As someone who have been in China for a few years, I'm awed by this film. This is what BBC does best.
I say it's a piece of art, because it's really quite beautiful, the editorial work has been wonderful, location selection, angles, slow motion, all of those add on to make it a surreal and beautiful reflection that you may not even notice living there. It's capturing the moment at the right time in the right place, something often overlooked even by the natives.
I have to say, amongst the crowd, the sometimes dirty environment, the construction sites, and the clashing of architecture styles caused by the east/west infusion in recent years, increasingly you can only find the authentic beautiful signature Chinese landscapes with clever and observant eyes. It awes me but at the same time, worries me a little.
We'd be quick to jump to the conclusion that the Chinese government need to do more to protect its environment, or that the Chinese people need to be more aware of their environment. Didn't it sound incredibly sad when the narrator said that out of 25 species of turtles in China, only a few survived, and that happened in merely few decades. But as pointed out in the series, they ARE aware. They've been aware for thousands of years, having such a long history and witnessing the rise and fall of numerous dynasties, their appreciation for harmony and sustainability runs a lot deeper than we might think, it's imprinted into their culture. It's sad really, but they're given the tough choice of either economic growth or preservation of their environment, sacrifice one and their children will starve, sacrificing the other and their children's children would eventually starve. It's a fine balance which they're increasingly focusing their attention on, and I really do wish them the best, I want my children to one day be able to travel to that beautiful land and be in awe at how much more the world can hold.
I say it's a piece of art, because it's really quite beautiful, the editorial work has been wonderful, location selection, angles, slow motion, all of those add on to make it a surreal and beautiful reflection that you may not even notice living there. It's capturing the moment at the right time in the right place, something often overlooked even by the natives.
I have to say, amongst the crowd, the sometimes dirty environment, the construction sites, and the clashing of architecture styles caused by the east/west infusion in recent years, increasingly you can only find the authentic beautiful signature Chinese landscapes with clever and observant eyes. It awes me but at the same time, worries me a little.
We'd be quick to jump to the conclusion that the Chinese government need to do more to protect its environment, or that the Chinese people need to be more aware of their environment. Didn't it sound incredibly sad when the narrator said that out of 25 species of turtles in China, only a few survived, and that happened in merely few decades. But as pointed out in the series, they ARE aware. They've been aware for thousands of years, having such a long history and witnessing the rise and fall of numerous dynasties, their appreciation for harmony and sustainability runs a lot deeper than we might think, it's imprinted into their culture. It's sad really, but they're given the tough choice of either economic growth or preservation of their environment, sacrifice one and their children will starve, sacrificing the other and their children's children would eventually starve. It's a fine balance which they're increasingly focusing their attention on, and I really do wish them the best, I want my children to one day be able to travel to that beautiful land and be in awe at how much more the world can hold.