China's anti-fascist war to be retold through words of Western correspondents

A micro-documentary series which tells the story of China's resistance against Japanese aggression through the lens of Western war correspondents is set to debut on Friday.

Dispatches from the East, a five-part series jointly produced by the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality and Shanghai Media Group's Docu-China Co, marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Drawing from English-language publications including The New York Times, The Manchester Guardian, The New York Sun, The Oakland Tribune and Time Magazine, as well as Shanghai-based newspapers with international reach such as Millard's Review and Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury, the series presents authentic historical accounts of the era.

Hosted by Andrew Field, a renowned US scholar who specializes in East Asian history, the documentary blends on-location footage with AI-generated recreations to bring wartime narratives to life, aiming to offer viewers an immersive historical experience.

The series follows five Western journalists whose lives became deeply intertwined with China's wartime struggle - Edgar Snow, who wrote the epic Red Star Over China; Agnes Smedley, a correspondent who developed a profound understanding of Chinese society; John Benjamin Powell, whose publication exposed Japanese military actions; Jack Belden, who evolved from an adventurous youth to a frontline reporter; and Harrison Forman, who transitioned from selling aircraft to documenting the war through photography.

Each episode interweaves war reporting with historical events, revealing how these journalists' perspectives evolved as they documented China's role in the global fight against fascism.

The documentary series will be released daily from Tuesday across multiple media platforms, with a complete airing scheduled for Dragon TV at 10 pm on Sept 2.