots of criticism, and Iris Chang will never gain support and Chinese side will lose credibility in Japan. So they contacted to Iris Chang, but she refused any corrections. So the publishers gave up publishing. But what happened next was a news that Japanese right wingers forced the publisher to give it up. This is simply strange. Any war issue in Japan is reported with this simple logic of wright wingers, nationalists and so on. And we can see the same logic on the net as well.

            > For the record, I do not hate Japanese people who are in the rliving now,

            For me, you or Chinese people or even all non-Japanese hate or do not hate Japan is not so important to me any more. I just think if all information about the war issue is clear and available, it is ok. Now we have Wikipedia article about Japanese apologies. This is a good trend. But before that, almost no foreigners in Japan believed that. When I said “Japan apologized.” they simply refused to admit, and they tried to teach me about Japanese atrocities. Everything was like this, Nanjing, Koreas, comfort women, and so on. Whenever I tried to tell them something different from what they believed, I was condemned. I want to see their face now. They know nothing about anything, and they behaved as if they were a moral teacher above me.

            So, if there is any English teachers here, please study China before bashing China. Otherwise you are a simply annoying stupid guy.

            > You can do a little research on your own. Look for English sources.

            Please give me some.

          • dim mak

            Dude that’s fine and all, but things like Unit 731 and comfort women just need to be admitted in the open. Wasn’t it a Japanese journalist who uncovered Unit 731 in the first place? Use Google books and search up these things, there’s lots of scholarly publications on it. Japan should pay the comfort women victims (small money from a national scale) and just come out and say “yeah shit went down, sorry about that”. Sure there’ll be nationalists in China who gloat and act like dicks, but at least we’ll be over this relations roadblock.

            If anything else from a sheer diplomatic standpoint it is still in Japan’s best interests to be more accepting of these things. The vast, vast majority of the world (not just China/Korea) believe in Japan’s WW2 atrocities, but at the same time a LOT of people also believe that Japan denies them completely and teaches nothing about it in school. Granted Japan has a slightly lower casualty estimate for Nanking, but that’s not really important given emotional tensions. When everyone in the room condemns you, stubborn denial will isolate you from the entire world. I don’t hate Japanese people, and I’m all for Asian unity – but some things need to be done first.

          • guizi

            > The vast, vast majority of the world (not just China/Korea) believe in Japan’s WW2 atrocities, but at the same time a LOT of people also believe that Japan denies them completely and teaches nothing about it in school.

            That is what I want to know. Why vast majority don’t know Japan’s apologies? Why vast majority think that Japan denies them completely and teaches nothing about it in school? What is working behind?

            > Granted Japan has a slightly lower casualty estimate for Nanking, but that’s not really important given emotional tensions.

            My other comment talks about the responsibility of Japan. I wrote if we think the war does not have any relation to us, we will become insects which after giving eggs don’t have any relationship with their offspring. Here I was saying that we have to feel responsibility for that war, and that at the same time we have the right to defend our grandfathers.

            Or are you saying Japan should admit the remark of North Korea that Japan abducted 8.4 million Koreans during the war. The population of Korea was 25 million in 1945, and it is simply difficult to do that.
            What about other lies? On the global level, there are lots of lies, if the lies were made by the victims side, it should be admitted? If you are Han Chinese descendant, how about the 6 million deaths claim by Tibetan? I think the number is greatly exaggerated.

            > When everyone in the room condemns you, stubborn denial will isolate you

            In fact, the situation is the other way around. The stubborn denial was on the foreigner side. I just talk the fact; they simply deny them as follows,

            Me: Japan apologized.
            Foreigner: Never heard of it. No, Japan never did that. I heard Japan never apologized and always refused it.
            M: We did, prime ministers apologized, and emperors did too.
            F: I think you are influenced by right wingers and books written by them. You never know what the war is like. You should study more. You should watch foreign media like CNN or BBC, not Japanese media.

            I really don’t understand why those foreigners never knew and never heard of that Japan apologized. Maybe those CNN and BBC never reported Japan’s apologies.

            > I don’t hate Japanese people, and I’m all for Asian unity – but some things need to be done first.

            As I wrote in other comment, I don’t care you or others hate or like Japan, I only care if everybody has correct information. I don’t know where you are from. But does your country have Chinese professors who beautifully defend China on everything. Japan has such Chinese. They regularly appear on TV and defend China. They always say they love Japan, but their beautiful logic overtly or covertly attack Japan and makes us Japanese feel guilt trip on China.

          • dim mak

            That’s not what I mean. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have a correct view of history, I’m telling you people will never have a correct view of history. It’s the same reason why a lot of people believe Japan teaches nothing about WW2 atrocities and never showed any apology. Because most people are IDIOTS. They read one article on CNN about one revisionist textbook and suddenly it’s every single school in Japan. If you want to know, in China, “popular belief” often trumps actual fact, especially when it comes to history.

            You are imagining we live in a reasonable world. Actually we live in an emotional world and your diplomacy must fit that reality. Yes, there is a big element of pride in China as well, and some topics are taboo. However, at this stage it would be best for all of Asia if Japan came out and admitted to the issues I mentioned. And frankly the evidence for Unit 731, Nanking massacre is insurmountable and widely accepted through consensus. Denial makes Japan look foolish.

            The past is the past. Regardless of what truth you believe in, Japan’s stance on these problems has put itself in a very poor position with its neighbors. No offense, but as far as I can tell the average Japanese speaks no language except Japanese and is woefully unaware of the outside world. I think you guys need to open up and communicate with people, then rethink your position on historical controversies.

          • Sunshine

            > The vast, vast majority of the world (not just China/Korea) believe in Japan’s WW2 atrocities, but at the same time a LOT of people also believe that Japan denies them completely and teaches nothing about it in school.

            That is what I want to know. Why vast majority don’t know Japan’s apologies? Why vast majority think that Japan denies them completely and teaches nothing about it in school? What is working behind?

            —–

            Dim Mak is referring to atrocities Japan committed OTHER than just starting war/invading. Japan issued official apologies for starting war, and some aspects of the Nanking Massacre, and that’s IT.
            Before you start asking me for source again, do your own research!!

          • guizi

            > Dim Mak is referring to atrocities Japan committed OTHER than just starting war/invading. Japan issued official apologies for starting war, and some aspects of the Nanking Massacre, and that’s IT.

            I dont think so. For example, the apology of Prime minister Tanaka in 1972 says “The Japanese side is keenly conscious of the responsibility for the serious damage that Japan caused in the past to the Chinese people through war, and ,,,,,,” This is the Joint Communique of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People’s Republic of China. I think this is official, and states the all aspects of the war.

            > Before you start asking me for source again, do your own research!!

            Ok. I dont ask any more. I wanted a source of your idea, but you asked me for searching. I thought it is not polite.

            > You are imagining we live in a reasonable world.

            Actually, I want to be live in a reasonable world, and want to change it as such. And I think such dream can happen too though only to some extent. I think Japanese and Chinese can understand each other to some extent on war issues. Not all Chinese people hate Japan very much, and I think they can understand current situation of this issue.

            > average Japanese speaks no language except Japanese and is woefully unaware of the outside world. I think you guys need to open up and communicate with people, then rethink your position on historical controversies.

            I think language is not so important. I think attitudes is more important. For example, in today’s world if you can English, you can read lots of news resources from around the world. But this does not mean English speakers well-informed towards world. For example Americans are rather ignorant about issues outside of America. Sorry for American to use as an example.

  • Foreign Devil

    If you fools don’t like the quality of Chinese films and TV series then stop fecking pirating them and selling shanzai film and TV merchandise. Then maybe your Chinese directors will be able to profit from their works enough to afford authenticity. Right now the only way you can profit is if the government is behind your film or TV series. . And we all know what government does to creativity.

  • asdasdasdasd

    wow really, so they made a few mistakes in a movie. So what? You guys are acting like they changed the entire ending!

  • DRaY

    Wait a minute… Are these crazy Chinese guys trying to pull an Inglorious Basterd? Change the history of events, for the sake of telling a good story? WOW!!! Genius, simply genius. …
    .. C’mon guys films are not easy to make and not cheap, I’m sure these Chinese TV show budgets are no where close to that of a Hollywood movie. CHinese TV is bad to look at, they should send some guys to Hollywood to learn from the best and bring up the production level of Chinese TV.

    • http://www.foarp.blogspot.com FOARP

      Wait, are you saying that Hitler didn’t die at the hands of a group of mad Jewish commandos in a blazing Paris cinema?

  • Nam

    Basically it tells us that these war movies were made without passion, obviously no one did the homework. Just want to get it out of the door and start making money.

  • zagny

    i accept and understand the gun enthusiasts, though i think maybe the extreme analysis isn’t relevant to the average viewer the use of guns, period, in one of the above photos, as well as how hilariously ancient all the other equipment looks in comparison to the guns is already indicative that something is wrong – and no am not a gun enthusiast, just common sense.

    but anyway. best comment on here so far is one translated:

    “In movies about the resistance against the Japanese, the enemy is always retarded. I don’t understand what the directors are trying to portray, [because if] it took 8 years to fight a retarded enemy, doesn’t that mean our own side was even more retarded?”

    he-llo!

  • http://chinarave.blogspot.com/ theChinaRave

    I remember watching groups of Chinese students perform some sort of military training outside my on-campus apartment in China, and I remember thinking that the only thing the Chinese military has going for it is numbers. The hand-to-hand combat training those students received seemed useless… They training without intensity or enthusiasm….

    • cdn icehole

      There won’t be any enthusiasm when one is forced to do something that they don’t like. The instructor more than likely have given up on caring and just wanted to get the day over with.

  • 4Angle

    in motion pictures,it will be difficult to spot these faults.audience are focused on the movie

  • nereis

    It isn’t that hard to make realistic props. It isn’t hard to get a military advisor to show you how to hold a rifle well enough to pass yourself off as a soldier.

  • gcarcass

    Movies when are not documentaries are an “interpretation of reality”, they are made for entertainment or artistic expression, China has great directors, do not stone them for a few “technicalities”.

    • nereis

      These technicalities such as using an assault rifle when even the IJA didn’t have semi-automatics. ;)

      These are bad because they ruin your suspension of disbelief.

    • Jones

      If you’re doing a historical piece, then you’re pretty much expected to at least make some effort in making it accurate. In fact, I would say that this is significantly easier to do than to come up with the plot of the story. There are experts on the matter than can be hired.

  • http://www,somethingawful.com Sean

    “5. That sniper scope is too far [from the eye]. This way there is no way to see things clearly, let alone shooting accurately.”

    I am a mere guai lo but the scope’s position in this last one isn’t unfeasible. It’s often used in a scout set-up. Google scout scope for pictures of it. But yeah, the rest of it is horrifically inaccurate. Oh well, I guess gun nerds like me just have to suffer, :(

  • Jones

    Whoa, check out that badass Asian 101st Airborne soldier with the eyepatch. It goes well with those torches.

    • staylost

      I laughed too when I saw 101st carrying torches!???

      Out of all the mistakes shown above, the torches throw me off the most.

      /s
      No wonder China was so easy to conquer.
      When at war they think one should light torches and carry them around at night. /s

  • http://www.somethingawful.com Sean

    Oh man, as a gun collector I have to say “The Assembly” is probably my favorite Chinese movie and all-time favorite war films.

    The accuracy of the equipment and setting are done to a perfection.

  • Cyrus Howell

    ” Take that you Jap bastard. ”
    ” Bonzai yourself and see how you like it.”

  • Cyrus Howell

    The Soviet Army had 2,000 female snipers in World War II. Only 500 came home the rest were killed.
    Major Ludmilla Pavlichenko had been a university student in Kiev. She had 309 confirmed Nazi kills when the war ended. She operated in the area of Odessa and Southern Russia against German Army Group South.
    The Russian sniper rifle was the bolt action Mosiev-Nagant.

  • Cyrus Howell

    US Marine on Tarawa:

    ” The Japs wanted to die for their emperor, and we wanted to help them.”

  • Pingback: Anachronisms In Chinese War Movies | Japan Probe

  • Ben

    In the last one, the scope is backward!!!!!!!! The end you look in, is pointed at the enemy, and the part that should be pointed to the shooter, is pointed at the target. Ring around the end that is currently pointing away from the shooter is what you use to adjust the focus.

  • Koreansentry

    I’m not surprised by this, most mainland Chinese media does distort history and everyone knows this. Entire cultural revolution history is distorted or even fabricated and even ancient Chinese history is totally made up in 20th century.

  • Kang Le Hua

    I’d like to find one of the Helmets German style for riding my motorcycle. Anyone out there is able to help me find one?
    Many thanks in advance!!!!

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  • Cheryl

    There is a film I’ve been looking for for years but cannot find and I thought someone here might know it. I only caught the last 30-40 minutes of it on a cable channel years ago. Looks like it could have been made in the 60s-70s period (only a guess), and seemed to have been about an American/Norwegian/Swedish woman (very blonde, very fair, but nobody I recognized) who was married to a Chinese man who was captured during the war between the Communists and Kuomintang (again, just a guess, but it looks like about that period). She has to live by herself in the mountain village where he grew up, all alone, ends up sitting in the market selling her jewelry and anything of value so she can get food to eat. The woman speaks good Mandarin Chinese. A kind villager helps her out. In the end her husband comes home and she is blissfully reunited with him. Seems he had been in a POW type camp. The reason the film stuck with me is that the wife seemed, in her peasant clothes, to have really adjusted to life in the village, and also, her great happiness in the reunion with her man seemed so genuine–also, because WHEN do you see a white woman with an Asian man in a movie, back then, especially. I really want to see the whole movie–does anyone know the title or stars??? Please write and let me know!

    Thanks!
    Cheryl (Zhao Xue Rou–my Chinese name!)

  • Edohiguma

    Also notice the abysmal trigger discipline and how they constantly seem to flag each other.

    I don’t want any of them on my range or ever handling a real gun. They’d be too dangerous for everyone around them.

  • Edohiguma

    Also, about the whole “discussion” about how Japan has to apologize. Uhmm… Culture of collective guilt and “Sippenhaftung” anyone?

    It’s like the Germans today apologizing for the Holocaust. It makes no sense. I was born in 1975, how can I apologize for something I have no responsibility for? Something I wasn’t around to take part in because, uhm, I wasn’t even born yet? How does that make sense or is even remotely reasonable?

    And how far back do we go? To Napoleon? To the Romans? Heck yes, I want the Italians of today apologize for the Roman conquest of Europe. It’s just as reasonable.

    Also funny how the Chinese communists have killed more Chinese than the Japanese (Mao’s great leap forward and the one child policy have butchered tens of millions.) Same in Korea by the way. The right wing Korean government after WW2 into the Korean War was hardly friendly to suspected communists. And after murdering so many people, they covered it up for decades. Even today most Koreans don’t know about it. I guess it’s easier to bash the Japanese instead.

    So when will the French apologize for Napoleo? The British for their Empire? Or the Greek for Troy?

    And this, folks, is why history must be guarded against people abusing it (especially politicians.)

  • khan

    Movies, video, wallpapers, heath care, Luck younger, cricket, soccer, mobiles Models, Flags of country, games and much more…
    .
    http://www.youneedeverything.blogspot.com/

  • ??????? luiz camacho

    THE CHINA IS SO ….. DIFFERENT FORM MY COUTRY ( BRAZIL ) !

    HOW TO LEARN LANGUAGES IN CHINA OR TAIWAN ? ARE THERE FREE COURSES ?

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