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Documentary
Michael Wood embarks on a great historical adventure, exploring the stories, people and landscapes that have helped create China's distinctive character and genius over four thousand years.
Michael Wood joins the Qin family reunion as they gather to worship their ancestors.
Michael Wood looks at China's first great international age under the Tang Dynasty.
Michael Wood looks at the Song dynasty era, including its art, inventions and cuisine.
The tale of the Ming dynasty begins with the amazing story of Hongwu, a peasant rebel.
The story of China's last empire, the Qing, which lasted from 1644 to 1912.
Michael Wood investigates three cataclysmic revolutions which shaped modern-day China.
Self - Presenter
How did an Indian Buddhist shrine influence a Japanese pagoda? How are Italian pigs and cowry shells related to porcelain? Why did the ferocious warriors of Mongolia wear silk underwear? And how did wood block printing bring about a revolution in Japan and in European culture? These intriguing questions are investigated in Artifacts, a series that explores the origins and hidden connections among the art and artifacts of the great cultures and belief systems across Asia - on a journey through time and across continents from India to Thailand, China and Japan - to understand the impact of calligraphy, porcelain, architecture, metallurgy, wood block printing and silk on Asian history and on the history of the world in general.
In the heart of Beijing lies the largest palace in the world, The Forbidden City. For five hundred years, it served as the home of the almighty Emperors of China along with their wives, concubines, and entourages of tens of thousands of eunuchs and civil servants. But the Forbidden City is more than an imperial residence; it is the center of the universe, a unique complex of structures revealing a hierarchy of power both imperial and divine.
