Art of China

2014
Art of China

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 Part 1 Jul 30, 2014

Andrew Graham-Dixon pieces together the spectacular recent discoveries of ancient art that are re-defining China's understanding of its origins. He comes face to face with an extraordinary collection of sophisticated alien-like bronze masks created nearly four millennia ago and travels to the Yellow River to explore the tomb of a warrior empress where he discovers the origins of calligraphy. Always seeking to understand art in its historical context, Andrew visits the tomb of the first emperor and comes face to face with the Terracotta Army. He ends his journey in western China, looking at the impact of the arrival of Buddhism from India on the wondrous paintings and sculptures of the Dunhuang caves

EP2 Part 2 Aug 06, 2014

Andrew Graham-Dixon travels to the Yellow Mountains in southern China to understand the power of Chinese landscape painting. The period from the 10th to the 15th century - from the Song to the Ming dynasties - was the golden age of art in China. Andrew discovers an emperor so in love with art and beauty that he neglected to rule his country and scholar artists who fled the Mongol invasion to immerse themselves in nature, combining wondrous landscape painting and calligraphy. While Europe was still in the Dark Ages, Chinese art was being reborn.

EP3 Part 3 Aug 13, 2014

Andrew Graham-Dixon charts the journey from imperial to modern - the glorious rise and calamitous fall of China's last dynasty. Rulers were so entranced by the spell of western art that they failed to notice the rise of western dominance, with disastrous consequences. The subsequent profound identity crisis saw China's artists struggle with outside influence. It was an age of crisis, which ultimately led to bloody revolution and rebirth. After tyrant Mao's Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square, does its new art reveal a different side to the modern China we think we know?
8.1| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 30 July 2014 Ended
Producted By: BBC
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04ck50x
Synopsis

Andrew Graham-Dixon undertakes an epic journey to uncover the art of China.

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Reviews

Sean Cai This is a great show on some aspects. Especially that you can see a lot of precious art objects which are very hard to see at this level of detail.The problem is in the comments. Political implies are everywhere in the show. Except the episode three which describes the China art in 20 century which has a good reason to mention PLA, you can find PLA soldiers in all three episodes, without much reason. In the episode three, PLA is also linked to first emperor's terracotta soldiers. So British armies are the ghost of Rome Matrix? Protect upper chamber's benefit till the last drop of blood like in Rome? I'm sorry, just realized English are the barbarians to Rome.In the content related to the first China emperor, the comments mentioned to have people built huge grave for him. And link him to Mao, Stalin and Hitler. Needless to say it's very offensive to link anyone to Hitler, the Stonehenge must be built under the oversight of a human right group plus an union.The comment also describes Japan's invasion to China starts by a "dispute" of a missing soldier. What would Jewish people think if China TV says Hitler had a "dispute" with them in WWII?In the end, many symbolism and conclusions in the comments are not even right. Documentary suppose to be mutual, stop inventing contents.I respect the professional work on BBC documentary movies like Life Story, Planet Earth. Leave your ugly and sometime offensive political comments out of history and arts please.