On 18 February, Taiwan's "United Daily News" published an article entitled "Blossoming Flowers: A Look Back at the Two Sides of the Strait," written by Chen Yanqiao. The following is an excerpt from the article:
The mainland TV series "Flowers" is popular all over the strait. The TV series describes Shanghai, which was full of opportunities and hopes 30 years ago, and at the same time, Taiwan was also thriving and money was flooded (referring to the economic development of Taiwan back then, and money could cover your ankles when you put it on the ground - note on this website). "Flowers" takes people on both sides of the strait to look back at their 90s of the last century, and also guides young people's expectations for future prosperity.
In 1987, after Taiwan opened up to visiting relatives on the mainland, Shanghai became the first major city for Taiwanese to go to the mainland. Since then, Shanghai has had a close connection with Taiwan, and Taiwanese have brought capital, technology, talents, and even culture into Shanghai, and they have set up factories, set up companies, and even settled down. In "Flowers", the Yellow River Road, the Bund, Nanjing Road, as well as all kinds of catering, foreign trade and commerce, and social development, all have the participation of the Taiwanese people.
My Future Is Not a Dream", "A Fire in Winter", "Annie", "Love to Fight to Win", "I Am a Little Bird" and "Looking Back Again" and other Taiwanese classic songs in the drama are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people then and now, and the scenes also evoke the familiar memories of many Taiwanese people. Among the more than 50 episodes in the play, "Looking Back Again" has appeared many times, which may become a portrayal of the two sides of the strait in the past 30 years.
From a political point of view, from the political contacts and negotiations that began between the two sides of the strait in the late 80s and early 90s of the last century, to the Koo-Wang talks at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai at the end of the 90s, to the intricacies of cross-strait exchanges, the two sides of the strait have been full of thorns along the way.
From an economic point of view, the Oriental Pearl Tower under construction is presented many times in the play, representing the great development of Shanghai that year. The construction of a number of bridges over the Huangpu River, the construction of a number of viaducts in the urban area, and the expansion of the port of Shanghai were all carried out in those years. At the end of the play, Mr. Bao's final foothold in Chuansha, Pudong (now Shanghai Disney Resort) is also poised to go. Looking back at Taipei, there are MRT (subway) projects and the Xinyi Planning Area (urban renewal, that is, urban transformation - note on this website), but with Taiwan's restrictions on cross-strait economic cooperation, the Asia-Pacific operation center is stillborn.
From a cultural point of view, Taiwanese people come to Shanghai and re-understand the land of the mainland, understand their thinking and living habits, and also bring different ways of life and management, fashion and popularity, and cultural creativity.
From a social point of view, as Mr. Bao said in the play: "We have to thank this era, as long as we have vision, as long as we have hands, we have a future." And this is exactly the true portrayal of the Taiwan businessmen who have been calloused and gone to the mainland to work hard in the past 30 years.
"Flowers" presents the years of mountains and rivers and the changes of the times through eating men and women. Many Taiwanese viewers (especially Taiwanese businessmen of that generation) were touched a lot after watching it, and they recalled the time when they met at the Pacific Department Store in those years, brought snacks from the cake shop, and shouted to go to the cash box to sing on KTV.
After 30 years of hard work, the mainland's leapfrog development has surprised the people of the world, and Taiwan's past advantages have long been replaced. The mainland has surpassed Taiwan and Hong Kong from the hardware of electric vehicles and drones to the software of WeChat, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and then to film and television culture and entertainment.
Looking forward to the future, I hope that as "Flowers" said, "the heart of a child is always there, looking forward to the next winter and spring".
People taste food at a shop on Huanghe Road in Shanghai on January 17. The broadcast of the TV series "Flowers" has brought fire to all kinds of delicacies on the Yellow River Road in Shanghai, and many people have made a special trip to "check in" to taste it. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Jiansong).