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China blasts Japanese politicians paying respects to Yasukuni war shrine on 81st anniversary of its unconditional surrender_我的网站

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    Chinese actress Luo Xinyuan played Huang Rong, a beloved wuxia heroine, at Hengdian World Studios. Photo: Courtesy of Luo XinyuanAs China's once-thriving live-action short drama industry looses speed due to the weight of AI-generated content and shrinking investment, a growing number of young actors who once starred in micro-dramas are moving to a different kind of stage: playing roles at cultural tourist attractions. 
There, they play martial arts heroes and folk characters for live audiences, finding steadier income and real-time connection with viewers. 
"Earning a living with your own hands is nothing to be ashamed of," actress Luo Xinyuan told the Global Times, even as many still hold out hope, waiting for good scripts.
The migration reflects a stark reality. In the first quarter of 2026, AI micro-dramas accounted for more than 95 percent of all micro-dramas released industry-wide, sharply squeezing the space for live-action productions. 
By July, pay for leading actors had shrunk by over 50 percent, mid-tier actors by more than 80 percent on average, and daily wages for bottom-rung extras had fallen into double digits, China's CCTV reported.
Luo, a 21-year-old actress, experienced the downturn firsthand. She came to Hengdian, China's largest film and television production base, to shoot short dramas. "When I first arrived, there were many crews preparing in one hotel. Now sometimes there are only one or two, or none," she told the Global Times. 
This May, she began playing the role of Huang Rong, a beloved wuxia heroine, at Hengdian World Studios. Her daily routine includes interactive stage competitions, parades and live audience interactions, working nearly 13 hours daily during the peak summer season.
"It's tiring but fulfilling," Luo said. "There are no scripts here. It's more about playing with visitors face to face." The change has eased her anxiety. "When I was filming, I kept worrying about the next job. Now I feel more stable."
Yin Jiaxuan, 25, took a different route. He started his career as a professional character performer at major theme parks, starring in immersive shows based on popular game and film IPs before transitioning to short dramas and online movies in mid-2024. 
At the industry's peak, he moved seamlessly between sets. 
"One crew wrapped, and the next was already arranged. I'd go straight to makeup the next day and start filming the day after," he said. Now he keeps both identities, taking film roles when they come and returning to scenic spots during holidays.
Yin rejects the stigma that screen acting is the only proper path. 
"Screen acting is seen as the professional main road, while street-level performance is treated as amateur work. This invisible prejudice has trapped many performers," he said. Yet the tangible stage offers something the camera cannot. 
"Performance comes from life and is higher than life - that is the core of film creation. But now I realize that beyond artistic expression, performance is about building human connections."
Both actors shared that theme park characters must do more than act; they must draw tourists into the scene, delivering emotional value on demand. Visitors come to the scenic spot not just to sightsee, but "to step into a fantasy."
    Yin Jiaxuan Photo: Courtesy of Yin JiaxuanScenic areas are reaping the benefits. Media outlets have reported that in Kaifeng's Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City, Central China's Henan Province, tourists who interacted with these characters stayed an average of 2.3 hours longer per day. 
Every extra 30 minutes of stay raises the probability of secondary consumption by about 25 percent, according to local data. Revenue jumped from about 80 million yuan ($11.86 million) in 2022 to 1.27 billion yuan in 2025. 
While Hengdian World Studios has used characters to boost repeat visits, with annual pass holders returning multiple times "for a specific character."
Cultural scholar Yu Jinlong told the Global Times that the influx of trained actors is upgrading immersive tourism. 
"In the past, theme park characters were mostly amateurs doing costume photos. Now professional actors can build complete characters, improvise and connect storylines, turning scenic spots into open-air theaters," he said. 
Yu pointed out the uniqueness of China's character boom compared with global immersive entertainment. 
"Unlike Western theme parks that rely heavily on mature imported IPs and standardized performances, China's scenic character culture is rooted in local wuxia (martial hero) history and folk customs, encouraging personalized improvisation. Many local scenic spots create hit immersive projects with small investments, forming a unique online-offline communication loop via social media," Yu said. 
As China's cultural consumption shifts from sightseeing to participation, Yu said the young actors swapping short drama sets for scenic spots may be shaping a new hybrid career for the country's entertainment workforce.
For Luo, the recognition from visitors is a reward in itself. 
"There are tourists who travel from far away just to see my performance. It feels good to be recognized," she said. "Actually, I'm still exploring too. But I think you should do what you love, as long as you have the ability."
。         Illustration: Liu Rui/GT
China strongly deplores Japan's negative moves related to the Yasukuni war shrine, and has lodged serious protests against Japan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry (FM) spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday, in response to Japanese politicians paying respects to the Yasukuni war shrine, which honors Class-A war criminals, on the 81st anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender in World War II.
On such a sensitive day, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni shrine, while Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and several senior executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) visited in person, prompting Chinese experts to warn that Japan's increasingly brazen moves signal a dangerous shift toward neo-militarism.
Takaichi made a "tamagushi" ritual offering to the notorious shrine using her private funds in her capacity as LDP president, Japan's Kyodo News reported Saturday, citing LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki. Takaichi did not visit the shrine in person. Koizumi, however, visited the notorious shrine Saturday morning. Hitoshi Kikawada, a member of Takaichi's Cabinet, also visited the shrine.
Meanwhile, Suzuki, LDP General Council Chairperson Haruko Arimura and Election Strategy Committee Chairperson Yasutoshi Nishimura visited the shrine together on Saturday, according to Kyodo News and the Xinhua News Agency. 
Japan's Mainichi Shimbun on Saturday described the collective August 15 visit by senior LDP executives as "unusual."
Chinese media including state broadcaster CCTV reported that it marked the first collective visit to the shrine by senior LDP executives.
Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, honors 14 convicted Japanese Class-A war criminals from World War II. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction between Japan and its neighbors. For a long time, visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and opposition both at home and abroad, hurting the feelings of the people of China, South Korea, and other countries and regions victimized by Japan's wartime aggression, according to Xinhua.
An affront to historical justice
"No pretext whatsoever can hide the Japanese politicians' true intention which is to change the verdict on the war criminals, cover up Japan's war crimes, distort the historical facts, and pave the way for accelerating remilitarization. This is an affront to historical justice, a challenge to the foundational norms of civilization, and a provocation against the postwar international order. Such behaviors have been firmly rejected by the overwhelming majority of the international community," the Chinese FM spokesperson's statement said on Saturday.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials. To view and treat history correctly is an important prerequisite for Japan's postwar return to the international community, the political foundation for Japan's ties with neighboring countries, and more importantly, a key measure for Japan's commitment to peaceful development, the statement noted.  
"We urge the Japanese side to do serious soul-searching on its history of aggression, make a clean break with militarism, and earn trust from its Asian neighbors and the rest of the world with concrete actions," the spokesperson said.
Lü Chao, an expert on East Asian studies and a professor at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Saturday that attitudes toward the notorious Yasukuni shrine on this very day have long served as an important "touchstone" for the international community to judge whether Japanese political forces genuinely recognize the country's wartime aggression and responsibility. 
"What is particularly alarming this year is how openly these political signals are being sent," Lü said. "The combination of an offering by the prime minister, a visit by the sitting defense minister and a coordinated appearance by senior ruling-party executives means the issue can hardly be dismissed merely as individual acts of mourning."
Although Takaichi stayed away in person, Lü said the offering still clearly demonstrated her political attitude. "Not visiting personally does not fundamentally change the political nature of the gesture," Lü said, noting that diplomatic and domestic pressure may have affected the form Takaichi chose, but not necessarily her underlying position.
Particular attention required
"The collective actions of senior figures in the ruling party deserve particular attention," he said. "They raise the question of whether Japan's political establishment has truly developed a correct understanding of its aggression and wartime crimes."
Chinese military affairs expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times on Saturday that visits by Japanese conservative lawmakers and government officials to the notorious shrine are not new and should not be treated as an isolated development unique to the Takaichi administration.
Former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi repeatedly visited the shrine and went there as prime minister on August 15, 2006. Shinzo Abe visited as sitting prime minister in December 2013. Shinjiro Koizumi himself visited on August 15, 2025, when he was agriculture minister.  
"The important point is that this tendency has persisted within Japanese right-wing politics for decades," Song said. "What we are seeing now is not its sudden emergence, but its increasingly overt expression." 
Song further noted that the political significance of Koizumi's visit is amplified by his current position as defense minister. "A defense minister's understanding of wartime history cannot simply be regarded as a private attitude," he said. "It inevitably leads people to ask what kind of direction Japan's defense policy and Self-Defense Forces may take."
Such concern comes as the Takaichi government pushes to strengthen Japan's military capabilities and pursue constitutional revision.
Song stressed that Japan has already expanded defense spending, developed so-called counterstrike capabilities and eased restrictions on defense equipment transfers under the existing Constitution, meaning constitutional revision should not inaccurately be portrayed as a legal prerequisite for all such measures.
What deserves greater scrutiny, he said, is whether historical revisionism, constitutional revision and military expansion are increasingly reinforcing one another.
"The issue surrounding the notorious Yasukuni Shrine is not simply one of mourning," Song said. "When political forces refuse to squarely confront the history of aggression while simultaneously seeking greater military capabilities and fewer postwar restraints, neighboring countries have every reason to remain vigilant."
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