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| Chinese Archives of World Heritage Sites | ||||||||
| China's cultural and natural heritage belongs not only to China but also to the world and all of humanity. The documentary series, Chinese Archives of World Heritage Sites, focus at length on 22 legacies - their history, geography, natural expertise, and related cultural artifacts. They help viewers to understand the shape of Chinese culture developed over thousands of years, including political ideology, moral concepts, philosophical ideas, aesthetic pursuits, life interests and even the conduct and spirit of the Chinese people. They also inspire people to think about the meaning of traditional culture and natural environment as a source of power and sustenance. | ||||||||
| 22-subject
Set, 30 minutes each, English & Chinese, Each: $29.95 for home use and $ 75.00 for classroom use including institutional public performance right 50% discount before 2010 |
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For the Chinese, the Great Wall is the spirit and backbone of their civilization. For people around the world, it is the symbol of China. The Great Wall was built by more than 20 dynasties over a time span of more than 2000 years and extended nearly 4000 miles. Initially intended as a military defense system, it consisted of thousands of passes, watchtowers, barracks, and beacon towers. This immense feat of construction is recognized around the world as one of the most important landmarks of China's ancient civilization. | ||||||||||||||
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The Potala Palace dominates impressions
of Tibet as much as it dominated the life of Tibet itself. The Palace was
first built during the 8th century. It has been a political and religious
center for over a thousand years and is still the spiritual home of Tibetan
Buddhism. It is the world's highest palace, hugging the lines of a mountain
peak in the Himalayas. The Jokhang Monastery was built during the same period
to greet a Tang princess Wenchen before her marriage to a Tibetan King |
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Confucius was one of the world's most influential thinkers. His philosophy and ethics has become a central pillar of Chinese attitudes and were adopted by states throughout the Far East and Southeast Asia. Many temples have been dedicated to his spirit, but the Temple complex in his hometown of Qufu is the most impressive of all. It ranks second only to Beijing's Forbidden City. | |||||||||||||||
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The Temple of Heaven was built in
1420 by the finest craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty. It allowed emperors to
worship heaven and confirm their divine origin in a location near Beijing.
It incorporated ancient Chinese numerology and cosmology in its architecture
and created a religious atmosphere that survives even in the busy metropolis
of modern Beijing. |
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As the largest imperial garden in China, the Summer Palace was built as a retreat for the Empress Dowager Cixi, but served a number of other purposes. It was part of the capital's water management system and also was intended to give Emperor Qianlong more freedom from his mother's control. The Palace became the stage for some of the most significant events of that era's politics and arts. Today it remains as a testimony to the brilliance and decadence of the old order. | |||||||||||||||||||
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As the seat of Imperial power from
14th to the early 20th century, the Forbidden City embodies the grandeur
of Chinese civilization. Its nearly 10,000 rooms hold an extensive collection
of artifacts, treasures, and antiques from throughout the Ming and Qing
dynasties. This documentary also explores how these treasures survived the
turmoil of wars and tells stories about antiques that were disappeared,
stolen, or plundered during the chaotic first half of the 20th century. |
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Emperors throughout China's history
have paid much attention to building lavish tombs to house their spirits
for eternity. The most famous of these is in Xi'an, where the tomb of the
first emperor of China was guarded by troops of terracotta warriors. It
is a 2000 year-old underground army of over 7000 warriors, 600 horses, 1000
carriages, and 100,000 weapons. |
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Yungang Grottos was first build during 453 AD and lasted 30 years. It best displays the links between politics and religion. Hosting more than 50,000 Buddhist statues, Yungang Grottos are a silent testament to the thwarted ambition of Emperor Xiaowen. It remains as proof of the efforts of a small ethnic minority to display their once formidable power and their ambition to rule the vast territory of China. | |||||||||||
 
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During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Suzhou was a prosperous city due to silk production and agriculture. Many of the highly educated official literati built private gardens as an art form considered on an equal footing with painting and literature. The best designs were copied for Imperial gardens in Beijing following Emperor Qianlong's visit | |||||||||||
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The imposing Mount Tai is regarded
as the first of the five sacred mountains in ancient China for its majesty
and beauty. Historically, emperors ascended Mount Tai to hold ceremonies
to express gratefulness to heaven for their success in establishing a new
dynasty. For many centuries, Buddhism and Taoism flourished on the mountain,
building numerous temples and nunneries. Historical sites and stone-carved
inscriptions can be found all over the area. |
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The Leshan Buddha, built in 713
AD, is the world's largest carved figure (237 feet). The Buddha sits with
his back to a cliff in Mt. Emei, one of the 4 sacred Buddhist mountains
in China. The Emei/Leshan region has a unique combination of religious art,
historical and literary interest, and great natural beauty. |
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Mount Lushan, in Jiangxi Province,
is one of the spiritual centres of Chinese civilization. It houses an impressive
number of Buddhist and Taoist temples, along with landmarks of Confucianism,
the White Deer Cave Academy (from 1179 AD), where the most eminent masters
once taught. |
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Mt. Wudang's mystical beauty has long inspired myth and legend. It has been the birthplace of religion, philosophy, and martial arts. As Taoism's most sacred mountain, generations of Emperors worshipped here, constructing temples among the most inaccessible peaks. Its isolation and combination of natural beauty with divine atmosphere also attracted those wanting to retreat from the world. One of these was Zhang Sanfeng, who was famed for his wisdom and developed one of the two major branches of Chinese martial arts: Wudang Gongfu. | |||||||||||||||||||
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Mount Wuyi is recognized for its
ecological diversity and cultural history. More than sheltering some of
the rarest plant and animal species, Mount Wuyi was the capital of a 2000
year old vassal kingdom and home to an important school of Chinese philosophy,
Neo-Confucianism developed by philosopher, Zhu Xi, around the 11th century. |
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The Villages of Xidi and Hongcun started human settlement in the 11th century. They are now regarded as a Living Ancient Residential Museum" of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Their street plans, architecture, decorations, and the integration of houses with comprehensive water systems are unique surviving examples, reflecting the socio-economic structure of a long stable period in Chinese history. | ||||||||||||||
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Lijiang's 800 years history sits lightly on the town. Lijiang's prosperity lies in the mountain trails made by horses and in saddles steeped in the fragrance of tea. It follows the old trade route that parallels the Silk Road in significance, if not in fame. The old town's charm lies in the weathered stone bridges that span the small braided rivers, in a mossy corner of Sifang Street, in the ancient tools, nearly as old as the town itself, sold by a lady. | ||||||||||||
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Situated at a strategic point along the Silk Route, at the crossroads of trade as well as religious, cultural, and intellectual influences, the 492 cells and cave sanctuaries in Mogao are famous for painted status and murals. The 3 or 4 tiered grottoes extend nearly one mile with the highest point over 150 feet. Including ancient art absorbed from India, Greece and Persia, it has become a brilliant pearl in Chinese art treasure troves. | ||||||||||||||
 
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During l928 to 1929, two lower jaws
and an almost complete skull cap of early human were unearthed along with
over 100 other artifacts in a cave near Zhoukoudian village 30 miles to
the southwest of Beijing, now named as Peking Man Site. Excavation over
the past decades found fragmented bones and teeth belonging to more than
40 members of the Peking Men family, more than 100,000 stone tools, and
evidence to the use of fire. It bears unique witness to the human communities
of the Asian continent from the Middle Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene
(Paleolithic Age). |
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The Mountain Resort in Chengde was
a summer resort and hunting ground for emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
More than 100 buildings within the resort were divided into two sections:
palace zone and garden zone. In the outer area, 11 magnificent temples,
the largest temple complex in China, stand on the hills in a semi-circle,
usually referred to as the "Eight Outer Temples". Nobles of various
ethnic groups who came to have an audience with the Qing emperors resided
here and conducted religious activities. |
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Imperial Mausoleums of Ming and Qing Dynasties are the largest and well-preserved imperial mausoleums open to the public, including 42 mausoleums for emperors and Empresses. Design of underground palace and burial objects were owner's favorites, while the structures on the ground found explicit expression of feng shui or geomantic omens, believing that the location of a house or a tomb and their natural surroundings were to influence the family's fortune and the future of the later generations. As records of the rise and decline of Imperial power, mausoleums remain part of China's illustrious history. | ||||||||||||||||||
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When Buddhism first gained Imperial
favor, Buddhist arts displaying scenes from the Buddha's life and the piety
of the ruling classes became popular. Buddhist grotto art, featuring carving
and painting, flourished at this time, leaving us spectacular and serene
grottos such as Longmen Grottos, built less than 10 miles away from Luoyang,
the capital of nine dynasties in ancient China. Much information on social
structures, language and beliefs were preserved in the inscriptions, statues,
and other artifacts found there. |
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Huanglong Valley is famed for its
unique karst formations and spectacular travertine ponds, including the
world's largest and most brilliantly colored one. About 3,400 travertine
ponds of various sizes and shapes are found at different heights in the
gully. Within its over 200 square miles boundary are numerous wetland, forest,
lakes, and 7 snow-capped peaks over 15000 feet. |
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Huwa Golden International, Inc. | |||
| Tel.: 1-866 HUWA DVD, 1-866 489 2383 | Fax: ( 626 ) 796 8655 | |||
