Zhang Xinke delivers a speech at the National Memorial of Korean Provisional Government in Seoul on Sept 15.

Zhang Xinke, author of Unbreakable Words, has been invited to visit South Korea, where he delivered a speech at the National Memorial of Korean Provisional Government in Seoul on Sept 15.

The audience, comprising Korean legislators, government officials, and researchers, gave Zhang a standing ovation after his speech, which was followed by an engaging question and answer session.

Unbreakable Words, created by Zhang over eight years, tells the tumultuous story of how South Korean independence movement leader Kim Koo and members of the provisional government of South Korea jointly resisted Japanese aggression in the 1930s and 1940s during World War II, with the support of the Chinese people.

Zhang visited various historical sites in China and South Korea, crafting a novel of over 500,000 Chinese characters, which recreates that turbulent and stirring period.

Zhang Xinke (right) presents the Unbreakable Words as a gift to the great-grandson of South Korean independence movement leader Kim Koo.

Unbreakable Words is celebrated for expanding the narrative scope of wartime literature. It enriches the literary portrayal of resistance against Japanese aggressors and serves as a vivid literary resource for understanding this shared history between China and South Korea, as well as for global audiences.

Zhang's connection to this subject dates back 30 years to his time as a student in Germany, where he first learned about Kim Koo and the activities of the Korean Provisional Government in China through a Korean friend. Throughout his writing process, Zhang adhered to the principle of "major events are not fictionalized, minor details are flexible", using real historical events as a framework.

Unbreakable Words stands as a testament to the eternal truths that justice, peace, and the will of the people tend to ultimately prevail, making it a vivid historical textbook.