Thursdays, May 16 and 23, 2024 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 / Stream the series now with KPBS Passport!
THE STORY OF CHINA is an unprecedented, six-part series exploring the 4,000-year history of China, home to more than a billion people and an emerging global superpower. Host and historian Michael Wood, who brings a contagious curiosity to the series that is matched only by the warmth and enthusiasm of the Chinese people, suggests that to understand China today we must examine its past.
The series takes viewers on an amazing journey deep into China’s breathtaking landscapes to find the people and stories that have helped create China’s distinctive character and genius for more than four millennia. Wood treks through the deserts of the Silk Road, visiting the ancient cities of Luoyang and Kaifeng, and to the modern metropolises of Beijing and Shanghai. This is China as rarely seen.
From the First Emperor to the Mongols and from the Opium Wars to the Communist Revolution, Wood paints vivid pictures of some of the great characters of Chinese history, not just emperors, but scientists, poets, rebels and novelists as well.
Viewers meet the intrepid Buddhist traveler Xuanzang, the great woman poet Li Qingzhao, and Su Song — China’s Leonardo da Vinci. Wood captures the essence of key dynasties of China — from its first empire, the Shang, dating from 1500 B.C., through its last, the Qing, ruling from 1644 to 1911.
The series concludes with the great rebellions of the 19th century that led to the rise of Mao Zedong and shows viewers the living culture of China today, from intimate family celebrations to vast communal rituals in the Yellow River plain.
“I’ve been traveling to China for over 30 years and never cease to be amazed by the warmth of the people, the beauty of the country and the strong connection to the past,” said Wood. “Our journey back in time is brought to life by the voices of today’s Chinese — local townspeople, farmers, shopkeepers, storytellers and historians.”
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: "Ancestors" Encore Thursday, May 16 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Search for the roots of today’s China with Wood, who joins a family reunion on “Tomb Sweeping Day”; sees the first Chinese writing and the first city; meets the bloodthirsty First Emperor; and travels with a million pilgrims to a country festival.
Episode 2: "Silk Roads and China Ships" Encore Thursday, May 16 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Explore China’s first international age under the Tang Dynasty as Michael Wood travels Silk Road deserts; sails the Grand Canal; describes the coming of Christianity in the streets of old Xi’an; and goes back to school in a dusty Chinese town!
Episode 3: "Golden Age" Encore Thursday, May 23 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Learn about China’s Renaissance under the Song Dynasty. In Kaifeng, Michael Wood hears the story of the boys who became emperors; tries a 1,000-year-old recipe; works a giant astronomical clock; and dances with the locals by Hangzhou’s West Lake.
Episode 4: "The Ming" Encore Thursday, May 23 at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2 - Hear the story of China’s most famous dynasty. Michael Wood visits the Great Wall and the Forbidden City; sails the South China Sea on a junk; visits a fabulous Chinese garden; and travels to Macao with the first Jesuit missionary to China.
Episode 5: "The Last Empire" - Discover the splendors of China’s last empire, the Qing. From China’s favorite novel to story-telling houses and all-female mosques, it’s an age full of surprises. Then came the fateful clash with the British in the First Opium War.
Episode 6: "The Age of Revolution" - Survey the three great revolutions that gave birth to today’s China. Wood visits wild mountain villages; describes the fall of the empire; visits Jazz Age Shanghai; and stays in the last communist commune — before a celebration on Chinese New Year.
Watch On Your Schedule: THE STORY OF CHINA is available to stream with KPBS Passport, a benefit for members ($60 yearly) using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn more and activate your benefit now.
Credits: Written and presented by Michael Wood. Produced by Maya Vision International. Producer and director is Rebecca Dobbs, a founder of Maya Vision International. The series was funded by PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
