Since you have a wish of traveling around China, you cannot deny you have some interest in the culture of the country. However, China is so vast a land that you cannot travel around it in a day, a month or even a year to explore its splendid wonders and amazing traditional cultures. To cater for your demanding needs, China has produced large numbers of documentaries to help you virtually travel around the country. At least, they can become your guidelines when you set your foot in China. I have picked some up and let’s take a look at them.
1.The Forbidden City
The Imperial Palace, also known as the Forbidden City, is located in the heart of Beijing. It has served as the residence to 24 emperors throughout the Ming and Qing Dynasties between 1368 A.D. and 1911 A.D. but is now used as the Palace Museum. This documentary series has 12 episodes, which tell you the stories, history and culture closely associated with the Forbidden City and even some detailed riddles which are still hovering over modern people’s minds.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/program/documentary/docu_channel/special/forbidden_city/
2.The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace was produced with the help of the most advanced high-end digital technology. The crew produced a series of landscape shots during different seasons, with their footprints arriving at every corner of the garden. The 6-episode documentary has faithfully and completely pictured the changes of views and lighting effects of the palace in all seasons. The documentary begins with the construction of the palace and then tells us stories happened during the glorious and upheaval periods it has gone through the past 200+ years.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/program/documentary/docu_channel/special/summer_palace/index.shtml
3.The West Lake
Originally a shallow sea inlet, due to the laying down of silt this 5.68 square kilometers of water became the famous West Lake. The cultural landscape of the West Lake initiated in the 9th Century, took shape in the 13th Century and had been thrived since the 18th Century. For about 10 centuries, it has always been the spiritual home of Chinese culture elites, the paradise for Chinese people and a well-known lake in China with the longest history and biggest influence. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List on June, 24, 2011. This documentary contains 10 episodes.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/program/documentary/special/westlake/
4.Mount Huangshan
Mount Huangshan was once greatly glorified in a period of literary and artistic prosperity (the mid-16th century when the natural scenery was most valued) in Chinese history, and was known as the “the most spectacular mountain in China.” Nowadays, Mount Huangshan is famous for its majestic landscapes, especially the unique pines that grow on granite, and the bizarre stones that are partly hidden in the sea of clouds. The documentary has 6 episodes, which, I believe, you will love for sure.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/special/yellowmountain/index.shtml
5.The Floating Town of Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in eastern Zhejiang province, China. Shaoxing has long been a hotbed of Chinese cultural activity, producing such luminary figures as Wang Xizhi, Zhou Enlai, Lu Xun, and Cai Yuanpei. It is widely known throughout China for Shaoxing wine, meigan cai, and stinky tofu, and was recently featured on A Bite of China. This documentary tells us the related stories and culture about Shaoxing.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/2016/03/30/VIDEnrbKpUXGib3mDUR0jYIk160330.shtml
6.Grand Beauty of Qinghai
Qinghai Lake, the largest inland saltwater lake, is located in the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in western China. Visitors are not only fascinated by the traditional festivities of different minority ethnic groups, but also by their unique cultures and folk traditions. This documentary has 5 episodes.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/program/documentary/special/grandbeautyofqinghai/
7.A Bite of China
A Bite of China is a Chinese documentary television series on the history of food, eating, and cooking in China. It first aired May 14, 2012 on China Central Television and quickly gained high ratings and widespread popularity. The seven-episode documentary series, which began filming in March 2011, introduces the history and story behind foods of various kinds in more than 60 locations in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. This documentary has 7 episodes.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/special/a_bite_of_china/homepage/index.shtml
8.The Tea Culture of Wuyi Mountain
Wuyi Rock Tea enjoys a long history. Being one of the top tea in China, it is also the forefather of Oolong tea. It played an important role in the tea development in China. Wuyi Rock Tea, with its "special rock charm and fragrance" is well-known at home and abroad. From the documentary "The Tea Culture of Wuyi Mountain" we can get more information about the essence of Wuyi tea culture. This documentary has 5 episodes in total.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/program/documentary/wuyitea/index.shtml
9.Peking Opera
Peking Opera is one of China’s best known cultural symbols---a unique stage performance that has charmed people for hundreds of years. CCTV documentary production "Peking Opera" reveals the stories behind this form of Chinese opera. Eight episodes take 8 different perspectives in exploring art form. By weaving together real stories and reproductions of classic stage scenes into the history, the creators present traditional Peking Opera in a lively and realistic way.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/program/documentary/special/pekingopera/index.shtml
10. Wudang, Home of Tai Chi
Wudang Mountain, in the northwest of Hubei province, is perhaps the best known of China's Taoist holy mountains. It was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994. It is famous for its perfect combination of natural and cultural scenery. It is also renowned for its magnificent ancient buildings, profound traditional Taoist culture and Wudang kungfu.
Video Page:http://english.cntv.cn/special/wudangtaichi/index.shtml
