Do you know what longing looks like? Recently, the Shanghai BFC Bund Financial Center has introduced a heartfelt cultural pop-up destination—the Bilibili (hereafter referred to as B Station) documentary "Cross-Strait Family Letters" derivative art exhibition.

Poster for "Cross-Strait Family Letters"

During the exhibition (from August 24 to September 8), more than 2,000 visitors participated in activities such as "opening letters, reading letters, viewing letters, and writing letters." They explored precious materials and exhibits related to the documentary, read segments of family letters featured in the film, listened to audio content related to those letters, and completed a unique personal family letter experience. Many attendees also took to social media to promote the event, referring to it as a "hidden gem in the bustling city," expressing that "this exhibition allowed us to better understand the valuable stories of family letters and the history of both sides of the Strait."

Exhibition scene

The individual lives and emotional trajectories often reflect the broader historical and social narratives. The documentary "Cross-Strait Family Letters" is a result of years of effort from creators on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, visiting various locations and interviewing over a hundred individuals across more than a century from the 12,000 family letters collected, with twenty cases chosen for presentation. These family letters include both those from notable figures and ordinary individuals, covering periods such as the immigration and development of Taiwan by people from the mainland (17th to 19th centuries), the Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan (1895-1945), the early period of Taiwan’s recovery (1945-1949), and the separation of the people from both sides of the Strait since 1949 (including the historical phase since the opening up for family visits).

On thin sheets of paper lie inseparable, unbroken emotions—

A selection of family letters from Gao Binghan. (Photo by Xia Yining, The Paper)

In 1948, 13-year-old Gao Binghan from Heze, Shandong, left his hometown, and the pomegranate his mother pressed into his hands became an eternal sorrow. In 1979, he began to write letters to his mother: "It has been over 31 years since we wept at our farewell, but I hope all the relatives at home are still well," and "Each time I think of my hometown, the place where I grew up, I am always washed with tears." He later became a "soul ferryman," often escorting the ashes of veterans back to their homes on the mainland.

Wang Deyao and Liu Guixiang, a couple from Xishui, Hubei, grew up together as childhood sweethearts. After 29 days of marriage, they were separated by war for 37 years. One lived a solitary life, while the other remarried twice, enduring countless hardships. After 1981, the two frequently exchanged correspondence, resulting in over two million words of letters.

Xu Shouchang, a linguist and educator from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, went to Taiwan at a friend's invitation to help establish a translation institution, devoting himself to education in Taiwan, determined to restore the knowledge of the national language in the region.

Wang Qichang from Beijing began assisting people seeking to reunite with their family members in Taiwan and the mainland in 1983. Over the span of 30 years, more than 10,000 letters circulated through his hands, leading to the reunion of over 700 estranged families.

The protagonists' longing forms waves of words that surge together with each retelling, gradually clarifying the contours of the sea of longing. Letters from different families witness countless joys and sorrows during times of drastic changes, not only documenting the inseparable history between the two sides of the Strait but also stating the facts of kinship between the people across the Strait.

Exhibition scene

This derivative art exhibition of the same name is also B Station's new attempt at high-quality knowledge content. Zhang Hao, content director of Bilibili documentaries and executive producer of "Cross-Strait Family Letters," explained that the trend of "exhibition viewing" is becoming a more youthful offline experience, where exhibitions are rich and mature, drawing from art, culture, commerce, and hot topics while emphasizing experience, social interaction, and sharing, thus appealing greatly to young user demographics. The "Cross-Strait Family Letters" derivative art exhibition also aims to shift from catering to young users to leading value aesthetics, fortifying and deepening the dissemination of historical and cultural knowledge.

"Documentaries are serious and profound, which may create a higher barrier for some young viewers; however, this exhibition, based on the concept of 'family letters' involving 'viewing, reading, listening, writing, and speaking,' provides a richer sensory experience for audiences to understand the emotional power behind 'family letters.' It also attempts to help viewers break away from linear thinking and connect the familial bonds and longing across the Strait to their personal sensory and emotional experiences." Zhang Hao hopes to lead young users from merely watching a documentary to "entering" a documentary, finding more ways to fall in love with this medium.

"Cross-Strait Family Letters" is a joint production by the Fujian Provincial Radio and Television Group, Bilibili, the Chinese Foreign Languages Publishing Administration's Interpretation of China Studio, and Fujian Education Publishing House, with collaboration from the Fujian Provincial Radio and Television Group Satellite Center and Taiwan's CNEX Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.