San Antonio College Library

The mythical image of Tibet as the land of snow and mountains and burgundy-clad monks and prayer wheels often hides the tragedy of a forgotten people. Since the 1950 invasion of their territory by China, Tibetans have been struggling for cultural and political survival in a world surprisingly indifferent to their plight. Filmed in the Indian Himalayas and in Canada, A Song for Tibet tells the dramatic story of the efforts by Tibetans in exile, including...

Two Communist Party officials cruise the dusty streets of Ma Bei village in a new Cadillac. Welcome to China at the end of the 20th century. Fueled by profits from private businesses, the town is booming, while at a plant up the road thousands of workers, formerly protected under the communist system, may lose their jobs under privatization. Similar situations are developing all over China, and officials are worried that workers may revolt. So they've...

The Three Gorges Dam project on China's Yangtze River is the largest ongoing civil engineering project in the world today and is characterized by some as "the eighth wonder of the world". This episode chronicles the extraordinary feats of engineering that made Three Gorges Dam possible.

On July 1, 1997, as China's flag was raised over Hong Kong, the world wondered: would the former British crown colony be swallowed up by Beijing, or would it be business as usual in Asia's financial crown jewel? This program, filmed five years after the handover, takes a close look at Hong Kong's declining fortunes, due in part to sociopolitical changes and to the bursting of the Asian economic bubble. Issues deeply impacting immigration, human rights,...

Tibet: Worlds Together provides a basic view of this important ancient culture that is struggling to adapt to modern times.

As China transitions from a planned economy to a market economy, its rapidly growing companies must learn to compete on a global scale. This program presents a case study of TCL-China's first multinational corporation and the parent company of Thomson Color TV and other major manufacturers-giving viewers an unprecedented look inside Chinese business practices. The film illustrates TCL's evolution from a state-owned enterprise to an industrial giant...

Chinese Christians are growing in number-but are their beliefs compatible with Western teachings? Why does the Communist government look so favorably on a "foreign" faith? Has the Gospel become a tool of authoritarianism? This program searches for answers as it explores the startling ascent of Christianity in China. Outlining the persecution of Christians under Mao, the film studies a past split between nationalist Catholics and those who obeyed Rome;...

Tibet is out of reach for refugees, who can only dream of return. Musician Tenzin Choegyal has the very vaguest recollections of Tibet, as he was spirited out by his mother and father as a young boy. But he's determined to see it once again, across the Nepal-China border. He must pass through remote, difficult terrain, including the remote Upper Mustang, where Tibetan culture is still preserved. Along an ancient trade route a major, transformative...

Groomed for power by the Dowager Empress, three-year-old Aisin-Gioro Puyi ascended China's imperial throne in 1908. This program illustrates the early years of his sporadic reign, his education under Scottish tutor Reginald Johnston, and the shifting of his political fortunes at the mercy of international events. Puyi's eviction from the Forbidden City during his teenage years, his Westernized playboy lifestyle, and his manifold marriages and liaisons...

Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? How does one reconcile a commitment to nonviolence when faced with violence? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East,...