The Great Firewall of China (2008)

China has the most sophisticated censorship and internet surveillance in the world. But despite this autocratic control some guerrilla bloggers are still managing to get their message through."The Government always wants to try to act as the cat to control people's access to information but I think the mouse is running faster." This is the voice of Isaac Mao, he was one of China's earliest bloggers, and has learnt how to work the system. "The Chinese government's goal is not to control one hundred percent of what people are doing one hundred percent of the time," if they are too authoritarian, they will be faced with civil unrest. As CNN correspondent Rebecca MacKinnon points out, "to remain in power they want to prevent certain uses of the internet that might lead to overthrow." Journalists like Zhang Shihe work the gaps in the censorship to broadcast their message, " I rely on my instinct. Am I telling the truth or lies? Am I trying to help improve the situation? I know if I can control this, I'll be fine." He regularly films and comments on rural working conditions, and has as yet avoided jail. But his story is not typical. With about 30 known journalists and 50 internet users known to be behind bars, the Committee to Protect Journalists has branded China "the world's leading jailer of journalists."

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Troublemakers Are Insane (2008)

Chinese authorities have got a radical weapon against troublemakers: lock them up indefinitely in police-run mental hospitals. Written off as 'dangerously ill', 'patients' are often never seen again.

Zhang, a democratic activist, was abducted by the police and taken to an institution where he's been detained alongside genuine psychopaths. As his sister tried to prove his sanity, it appeared that the motive was his political views. Another victim was incarcerated and force-fed pills for a year after challenging a court ruling. Coming out, she talked to human rights activists: 'What on earth is wrong with me that I must stay with murderers in one cell? Is there a law in this world?' Psychiatrists claim that 'patients' have pathologically distorted views of reality. Anyone opposing the Chinese government must be insane indeed.

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China's Foul Play (2008)

Police in Beijing are racing to rid the streets of so-called troublemakers before the Olympic opening ceremony. Their targets are the law-abiding Chinese who go to Beijing to protest against corruption.

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China's Young Athletes (2008)

The young athletes of China have a great opportunity, the chance to win an Olympic medal in their home country. But with great opportunity, comes enormous pressure. The young athletes at No 6 Middleschool in Lanzhou, one of China's poorest provinces, have an exhausting training and school programme. Some students start training from 5:30am and then there are fourteen hours of school programmes per day. Many of the athletes here come from poor farming families. They hope that sport will be their chance not only to compete in the Olympics, but also to have a better future.

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The Day The Schools Fell Down (2008)

On May 12th an earthquake shook the Sichuan Province. Hundreds of schools collapsed, killing thousands of pupils. Parents are asking why did the schools fall when other buildings withstood the quake?

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Quake (2008)

ABC's Stephen McDonnell travels to the epicenter of the tragedy, to a city that is no more. He brings back a compelling report that reveals the terrifying scale of the devastation.
As disaster struck, Yingxiu became a mountain of rubble overnight. Thousands of people, including many children have been trapped under ruins for days. Lack of means has hindered rescue efforts, leaving many survivors helpless and frustrated. For locals 'the only future...is to bulldoze everything and start from scratch'. A powerful eye-witness account from the heart of this tragedy.

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