Monday, July 21
** Documentary: VisionTV Premiere **
China in the Red
9 pm & 12 am ET / 6 pm & 9 pm PT
 A decade ago, the government of China introduced some of the most drastic economic reforms the country had ever seen. The resulting upheaval left millions of Chinese facing an uncertain future. Some would prosper, while others would experience joblessness and destitution. This two-hour documentary, produced for the PBS series Frontline, follows a handful of ordinary Chinese citizens – factory workers, rural villagers and entrepreneurs – over a period of three years as they struggle to adapt to the country’s economic modernization. Their personal stories shed light on the human cost of China’s rush to embrace the global free market, and reveal the face of a China rarely seen in the West: a nation in the process of radically redefining itself.
Documentary: Encore Presentation
Footbinding: Search for the Three Inch Golden Lotus
11 pm ET / 8 pm PT
 In this intensely personal documentary, Chinese Canadian filmmaker Yue-Qing Yang returns home to investigate China’s hidden shame: the now-extinct practice of foot binding. Why did millions of women through the centuries subject themselves to such a cruel custom in pursuit of a strange ideal of feminine beauty? To learn the answer, Yue-Qing must find her way past the taboo that now surrounds the subject.
Tuesday, July 22
*** Documentary: Canadian Television Premiere ***
China’s Leap of Faith, Part One
9 pm & 12 am ET / 6 pm & 9 pm PT
 The Chinese government has long sought to suppress religious faith among its citizens. Recently, however, officials have cautiously begun to relax their grip. Across the country, massive networks of household churches, village temples and regional folk beliefs are powering what has become the most astonishing religious revival in modern history. This two-part Canadian documentary examines both the impact of this new religious freedom, and the government’s continued efforts to control faith. Tonight: Part One, “The Gods Come Home,” probes the Chinese government’s scramble to contain the explosive re-awakening of Buddhism, Taoism and traditional folk faiths.
** Documentary: VisionTV Premiere **
God in China: The Struggle for Religious Freedom
10 pm & 1 am ET / 7 pm & 10 pm PT
 While China’s leadership has shown a willingness to abandon, gradually, its anti-religious bias, this freedom has its limits. The regime still tries to micromanage religion. Citizens who shun state-sanctioned religious institutions in favour of “underground” churches do so at great personal risk. How the government deals with God in China will reveal whether the country is finally ready for democracy. In this hour-long documentary, produced for Italy’s RomeReports News Agency, Chinese men and women speak candidly of their experiences as religious believers, and their assessment of what the future may hold for them. The film presents interviews with representatives of both official and underground religions, shows priests and seminarians practicing their faith in secret, and offers a rare glimpse into China’s Muslim community.
Documentary: Encore Presentation
The Blue Buddha, Part One
Tuesday, July 22, 11 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT
 More than a thousand years ago, the people of Tibet developed a comprehensive medical system, blending Buddhist spirituality with a remarkably sophisticated understanding of the human body, and encoded this knowledge in a series of elaborate paintings. This two-part documentary traces the odyssey of Tibetan medicine from its distant roots to the present day, and chronicles the struggle to preserve this tradition through the tumult of the past century.
Wednesday, July 23
*** Documentary: Canadian Television Premiere ***
China’s Leap of Faith, Part Two
9 pm & 12 am ET / 6 pm & 9 pm PT
Tonight: Part Two, “The Bamboo Cross,” charts the rapid growth of Christianity in China and tells the stories of clergy and believers who must choose between worshipping openly or in the shadows.
*** Documentary: VisionTV Premiere ***
A Year in Tibet - Three Husbands and a Wedding
10 pm & 1 am ET / 7 pm & 10 pm PT
 Tibet is one of the most remote places in the world - and, under Communist Chinese rule, one of the least accessible. This BBC documentary offers an unprecedented glimpse of everyday life in the medieval town of Gyantse, an isolated mountain community that is home to one of Tibet’s most important monasteries. The hour-long film records the preparations for the annual harvest, looks in on a celebration at the monastery, and follows the frenzied planning of a local wedding - an occasion that threatens to become less joyous when the bride learns there is more than one groom.
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Documentary: Encore Presentation
The Blue Buddha, Part Two
11 pm ET / 8 pm PT
More than a thousand years ago, the people of Tibet developed a comprehensive medical system, blending Buddhist spirituality with a remarkably sophisticated understanding of the human body, and encoded this knowledge in a series of elaborate paintings. This two-part documentary traces the odyssey of Tibetan medicine from its distant roots to the present day, and chronicles the struggle to preserve this tradition through the tumult of the past century.
Thursday, July 24
** GOD IN CHINA SPECIAL PRESENTATION – Canadian Television Premiere **
Islam in China
Thursday, July 24, 9 pm & 12 am ET / 6 & 9 pm PT
 China’s authoritarian regime has been relatively tolerant of Islam, seeing it as less of a threat than Western faiths. Today, there are as many as 40 million Muslims in China. This half-hour documentary considers the past, present and future of Chinese Muslims, and their growing effort to strengthen ties with fellow believers in the Middle East.
** GOD IN CHINA SPECIAL PRESENTATION – VisionTV Premiere **
Bring It On, Beijing! – Parts One & Two
Thursday, July 24, 9:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm PT
After years of anticipation, China is finally ready to host the Olympic Games. Millions have laboured to prepare Beijing for its turn in the global spotlight. This series of half-hour documentaries takes the viewer behind the scenes of the run-up to the Games, exploring everything from the conceptualization of the official Olympic mascots to the far-reaching physical and social transformation of Beijing.
GOD IN CHINA SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Angus Skene’s Building Faith
Thursday, July 24, 10:30 pm ET / 8:30 pm PT
 The documentary series Angus Skene’s Building Faith reveals how spiritual belief finds expression in architecture. Tonight: Building Faith examines the unique architectural features of Buddhist temples, following the path of Buddhism along the Silk Road trade route from India into the heart of power in Imperial China.
Documentary: Encore Presentation
Searching for Confucius
Thursday, July 24, 11 pm ET / 8 pm PT
 He died broken and despondent, convinced that his life’s work had been in vain. Little did Confucius realize that his ideas would live on for more than 2,000 years. Who was he, and why do his writings continue to inspire men and women today? In this hour-long documentary, award-winning Canadian novelist Wayson Choy voyages to China on a quest to understand the great philosopher’s life and legacy.
** GOD IN CHINA SPECIAL PRESENTATION – VisionTV Premiere **
Bring It On, Beijing! – Parts Three, Four & Five
Thursday, July 24, 12:30 am ET / 9:30 pm PT
See Thursday, July 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT
Friday, July 25
Documentary: Encore Presentation
Call It Karma
Friday, July 25, 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT
 In 1995, a young Tibetan monk named Gyalten Rinpoche traveled 1,000 miles on foot from Tibet to India, on a quest to bring Buddhist teachings to the Western world. This haunting documentary by Vancouver filmmaker Geoff Browne recreates Rinpoche’s journey, recounting the incredible but true story of a serene, simple man who walked across the very rooftop of the world for his faith.
Documentary: Encore Presentation
Dalai Lama: Behind the Smile
11 pm ET / 8 pm PT
 The Dalai Lama is the living symbol of Tibet’s quest for freedom. Supported by a powerful circle of advisors, parliamentarians and ministers, he has championed the use of non-violent means in the struggle to break China’s hold on his country. But as this documentary reveals, an emerging generation of Tibetans has begun to question his peaceful approach and to contemplate more radical action. Can he hold them in check, and preserve the dream of a free Tibet?
** GOD IN CHINA SPECIAL PRESENTATION – VisionTV Premiere **
Bring It On, Beijing! – Parts Six & Seven
Friday, July 25, 1 am ET / 10 pm PT
See Thursday, July 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT |
