This is China Series
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Rhythm of Chongqing. From tiny village to metropolis: China’s hidden mega-city
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Pandaland. Helping giant panda cubs return to the wild
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The Secrets of Wudang Wushu. Chinese Monks Perfect a Chinese Martial Art
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Shenzhen: City of the Future. The high-tech life of China’s Silicon Valley
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The Poetry of Chinese Carving. Turning bamboo and brick into works of art
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The Beijing Opera. Reality and Eternity. The deep symbolism hidden on the Chinese stage
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This is China: Yangshan City Port. The world’s biggest container port opens new Silk Road for shipping
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This is China: Chinese Speed. China's high speed rail breakthrough
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China on a Plate. From scorpion kebabs to Peking duck, we try authentic Chinese food for you
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In a Siberian Tiger's Footsteps. How Siberian tiger was brought back from brink of extinction by Russia and China
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Zhangjiajie Park: Head In The Clouds Or The Sky At Your Feet. Bai people’s timeless rural idyll in the dreamy landscapes that inspired the Avatar movie
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Etiquette Of Giving. The good Chinese gift-giving guide, from dragons to coffins
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The Secrets of Tibetan Architecture . An architect's quest to preserve Tibet’s architectural heritage
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Following The Great Tea Road. Exploring tea, an ancient drink and a pillar of Chinese culture
Etiquette Of Giving. The good Chinese gift-giving guide, from dragons to coffins
Over the centuries, the Chinese have turned gift-giving into a fine art. An infinite variety of decorative techniques, used to make exquisite objects from jade statuettes to red carved lacquer boxes or cloisonné-inlaid enamel vases, have developed in order to satisfy Chinese society’s quest for the perfect gift.
The choice of gifts for foreign dignitaries is particularly fraught. Unique artifacts are specially commissioned and designed for each occasion. Symbolism is particularly important in Chinese culture, and so the choice of décor is a diplomatic message in its own right.
RTD goes behind the scenes to discover what goes into making the ultimate Chinese gift. During a visit to the Chinese Arts and Applied Crafts Corporation in Beijing, its designers explain how they handle the task of choosing a personalized design for an anonymous recipient, while its craftspeople painstakingly make their clients’ most ambitious dreams come to life in record time.
It’s also an opportunity to find out why a full-size dragon may be too forward as a friendly overture, while a tour of the corporation’s museum yields the backstory to some historic gifts to American Presidents. Meanwhile, as entrepreneurs Chzhi Min and Chzhan Huey stroll through their mind-blowing contemporary art collection, they provide an object lesson into picking the appropriate gift for a business partner, or… your mother-in-law.
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27:282083024 July 2017 00:00
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27:30197621 April 2020 18:13
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25:2692421 September 2015 00:00
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27:025533002 March 2016 00:00
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27:43283311 August 2017 00:00
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24:48484528 September 2018 00:30