Inside the Forbidden City

Charm of China

September 2025 •Chinese

The series of documentary publications "Amorous China" takes the most representative intangible cultural heritage items among the 55 ethnic minorities and other unique ethnic minority cultural content as the main body and core of production. The first season mainly shows people living in Northwest China. Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and ethnic minorities in northern Xinjiang. Focusing on the theme of precipitation, nurturing, and inheritance, it focuses on the splendid and diverse national cultural heritage, digs deeply into the true nature of Chinese culture, and deeply records the historical memory and cultural heritage of Chinese ethnic minorities, as well as their firm watch over their own national culture. The whole work is not only a devout reflection on the relationship between man and nature, but also a vivid portrayal of the characteristics of the times and social changes, national customs and free life.

Artifacts

September 2025 •English

How did an Indian Buddhist shrine influence a Japanese pagoda? How are Italian pigs and cowry shells related to porcelain? Why did the ferocious warriors of Mongolia wear silk underwear? And how did wood block printing bring about a revolution in Japan and in European culture? These intriguing questions are investigated in Artifacts, a series that explores the origins and hidden connections among the art and artifacts of the great cultures and belief systems across Asia - on a journey through time and across continents from India to Thailand, China and Japan - to understand the impact of calligraphy, porcelain, architecture, metallurgy, wood block printing and silk on Asian history and on the history of the world in general.

The Hidden Kingdoms of China

September 2025 •English

From its highest mountains and plateaus, to its thickest jungles and bamboo forests, CHINAS HIDDEN KINGDOMS will reveal the wild side to China that few knew existed.

Reggie In China

September 2025 •English

Reggie discovers contemporary China, diving deep into four megacities in search of the new generations transforming their future.

Art of China

September 2025 •English

Andrew Graham-Dixon undertakes an epic journey to uncover the art of China.

Frontline: China, The U.S. & The Rise of Xi Jinping

September 2025 •English

Tracing Xi Jinping's defining moments, how he's exercising his power and the impact on China and relations with the U.S.

Faith of the Century: A History of Communism

September 2025 •French

Communism spread to all of the continents of the word, lasting through four generations and over seven decades. Hundreds of millions of men and women were affected by this political system, one of the most unjust and bloodiest in history. Using newly discovered propaganda films and archival photos, these four episodes explore the mysteries of this totalitarian political machine that lured its share of important followers into the fold. Known as the red church, communism seduced its ardent followers like some earthly religion.

Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School

September 2025 •English

In a unique experiment, five teachers from China take over the education of fifty teenagers in a Hampshire school to see whether the high-ranking Chinese education system can teach us a lesson.

Secrets of China

September 2025 •English

Billie JD Porter finds out what it’s really like to grow up in China, the country with the highest population on the planet.

The Great Shokunin

September 2025 •Chinese

Along the Banks of the Yangtze

September 2025 •Dutch

A six-part series in which photographer Ruben Terlou travels from Shanghai, the most westernized part of China, to the much more traditional Tibetan city of Shangri-La. Through the stories of people he meets along the 6,300-kilometre river, Ruben discovers the real China, forty years after Mao’s death.

THE SECOND BIRTH OF THE CENTRAL EMPIRE

September 2025 •Russian

老广的味道

September 2025 •Chinese

Kevin McCloud’s Rough Guide to the Future

September 2025 •English

Kevin McCloud is passionately optimistic about technology and the future, but Jon Richardson, Phil Wang and Alice Levine aren't so sure. Can Kevin persuade his trio of sceptics to see the light?

China's Forbidden City

September 2025 •English

In the heart of Beijing lies the largest palace in the world, The Forbidden City. For five hundred years, it served as the home of the almighty Emperors of China along with their wives, concubines, and entourages of tens of thousands of eunuchs and civil servants. But the Forbidden City is more than an imperial residence; it is the center of the universe, a unique complex of structures revealing a hierarchy of power both imperial and divine.

#Propaganda

September 2025 •French

Chung Kuo-Cina

September 2025 •Italian

A documentary on China, concentrating mainly on the faces of the people, filmed in the areas they were allowed to visit. The 220-minute version consists of three parts. The first part, taken around Beijing, includes a cotton factory, older sections of the city, and a clinic where a Caesarean operation is performed using acupuncture. The middle part visits the Red Flag canal and a collective farm in Henan, as well as the old city of Suzhou. The final part shows the port and industries of Shanghai and ends with a stage presentation by Chinese acrobats.

China's Mega-Dam

September 2025 •English

Life Matters

September 2025 •Chinese

China the Beginning: China's Origins

September 2025 •English

Retrace almost 2,000 years of Chinese ancient history – a period that holds vital clues to understanding how this powerful nation was built. Witness the evolution of civilization and visit the places where the dignitaries are buried, also visit the mausoleum of China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang Di.