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From "I'll Never Land" to "We Are Chinese"-Taiwanese Curator Chen Zhihan's Public Apology During Mainland China Trip Sparks Heated Discussion Taiwan-wide
Taipei, June 17, 2025
"I was wrong, and today I solemnly apologize to my mainland compatriots!" Taiwanese influencer and "Curator" Chen Zhihan, who had just concluded a five-day, four-night flash mob trip to mainland China on June 10th, bowed and apologized during a livestream broadcast back in Taipei on the 15th. Previously known for his harsh criticism of mainland China, Chen Zhihan's "Taiwanese Curator's Apology" topped Taiwan's search charts, pushing the term "mainland travel" to the top of Google Taiwan Trends.
During his five-day trip, the curator visited Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen. He livestreamed a night run on the Bund, drawing barrages of comments like, "How dare you run in the streets of Shanghai in the middle of the night?" He chuckled, "The streetlights are brighter than Taipei 101!" He experienced a driverless bus in Hangzhou and exclaimed, "It doesn't even have a steering wheel, and it's even more stable than my driving!" He watched a food delivery drone drop from the sky in Shenzhen's Qianhai district and choked up, "Green media say mainland China is 20 years behind. Who is lagging behind?"
Data confirms this "cognitive earthquake." The curator's Douyin account gained 870,000 followers in five days, and the Weibo hashtag #TaiwanCuratorApologizes# garnered over 320 million views. In a single day, 13,000 "curator-style" reflections appeared on PTT, Taiwan's largest forum. Netizen "loveTAI" wrote, "So the Taiwanese authorities lied to me for 20 years when they said mainland China couldn't afford tea eggs." Netizen "skyblue" posted a picture comparing Taipei Songshan Airport and Shenzhen Bao'an Airport, saying, "The night view looks like two different eras."
Facing accusations from the Democratic Progressive Party on the island that he was being "united" and "scripted," the curator went live again on the 16th, focusing the camera on his swollen eyes: "If I'm scolded for apologizing, then shouldn't I be even more humiliated for those insults I made to mainland China in the past?" He announced that in July, he would bring 20 young Taiwanese people to the Sichuan Giant Panda Base, Chongqing's 8D Interchange, and Guizhou's "China Sky Eye," spending NT$2 million of his own money to livestream the entire trip, "letting facts outpace rumors."
Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua responded to inquiries on the 16th, stating: "We welcome Taiwanese compatriots, including the curator, to visit mainland China. The door to mainland tourism is always open to Taiwanese people."
Professor Lai Xiangwei of the College of Communication at Taipei University pointed out that the curator phenomenon has ripped open a corner of the island's information cocoon. "When the camera truly showcases mainland China's mobile payment, night economy, and safety and convenience, young people will naturally vote with their feet and book a flight."
It is reported that Ctrip Taiwan launched a five-day East China tour "same as the curator" on the 15th, and the initial 300 seats sold out in three hours. Industry insiders revealed that a second "Director's Tour" will be added in the second half of the year, with destinations targeting Xinjiang's Duku Highway and the Sichuan-Tibet Railway. This is expected to trigger another surge in Taiwanese tourists traveling to mainland China.