The Great Wall of China (2007)

It was the most ambitious building project ever attempted in the history of mankind. And its story has been almost impossible to tell - until now. Based on astonishing new archaeological finds and extraordinary first-person accounts, Great Wall of China tells the story of one of the greatest wonders the world has ever known.

It's more than 3,000 miles in length and was built in just 20 years by a workforce of nearly two million using technology and construction techniques that continue to inspire awe even today. The story of its building, one of human drama, labour and loss, is told in this film through three individuals, each one central to the tale. Thirteen-year-old Emperor Muzong, whose Kingdom is pushed to the brink of destruction by invading Mongolian warriors, demands that a wall be built that can never be breached again. General Qi Jiguang, a military hero and engineering genius, is tasked with overseeing the largest workforce ever assembled on earth. And Zhou Li, an ordinary soldier, is forced to work in conditions of unimaginable hardship but ultimately finds sanctuary and peace in the shadow of this great wall.

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EYESTEELFILM & National Film Board of Canada - Up the Yangtze (2008)

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A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze, navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as "The River." In the biggest engineering endeavour since the Great Wall, China has set out to harness the Yangtze with the world's largest mega-dam. Meanwhile at the river's edge Yu Shui says goodbye to her family and turns to face the future. From their small patch of land, her parents watch the young woman walk away, her belongings clutched in a plastic shopping bag. The waters are rising.

The Three Gorges Dam, gargantuan and hotly contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle, provides the epic and unsettling backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic and disquieting feature documentary on life inside the 21st century Chinese dream. Stunningly photographed and beautifully composed, Up the Yangtze juxtaposes the poignant and sharply observed details of Yu Shui's story against the monumental and ominous forces at work all around her.



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Al Jazeera - 101 East - China Press Freedom (2008)

Recent unrest in Tibet has once again raised questions about media freedom in China. The gulf between Western perceptions of this developing superpower and China's desire to control the message now seems bigger than ever.

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Al Jazeera - 101 East - China's Economy (2008)

The US economy is facing the prospect of a recession, with the sub-prime credit crunch adding to its problems. But many analysts are looking to China to pick up the global economic slack. China's phenomenal expansion in the last 25 years, with current growth roaring ahead at more than ten per cent annually, has raised hopes that its strength could insulate Asia from the weakening American economy. That has not been an entirely painless process; inflation on the mainland has been climbing, with many ordinary Chinese suffering as the cost of staple foods and goods soar.

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Al Jazeera - 101 East - Tibet Refugees (2008)

Every year, 3000 Tibetan refugees risk death from the weather and border guards as they flee China across snow covered passes in the Himalayas to Nepal.

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Al Jazeera - People & Power - Moving China (2007)

Part 1 tells stories and reports on the conditions back in the villages where many migrant laborers come from. We are given insights into the conditions that catalyze the decisions for migrant laborers to move to the city, and what happens to families as a result.

Part 2 shows a bit of the underbelly of Shanghai. for many of Shanghai’s 6 million migrants, equality is something of a dream. For many of these 6 million, they work day and night doing jobs the native Shanghaiese would never do. Their kids go to substandard schools, and there are few safety nets. Without the migrant labor there would be no Shanghai, no Beijing, no economic miracle...

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BBC - The Lost World of Tibet (2008)

This film is being brought to television as a result of a BBC/British Film Institute co-production. A recently restored treasure-trove of colour films from the 1940s and 1950s provides the core of this astonishing film, which allows us to see what Tibet was like before its brutal occupation by China. As members of the aristocracy and the Tibetan government in exile recall, the Tibetans world revolved around a series of colourful religious festivals, taking up 68 days of the year. In The Great Prayer Festival, monks take over from the government for a few days and, whilst ceremoniously whipping their subjects, impose fines for such offences as singing in public or having a dirty house. The film includes a revealing interview with the Dalai Lama, who reminisces about how much he missed his mother and his envy for his brother who got to play with all his toys.

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CCTV-9 - The Past of Tibet (2008)

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According to Old Tibetan law, Tibetans were divided into 3 categories, each was further divided into 3 classes. The Pala Villa owners´ wealth was beyond imagination. His house had about 1,000 rooms, in which there were 50 servants. His family also had 6 other estates in Tibet, and over 50 people to manage the estate. Gesang Quzhen and her mother slept in a room without roof. They were always hungry, but dared not ask for food. Deqing Zhuoma´s family were serves for 4 generations. She was born in a cowshed, and she was the 4th generation serf. Before 1959, there was a practice in Tibet, that is lama service - If a family had two sons, one of them had to be a lama. The basement of the building was a prison, where many cruel and savage ways of punishments were practiced. At meal time, the prisoners were sent to the streets to beg for food. Those who could not get food, would have to go hungry. The streets were full of beggars. Democratic reform was carried out in Tibet, it put an end to the system of feudal serfdom. It turned 1 million tibetan serfs into free men.

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Also visit the CCTV International Youtube channel for more.

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CCTV-9 - Documentary on the Dalai Lama (2008)

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Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born in Daktse Village in Qinghai. He was the son of Tibetan peasants. In every aspect, the Dalai Lama enjoyed the most expensive attention a supreme personality could enjoy in mediaeval Europe. The West has long been interested in Tibet. After living Buddha Radeng´s death, Tenzin Gyatso was deeply influenced by the thoughts of "independence". The indication from the Angel was the 16-year-old Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso should lead. Dalai Lama began his political career then. In Zhongnanhai, the Dalai Lama met Chairman Mao for the first time. In 1956, General Chen Yi arrived in Lhasa, leading a delegation from the central government. The US started deeping their hands directly into Tibetan affairs. In 1959, the Dalai Lama and his followers openly announced "Tibetan independence".

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CCTV-9 - Documentary on Lhasa Riots (2008)

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China's CCTV-9 broadcasts a fifteen minute´s documentary on the riot happened in Lhasa, Tibet on March 14th at 22:00 Beijing time on March 20th.

The video shows the criminal acts of beatings, vandalism, looting and burning, plotted by the "Dalai Clique" in Lhasa, March 14, 2008.

The riots in Lhasa last Friday are the most serious incident in the region for decades. Local residents are still reeling from the aftershock, even as they try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. In the following documentary, we look back at the events to see how they've impacted the people in Tibet.

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