there are almost 200 official countries
in the world today but there are dozens
more breakaway states determined to be
separate but officially not recognized
some survive peacefully with their own
borders money and presidents but others
are a magnet for terrorists and weapons
smuggling and have armies ready for a
fight
welcome to places that don't exist
[Music]
China is now recognized as one of the
world's great powers and the West wants
to keep it happy but it wasn't always
that way
during the time of Chairman Mao the
Communists defeated Chinese nationalists
who then fled to the island of Taiwan
and took over Taiwan has since become a
stable democracy but China views it as a
renegade province and wants it back no
major nation recognizes Taiwan as a
separate country rock could agree to
show me around Beijing what's this
burning here this is memory hall
tomorrow
Chairman Mao know yes she is her mouth
kicked him out as we wandered around
Tiananmen Square where demonstrators
were massacred in 1989 guards repeatedly
tried to stop us filming
or they left us a film obviously there's
still a lot of sensitivity about what
goes on in Tiananmen Square because of
so say it's past history horn honking
yeah 20 to 9:00 in the morning
even though sleep this early you see is
lying here and visitors shopping forward
we had seemed hours to who you'd gone
conquer although China is fast becoming
an economic superpower communists still
retain control and the country remains
far from democratic now look at this
Beijing 2008 while China is hosting the
Olympics in 2008 Taiwanese politicians
have suggested they sever all remaining
ties with Beijing that year but China
warns it will attack its renegade
province if it tries to break away
regardless of the Olympics
Lisa just come to look at our permit
which might be a bit of a problem
because we've passed the time at which
we're supposed to be filming so maybe we
I think we should politely leave China
wants Taiwan back and has said it will
use force if necessary its army the
largest in the world has been developing
advanced weapons in recent years to take
on the sophisticated Taiwanese military
and as I discovered it's still hiring
this is recruitment for the army yes
life and it's the performance here
recruiting for the army as well so I can
see all the army officers yeah
[Music]
Hey
look at the number of guys who are going
up to take leaflets different
[Music]
this is a poster that's by the side of
the military display and it's talking
entirely about Taiwan it says underneath
it that Taiwan is part of China but
there's some foreign powers are
providing weapons and support to Taiwan
and try to keep it away from the
motherland having this poster here which
also has a picture of the Taiwanese
president here it's a means of reminding
the Chinese people why they need to
spend money on the Chinese military
because they have to counter this sort
of threat
but China does appear to be changing as
a visit to the main antiques market in
Beijing seems to show this is a shop
devoted to Chairman Mao in the past
people would almost have to bow down
reverentially to this type of thing and
now they just have it as a curiosity
this is a poster from the time of the
Cultural Revolution saying we must
recover Taiwan we must get it back I
left China for Taiwan you can't actually
travel directly from Taiwan to mainland
China or from mainland China to Taiwan
you have to travel by somewhere else so
we've come by Hong Kong hello love you
to me Simon hello nice to meet you
finally
Sandlin a local journalist was my guide
in Taiwan first stop was a Taiwanese
airbase bristling with the latest
american-made fighters ready to defend
against an attack by China
the size of this warning did not roll
tumble or drop huh nobody drop it
god they're carrying it i carrying the
masalas boy one of them slicks there's
holes in the ground what if they fall
over I'm really impressed
oh I didn't know well we're happy we
owned one of the best plans in the world
didn't know I do it looks very good
you seen this sign doesn't exactly feel
your confidence danger landmines ah we
were on gin men a Taiwanese island just
a few miles off the coast of China well
that's disappointing it so we can't go
to the beach
no it says danger mines what driver says
it's safe for us to go onto the beach so
we'll cross fingers and go for a walk on
the sand over there in the distance we
can see China it's a bit misty but you
can quite clearly make out the buildings
and the town it's like a city they are
the enemies just there were so close
Matt have you have you seen the mainland
before from Taiwan no this is my first
time so you've never seen China before I
hadn't anything to infer from this short
distance when you were growing up what
were you being told about over there
here we grow bananas and eat bananas and
they only get to eat the skin
and if you can see the rusting metal
object on top of that building they had
the loudest largest loudspeakers in the
world and they used to broadcast
propaganda for the Chinese mainland what
did they used to say Taiwan is a tragic
ending Taiwan is a Treasure Island we
are free China and we will come to save
you from hell
the Taiwanese fort artillery duels with
the Chinese from here for 20 years it
led to a bizarre agreement where each
side shelled the other on alternate days
and they both took Sunday off you can
see these are the artillery shells
that's been fired by the Chinese not all
of them exploded and some of them
actually contained propaganda leaflets
so they're still intact
you can see here they've marked them up
and each of these in bits it's gonna
become a knife she's making now so it's
on Paul don't know it'll take a long
time to use up the shells because they
were around a million fired from China
and each shell can make about sixty
knives so we can make another sixty
million that will take a while don't do
you ever sell any of these knives to
China
yeoman yo son hi shoving yes we've been
selling the knives to people in Xiamen
and Shanghai especially in the last two
years
people in China don't feel it's strange
because our knives are famous and they
know about them from radio programs in
China yes you might oh hi mobility the
cheap way Taiwanese of Doug huge network
of tunnels all over this island and this
looks like a deep one
what do the heads down thank you
just showing the Taiwanese military will
let you see this but they won't let us
show or film what it's aimed at
which is the Chinese mainland what does
it say something is every we will
recover the moment yeah we will recover
the mainland is this still something
that the Taiwanese military believe in
do you still think you'll take back the
mainland it's not our question again
okay not authorized
okay the politics as a political Blair
yeah yeah okay to go question on Iran a
military question probably wanna peace
oh we want a piece in so no more war we
hot off these are m60 American tanks
although America doesn't recognize
Taiwan as a separate country it supplies
the island with military equipment
President Bush has said the United
States will do whatever it takes to
defend Taiwan if the Chinese attack
these Taiwanese frogmen are trained to
sabotage Chinese warships they're one of
the first lines of defense
[Applause]
[Music]
Oh
we left jinmen and flew to Taiwan's
capital Taipei the city is dominated by
Taipei 101 the tallest building in the
world Wow
now it looks like the tallest building
in the world when you're right
underneath it oh it's incredible it
looks as though it's towering over on
top of you as well it actually hasn't
opened yet and you can still smell in
the air there's a still a swell of paint
it's still building it but hopefully
we're going to be able to go to the top
it's men walking on the roof can you see
on the glass
[Music]
the Taiwanese are good at business
they've got the shops open first
a mural yeah that was a very cross
security guard it was very severe
sorry go yeah let mess we've got a pass
we're barely allowed to go up on the
escalator so we've got our badge now so
we're allowed to walk around without
this we would be in all sorts of trouble
oh my gosh oh we really are G at vertigo
I do I'm now at the top of the tallest
building on the entire planet
this is Taipei 101 and this is Taipei
the capital city of Taiwan one of the
most powerful economies in the world
most states don't even knowledge they
don't have embassies here and they've
just let the situation between Taiwan
and China fester for decades until
there's the possibility of a serious
conflict between the two that would
affect us all
that's colossal
it's a big snake I didn't if you saw the
sign here
the snakes old and cooked to this store
I definitely not protected wild animals
this is honey honey and blood yeah yeah
just kinda funny thing what snake is
that frog from a cobra snake a king hold
up king cobra yeah I'm a bit worried
about this all right just have a little
sense you know it's okay yeah that's
good
so yeah thank you very much indeed thank
you yeah and this is a sex shop but you
can buy a hummingbird vibrator
oh not you personally I mean
on the outskirts of the market business
becomes a bit seedy Oh
so these are what brothels or yeah these
are good places the brothels are mainly
staffed by girls brought over illegally
from the Chinese mainland later that
night
Sen Leung took me to a concert by six
plus one of the most popular boy bands
in Taiwan many of the young here used to
think of themselves as immigrant Chinese
rather than Taiwanese but that's now
changing
[Music]
the band's lyrics are sung in Taiwanese
[Music]
the last song seemed to be quite
patriotic and you tell us a little bit
about the lyrics and what inspired you
with that song Jesus or God who else
today
Jung ji Oh woman tywanda in the tiger
song we described taiwanese culture to
make people identify with being
Taiwanese Gong tae Kuk I thought and
what is that how an idea she's you know
the term tiger Taiwan guest was
originally a derogatory name the Chinese
gave to the people who came to Taiwan
the reason we use this word is to try
and give it a new meaning to talk about
the people who've grown up here in
Taiwan step one with those in sins on
that I wonder
[Music]
well you can see lots of girls waiting
for a band up on Apple together all
right
I did yeah show Popstars
[Music]
whose of all your mail cool good morning
morning
I can't get the kids to clean out but
can you imagine them trying to do that
at a school in Britain the kids for
jamming it's a revolt this is how
Taiwanese schools start the day
it's 10:00 to 8:00 in ten minutes the
flag will be raised and already below
children are gathering for assembly this
used to be the biggest school in the
world
[Music]
it's incredible how disciplined their
the kids are you know they've been told
to March they all march in line and
there's martial music playing as well
what's her secret for maintaining order
amongst nearly 5,000 children you know I
house well woman's hair on y'all
it's like controlling a line of
Taiwanese donkeys yeah but all
throughout the world they're all
connected to each other by ropes so you
just have to know which one to pull and
the rest will follow what they sue the
battle birth docreader
this is Tony's language lesson going on
there
the government used to ban children from
speaking in Taiwanese they wanted them
to speak Chinese because they believe
one day they'd return to the mainland
and take it back from the Communists
[Music]
it's all done in Taiwanese until a few
years ago that had been illegal but now
they're taught in Chinese operas in
Taiwanese and they play traditional
Taiwanese music thank you bye bye
[Applause]
we visited a woman's detention center
housing illegal immigrants from the
Chinese mainland who are due to be
returned many were promised legitimate
jobs but when they arrived found
themselves forced into prostitution were
you able to work as a babysitter or or
if you had to do other work they asked
me to do the lady's job to be with the
clients that thing or something are you
saying you've had to work in a brothel
yeah yes
we come here because we want to work as
babysitters and clerks
not this type of work most of the people
here have been tricked into coming like
me and some have even been drugged me
William Lee Inga load we're now going to
see what they call the baby room where
they keep the babies of women who are
being held here some so women have
children while they're here because
they're held for such a long time
they're there as well these women and
their children are only allowed home
when China agrees to accept another
boatload many are held here for months
I feel definitely it's inhuman treatment
for them even though the town is
government providing them with
space and effectively our freedom
as authorities it's something
thank you
JJ
they put it round
the Coast Guard have finally said we can
come out on the boat with them they're
looking for smugglers people smuggling
drugs people smuggling goods every day
they operate 24 hours a day over here on
the rise and you can see
may 9 15 bug
that is right on the edge of
they came any further maybe in Taiwanese
water
we appeared to be chasing down a couple
of vessels what's happening now
I'm the good ones right are what I
planted these are tourist boats from
China they want to see the banner that's
on this island it's become a tourist
spot
they've already crossed the dividing
line so we're warning them and sending
them back so this sign here says three
principles of the people to unify China
and it's basically anti-communist
propaganda directed at the Chinese as a
Chinese boat look all the Chinese
tourists on it we've now got a situation
where tourist boats are coming across
the water to look at the sign but the
Taiwanese Coast Guard is turning the
back what surprises me is the number of
people on the boats I mean the boats
were absolutely packed come on yeah but
it they saying get out go go look it's
wave at least
hahaha
we've come to what supposedly an ancient
Taiwanese village built in the style of
how the original inhabitants of Taiwan
used to live before the Chinese came
over from the mainland in the 1940s but
it appears to be a little bit more like
a theme park than a cultural heritage
attraction it seems to provide evidence
that the Taiwanese aboriginals had quite
an advanced space program the native
inhabitants of Taiwan were treated
appallingly by the Chinese nationalists
who retreated to the island after being
defeated on the mainland by the
Communists marginalized for decades many
Taiwanese Aborigines have now been
reduced to working as tourist
attractions in theme parks
[Music]
so here I've got a display of human
heads fact it says here display frame
for enemy heads based on an original
structure about 1850
you know whose head they're hung Chinese
people's heads who invented their legs
really well maybe it's quite appropriate
that we have this hearing oh my god
here you see me he's even got a little
head under his arm
most Taiwanese are originally from China
but it's hard for them to visit the
mainland unlike the real world in this
model Park it's easy to cross from
Taiwan to China this is the inland
container yard so this is supposed to be
the national airport okay it's enough of
that
[Music]
this is listen this is the Sun yat-sen
national national freeway stop laughing
while many older Taiwanese still pine
for China the younger generation now
thinks of itself as truly Taiwanese and
seems in no hurry to unify with the
mainland
[Music]
as your dad think of himself as being
Taiwanese or as Chinese I would say he
thinks himself as a Chinese and what do
you think of yourself um I think of
myself as Taiwanese perfect does the
older generation still think it wants to
return to China it's still one of their
dreams and one day that dreams might
just come true
you haven't been to China yourself I
think I have not but this is as far as I
can get right now
but China remains adamant Taiwan cannot
be independent a must reunite with the
mainland as a senior government official
back in Beijing made very clear Haven
what you perceive ago yeah she enjoyable
Taiwan has never been a country do you
mean it is still not a country title
silly but have a jungle fingers which
the Chinese people will not allow Taiwan
to be separated from the motherland as
which in a lintel enter since June what
a machine Li the Chinese people will
safeguard their sovereignty and
territorial integrity and we have the
ability to break any intention to make
Taiwan independent we are killing
polenta is the Chinese government
concerned that a conflict between China
and Taiwan might involve the United
States ways young-kyu
I don't believe the American people will
be prepared to spill their blood spill
their blood for Taiwanese independence
or illusion
[Music]
yeah
[Music]
yeah