"China" - BBC Two's new 4-part documentary

The first episiode aired tonight and was very interesting. Should have mentioned this before for our UK-based members, but I only just remembered before it was on, so didn't have the time. Of course it will be on for the next three Tuesdays or so, 9pm. Did anyone else see it?

For those of you who are cheeky little buggers, you should be able to find a torrent.

I missed the first half but started watching from 9:30ish. It is indeed very intersting. Local village elections are not often reported in details on Chinese state TV, so this gives some insight about the democratic progress in the country. I like the BBC-style documentry, always objective (well.. at least they are trying to be as much as possible). I'll definitely watch the next episiode next Tuesday

Dongfeng said:

I missed the first half but started watching from 9:30ish.

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The first part was quite interesting, as it had a part in Tibet, showing the Party officials doing their daily work. Also chatted to some Han Chinese who had moved to Lhasa. As I said, you should be able to find a torrent if you go have a look.

It is indeed very intersting. Local village elections are not often reported in details on Chinese state TV, so this gives some insight about the democratic progress in the country. I like the BBC-style documentry, always objective (well.. at least they are trying to be as much as possible). I'll definitely watch the next episiode next Tuesday

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Yeah, the style is good. It's a shame that they didn't interview (or weren't allowed to) the Chinese in it more directly (i.e. ask some probing questions), but then again it's amazing they were able to get permission to film this. Do you think the crew had connections, or the "Propaganda" department decided it would probably be more positive than negative?

CBS didn't a thing about China a few months ago

I watched it and found it typical BBC banging on about its own usual agenda:coffee:

Yes it was interesting watching the items about Tibet and Xinjiang, but it was still like putting on a programe about Britian and spending most of the time examining Crofting and Hill Farming in Northern Scotland and Snowdonia

I wanted to see just how thinkg are changing in the Interior, how cities like Xian, Chengdu and Chingqing are modernising and developing and how millions are having their lives improved as they enter the modern world. I wanted to see a program that actually gave an idea of the scale of the country and the scale of the Industrialisation that is going on inside it.

This weeks program seemed to be mainly about minorities, next week is about women, so I guess the week after will be aids/gays and the final program is odds on as a sanctimonius lecture on why only Western Liberal Democracy and Human Rights can save the country (otherwise known as why the BBC should rule every country) In short the usual simpering nonesense from the BBC.

Verdict a missed opportunity to make a very interesting program.

SampanViking said:

Yes it was interesting watching the items about Tibet and Xinjiang, but it was still like putting on a programe about Britian and spending most of the time examining Crofting and Hill Farming in Northern Scotland and Snowdonia

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But most of the reporting on China is normally about the cities. Obviously they thought it would be a good idea to do a bit on the kind of things that are ignored - or not allowed to film. Personally I have seen nothing but China's urban development on TV. Actually being able to see some of those remote areas was informative.

Plus didn't you notice the big skyscrappers that they mandatorially had to show? The happy workers being rewarded for working hard? From the sound of the schedule, they probably will be looking at the cities more closely in parts 2 and/or 3.

This weeks program seemed to be mainly about minorities, next week is about women, so I guess the week after will be aids/gays and the final program is odds on as a sanctimonius lecture on why only Western Liberal Democracy and Human Rights can save the country (otherwise known as why the BBC should rule every country)

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Week 3 is Nature. Week 4 is Freedom and Justice. And you obviously weren't watching it properly - this week was about power-relationships. The minorities themselves were mostly a background - they focused on the Party workers/officials in Xinjiang and Tibet mostly. The bit about elections had nothing to do with minorities.

If you had been paying attention, you would have realised they had short sections on Tibet and Xinjiang because going there was supposed to be a "sacrifice" for Party workers. They reinforced that loud-and-clear when they commented the female member got to see her husband at weekends and her son once a year!

In short the usual simpering nonesense from the BBC.

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Sampan you really are too prejudiced. I didn't hear any tough questions being asked and the politicians were given ample time to put their story across. And they didn't interview anyone from outside of China, whereas often with documentaries you get commentators from outside the region/country offering their views as well.

They completely skirted over the issue of what goes on in Xinjiang, giving an army officer the chance to outline his mission and say that they were just stopping criminal activity. They even showed an official designated with fighting corruption trying to help a rehabilitated prisoner who had been embezzling public funds.

Apart from officials and other people linked to the government, there was a professor from a university of law (or a legal professor) and another academic. The former was perhaps the only guy who directly highlighted the current system's problems - the latter was extremely pragmatic in describing what went on.

And the BBC was simpering because of that? I think that's a very mean attitude to take. So far they've been very balanced.

Verdict a missed opportunity to make a very interesting program.

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Well I'm sorry you see it that way, because I thought it has been very good so far. From some of your responses I'm not sure you even watched it properly.

SampanViking said:

This weeks program seemed to be mainly about minorities, next week is about women, so I guess the week after will be aids/gays and the final program is odds on as a sanctimonius lecture on why only Western Liberal Democracy and Human Rights can save the country (otherwise known as why the BBC should rule every country) In short the usual simpering nonesense from the BBC.

Verdict a missed opportunity to make a very interesting program.

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Sanctimonius is the right word for BBC's editorial attitude toward China. The Economist too, tends to spotlight exact how China is just "different" from "us". I'll bet the BBC never asks the average Chinese person how they feel about their society and country -- since they won't get the eurocentric answer they want!

Roger604 said:

I'll bet the BBC never asks the average Chinese person how they feel about their society and country

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You must be jumping on Sampy's "oh-China-is-always-misrepresented" bandwagon, because the BBC did talk to "ordinary" Chinese on several occasions. Perhaps you should watch something before you make a comment like that next time, so you don't look so silly. This thread is talking about a BBC series that people have actually seen. It's not about your particular feelings concerning how the BBC reports on China. If you want to complain about the BBC, please feel free to start your own thread.

since they won't get the eurocentric answer they want

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LOL, you sound like an American Republican bitching about the BBC not supporting the war in Iraq properly. The reason your statement is absolutely ridiculous is that the European Union has also complained that whenever the BBC reports on the E.U. it's negatively, saying that there's a problem! So unless you're saying the BBC should be denouncing the E.U. 24/7 like Fox News then I think you should be a little more reasonable.

SampanViking said:

I watched it and found it typical BBC banging on about its own usual agenda:coffee:

Yes it was interesting watching the items about Tibet and Xinjiang, but it was still like putting on a programe about Britian and spending most of the time examining Crofting and Hill Farming in Northern Scotland and Snowdonia

I wanted to see just how thinkg are changing in the Interior, how cities like Xian, Chengdu and Chingqing are modernising and developing and how millions are having their lives improved as they enter the modern world. I wanted to see a program that actually gave an idea of the scale of the country and the scale of the Industrialisation that is going on inside it.

This weeks program seemed to be mainly about minorities, next week is about women, so I guess the week after will be aids/gays and the final program is odds on as a sanctimonius lecture on why only Western Liberal Democracy and Human Rights can save the country (otherwise known as why the BBC should rule every country) In short the usual simpering nonesense from the BBC.

Verdict a missed opportunity to make a very interesting program.

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Most of BBC's documentaries of China were unimpressed, BBC still hold the same altitude and still looking at China of today through the eyes of late 80s and early 90s, strongly evidenced by the people they chose to interview.

I found it ironic that a lot of their programs repeatedly concentrated the exterior areas of China, and didn't taken a more balance views of including cities. They should also ask the people what issue do they concern with the most, you might suprise that most common Chinese people just don't give a damn about what these reporters were having in minds.

They present their point of view, but if they keep viewing China from their single view, then why bother to make this documentary anyway.

No news media anywhere in the world is objective, neutral, and non-bias. That's including the Western media and the BBC. Just like people believe documentaries are objective and neutral when they all have agendas from the very beginning.

Just look at BBC coverage of China in Africa right now. They make it sound like if it weren't for China, Africa would have no dictators. Like the West never supported dictators in spite of human rights and democracy in favor of their own interests? They're complaining about the economic relations China is forging there. That's only a very recent event. Like there were no problems with European colonialism? Like the problems Africa faces aren't most due to their colonial past? They say China is the new colonialist in Africa replacing the West. Not really since Western colonialists just took what they wanted. China is basically buying resources at top dollar market value ever in history. It would be hypocritical of China to follow Western policies of sanctions and isolation on Africa when the West wants to do the same to China. And if China did follow the West on African policy, there would be someone in the West to criticize China as a hypocrite.

I also remember reading some BBC editorial that stated China would be held responsible if India and Pakistan exchanged nuclear weapons in a war. Like the British feel no responsibility for that conflict too?

I like to know from those that live in Great Britain, do they teach the truth about the Opium Wars there or do they still claim the trade was all about economics. Or do they not even teach about it. I've heard some of the most outrageous versions that it was the British that saw the evils of opium and tried get the Chinese to stop using it. That's what started the Opium Wars because the Chinese wanted their opium and were angry at the British for trying to get them to stop. In the US, that's probably the most believed version.