Secrets of the Great Wall

The Great Wall of China stretches for thousands of miles, an iconic monument that can be seen even from outer space. Yet, despite being so visible, it's steeped in secrets, which are finally revealed in this extraordinary documentary produced by the Discovery Channel (with the help of NASA and various Chinese organizations). Learn about the history of the wall's construction, including the impetus for building it and lives lost in its creation.

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Confucius

Confucius was one of history's most influential thinkers. He was a sage, philosopher and teacher who, with Socrates and Buddha, lived at an extraordinary time in the evolution of human civilization. This stunningly beautiful drama-documentary explores the life and times of Confucius, while reflecting on his influence on modern justice and morality. Today, Confucius is a window into China's rise.

2015-10-21 | en

The Great Wall

‘The Great Wall has been completed at its most southerly point.’ So begins Kafka’s short story ‘At the Building of the Great Wall of China’, and so, at Europe’s heavily militarised south-eastern frontier, begins this film. In the shadow of its own narratives of freedom, Europe has been quietly building its own great wall. Like its famous Chinese precursor, this wall has been piecemeal in construction, diverse in form and dubious in utility. Gradually cohering across the continent, this system of enclosure and exclusion is urged upon a populace seemingly willing to accept its necessity and to contribute to its building.

2015-03-23 | de

Flying the Great Wall

An epic aerial journey covering the whole length of China’s Great Wall. Across 2500km, for the first time ever, this triumph of Ming dynasty architecture has been captured in its entirety from the air. With expert narration from William Lindesay, official protector of the Wall, travel from the Yellow Sea in the East to the Gobi Desert in the far West.

2018-03-27 | en

Trekking the Great Wall

They say it's over 2000 years old, and more than 4,000 miles long. But even today nobody really knows for sure. The Great Wall of China is one of the world's famous buildings but it is still the least known. British writer and historian William Lindesay has lived in China for twenty years. Exploring the Great Wall has become his lifetime obsession.

2011-02-12 | en

A Slow Odyssey: The Great Wall of China

A spectacular aerial journey following the world’s longest monument, the Great Wall. In slow-TV style, fly 2,500 kilometres along the wall, from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert.

2019-02-03 | en

The Great Wall: Lovers at the Brink

In the twilight years of the Cultural Revolution, a Chinese filmmaker slowly becoming blind tours the country screening her last film to peasants. In it, the woman imagines two "alien" lovers walking from end-to-end along the Great Wall to join each other in the middle, one last time. This documentary is an adaptation of Ulay and Marina Abramovic's final collaborative project, the 1988 performance "The Lovers: The Great Wall Walk."

1989-01-01 | en

The Great Wall of China: The Hidden Story

It's the most extraordinary feat of engineering in history, and one of the most iconic man-made structures on the planet - the Great Wall of China, stretching thousands of miles across barren deserts and treacherous mountains before finally plunging into the sea. But why did the Chinese go to such staggering lengths to build it, and what are the secrets that have enabled it to survive for over 2,000 years? Now, ground breaking science is re-writing its complex history and de-coding its mysteries to reveal that there is much more to the Great Wall than just bricks and mortar. Cutting edge chemistry reveals that the secret to the Great Wall's remarkable strength is a simple ingredient found in every kitchen, and a new survey also determines that its length is truly amazing, as we finally solve the enigma at the heart of the world's greatest mega-structure.

2014-11-30 | en

China's Great Wall

Filmed with high-definition photography, this fascinating documentary sheds light on the history of the famed Great Wall of China, a man-made wall of stone stretching some 4,000 miles. Segments dissect the technological feats surrounding the wall's remarkable construction and also examine the various myths and legends about one of the world's greatest wonders.

2007-01-01 | en

Around China with a Movie Camera

A new film compiled from the BFI National Archive's unparalleled holdings of early films of China, features films from 1900-48 filmed across China. The cinematic journey of Around China with a Movie Camera contains many films which may never have been seen in China, or at the very least not for over 70 years. These travelogues, newsreels and home movies were made by a diverse group of British and French filmmakers, some professionals, but mainly enthusiastic amateurs, including intrepid tourists, colonial-era expatriates and Christian missionaries.

2016-07-18 | en

La Grande Muraille, l'âme de la Chine

2021-09-01 | fr

The Nine-Colored Deer

In ancient times, a Persian merchant gets lost in a windstorm. Suddenly a spiritual deer of nine colors appears to guide the man. Later on, the deer rescues a man drowning in a river. In exchange, the man promises not to reveal the deer's whereabouts. The man reaches an imperial palace. The king insists on hunting down the spiritual deer down to make clothes out of the deer skin. The man gives in to his greed and leads an army of warriors to the spot. He falls into the river again, hoping the deer will show up to rescue him. This time, all the warriors' arrows turn into dust and the man is drowned

1981-06-28 | zh

The China's Next Top Princess

In the ancient Chinese dynasties, there were thousands concubines but only one Princess in the palace. To be the only one, girls fought by all means. Two beauties, Mandy came from poor family and Pearl came from aristocracy. They became soul mates and swore they were friends forever and would help each other on the way to the Princess Selection. But they discovered that there was only one girl could be the Princess, and things became different.

2005-11-23 | cn

Hero

During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.

2002-07-22 | zh

The Assassin

9th century China. Ten year old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings.

2015-08-27 | zh

Confucius

The film depicts Confucius's later life, as he traveled across a China divided by war and strife in an ultimately futile effort to teach various warlords and kings his particular philosophy.

1940-01-01 | zh

The Fly Dragon Mountain

Desperately requesting help and money for his ailing mother, little Erhfutzu receives help from Miss Yun and her company that then moves on. Finding his mother murdered soon thereafter, we cut to Erhfutzu as an adult (Steve Chan), now a swordsman known as Scabbed Tiger and out to revenge the death of his mother. Seeking someone with a particular piece of jade, he finds the one and promptly executes his plan. Bumping into the servant and daughter (Yeung Mung-Wa) of Miss Yun later on, she is grieving the death of her father and as it turns out, it's the victim of Erhfutzu's. Realizing his mistake, he tries to set things as right as possible by going after the right man for his sake and for the sake of Miss Yun's daughter. All while keeping the truth of his actions inside...

1971-01-01 | zh

A Chinese Ghost Story III

Set 100 years after the events of A Chinese Ghost Story, Buddhist Bai Yun and his disciple Fong journey through a small town to transport a golden idol of Buddha. However, local thieves thwart their journey, sending them to take shelter at the ghostly Orchid Temple.

1991-07-18 | cn

The Myth

When a fellow scientist asks for Jack's help in locating the mausoleum of China's first emperor, the past collides violently with the present as Jack discovers his amazing visions are based in fact.

2005-05-11 | zh

A Chinese Ghost Story II

In this installment of a phenomenal saga of the super natural, four young people are caught in a tug-o-war of evil between an Imperial Wizard and a corrupt General. Outrageous special effects galore.

1990-07-13 | cn