China: A Century of Revolution (3 Parts)

Synopsis

Ten years in the making, this six-hour, three-part documentary series on the history of 20th century China uses archive footage and first-hand interviews to document the epic struggle of the Chinese people to build a unified, modern nation. With Communism failing, the recent death of Deng Xiaoping, and the return of Hong Kong to China, this series provides insight into a society as it prepares to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Language

English

Country

United States

Year of production

1989-1997

Notes

Part 2 was broadcast on Channel 4 in 2 parts, on 14/10/98 and 21/10/98.
Part 3 was broadcast on Channel 4 in 2 parts on 23/6/97 and 30/6/97

Documentation

Accompanying teachers’ guide containing six complete lesson plans and a bibliography

Subjects

History; Politics & government

Keywords

China; Chinese cultural revolution; communism; Mao, Zedong

Distribution Formats

Type

VHS

Format

NTSC

Price

$199.00 (all 3 partw)

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

3 x 120 minutes

Year

2003

Sections

Title

China in revolution 1911-1949

Synopsis

The first part of the series describes the epic upheaval that began in China with the fall of the last emperor in 1911. Over the next four decades, the Chinese people were caught up in struggles with warlords, foreign invasion and a bitter rivalry between the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Party. The film highlights the two figures who came to shape events, Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong, who first worked as allies to unite the country and then fought each other in a bloody civil war that was won by the Communists in 1949. The story of the Communist victory provides a fascinating climax to this early chapter of modern Chinese history.

Duration

120 mins

Title

Mao Years 1949-1976, The

Synopsis

Part 2 tells the story of how Mao Zedong and his colleagues tried to build a "new China" - and in the process drew the Chinese people into the largest political experiment in history. The film presents an intimate portrait of a nation that, for much of the period, seemed closed and incomprehensible to the rest of the world. The film reveals never-before-seen images of Mao, Deng Xiaoping and other leaders; cataclysmic events like the Great Leap Forward and the ensuing famine; Mao’s colossal and tragic experiment, the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution; the historic visit of President Nixon; and culminates in Mao’s death in 1976.

Duration

120 mins

Title

Born under the red flag 1976-1997

Synopsis

When Mao Zedong died in 1976, China’s economy was threadbare and the Chinese were exhausted by decades of political turmoil. Less than twenty years later, China appeared to be a new country. Reinvigorated by the dynamism of its people, the largest nation on earth had finally become a world economic and military power. Through the voices of peasants, students, loyal revolutionaries, political prisoners and others, BORN UNDER THE RED FLAG examines modern China’s epic journey to the dawn of the 21st century and its pursuit of two seemingly contradictory goals: economic strength and prosperity, and absolute Communist Party control. The interviews are woven together with archival footage, providing a unique look at one of the most astonishing transformations of a nation in world history.

Duration

120 mins

Production Company

Name

Ambrica Productions

Sponsor

Name

Channel Four Television

Phone

071-396 4444

Address

LONDON
SW1P 2TX

Name

Ford Foundation

Name

WGBH Boston

Distributor

Name

Zeitgeist Films

Email

clemence@zeitgeistfilms.com

Web

http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+1 212 274 1989

Fax

+1 212 274 1644

Address

247 Centre Street, 2nd Floor
New York
NY 10013
USA