{{Short description|Taiwanese television series}} {{Infobox television | image = Zero Day (2025) title card.jpg | caption = | native_name = {{Infobox Chinese/Chinese|child=yes|hide=no|header=none | c = {{Lang|zh-hant|零日攻擊|italic=no}} | p = Língrì Gōngjī }} | genre = [[Speculative fiction]] | director = {{ill|Lo Ging-zim|zh|羅景壬}}<br />{{ill|Lin Chih-ju|zh|林志儒}}<br />Wu Chi-en<br />Chao Hsuan<br />Liu Yi<br />Su I-hsuan | writer = Huang Peng-Jen<br />Ting Chi-wen | starring = [[Issey Takahashi]]<ref name="rfa"/><br />{{ill|Cindy Lien|zh|連俞涵}}<ref name="cna"/><br />[[Chapman To]]<ref name="yahoosg">{{cite web|url=https://sg.style.yahoo.com/chapman-plays-villain-first-taiwanese-035900130.html|title=Chapman To plays a villain in first Taiwanese drama|author=Heidi Hsia|date=July 25, 2024|website=Yahoo! Singapore}}</ref><br />[[Kaiser Chuang]]<ref name="cna"/><br />{{ill|Ko I-chen|zh|柯一正}}<ref name="cna"/><br />[[Chen Yu (actress)|Chen Yuu]]<ref name="lihpao"/><br />[[Akira Chen]]<ref name="lihpao"/><br />[[Yu An-shun]]<ref name="lihpao"/><br />[[Cheng Yu-Chieh]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ctwant.com/article/350271/|title=攸關台灣未來 莊凱勛一口答應演出|date=July 17, 2024|author=Lin Lixuan|website=[[:zh:周刊王|Want Weekly]]}}</ref> | theme_music_composer = | open_theme = | end_theme = | composer = | country = [[Taiwan]] | language = [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]<br />[[Taiwanese Hokkien|Taiwanese]]<br />[[Japanese language|Japanese]]<ref name="cna"/><br />[[English language|English]] | num_series = | num_episodes = 10 | list_episodes = | producer = Cheng Shin-mei | executive_producer = Lin Shih-ken | location = [[Taipei]] | camera = | runtime = | company = Zero Day Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd. | budget = {{Currency|amount=230000000|code=TWD}} | network = | first_aired = {{Start date|2025|08|02}} (Taiwan) <!--Only insert start date after the first episode has aired. {{Start date|2025|08|15}} (Japan)--> | last_aired = {{End date|2025|10|4}} (Taiwan) }}
'''''Zero Day Attack''''' ({{lang-zh|t=零日攻擊}}) is a 2025 Taiwanese [[speculative fiction]] television series, set against the backdrop of a hypothetical [[Chinese invasion of Taiwan|invasion of Taiwan]] by [[People's Liberation Army|China's People's Liberation Army]].<ref name="cna">{{Cite web|title=日劇男神高橋一生首演台劇 杜汶澤笑稱收錢演得尷尬 {{!}} 娛樂|url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/amov/202407230382.aspx|website=[[Central News Agency (Taiwan)|CNA]]|location=Taiwan|date=2024-07-23|language=zh|access-date=2024-07-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://time.com/7003134/zero-day-taiwan-television-series-china-invasion/|title=Preview Video of Taiwanese TV Series Zero Day Sparks Anxiety About a Chinese Invasion|author=Yian Lee|date=July 25, 2024|website=[[Time Magazine]]|access-date=July 25, 2024|archive-date=April 30, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250430045340/https://time.com/7003134/zero-day-taiwan-television-series-china-invasion/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwan-tv-series-depicting-china-invasion-sparks-anxious-debate|title=Taiwan TV series depicting China invasion sparks anxious debate|date=July 25, 2024|website=[[The Straits Times]]}}</ref> It aired at 9:00 PM ([[UTC+8]]) on August 2, 2025, in Taiwan, and aired in Japan via [[Amazon Prime Video|Amazon Prime]] on August 15, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the announcement of the [[surrender of Japan]].
==Plot== The elderly incumbent [[President of the Republic of China|president of Taiwan]] loses to a younger female challenger ([[Janet Hsieh]]). As the political transition is underway and inauguration day approaches, a [[People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force|PLANAF]] [[Shaanxi Y-8]] [[Maritime patrol aircraft|antisubmarine warfare aircraft]] goes down in the waters southeast of Taiwan (implied to be an act of surreptitious internal sabotage as part of a [[false flag]] operation),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stilwell |first=Blake |date=2024-08-08 |title='Zero Day': New 10-Part Series Imagines What a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Might Actually Look Like |url=https://www.military.com/off-duty/television/2024/08/08/zero-day-new-10-part-series-imagines-what-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan-might-actually-look.html |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=Military.com |language=en}}</ref> with the plane's sole surviving injured crewman being rescued and picked up by a nearby [[Republic of China Navy|ROCN]] warship. Under the guise of conducting a [[search and rescue]] operation for the missing plane, the [[People's Republic of China]] implements a naval [[blockade]] surrounding Taiwan, leading to the complete halt of international shipping to the island, and a subsequent [[stock market crash]] and [[bank run]]. The United States and Japan increase their military readiness levels as the [[Republic of China Army|Taiwanese military]] mobilizes in preparation for invasion, with foreign governments starting to evacuate their citizens from Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3272072/taiwans-zero-day-drama-portraying-pla-attack-sparks-emotion-worry-and-criticism|title=Taiwan's Zero Day drama portraying PLA attack sparks emotion, worry and criticism|author=Hayley Wong|date=July 26, 2024|website=[[South China Morning Post]]}}</ref>
==Production== The series was announced at a press conference on July 23, 2024, with the first trailer released on the same day.<ref name="focustaiwan">{{cite web|url=https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/202407240023|title=Trailer released for Taiwanese cross-strait war drama 'Zero Day'|date=July 24, 2024|website=Focus Taiwan}}</ref> Preparation for the series began in December 2022, inspired by the ongoing [[Russo-Ukrainian War]] and the [[2022 Chinese military exercises around Taiwan|Chinese military exercises around Taiwan]] conducted in protest of [[2022 visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan|Nancy Pelosi's 2022 Taiwanese state visit]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cheung |first=Eric |date=2024-08-05 |title=Taiwan is making a TV show about a Chinese invasion. And it's hitting close to home |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/04/asia/taiwan-tv-series-zero-day-chinese-invasion-intl-hnk/index.html |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> Principal filming commenced in March 2024, with plans to finish by November 2024.<ref name="lihpao">{{cite web|url=https://www.limedia.tw/comm/52058/|title=《零日攻擊ZERO DAY》華麗卡司亮相！17分鐘前導片曝高規格製作、高話題度|author=Pan Taoyu|date=July 23, 2024|website=[[:zh:台灣立報|Lihpao]]|language=zh}}</ref> The series is supported by the Taiwanese [[Ministry of Culture (Taiwan)|Ministry of Culture]]'s "1 plus 4-T-content plan",<ref name="focustaiwan"/> and is produced by Zero Day Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd., with funding provided by the [[Taiwan Creative Content Agency]], [[Chunghwa Telecom]], {{ill|Kaohsiung Film Fund|zh|高雄人 (電影)}}, and [[Robert Tsao]].<ref name="lihpao"/> Cheng Shin-mei ({{lang-zh|t=鄭心媚}}) is the producer and screenwriter of the show,<ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |date=July 25, 2024 |title=Taiwanese series on China invasion sparks debate |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/arts-and-entertainment/2835731/taiwans-television-series-depicting-china-invasion-sparks-anxious-debate |website=[[Bangkok Post]] |agency=Bloomberg News}}</ref> while Lin Shih-ken ({{lang-zh|t=林仕肯}}) serves as executive producer. Filming was also assisted by the [[Republic of China Armed Forces]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=台海戰爭劇「零日攻擊」 敏感議題惹關注|url=https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121234/8103533|website=[[World Journal]]|language=zh|access-date=2024-07-23|archive-date=2024-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005040310/https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121234/8103533|url-status=dead}}</ref> with a [[Republic of China Navy|ROCN]] warship and real [[CM-32 armoured vehicle]]s appearing in some scenes.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
The show features ten episodes and ten directors in the first season.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.the-independent.com/asia/china/zero-day-taiwan-show-china-invasion-b2751851.html | title=Creators of Taiwanese TV show imagining Chinese invasion warn island needs to prepare | date=19 May 2025 }}</ref> Producer Cheng Hsin-mei also wrote one of the episodes.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chiang |first1=Joy |title=War drama 'wake-up call' to Chinese invasion threat |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2025/05/14/2003836837 |website=taipeitimes.com |date=14 May 2025 |publisher=Taipei Times |access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref>
Director Lo Ging-zim explains that after the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], he considers Taiwan to be "the most likely next flashpoint... drama is not presenting the truth but metaphor as to how we might react to the challenges in reality", and that ''Zero Day'' aims to show the public how to face a potential invasion.<ref name="focustaiwan"/> The director made the decision to weaken Taiwan's government and society in their portrayal, setting a worst-case scenario which they hope to empower the audience to avoid. Lo said “I believe every Taiwanese person has their own version of Zero Day attack in their mind. We were just the first to make it into a series.”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gan |first1=Nectar |last2=Cheung |first2=Eric |title=Taiwan is making a TV show about a Chinese invasion. And it's hitting close to home |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/04/asia/taiwan-tv-series-zero-day-chinese-invasion-intl-hnk/index.html |website=cnn.com |date=5 August 2024 |publisher=CNN |access-date=7 August 2024}}</ref>
[[Hong Kong]] actor [[Chapman To]], who plays the character of "Brother Qiang", a [[Chinese Communist Party]] operative, expressed in a media interview that "it is embarrassing to play the role of a Hongkonger sent by the People's Republic of China to infiltrate Taiwan, but acting such a role is not difficult because there are many such people in Hong Kong".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://neww.tw/zero-day/|title=零日攻擊zero day台海戰爭片:高橋一生、杜汶澤出演！2025播出|date=July 26, 2024|website=新識界|language=zh}}</ref><ref name="yahoosg"/>
==Release== The series will consist of ten episodes, and is planned to release at 9:00 PM on August 2, 2025, in Taiwan and August 15, 2025, in Japan, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGaXThXWTLc|title=《零日攻擊》正式總預告｜𝗭𝗘𝗥𝗢 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗞 OFFICIAL TRAILER｜8月2日起 每週六21:00 | August 15 on Amazon Prime Video JP|date=June 24, 2025|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref name="rfa">{{cite web|url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/taiwan-china-invasion-series-07252024045150.html|title=Taiwan to release TV series about China's invasion|date=July 25, 2024|website=[[Radio Free Asia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=李世宸 |author2=劉毓琦 |title=「零日攻擊」邀外媒辦座談會 預告最快明年5月上映 |url=https://www.ftvnews.com.tw/news/detail/2024820L16M1 |access-date=29 August 2024 |work=民視新聞網Formosa TV News network |date=20 August 2024 |language=zh-TW}}</ref> Each of the episodes will be filmed by different directors.<ref name="focustaiwan"/>
A 17-minute trailer was released in July 2024 during simulated air raids in Taiwan's [[Han Kuang Exercise]].<ref>{{cite news|work=Newsweek|title=China Invades Taiwan in New TV Drama|author=Micah McCartney|date=July 26, 2024|url=https://www.newsweek.com/china-invades-taiwan-new-tv-drama-1930600}}</ref><ref>{{citation|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|title=Taiwanese Series 'Zero Day' Trailer About Chinese Invasion Sparks Emotional Response|author=Sara Merican|date=July 26, 2024 |url=https://deadline.com/2024/07/taiwan-series-zero-day-trailer-chinese-invasion-fears-1236021632/}}</ref>
==Reactions== Zero Day Attack premiered at the 2025 Copenhagen Democracy Summit in May, where it received a standing ovation.<ref name="DW">{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Yuchen |title=Taiwan imagines a Chinese invasion with TV and games |url=https://www.dw.com/en/taiwan-imagines-a-chinese-invasion-with-tv-and-games/a-73557405 |access-date=11 August 2025 |work=DW |date=August 2025}}</ref>
A review in ''[[Small Wars Journal]]'' said the series "perfectly illustrates the multifaceted nature of modern [[hybrid warfare]]... blend[ing] conventional military tactics with cyber operations, psychological manipulation, and exploitation of societal vulnerabilities".<ref>{{citation|work=[[Small Wars Journal]]|title="Zero Day" TV Series Illustrates What A Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Could Look Like|date=March 15, 2025|url=https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/03/15/video-zero-day-tv-series-illustrates-what-a-chinese-invasion-of-taiwan-could-look-like/}}</ref> Writing in ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', [[Walter Russell Mead]] said it "offers both an intimate look at Taiwanese society and an invaluable introduction to a looming great power conflict that could upend all our lives."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mead |first=Walter Russell |title=Opinion {{!}} The War of Revision Is Coming |url=https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-war-of-revision-is-coming-russia-china-taiwan-national-security-4e2184a7 |access-date=2025-06-05 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref>
Nikkei Asia said Zero Day Attack was considered the first series in Taiwan to break the taboo within the country's entertainment industry of openly discussing a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chau |first1=Thompson |title=Taiwan's 'Zero Day Attack' showrunner takes on China taboo |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/editor-s-picks/interview/taiwan-s-zero-day-attack-showrunner-takes-on-china-taboo |access-date=11 August 2025 |work=Nikkei Asia |date=August 2025}}</ref> Yu-Hui Tai, a Taiwanese academic, said the show was part of a trend where the topic of a Chinese invasion had gone "from something we didn't want to talk about to something we can now imagine and even simulate."<ref name="DW"/>
[[Kuomintang]] politicians criticized the series for creating "an atmosphere of panic" and blurring "reality and fiction excessively." They also implied that the show was propaganda produced by the [[Democratic Progressive Party]] administration.<ref>{{cite news |title=What if China invaded Taiwan? This TV drama paints a visceral picture |url=https://www.afr.com/world/asia/what-if-china-invaded-taiwan-this-tv-drama-paints-a-visceral-picture-20250512-p5lygk |access-date=12 July 2025 |agency=Australian Financial Review |date=14 May 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Taiwanese war drama 'wake-up call' to Chinese invasion threat |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/05/13/film/taiwan-china-zero-day/ |access-date=12 July 2025 |work=The Japan Times |date=13 May 2025 |language=en}}</ref> Legislator [[Wang Hung-wei]] expressed concerns about the use of government subsidies to produce the drama.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TVBS |title=《零日攻擊》斥資2.3億！王鴻薇轟賣芒果干 爆中華電信投資額成謎│TVBS新聞網 |url=https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/2946994 |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=TVBS |language=zh-tw}}</ref> Cheng responded to allegations of improper funding by saying government subsidies were common for most local film and TV projects.<ref name="DW"/>
The [[Ministry of National Defense (China)|Ministry of National Defense]] of the People's Republic of China criticized the show for stoking "war anxiety".<ref name="ISW">{{cite news |last1=Cowan |first1=Tiffany |last2=O'Neil |first2=Alison |last3=Shats |first3=Daniel |last4=Sperzel |first4=Matthew |title=China-Taiwan Weekly Update, August 8, 2025 |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/china-taiwan-weekly-update-august-8-2025 |access-date=12 August 2025 |work=ISW Press |date=August 2025}}</ref> The [[Institute for the Study of War]] said the ministry's comments served "ongoing PRC information operations to demoralize and isolate Taiwan diplomatically."<ref name="ISW"/>
Chinese political commentator Luo Shanji compared the drama with CCTV's ''[[Silent Honor (TV series)|Silent Honor]]'' and worried both dramas will cause a further rift in [[cross-strait relations]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=中時新聞網 |date=2025-10-10 |title=海納百川》「零日攻擊」與「沉默的榮耀」（洛杉基） - 海納百川 |url=https://www.chinatimes.com/opinion/20251010002979-262110?chdtv |access-date=2025-10-17 |website=中時新聞網 |language=zh-TW}}</ref>
== See also == * [[2045 (game)|''2045'' (game)]] * [[Conflict (Finnish TV series)|''Conflict'' (Finnish TV series)]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|qid=Q129698109|id=tt33083565}} *{{YouTube|nGaXThXWTLc|Official trailer}}
{{Cross-strait relations}}
[[Category:2020s Taiwanese television series debuts]] [[Category:Mandarin-language television shows]] [[Category:Taiwanese drama television series]] [[Category:Television shows filmed in Taiwan]] [[Category:Military of China in fiction]] [[Category:Political drama television series]] [[Category:Taiwanese speculative fiction television series]] [[Category:Cross-strait relations]] [[Category:Fiction about the People's Liberation Army]] [[Category:2025 Taiwanese television series debuts]] [[Category:Television series set in 2024]]