Silk Roads and China Ships
Michael Wood tells the tale of China's first great international age under the Tang Dynasty (618-907). From the picturesque old city of Luoyang, he travels along the Silk Road to the bazaars of central Asia and into India on the track of the Chinese monk who brought Buddhism back to China. This tale is still loved by the Chinese today and is brought to life by storytellers, films, and shadow puppet plays.
Then in the backstreets and markets of Xi'an, Michael meets descendants of the traders from central Asia and Persia who came into China on the Silk Road. He talks to Chinese Muslims in the Great Mosque and across town hears the amazing story of the first reception of Christianity in 635.
Moving south, Michael sees the beginnings of China as an economic giant. On the Grand Canal, a lock built in 605 still handles 800 barges every day! The film tracks the rise of the silk industry and the world's favorite drink - tea.
Michael looks too at the spread of Chinese script, language, and culture across east Asia. 'China's influence on the East was as profound as Rome on the Latin West', he says, 'and still is today'.
Finally, the film tells the intense drama of the fall of the Tang. Among the eyewitnesses were China's greatest poets. In a secondary school in a dusty village, where the Chinese Shakespeare - Du Fu - is buried in the grounds, the pupils take Michael through one famous poem about loss and longing as the dynasty falls. And in that ordinary classroom, there is a sense of the amazing drama and the deep-rooted continuities of Chinese culture.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
60 Minutes
60 Minutes has been on the air since 1968, beginning on a Tuesday, but spending most of its time on Sundays, where it remains today. This popular news magazine provides both hard hitting investigations, interviews and features, along with people in the news and current events. 60 Minutes has set unprecedented records in the Nielsen's ratings with a number 1 rating, five times, making it among the most successful TV programs in all of television history. This series has won more Emmy awards than any other news program and in 2003, Don Hewitt, the creator (back in 1968), was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Emmy, along with the 60 Minute correspondents. Added to the 11 Peabody awards, this phenomenally long-lived series has collected 78 awards up to the 2005 season and remains among the viewers top choice for news magazine features.
All Her Fault
Set in Chicago, Marissa Irvine arrives at 14 Arthur Avenue, expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. But the woman who answers the door isn't a mother she recognizes. She isn't the nanny. She doesn't have Milo. And so begins every parent's worst nightmare.
The Daily Show
Hosted by a rotating cast of comedy greats, The Daily Show remains the go-to source for provocative satire, insightful interviews and an award-winning team of correspondents and contributors.
On Patrol: Live
Hosting and executive producing On Patrol: Live is Dan Abrams, CEO and Founder of Abrams Media, host of Dan Abrams Live on NewsNation, Chief Legal Analyst for ABC News, and former host of Live PD. Joining Abrams is Sgt. Sean "Sticks" Larkin, retired Tulsa Police Department lieutenant with nearly 25 years of service, and Deputy Sheriff Curtis Wilson, Division Commander with the Richland County Sheriff's Department in Columbia, SC.
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live features a diverse lineup of guests that include celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human-interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band.