Asia in the Great War: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Over 100 years ago, nearly two million men in Asia were recruited to fight in the greatest war humanity has ever witnessed.

They were Indian soldiers from remote communities, Chinese farmers from rural outposts, Vietnamese fishermen participating on behalf of their French colonial masters, and Japanese sailors in service of their emperor.

Today, few remember their sacrifice. But their participation in World War I heralded the start of great change in their homelands.

In India, it was the first time Punjabis and Tamils from Hindustan became aware of their shared Indian identity. In China, the war had a role in the formation of the Chinese Communist Party. In Vietnam, it created entrepreneurial opportunities in industries then firmly controlled by the French. And in Japan, it brought the country even closer to the perils of empire.

In 2018, as the world commemorates the centenary of the end of WWI, this series will examine Asia's contribution to the war, and how the war changed Asia forever.

Series details

• Title: Asia in the Great War
• Format: Documentary
• Language: English
• Genres: History
• Premiere date: 2018-11-14
• Final broadcast date listed: 2018-11-14
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: Channel NewsAsia
• Network country: Singapore
• Typical episode runtime: 48 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 58377
• IMDb ID: tt12987938
• TVDB ID: 409808

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 2018-11-14; final listed air date 2018-11-14; episode order: 4.

Source and licence

Adapted from Asia in the Great War on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.