Customer Reviews

Ancient China: A Journey Back in Time -Lost Treasures of the Ancient World

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Although this DVD packs a lot of information into 50 minutes, it is much too brief to cover thousands of years of ancient Chinese civilization. I don't even remember the Tang or Sung dynasties being mentioned. So this DVD isn't really a complete introduction to the subject, although I did enjoy the expert commentary on topics being discussed.

Aside from the problems resulting from the brevity & rushed pace of this DVD, I had few complaints. The computer animation was overdone a bit. It seemed more appropriate for the ancient village rather than for extant structures such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. And one myth which the narrator repeats twice is that that the Great Wall can be seen from the moon.

Not quite as polished as a PBS documentary, but a decent value for the money.

Chapters:
1. Opening
2. Beginnings of Chinese Civilization
3. Pre-Dynastic Worship
4. Ancestor Worship
5. The Rise of the Dynasties
6. The Shang Dynasty
7. The Great Philosophies
8. The Unification of China
9. The Great Wall
10. The Terracotta Army
11. The Han Dynasty
12. The Silk Road
13. Buddhism
14. The Chinese Pagoda
15. The Ming Dynasty
16. The Forbidden City

Commentary by:
Dr Rana Mitter , History Dept, Warrick University
Prof Hugh Baker & Dr Wang Tao , School of African & Oriental Studies, London
Prof Jessica Rawson, Chinese Art & Archaeology, Merton College, Oxford

This DVD works perfectly with the grade 8 Social studies (B.C.) China unit (I think it's Grade 6 or 7 in the States). it is a clear and well-produced documentary. It's divided into segments that correspond pretty clearly with the textbook that we use. There are 5-10 minute segments that correspond to basic topics like the Xia, Ancestor Worship, Shang, Qin, Han, Tang, Silk Road, and Three Doctrines. My students really enjoy the Great Wall footage and animation and spent some time wondering if people ever dirtbike along it! It doesn't have as much gore and creepiness as the (wonderful) Time Life "Ancient China" video, but it is still a nice little addition to the Ancient China unit. There is a a fair amount of interview footage and no fantasy element outside the nice animation.

This 50-minute documentary examines treasures of Chinese archaeology and architecture, including the Great Wall, the first emperor's terra cotta army, pagodas, and the Forbidden City. Along the way, the video provides an introduction to Chinese history. (Incidentally, the Great Wall isn't visible from the moon, as the video says. That's an urban myth.)

I've used excerpts of this video in teaching Chinese religion and philosophy: ch. 4, on ancestor worship; ch. 7, on Confucianism, Taoism, and legalism; and chs. 13 and 14, on Buddhism and the pagoda.

(If you want to learn about 20th-century Chinese history, I'd recommend the documentary "China: A Century of Revolution.")

Teaching sixth graders is challenging enough without putting in a DVD with ancient graphics and out-of-date info!

This program gives a nice visual of the history and culture of Ancient China. Although I found it very interesting, my 7th Grade Social Studies class found it a bit confusing at times with all the information given. If your using it for educational purposes, it might be broken down into segments as you cover the material or as an ending overview.

If you teach, this video IS NOT for you. Nearly unwatchable.