The recent Beijing Olympics focused attention on China's explosive rise as a 21st-century political, military, and economic superpower. Narrated by Michael Murphy, this timely, in-depth documentary—aired on the Discovery Channel—looks at China's recent economic boom, shaky human rights record, and enormous potential to shape world events. Divided into four parts, China Rises opens with “Getting Rich,” which examines the paradox of a communist society that touts the virtues of wealth. China's new prosperity has triggered the largest mass migration in human history, as poor workers flock from the countryside to the cities in search of well-paying jobs. All of this comes at significant cost, however, including spiraling pollution, unequal distribution of wealth, and shoddy manufacturing, as well as farmers and workers being stripped of their land in the name of economic progress, with little or no compensation or recourse. “City of Dreams” offers an eye-opening look at Shanghai, with its skyscrapers, superhighways, gated communities, and winners and losers—the former including fashion designers, film directors, and others able to live out their materialistic dreams amidst burgeoning optimism about China's future. “Food is Heaven” details the country's traditional obsession with food (almost anything that crawls or flies can be eaten), but asks whether the twin perils of drought and development will allow China to continue to feed itself in the future? The final section, “Party Games,” examines China's nationalist fervor, the Communist Party's desire to preserve harmony at all costs, and hopes of what the Olympics might say to the world about China's future. A remarkably candid, fair, and informative overview of contemporary China, DVD extras include a feature-length history of the construction of the Great Wall. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
China Rises
(2008) 2 discs. 264 min. DVD: $24.98. Image Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 23, Issue 6
China Rises
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