Chloe Zhao poses in the press room at the Oscars on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Japan launched a fascist war against humanity in history and American people dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. But in today's Marvel movie, the one-quarter Japanese scriptwriter made a black gay superhero kneel and burst into tears to confess for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Chloé Zhao, a China-born director, tried her best to keep the controversial scene. Appallingly, Zhao was hailed by some Westerners as "a fantastic human filmmaker."

This happened in Eternals, the worst Marvel film ever. Chinese audiences felt no surprise that the movie with such an outrageous scene was directed by Zhao. Zhao, who won the 2020 Oscar for Nomadland, described China as "a place where there are lies everywhere" in an interview in 2013, a narrative that conformed to the West's biased and stereotypical description of China. 

Eternals takes the twisted "political correctness" to its extreme. In the movie, all technologies are taught by a black gay superhero. After witnessing the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima, he regrets in front of the ruins of the city and cries sadly. "The plot is based on political correctness. It is, in fact, using historical nihilism and cheap humanitarian care to make themselves feel moved," commented Shen Yi, an international relations scholar at the Fudan University.

To cater to the US society's political correctness, Zhao did not hesitate to whitewash the aggression war launched by Japan and turn Japan into the victim. This is unacceptable to the Chinese people. Eternals has not only a screenwriter of Japanese descent, but also actors of Chinese and South Korean descent. Why did Zhao only show "humanitarian care" to Japan? 

Black people, LGBT, superheroes, tears for atomic bombing… combined, those elements are the "wealthy code" in American movies. The movie has not only catered to US political correctness, but also pleased Japan's right-wing forces. Zhao could garner attention thanks to these politically-correct elements.

In recent years, some Japanese right-wingers have been trying to put forward views emphasizing the harm suffered by Japanese people during WWII. They never mention Japan's responsibility of war or the suffering of other countries. Japan has challenged the major issue of war guilt, shirked its responsibility and tried to clear obstacles for the revival of its war ambitions. Hiroshima has become a handy card for them to distort right and wrong. Now, such a twisted view has finally been released in Hollywood.

As early as in 2016, then US president Barack Obama accepted an invitation from Japan, and became the first incumbent US president to visit Hiroshima. Obama gave a sensational speech and offered a "floral tribute" in front of a cenotaph for atomic bomb victims. Now, Zhao has become the person who opened the door to this distorted view of history in Hollywood.

"Zhao forced the audience to accept her twisted historical outlook and values, which has triggered a strong sense of discomfort among people. And such discomfort is ridiculously regarded as 'politically incorrect' by Zhao and her likes," Shen said.

Zhao was born and raised in China, and was educated in China. How could she publicly whitewash fascism, apologize for fascism on behalf of the American people, and "reconcile" with history? What kind of person would empathize with the fascist invaders out of "universal values"? When mainstream public opinion worldwide is calling for Japan to reflect on its heinous crimes, what kind of anti-humanity mindset does Zhao have that she could help justify Japan's acts?

What is unacceptable is, are the tens of millions of Chinese compatriots who lost their lives in the Nanjing Massacre also a "lie" to her? In her film, why didn't Zhao make a black gay superhero kneel and burst into tears to apologize to the city of Nanjing?

Under the propaganda of Japanese and Western ideologies, if humanity's common memory of history is falsified, then whoever betrays history and mankind will become sinners. 

Japan was not a victim during WWII. It is not "humanitarian" to cry for the invaders. Just the opposite, it is the greatest evil. The West is trying to distort the history of WWII, and the US and Japan are colluding to whitewash Japan's aggression. The world must be vigilant to this.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn