1. Art and Diseño

Knowledge Network explores
the birth of modern China
Wednesdays 8pm on East is East.
27-week series begins February 4th
From a feudal society to a modern, economic powerhouse in under a century, China’s economy has grown at an astonishing rate,
beyond anything in the history of capitalism. This economic revolution has had a major impact on all of our lives in BC and around
the world. Beginning February 4th, Knowledge Network explores the birth of modern China. Over 27 weeks, the series examines
key events of the 20th century, China’s economic revolution, plus personal stories of life in contemporary China.
Watch Wednesdays at 8pm on East is East
All programs also available online at knowledge.ca
February 4
Puyi: The Last Emperor of China
February 18
February 25
March 25
April 1 April 15 April 22
May 13 May 20 May 27 Madame Chiang Kai-shek
Mao: A Chinese Tale
Making Mao
China’s Capitalist Revolution
Building 173
China: Triumph and Turmoil
The Fastest Changing Place on Earth
Crocodile in the Yangtze
China on Four Wheels
*program line-up is subject to change. Visit knowledge.ca for seasonal updates.
June 10 June 17 June 24
July 1 July 8 July 15 July 22 July 29 August 5
Green China Rising
Last Train Home
I.M. Pei: Building China Modern
Up the Yangtze
Inside Kung Fu Inc.
The Chinese Hajj
The Mosuo Sisters
Happy Everyday: Park Life in China
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
Explore the birth of modern China on
Knowledge Network and knowledge.ca
Program details:
Madame Chiang
Kai-shek
Puyi: The Last Emperor of China
February 4 and 11
A comprehensive two-part look at the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of
China, detailing his ascendancy to the throne as a toddler; his forced
abdication at age six; a puppet Emperor controlled by the Japanese; a
prisoner of the Soviet Union; an inmate of a Communist Chinese
re-education camp; and finally an ordinary citizen living in Beijing
through the brutal upheavals of the Cultural Revolution.
Making Mao
March 25
A look at how Maoist propaganda
was spread through visual art
and how art shaped Mao into a
cultural icon.
China’s Capitalist
Revolution
February 18
The story of the wife of China’s
Nationalist leader who became
one of the most powerful women
in the world and played an
extraordinary role in world affairs.
Building 173
April 15
Mao: A Chinese Tale
February 25, March 4, 11, and 18
Combining previously classified
material with unseen documents,
biographic studies and interviews,
this comprehensive four-part
biography profiles the man who
“moved a nation and changed
the world”.
China: Triumph and
Turmoil
April 1 and 8
Building 173 takes viewers behind
closed doors and into the rooms
of a single apartment building in
downtown Shanghai to watch the
stories of 7 families unfold over
3 generations.
The Fastest Changing Place on Earth
Crocodile in the Yangtze
Filmed over a 6-year period, this is the extraordinary story of ordinary
people in one tiny village as the Government’s epic plans sweep
through China at a speed and scale unimaginable anywhere else
on earth.
As China’s largest online retailer, the Alibaba Group has grown into
a global internet superpower rivaling Amazon and eBay. Follow the
unlikely ascent of Alibaba’s flamboyant founder, Jack Ma – from former
English teacher to China’s richest man.
The two-part story of the biggest
turnaround in world history the conversion of the Chinese
Communist Party to capitalism
under the leadership of Deng
Xiaoping.
May 13
April 22, 29 and May 6
Niall Ferguson examines China’s
ascendancy in this three-part
series that asks what the
future holds for the world’s
most populous country and its
relationship with the rest of the
world.
May 20
China on Four Wheels
Green China Rising
In this two-part series Anita Rani and Justin Rowlatt embark on
two epic, and very different, car journeys across China, navigating
congested cities and winding mountain roads to explore how the
country’s economic growth is affecting people’s lives.
A look at the scientific and technological innovation in China that could
turn the biggest polluter in the world into its greatest saviour.
May 27 and June 3
June 10
Inside Kung Fu Inc.
July 8
The Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of Kung Fu and Zen Buddhism,
and home to an ancient sect of warrior monks. But will fists and faith be
enough to ensure Shaolin survives the grip of modernization? Or will a
new Shaolin embrace the 21st Century?
The Chinese Hajj
July 15
The Hajj, the largest pilgrimage in the world and the fifth pillar of Islam,
is a religious duty for every able-bodied Muslim. Follow five Chinese
Muslims as they undertake this journey of a lifetime.
Last Train Home
June 17
An emotionally engaging and visually beautiful film that draws us into
the fractured lives of a single family caught up in the largest human
migration on earth, as millions of migrant workers attempt to return
home for Chinese New Year.
I.M. Pei: Building China Modern
June 24
Acclaimed architect I.M. Pei returns to his ancestral home of Suzhou to
work on his most personal project to date - bringing modernity to the
heart of China’s preeminent classical city.
Up the Yangtze
July 1
Among the two million people losing their livelihood to the Three
Gorges Dam project, the Yu family must send their daughter off to
work. In a bitter irony, she’s been hired by Farewell Cruises, part of the
strange apocalyptic tourist trade that thrives along the river, offering a
final glimpse of a legendary world before it disappears forever.
The Mosuo Sisters
July 22
A tale of two sisters, this visually
stunning film highlights China’s
vast cultural and economic
divides while offering a rare look
at the Mosuo people, one of the
world’s last surviving matriarchal
societies.
Happy Everyday: Park
Life in China
July 29
A version of retirement unlike
anything seen in the West—
elderly ravers dancing to
techno music, playing in mass
maraca troupes, and taking over
playgrounds for their exercises.
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
August 5
Ai Weiwei is China’s most famous international artist, and its most
outspoken domestic critic. The film offers a nuanced
exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling
public figures; a dissident for the digital age who inspires global
audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics.
About Knowledge Network
British Columbia’s Knowledge Network is where stories live that speak to our time. A viewer-supported public broadcaster, Knowledge Network offers
commercial-free creative documentaries, arts and culture, drama and children’s programs from Canada and around the world. Knowledge Network plays a vital
role in supporting the independent production community in B.C. through the commissioning of broadcast and digital interactive content. www.knowledge.ca
For more information, please contact:
Glenna Pollon
Director of Communications & Government Relations
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 604-431-3184
*Dates and programs subject to change. Please visit knowledge.ca for seasonal updates.