China

This program enters the world of Beijing opera through the traditional art of mask-making-and through the eyes of 76-year-old Xiang Qi Shang, a celebrated mask maker who has devoted his life to preserving a custom that may yet be lost in China's rush to modernization. Master Xiang demonstrates his remarkable brushwork as he comments on a range of topics, including the use of facial expression to illuminate a character's personality and the application of symbolic colors to aid in audience recognition. Facial painting in Beijing opera is also discussed. (17 minutes)

With its dramatic rise in economic and geopolitical importance, China has become a land of opportunity for foreigners from the West-although in certain cases, foreigner" is a problematic term. This program presents compelling firsthand accounts of six "ABCs" (American-born Chinese) who have moved to Beijing in search of career progress and a better grasp of their identities. Candidly sharing personal reactions to the nation's rapidly evolving political climate, social divisions, and business culture, each participant must come to terms with the reality of modern China-and its departure from the sentimental notions he or she acquired in childhood. (58 minutes)"

There are fortunes to be made in China today-but fortune-seekers from overseas face immense challenges. This program offers three engaging business case studies, each following a Western entrepreneur who grapples with Chinese business practices and culture. Tony Caldera's cushion business has been ruined by Chinese imports, but he hopes for a turnaround by building a factory here. Peter Williams is about to embark on the toughest challenge of his life: selling an energy-saving device to the Chinese. Finally, there's Vance Miller, who gained notoriety for selling cheap Chinese kitchens in Britain. Now he's in China, determined to overcome setbacks. All three studies are ideal for sparking discussion and analysis in international business courses. (51 minutes)

This Wide Angle report follows five Chinese students through their arduous final year at an elite public high school as they strive to become a part of the approximately three percent that will earn a coveted spot in one of Beijing's top two universities. Studying seven days a week, their futures depend on a strong performance on the national college entrance exam. The winners will be tomorrow's lawyers, corporate executives, and civil servants, who hope to make China's economy the largest in the world. In addition, Aaron Brown interviews Harvard University's Vanessa Fong, author of Only Hope: Coming of Age Under China's One-Child Policy. Original broadcast title: China Prep. (57 minutes)

Life in the world's most populous nation is filled with more hope and more uncertainty than ever before. This four-part series explores monumental changes unfolding in Chinese society and their impact on individual citizens-those who enjoy newfound wealth and influence as well as those who face a daily struggle to survive. From the agricultural crisis on the Loess Plateau to giddy preparations for the Beijing Olympics, China Rises offers an intimate portrait of the People's Republic as it reinvents itself and reaches for a grand position in the global order. Portions are in Chinese with English subtitles. A Discovery Channel Production. 4-part series, 45 minutes each.

As China becomes the world's largest consumer market, its growing pains reveal fascinating business case studies. This program takes viewers into the heart of Shanghai's dog-eat-dog convenience store industry, focusing on the state-owned Hao de chain and its foreign-owned competitors. With Japan's Lawsons and Taiwan-backed Family Marts seemingly popping up on every corner, the program accompanies Hao de corporate executives from store to store as they struggle to maintain market supremacy. Eye-opening scenes depicting employee training, low-level corporate espionage, and emotional store openings and closings illuminate Chinese-style business dealings. (53 minutes)

During the Cultural Revolution, Chinese leaders discouraged-and frequently cracked down on-the practice of any faith. This two-part series examines the country's new religious freedoms, which find expression through state-sanctioned churches and monasteries. Viewers will learn how Buddhist, Catholic, and Protestant congregations are growing by leaps and bounds, despite government management" and tensions within each group. Conversations with spiritual leaders, religious academics, and state officials enrich this visually dynamic journey through a rarely seen China. 2-part series, 52-53 minutes each."

As China continues to experiment with Western-style economics, many city dwellers already enjoy the prerogatives of a market economy. But how will China feed itself as more and more farmers flee their land for the allure of urban living? This program seeks to understand the effects of economic reform on Chinese society, from the villages to the cities. Will cultural values and the traditional arts and sciences retain their importance as China makes its bid for first-world status, or will they and the rest of the old China be swept away by Western attitudes, a burgeoning middle-class, and the country's new identity as a nascent economic powerhouse? (50 minutes)

From fledgling cottage industries to the Shanghai stock market, China represents a unique blend of communism and capitalism. This program studies that phenomenon by examining how the Chinese themselves are adapting to the quasi-free market system. Chinese economic modernization is studied at a shoe factory, where communist worker ideals and capitalist goals coexist. In the largest migration in history, 90 million rural Chinese have moved to cities in search of jobs, a better life, and a larger slice of the capitalist pie, only to find the gap between rich and poor widening each day. Corruption, say many, is rampant. The issue of how these trends will eventually affect China's stability is examined. A BBC Production. (50 minutes)

Perennially popular in China, paper-cutting is treasured for its ability to transform ordinary paper into intricately patterned, brilliantly colored works of art. This program, filmed in Hubei Province, charts the evolution of Chinese paper-cutting from traditional cutouts representing luck and health to modern visual art as it illustrates the designing, cutting, and coloring processes. Tsuwoo Wi, whose father was the only apprentice of the great Master Wang Lao Shang, is featured, along with Tsuwoo Tsuing, of Central Art College, Beijing. (15 minutes)

Shanghai's professional class enjoys a hip, affluent lifestyle-but a shocking number of the city's residents live in poverty. This program explores the widening divide between China's educated, cosmopolitan wealthy and those citizens who feel increasingly disenfranchised by capitalist development. Profiling an up-and-coming film director and a successful fashion designer, the episode also follows the stories of three women left destitute by government eviction policies. Viewers will gain insight into Shanghai's ambitious city planning, steered by socialism with Chinese characteristics"-as well as long-standing family traditions in danger of disappearing in 21st-century China. A Discovery Channel Production. (Portions in Chinese with English subtitles, 45 minutes)"

This program focuses on the Land Formations and Flying Stars Schools of classical feng shui, demonstrating the ancient Chinese geomantic practice of living harmoniously with the environment as it is applied in Hong Kong and elsewhere. World-renowned teacher Grandmaster Yap Cheng Hai and several feng shui consultants provide a detailed overview of Taoism, chi, yin and yang, the five symbolic elements and animals, the bagua and its eight trigrams, and the lo pan compass. The feng shui of a number of buildings-Norman Foster's Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank and I. M. Pei's Bank of China, among others-as well as several ancestral grave sites is assessed. The feng shui of a variety of locales in Europe is also analyzed. (56 minutes)

In its rush to riches, China may be devouring its ability to feed its own people. This program addresses the country's disturbing lack of food security, examining the roles played by drought, pollution, industrial development, and overwhelming demand. Viewers will accompany two lawyers as they champion disadvantaged farmers whose lands and water sources have been ruined by factory waste-a problem widespread in rural China. The film also spotlights Pan Yue, China's outspoken Vice Minister of the Environment, and links several factors-including real estate deals, land seizures, and climate change-to the sad reality that one in eight Chinese often goes to bed hungry. A Discovery Channel Production. (Portions in Chinese with English subtitles, 45 minutes)

By embracing private enterprise, China has achieved the most rapid economic advance in history. But how much of its success is founded on the abuse and exploitation of workers? This program examines the rise of China's upper class, looking at new philosophies and business tactics that have created millionaires and billionaires in a once-collectivist society. Viewers are introduced to Zuo Zongshen, owner of the Zongshen Industrial Group and one of the richest men in China-as well as two of his factory employees, among the estimated 100 million Chinese who have left rural villages for low-wage urban jobs. Also studied: the nation's alarming rise in workplace injuries and its booming dot-com industry. A Discovery Channel Production. (Portions in Chinese with English subtitles, 45 minutes)

China is booming economically. U.S. companies, including Motorola and Boeing, are employing thousands in new factories. However, Western economic investment has not translated into a Chinese acceptance of Western ideas concerning human rights-as evident in the Tiananmen Square massacre. This program discusses the progress that is being made. We meet a radio talk-show host who invites callers to grill government officials, and newspaper editors who sometimes run pieces critical of the government's human rights record. And while China may have a ways to go in this respect, one Chinese official predicts, Full bellies and controlled political evolution will keep China on course [toward expanding human rights]." Original BBC broadcast title: Shaking the World. (49 minutes)"