Wild China (Blu-ray)

This is not a 'made for the travel industry' or 'tourist guide' China documentary. This blu-ray is indeed Wild China! It captures the raw, unpolished, natural beauty of China - as close as one can get to seeing China through the eyes of the natives. Children in a classroom, fishermen working the waters in bamboo rafts, and Tibetan monks meditating. It's these simple facets of life in China that keeps you enthralled for the entire 353 minutes of this production!Wild China comprises 2 blu-ray discs - Disc Format 1 x BD50 and 1 x BD25DISC 1Heart of the DragonShangri-LaTibetDISC 2Beyond the Great WallLand of the PandaTides of ChangeSpecial Feature - Hunting Dragons (The making of)SEE MY PHOTOS IN CUSTOMER IMAGESI have always been captivated by China's Great Wall, and this documentary does not disappoint! Although no 2 blu-ray disc set can fully capture such a massive country in its entirety, Wild China certainly touches enough on the peoples, landscapes, flora and fauna to leave you satiated.The HD video quality is certainly not as crisp as  Galapagos  or even  Planet Earth . However, Wild China's video is good quality HD (I looked at this blu-ray on a 55 inch and had no issues other than some 'softness' in the video).The narration is done by by 'new kid on the block' Bernard Hill (actor King Théoden in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy). Although I have grown accustomed to David Attenborough's narration (Life and Planet Earth), I must admit - Bernard Hill does a great job, giving  Wild China's  narration a truly Royal treatment! :))VIDEO:Video resolution: Hi Def 1080iAspect ratio: 16:9Length: 353 MinutesAUDIO:English: Dolby Digital 5.1Subtitles: English, Traditional MandarinWild China is a truly engaging production and complements my other BBC documentaries,  Planet Earth , Life  and  Galapagos . Despite the video 'softness' in a few scenes, I rate this truly enthralling 2 blu-ray disc set 5 STARS!RECOMMENDED:  Ganges - Blu-ray  - fantastic video and an impressive DTS-HD HR audio mix. Also,  Baraka - Blu-ray  - the majesty and scope of the 1080p film conversion fills any television whatever the size of your screen!

This is how I personally discovered China. Back before the country became the powerhouse it is today. I gained a huge amount of respect for China from viewing these six DVDs. This series catches the rear end of China before it began its modernization, so I was lucky to catch the pristine sections of the country. I had no idea I would be treated to so many people, places and things. So if you would like to discover a large portion of China's history, please purchase this series and find the beauty you've neve seen before.

Learned more about China that I thought I already knew! NOT. I learned so so so so much. Also a geology fan and this DVD was not only breathtaking, it was just mind blowing. Kim Lambert

Excellent documentary! I learned so much! I loved the information about how humans interact with nature, and the contrast that exists between wild China and industrialized China. Although the human overpopulation there is a grim situation, knowing that there are still pristine areas of the natural world being preserved on our planet was encouraging! We didn't want the series to end.By the way, we loved the common "gimmick" of the director or cinematographer to surprise the viewer when first introducing a subject, by showing it only in part at first or from a limited viewpoint before revealing the whole. This approach was often taken in scenes introducing camouflaged animals or initial limited viewpoints of grand landscapes. Who knew that bamboo could camouflage pandas so well?! Very entertaining!And actor Bernard Hill's narrating always hits the mark. His delivery is never boring nor overdramatic. Very balanced.I'll be looking for other documentaries like this from the BBC. While Sir David Attenborough has given us many a gem, productions like this one affirms that the BBC continues to be THE go-to source for excellent documentaries!

This is another outstanding British series with excellent production values and plenty for everyone. The makers clearly took full advantage of the pre-Olympic mandated official Chinese tolerance of western journalists, and traveled the length and breadth of the country to document its seldom-seen wildlife. The results are stunning. Each episode covers a geographical area and the focus is largely on photogenic megafauna, but there is so much that is new that this is an acceptable gloss.What is less acceptable is the narration, which avoids all issues that might be even vaguely contentious. Again and again individual Chinese efforts at conservation are praised, vignettes are tenderly shown, and the almost soporiphic narration sooths us from one gentle scene to another. Of course a wildlife series is no place for political commentary, but a little more might reasonably have been said about why such conservation is necessary, and whether it can possibly have efficacy in the face of overwhelming forces to the contrary. Additionally it would have been nice to have had narration with a greater emphasis on detail: the habits of the animals shown are not explored in any real depth. This series is more in the pattern of National Geographic programs whereby pretty pictures are presumed enough and information is regarded as a potential threat to viewing figures. Again and again as we watched the episodes, members of my family would comment that the narrator wasn't really telling us anything. At one point my daughter said, "I wish they'd asked David Attenborough to do this series."Perhaps we live in an age where information-lite is transforming to information-free; an age in which spectacular photography is considered sufficient unto itself. If so, we can expect more series of this type: beautifully filmed, captivatingly framed, but ultimately unsatisfying because they tell us so very little about the creatures being presented and about the underlying dynamics of the environments in which they exist.

Elli anche per chi non capisce l ingleseLGrande lavoro

Really enjoyed this presentation! Gave a wonderful overview of such a huge, beautiful, diverse country. Will probably watch a few more times as there was so much to see in each segment. The last segment on how they got their shots was very interesting as well, answered some of the questions that I had wondered about while watching. Highly recommend.

A most revealing insight into real life China, most interesting.

アマゾンのプレミアムビデオで吹き替え版があり、どうせなら英語版の字幕つきが欲しいと思って原盤のDVDを入手した。中国に出張に行くまではさほど中国が好きではなかったのだが、自分よりずっと若い世代の中国人技術者たちと話をするうちに、彼らがものづくりの仕事をしながら国土の自然を愛し、誇りに思い、近年問題になっている環境破壊のことについても心を痛めていることを知った。世界の工場といわれる中国は、近年急速な経済発展を遂げながら長い歴史の中で自然に敬意を払い、自然とともに歩んできたことを改めて知らされた。コロナウイルスのため、現在中国にいる技術者メンバーとはオンラインのみのやりとりでともに仕事をしている。共産党一党支配になってから言論の統制や民族の弾圧など、国家として大きなひずみを抱えているのも事実なのだろう。一部で中国バッシングがひどくなっているが、中国という広大な国はやはりその多彩な自然とそこに暮らす人々の精神性が生み出した長い歴史のある国であり、何もかもが巨大な隣国に対し、深い畏敬の念を改めて抱いた。第一話の中国の棚田はスケールが見事で圧巻だとおもった。

This is a six part documentary with the episodes lasting about 60 minutes. There is also a ‘Making of’ additional short extended documentary of some 25 minutes. Total time is 350 minutes for the complete six main episodes.The films themselves are of HD quality throughout and can sustain close viewing distance typical of that quality. The series is copyrighted as 2008 vintage.The narration is provided by English actor Bernard Hill. Having a narrator who paces the script well and with apparent personal interest as here greatly enhances the enjoyment for viewers.Each of the six episodes focuses on large sections of China as follows: Heart of the Dragon (South China); Shangri-La (SW province); Tibet; Beyond the Great Wall (Mongolia towards Siberia); land of the Panda (Eastern heartlands of the Han people) and Tides of Change. There are several similarities to be found in each episode.One main similarity is the clash between the demands of the human population and its effect upon the wildlife population. Another similarity involves the clash between historical beliefs and the demands of modern life. The third essential similarity is the landscape attraction of the areas and the increasing interest in tourism. All the episodes provide interesting insights into the various indigenous populations and their differing lifestyles. In particular, the striking landscapes of many areas of China are also given much impressive footage, such as the conical limestone hills and mountain ranges including the Himalayas.Traditional ways of life are still a major factor of the more isolated areas of China especially and those are areas where modern day clashes are hardly apparent at all. Striking examples of this adherence to traditional values and ways of life are shown in the Buddhist Tibetan lands and the terraced rice farming areas in other upland areas with the use of water buffalo and careful water conservation being essential tools. There are many such examples of traditional ways but they are often associated with more elderly populations with these traditional beliefs. These communities may increasingly struggle with the drive towards modernisation and as the next generations may be drawn more to city lives. Mao's drive to conquer nature rather than following the traditional way of working with nature is no longer a doctrine of modern China. However, its effects still resonate and the results continue to affect modern China long after Mao's famous red book was abandoned.All the areas investigated and illustrated reflect the vast sizes. Largest areas, largest deserts, highest mountains, coldest temperatures, wettest climate, densest population, largest cities are just a few of the measures to do with large size. Also illustrated are measures of smallness with considerable numbers of wildlife species close to extinction or only just surviving in captivity.Following on from that consideration is the oft quoted boast that Cantonese diet is based on eating anything on four legs except the table. In Cantonese restaurants, for example, the point is made that illegal captures are included on the menus. The same lack of concern for wildlife is clearly evident in the range of traditional medicines and the continued use of body parts from rare and endangered species. Conservation of species in peril may now be a growing Chinese official target but bordering countries such as Russia for instance have a constant and growing major problem with wildlife poaching for export to China. Clearly far more needs to be done and without delay before it all becomes too late. This is a matter of complete urgency and one that re-appears in other surveys in this wide-ranging BBC series now amounting to over 40 BD discs.Within their own Chinese homelands the same flawed attitude towards conservation also exits with only half of the coastal wetlands still existing after the last 50 years. At the same time, on the main plains, deforestation plus desertification and the loss of fresh water are major problems. The immensely powerful Yellow River, for example, is in danger of drying out completely as the water is constantly diverted upstream. Air pollution is now so extreme in the central belt, and including cities such as Beijing, that it is common to see the population wearing face masks as they go about their daily lives. This is the direct result of the fuels used for vast industrial expansion. Coastal waters with considerable marine traffic pose an equal threat to marine wildlife.Additionally, global warming, an acute problem driven by industrial activities as found in China and elsewhere, is estimated to pose such a threat to China directly that it has been estimated that in 30 years at least 80% of Tibet's glaciers will have disappeared. It is in China's own freshwater interests to take measures to combat this decline. Without this supply of water China would not be able to grow its current rice crops which would have a devastating impact.In summary therefore, all is not well with China, which is shown as a vast land of many beauties but also capable of vast destruction even when considered on a global scale.