Documentaries
Legacy of China
For centuries, China has remained an enigma. And few understand its story.
This fascinating film tackles some of the most fundamental questions about the way civilizations develop: why for more that two millennia, was China so far advanced of the rest of the world? Why is China the only ancient civilization to remain a force until modern times? And why were Europeans so good at improving on everything they learnt from China?
With stunning cinematography and world-class dramatic reconstructions, this film brings the past alive. Contributions from the top experts bring an insightful and illuminating perspective: China expert, Professor Christopher Cullen and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Jared Diamond.
As China once again becomes a dominant player and our modern world becomes a global village, now more than ever, it is important to understand this great and ancient nation and understand the true legacy of China.
With stunning cinematography and world-class dramatic reconstructions, this film brings the past alive. Contributions from the top experts bring an insightful and illuminating perspective: China expert, Professor Christopher Cullen and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Jared Diamond.
As China once again becomes a dominant player and our modern world becomes a global village, now more than ever, it is important to understand this great and ancient nation and understand the true legacy of China.
Legacy of China
1433: After seven epic voyages by its great fleet, Ming China had half the known world in its grasp, but something happened that suddenly brought this era to an end. This award winning film unravels the mystery of the vanishing fleet and the
consequences of this staggering turnaround.
From the eerie castration of its young hero to the final faltering steps in the Forbidden City, Treasure Fleet’s historical recreations about the life of Admiral Zheng He, vividly evoke the grandeur of Ming dynasty China.
Traveling from China across the Indian Ocean, National Geographic photographer, Michael Yamashita traces the voyages of the great fleet and its enigmatic leader. We learn of the legacy left behind by this extraordinary man and glimpse an era in Chinese history that promised so much and left so little.
Medieval Yemeni hilltop towns, ancient Indian martial arts, brutal religious piercings and the incomparable majesty of Sri Lanka’s Perahera festival, all contribute to a palette of rarely equaled cultural diversity in one film.
From the eerie castration of its young hero to the final faltering steps in the Forbidden City, Treasure Fleet’s historical recreations about the life of Admiral Zheng He, vividly evoke the grandeur of Ming dynasty China.
Traveling from China across the Indian Ocean, National Geographic photographer, Michael Yamashita traces the voyages of the great fleet and its enigmatic leader. We learn of the legacy left behind by this extraordinary man and glimpse an era in Chinese history that promised so much and left so little.
Medieval Yemeni hilltop towns, ancient Indian martial arts, brutal religious piercings and the incomparable majesty of Sri Lanka’s Perahera festival, all contribute to a palette of rarely equaled cultural diversity in one film.
Marco Polo. The China Mystery revealed
Venice 1271: Marco Polo set out for China on what would become one of the greatest overland journeys even made. When he returned twenty-four years later, the colourful accounts in his book ‘A Description of the World’ left many in disbelief that his accounts were truthful.
Even today there are many who doubt he ever made it to China.
This sumptuous award winning film by Jonathan Finnigan follows National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita in the footsteps of the great Italian explorer. From the Pamir mountains to the markets of Central Asia and the plains of Mongolia, this adventure takes you through some of the world’s most remote and colourful locations as Yamashita attempts to answer the age-old mystery: did Marco Polo really make it to China?
Even today there are many who doubt he ever made it to China.
This sumptuous award winning film by Jonathan Finnigan follows National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita in the footsteps of the great Italian explorer. From the Pamir mountains to the markets of Central Asia and the plains of Mongolia, this adventure takes you through some of the world’s most remote and colourful locations as Yamashita attempts to answer the age-old mystery: did Marco Polo really make it to China?