Since the normalizing of China and Japan official ties in 1972, the dynamic between the two countries experienced its share of ups and downs. Under mutual governmental and NGO efforts, relations are now stable. The six-episode documentary, Warm Current, details historic events between Chinese and Japanese people mainly from 1945, the end of China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression(1937-45).
Beginning production in China in May 2011, the 360-minute documentary covers 20 provinces and interviews over 200 experts, according to Zeng Dali, chief supervisor of the documentary. The series finished shooting in China and will continue to film in Japan.
"In Japan, we will interview Japanese friends about their time and friendships formed in China," Zeng told the Global Times.
Warm Current is directed by CCTV's Li Ying, whose previous works include Let the History Tell Future, The Art of War, and Tidbits of WWII.
Set to premiere in September in China and Japan, the documentary marks the 40th anniversary since China and Japan resumed official relations.
Chinese stories
Since the war ended in 1945, there has been communication between the two countries, with China sending back Japanese war criminals and emigrants, and Japan aiding China's medical and steel industry.
Nie Rongzhen (1899-1992), one of the founders of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), was dubbed the "live Buddha" and "emissary" of China-Japan friendship by Japan's media. In 1940, when the PLA was battling the Japanese army in Jingxing Mining District in northern Hebei Province, two Japanese girls, Mihoko, then aged 6, and her younger sister were found crying in the mining area.
Chinese soldiers rescued and brought the children to Nie. After learning that their parents died in the war, Nie gave the girls food and ordered his soldiers to help the duo return to Japan.
In July 1980, Chinese and Japanese journalists gathered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to report on the grown Mihoko reuniting with Nie after 40 years had passed. When 81-year-old Nie appeared in front of Mihoko, she fell on her knees before Nie, expressing her gratitude for the years.
In Shandong Province, Wang Xishun's story of adopting a Japanese orphan touched hearts far and wide. At the end of the war in 1945, Wang found a three-year-old Japanese boy alone, in the inhospitable environment of Changbai Mountain in northern Jilin Province.
Wang rescued the boy, bringing him to his hometown in Shandong Province despite various difficulties, naming the child Wang Yufu. By selling home-made sesame cakes, Wang raised the boy until he grew up, finished school and got married. Wang Yufu supported his adopted father until the old man passed away in his 90s.
Afterwards, Wang Yufu returned to Japan for the first time in his life, at age 60.
Japanese stories
At a press conference held for the film in Tokyo on May 29, Shinji Tarutoko, a Japanese politician, said that it is inevitable for neighboring countries to experience difficulties. But despite a rocky past, we must continue efforts to build a relationship, he said.
One Japanese man, Yamasaki Hiroshi, is a household name among locals in Shandong Province. Hiroshi came to China as a Japanese military doctor in 1937, the start of the war.
Six months later, he escaped the army because he couldn't bear to see the atrocities Japanese army imposed on Chinese people. When he came to Jinan, capital of Shandong Province, people in the city were kind, giving him food and drinks.
Touched by the warmth of Chinese people, Hiroshi decided to stay. He opened a clinic to offer medical treatment for locals. He worked in China throughout the years, never returning to Japan. In 2010, the 103-year-old man died. In accordance with his will, Hiroshi donated his body to China's medical cause, without a tombstone or funeral.
These figures and their stories reflect a larger picture of Japan's efforts to help China. Since China's opening-up in 1978, 224.8 billion yuan ($35.50 billion) of development loans and various free aids were provide by Japan, according to Hu Deping, chief producer of Warm Current. With a low interest and long payment period, these loans have been used to support China's infrastructure construction, Hu said. Simultaneously, Japan has also entered Chinese market.
Dual story
As director Li Ying said at the press conference in Tokyo, the story between China and Japan needs to be depicted fairly. Since the war ended, many Japanese scientists and technicians have contributed to China.
In the 1950s, when Japan's economy was blooming, China provided cheap energy resources and exported raw materials to Japan, said Li. Economic ties in recent decades are getting closer than ever.
"Warm Current features true stories from both sides to reflect our common wish for peace," said Li. During our shooting, we found there were many stories we wanted to tell. We chose the most representative one for our audiences, he said.
"It's imperative for us to shoot this documentary before it's too late," said Zeng Dali. Many who have personally experienced that period of history are already old, Zeng said. "It's our obligation to tell their story to the public especially to younger generations, who can [continue] and extend the friendship."