On October 3, 2025, the Taiwan Professors Association, Taiwan Youth Generation Exchange Association, Taiwan Central Broadcasting Station, and the 228 Memorial Foundation held a special exhibition titled “Understanding China – Seeing China through the Red Lens: How China Shapes What We ‘See'” at the 228 National Memorial Hall from October 3 to 30.
The organizers posed the question, “Do we see the same world before and after putting on the red lens?” They highlighted that understanding China through the lens of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is akin to wearing the red lens provided by the CCP. This red lens obscures the truths that the CCP does not wish to address, presenting a filtered and manufactured version of the world. Only by taking off the lens can one truly grasp the authentic essence of “China.”
Lai Hsiu-ju, the Chairperson of Taiwan Central Broadcasting Station, mentioned that the CCP utilizes platforms like TikTok (Overseas version of Douyin) and Xiaohongshu to showcase the image of China it wants people to see, but there are many aspects that remain hidden. She emphasized that Taiwan should be the most vigilant country in the world regarding China-related issues, hoping that through exhibitions, more individuals can understand the true situation in China and bolster Taiwan’s awareness of the CCP.
Lai stated that Taiwan needs to understand China. The exhibition also includes segments featuring interviews with Chinese dissident Hu Jia, vividly depicting the CCP’s surveillance of its people and the filtering of truth, as well as presenting the true voices of Chinese people yearning for democracy and freedom.
Chen Li-fu, the Chairman of Taiwan Youth Generation Exchange Association and former President of Taiwan Professors Association, expressed concerns that some in Taiwan hold illusions or misunderstandings about China (CCP), and rectifying these misconceptions may require experiencing the consequences firsthand, a costly price. He hopes the exhibition will provide young people in Taiwan with the opportunity to quickly and systematically comprehend the truth about China.
Chen highlighted that the CCP’s tactics towards Taiwan go beyond military threats and diplomatic battles, extending to cognitive warfare and cyber warfare aimed at undermining Taiwan’s democratic system. He underscored the importance of Taiwan removing the “red lens” to unveil the CCP as an evil regime, enabling Taiwan to resist and defend democracy effectively.
Ran Shibo, the Executive Director of the 228 Memorial Foundation, pointed out that CCP intelligence units have been infiltrating Taiwan since 1945, influencing the perspectives, awareness, and consciousness of Taiwanese people, limiting their view to the embellished image of China through thick lenses.
Ran stressed the necessity of breaking free from these lenses and illusions, starting with understanding the CCP. The “Red Lens” exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see the real China from a youthful perspective, offering a precise portrayal that allows individuals to see through the CCP.
Sang Samp, Chairman of Taiwan Hong Kong Association, described the CCP as a force aiming to invade and annex Taiwan, emphasizing that opposing annexation, unification, and aggression from the CCP is a crucial issue for Taiwan. He characterized China under the CCP as a “quagmire of human rights, a base of aggression, an economic peril, and a hub for infiltration and subversion,” urging individuals to understand the essence of the CCP and its violations of human rights and international norms.
Sang noted that many individuals currently lack understanding of China and do not oppose the CCP. Through interactive exhibition areas and over a hundred books, diverse perspectives can delve into the CCP’s infiltration of Taiwan and the communist party’s historical processes. Hailing from Hong Kong, where he has a deep understanding of the CCP, the exhibition also encompasses real news from Hong Kong and China. He believed that the exhibition’s overall significance lies in enhancing society’s understanding of the CCP’s true nature.
The organizers highlighted that the exhibition presents the image construction, power operation, and external influence of the Chinese (CCP) regime through six major exhibition areas, guiding viewers to have a deeper understanding of the CCP’s power structure and contradictory realities behind the “China story.”
Through images, documents, and interactive installations, the exhibition reveals the CCP’s methods in nationalism, social surveillance, international expansion, and misinformation operations, showcasing the results of the “2025 Global Youth Democracy Resilience Camp” discussions to present diverse voices of democratic reasoning, and arranging a book fair with a selection of over a hundred books on China-related studies for viewers to further explore.
The exhibition team stated that facing the CCP’s increasing influence, democratic societies require more understanding and vigilance. The “Red Lens” special exhibition aims to assist the public in seeing how China (CCP) utilizes propaganda and power to maintain its desired image, while also reminding Taiwan to continue contemplating the significance of democratic values and international connections.