BE07500005
CHINA FROM WITHIN
China's economic growth in the last ten years has been the envy of the rest of the world. For China itself the benefits have brought both prosperity and social and personal disruption to many sectors of society. Through dramatic and personal stories, this unique six-part series depicts life in China today and how the economic advances of the past decade have impacted on young and old alike.

Filmed by some of China's most talented documentary makers in conjunction with award winning Australian filmmaker, Peter du Cane, this intriguing series is set against the backdrop of an ever changing society. It captures situations, characters and locations that would be impossible for western filmmakers to obtain. China from Within tells the stories of China today.

Ep 1 - Migration
This episode charts the disruption caused by the Three Gorges Dam. The focus is on an 87-year-old villager, whose life has been ruled by the moods of the river. Its floods have swept away family members and destroyed her home many times.

Ep 2 - Kai Jai
The primary source of AIDS infection in China is government run blood banks. This episode focuses on the story of a distraught father and his young daughter who is HIV positive, and shows rare glimpses of how a small village deals with personal tragedy, set against official cover-ups, denials, and national prejudices.

Ep 3 - Dancing Girls
Modernisation in China has brought with it the introduction of Western popular culture by way of nightclubs, discos and fast food outlets. "Nightman" is one of 187 nightclubs in Dalian, a city of 2.6 million people in Northern China. Dancing Girls gives a rare insight into modern china that will surprise many viewers.

Ep 4 - Tian Tian
This is one person's story of personal triumph set against the backdrop of the changing industrial face of China. Mr. and Mrs. Xia worked at a state run company which modernised and cut jobs; the family was forced to sell clothes at the local market. Mrs Xiao was attacked and killed by three men for her takings, and her daughter, Tian Tian, was paralysed from the neck down. It was then up to Mr. Xia to provide a normal life and education for his daughter.

Ep 5 - Shanghai Jews
Jews wishing to escape persecution in Germany prior to WW2 had few places to escape. One place that accepted refugees was Shanghai, where nearly 20,000 Jewish refugees fled. Arriving there with nothing, they spent a hard, hungry, disease-ridden time in camps acclimatising to China. This unique story, told through rare footage, letters and photographs, features Jacob, one Jew who stayed on in Shanghai. Jacob, who is deaf, married a Chinese woman and developed a universal sign language.

Ep 6 - The Accusation
Corruption has been ever-present in business and society in China. In this episode, a government official in Hunan finds evidence of corruption. When he brings this to the attention of his superiors he is warned off, but he refuses to comply. He then receives death threats, which he naively shrugs off; however his wife is killed shortly after. While his boss is convicted and jailed the official himself is shunned, ultimately losing his job and the prospect of further work. He is then arrested on trivial charges and jailed.
DVD (Region 4)
180 minutes
2010
 
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