Chinese Schools

Alternative title

Chinese School

Synopsis

Documentary series about the hopes and dreams of a group of children at three schools in the small Chinese town of Xiuning, in rural Anhui. The programmes focus on the lives of a group of families, teachers and children during the course of a single academic year. The schools are like many thousands of others across this vast nation, but through the individual stories of hardship, joy and success, an extraordinary portrait emerges, not just of a group of children and a town, but of a side of the Chinese nation seldom seen. This DVD video contains all 5 programmes from the series:

1 The Year of the Pig - follows the children as they prepare for the biggest challenge of their lives; 2 Young Pioneers - It’s May, and as the heat of summer sets in the senior students face the all-important Gao Kao exams. Their results can mean the difference between poverty and prosperity for their entire family. At Ping Min primary school, Cheng Chao is looking forward to becoming a Young Communist Pioneer. Wu Lin’s concern about her country’s future sees her researching the polluted river near her school; 3 HARD BEGINNINGS - It’s the start of a new academic year in Xiuning. Star student Wu Yufei starts life at China’s prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, but before she can begin her studies she must get through 20 days of gruelling military training; 4 OLYMPIC FEVER - Xiuning county may be 1000 miles from Beijing, but that hasn’t stopped Olympic fever reaching its schools ahead of China’s first time hosting the games. It’s Autumn and, after the heat of summer and exams, students hit the sports field. With 3400 students, Haiyang Middle school is the largest school in the county so sports day is a mammoth undertaking for the deputy head teacher; for school radio DJ Zha Yujie, it’s the highlight of the year. Ping Min primary school holds its first sports day ever. Young champion Dai Deli is determined to take gold; 5 LOVED ONES - The final programme examines the importance of family in China and takes a look at an event that holds this rapidly-changing society together - the Spring Festival.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2008

Year of production

2008

Availability

Out of distribution

Notes

Broadcast in 5 parts on BBC4 beginning 8/4/2008

Subjects

Social Studies; Education; Geography

Keywords

China; education; schoolchildren; social geography; social issues

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£17.00

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

300 minutes

Year

2011

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Name

Open University

Distributor

Name

Canny Store

Web

https://cannystore.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

01789 207440

Address

The Mansley Centre
Timothy’s Bridge Road
Stratford upon Avon
CV37 9NQ

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web

http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 1908 274066

Address

Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Notes

NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk