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A May day on the Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
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We're starting our brief journey to China.
The filming equipment has been brought here.
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00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:59,960
The song you've just heard is called
We Love Tiananmen Square.
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00:01:59,960 --> 00:02:02,520
It's sung by the Chinese students
at every school.
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00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,359
For the Chinese, this giant space filled
with silence is the center of the world,
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00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,676
the Gate of Heavenly Peace
and the heart of Beijing.
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00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,032
And Beijing is the political and revolutionary
center of China.
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00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:21,959
And China is Chung Kuo, the Middle Kingdom,
an ancient cradle of the world civilization.
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00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,638
This is a place of parades, speeches,
public demonstrations.
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00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,960
The People's Republic has been proclaimed
from here as well.
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00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,349
And it was from here that
the countless Red Guards
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00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,590
started their march for the Cultural Revolution.
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00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:40,960
But we've chosen to come on an ordinary day.
There are many Chinese taking photographs.
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00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:48,598
It is them, the Chinese, who are
the protagonists of our motion picture.
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00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:51,951
We're not pretending to understand China.
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00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:57,194
All we hope for is to present
a large collection of faces, gestures, customs.
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00:03:09,920 --> 00:03:14,630
Arriving from Europe, we thought
of exploring mountains and deserts.
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00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,998
But the fact is, most of China remains
inaccessible and forbidden.
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Even though, in a game of political ping-pong,
the Chinese have opened a few doors,
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with an unflinching persistence, our guides
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00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,638
keep us from taking a step away
from the prescribed itineraries.
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00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,949
The founding fathers of Marxism
oversee the Square.
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00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:39,959
Marx...
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00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:42,234
and Engels.
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00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,271
Tiananmen occupies a huge territory
of 400,000 square meters.
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Shady alleyways and winds from all direction
join here, at the heart of the city.
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00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:01,594
Despite of all its imperial bearing, the Square
did not exist at the time of the Great Dynasties.
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It was born later out of the political need
for a place of public reunions and demonstrations.
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00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:18,274
Here we can see Lenin...
and Stalin, of course.
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00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:07,511
Along a major street, we are starting
to move away from the Square.
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00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:11,919
Suddenly, the car driver tells us
we cannot film here.
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00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:17,319
Using gestures, we're trying to ask why:
the interpreters are not around at the moment.
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Oops... we've filmed this, as you can see.
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00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:23,193
Later, we learned what was
the reason for this complication.
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00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:28,953
This is an entrance to the park that hosts
the residence of China's leader Mao Zedong.
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00:05:56,280 --> 00:05:59,671
The city schedule is strict:
everybody's up very early.
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00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:02,317
Beijing and the Chinese are very laborious.
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00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,917
The Cultural Revolution has revised
the organization of manufacture,
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00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:13,840
and has attached the primal importance
to political loyalty, rather than competence.
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00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,952
Lately, efficiency has resurfaced
as a criterion for judgement,
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00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,640
but without compromising
the human aspect of labor.
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00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:29,960
The inhabitants of Beijing seem poor, but not
miserable: without luxury and without hunger.
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00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:34,114
What surprised us most is that
the living standards here, so distant from ours,
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00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:36,994
apparently do not bother people all that much.
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00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:03,950
In the morning light, under the Tatar Wall, we notice
these people, who do not look like ordinary workers.
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00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:14,953
This is a kind of physical exercise,
but also a dance and a ceremony.
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00:08:15,200 --> 00:08:18,192
It disciplines the body
and strengthens the spirit.
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00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:22,798
They move very rhythmically, as if following
music that no one else can hear.
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00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:27,234
This tradition is so old that the new leaders
are willing to discontinue it,
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00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,716
as a rudiment of the past,
as a superstition.
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00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:28,110
A school day usually starts like this:
running and outdoor exercises.
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00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:00,999
One day, we're taken to
a gynecology hospital in Beijing,
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00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:04,750
a quiet and neat facility
managed by very young doctors.
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00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:11,874
The patient is a worker of an electric valve factory,
35 years old and expecting her first child.
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She needs a Caesarian section,
and is anesthetized by means of acupuncture.
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00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:31,951
It's a poor and simple practice. There is no need
for expensive and complicated equipment.
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00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:35,909
A very direct human contact is established
between the doctors and the patient.
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00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:40,480
Acupuncture is accessible to everybody.
It can also be used in remote areas,
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00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:46,396
and by doctors without professional education
that form the backbone of Chinese rural medicine.
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00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,319
Today, despite of the skepticism
of the Western scholars,
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00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:09,476
3/4 of the surgery operations performed in China
employ for the purposes of anesthesia
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00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:11,551
these extremely thin needles,
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00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:15,469
which, passing through the nerves,
reduce susceptibility to pain.
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00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:26,436
Thus, the medical practice in China
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00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:33,194
shows that it's possible to overcome grave obstacles
with simple means and using ancient teachings.
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00:20:48,120 --> 00:20:54,310
This kindergarten serves the 6400 workers of the
3rd cotton factory on the outskirts of Beijing.
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00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:59,949
Each big factory maintains a school,
where the workers can send their children.
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00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,437
Starting from childhood, they are prepared
for the future life in a collectivist society.
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00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:11,955
Their grace makes us forget that almost all songs
they're singing have political connotations.
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00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:13,992
The most famous one goes like this:
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00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:19,395
"Navigation depends on the helmsman,
Revolution depends on Chairman Mao."
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A house at the same factory.
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00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:24,039
A husband and wife discuss the vegetables
they've bought at the produce market.
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00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:27,278
Both work here, at the cotton factory.
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00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:41,154
Just like the others around it,
this house is modest and simple.
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00:26:42,240 --> 00:26:46,154
According to the law, the rent
cannot exceed 5% of the salary.
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00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:08,676
The woman is saying:
"We still do not have a grandson.
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00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:13,352
To build socialism, it is better
if the families are not too large."
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00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:25,960
The factories are like small autonomous villages,
where the workers live and tend to their duties.
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00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:45,712
The salaries are small, and the difference between
the smallest and the greatest isn't large.
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00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,952
The number of distinct levels of payment
is also decreasing.
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00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:03,952
The workload doesn't look stressful.
Perhaps this is because the workforce is abundant.
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00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:10,437
The administration of the factory is appointed
according to the "three in one" principle.
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00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:15,476
The three are the technical personnel,
the workers and the soldiers.
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00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:21,992
This is a heritage of the Cultural Revolution,
but the organization of labor keeps changing.
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00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:07,479
The Chinese engage into
discussions with enthusiasm,
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00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:10,957
even though they tend to become
repetitive and monotonous.
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00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:17,752
At the end of the workday, the workers make
a circle in the courtyard and talk.
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00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:22,438
Today they are discussing
an art exhibition,
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00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,996
a relatively new phenomenon,
a result of cultural liberalization.
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00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:31,474
The moderator praises the artists, because,
following the teachings of Mao,
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00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:36,954
they put art to the service of
workers, peasants and soldiers.
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00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,191
We must spin and weave for the revolution,
say the others.
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00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:46,036
There are no real debates. They just put
forward suggestions for various amendments.
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00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:49,119
We must improve the quality.
It is a matter of primary importance.
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00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:54,316
We must manufacture good cotton and
contribute to the World Revolution.
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00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:39,198
We arrive at the Great Wall on a windy day.
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00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:46,877
The Chinese call it a wall of 10,000 Ii.
It's total length is 5,000 kilometers.
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00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:52,515
2500 years ago, it was constructed by slaves
to protect the Empire against the barbarians.
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00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:56,720
In his poem "A Worker reads History",
Brecht asks:
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00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:59,310
"Who built the seven gates of Thebes?
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00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:01,632
The books are filled with names of kings.
103
00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:04,593
Was it the kings who hauled
the craggy blocks of stone?"
104
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:31,952
It's claimed that the Great Wall is the only
human-built monument to be seen from the Moon.
105
00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:34,589
But the astronauts didn't say
anything about it.
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00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:37,634
It's a fortification,
a barrier against the Mongols.
107
00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:55,432
The turrets are spaced in such a way that
the sentinels can hear each other's voices.
108
00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:12,593
If there is a single monument to represent
the inutility of military arts, it's here.
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00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:16,039
Someone has also called it
the world's longest cemetery,
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00:35:16,240 --> 00:35:22,794
because the live bodies of rebellious slaves
were used to cement the blocks of stone.
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00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:28,111
But the Wall has blocked the steppe winds,
and thus contributed to agriculture.
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00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:35,519
And sending the soldiers' families into remote
areas assisted the propagation of Chinese culture.
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00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:40,994
A military monument has thus unintendedly
served to promote civilization.
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00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:55,958
Strange stone animals oversee this verdant street
on the outskirts of Beijing.
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00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:58,756
This is a sacred road, the Road of the Spirits,
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00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:02,078
along which the deceased Emperors
were taken to the place of entombment.
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00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:10,189
Each shape is repeated twice.
The female is seated, the male is standing.
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00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:14,638
There are lions, unicorns, camels,
elephants, chimeras, horses.
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00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:19,751
Today, the significance of these sculptures
is largely unknown.
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00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:23,914
The animals separate the good from the evil,
inaugurate the peace of oblivion,
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00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:28,393
and prepare to serve the Emperor
in the Kingdom of the Dead.
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00:37:40,880 --> 00:37:45,511
Of 16 Ming emperors,
13 are buried in this giant tomb.
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00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:50,998
Even though the Chinese do not favor the word
"empire" anymore, they still come to pay homage.
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00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:38,156
In the past, no one could enter these gardens, and
even the Emperor had to step out of the carriage.
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00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:27,957
A visit to the tomb is a festive occasion.
There is nothing stern or solemn about it.
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00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:30,960
There isn't much of a point in going inside.
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00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:32,599
The interiors are nothing more
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than giant underground chambers
containing similar rectangular coffins.
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00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:39,716
One could better have a look at the museum.
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00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,400
There are many treasures there,
but the one that impressed us most
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is this specimen of political art.
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00:39:49,240 --> 00:39:55,111
This, explains the tour guide, is a representation
of the workers' hardships during the Ming epoch.
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00:39:55,200 --> 00:40:00,274
Even despite of the floods and droughts,
the landowner comes to the peasants to collect taxes.
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00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:04,553
A family that cannot pay
is expelled from the village.
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00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:13,949
The peasants become beggars.
They are starving to death on the road...
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00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:21,953
and are forced to sell their own children.
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00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:27,398
Thus was the life under feudal emperors.
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00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:31,309
And it instigated the masses to revolt.
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00:40:31,560 --> 00:40:35,952
In 1582, the whole country was in uproar.
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00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:41,590
This, concludes the guide, is exactly
as Chairman Mao teaches us.
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00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:48,992
Abundant harvests are no longer
made in Heaven,
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nor are the peasants
ever expelled from the fields.
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00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:58,876
Better stilll.. For one month in a year,
all the students, arranged like this, in a square,
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go to work in the agricultural communes.
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00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:06,837
We've come to visit an agricultural commune.
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00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:12,877
40 square kilometers, 3000 hectares of fields,
29000 inhabitants.
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00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:21,230
We're told that before the commune was built,
this land was suffering from droughts and floods.
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00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:25,957
Today, there are kilometers of channels,
where animals and fish can be raised.
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00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:30,034
There is a hospital, 6 clinics,
36 health centers.
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00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:34,951
8000 students attend 5 middle
and 19 primary schools.
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00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:40,069
Of course, we've come across less prosperous
villages along our itinerary.
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00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:43,990
It would be naive to think that we've found
ourselves in a rural paradise.
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00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:47,472
Peasants' life is hard here,
as it is everywhere.
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00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:40,715
This market in a central street
of the capital
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is like a country fair transposed to the city,
where the animals are sold still alive.
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00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:14,956
We hide our cameras behind
the heaps of fruits and tea leaves.
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00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:13,875
The prices are low.
The abundance is accessible to all.
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00:47:34,080 --> 00:47:36,754
Apart from gentle manners
and subtle intelligence,
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food appreciation is another
common trait among Chinese.
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00:47:40,920 --> 00:47:42,433
The table is rich is fanciful.
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00:47:42,520 --> 00:47:46,309
Each province is proud of its
diverse specialities.
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00:47:49,280 --> 00:47:52,910
But, at least for an outsider,
the important thing is
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00:47:53,120 --> 00:47:55,680
that the giant expanse of the agricultural grounds
helps all Chinese
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00:47:55,880 --> 00:47:58,713
to overcome the Asian tragedy of malnutrition.
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00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:02,875
Even though not everywhere you can find
as much abundance as here.
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00:50:03,960 --> 00:50:08,670
"There is a Great Palace in the City"
wrote Marco Polo.
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00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:14,960
One Sunday, we leave to rediscover the walls,
roofs, staircases and gardens of the Forbidden City
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00:50:14,960 --> 00:50:16,678
described in II Milione.
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00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:19,994
A few decades ago,
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00:50:20,160 --> 00:50:24,199
no Europeans were allowed to enter here,
and only very few Chinese.
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00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:28,958
Closed during the Cultural Revolution,
the Emperor's City has recently reopened.
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00:50:29,120 --> 00:50:31,953
And we've come here to watch
the Chinese visitors,
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rather than to explore
the legacy of the imperial times.
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00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:41,870
The names of the halls and pavilions
celebrate the enormous divine prominence
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00:50:41,960 --> 00:50:44,713
that the emperors associated
with their own presence.
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00:50:44,960 --> 00:50:50,433
Supreme Harmony, Celestial Purity,
Terrestrial Serenity, Nourishment of the Spirit.
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00:51:47,080 --> 00:51:51,597
The actual life behind these walls
was a rather different story.
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00:51:51,960 --> 00:51:53,960
These were cruel and greedy courts
179
00:51:53,960 --> 00:51:57,351
dominated by extravagant and
hardly human customs.
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00:52:29,080 --> 00:52:32,869
The halls and palaces formed an itinerary
leading toward the inaccessible power.
181
00:52:33,280 --> 00:52:36,760
The visitors and court officials kept
pacing from one hall to another,
182
00:52:36,760 --> 00:52:40,230
waiting to be summoned
to the Emperor's chamber,
183
00:52:40,640 --> 00:52:43,240
often passing away or abandoning
their original intention
184
00:52:43,240 --> 00:52:45,834
before being able to reach the destination.
185
00:52:55,200 --> 00:52:58,397
The modern Chinese have a peaceful relationship
with their past.
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00:52:58,640 --> 00:53:01,951
They see its grandeur as a motivation
to look into the present,
187
00:53:02,280 --> 00:53:07,150
and visit without solemn trepidation
these no longer forbidden grounds.
188
00:55:15,160 --> 00:55:17,959
Beijing is still an old city
with small houses
189
00:55:18,040 --> 00:55:21,670
narrow streets and closed courtyards.
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00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:28,958
This old woman has tiny feet.
Her steps are unsteady.
191
00:55:29,080 --> 00:55:33,199
Since childhood, her feet were tightly
bound and not allowed to grow.
192
00:55:33,760 --> 00:55:38,118
One emperor had a concubine
with shapely buttocks and tiny feet,
193
00:55:38,240 --> 00:55:40,231
and that's how this cruel custom
has originated.
194
00:55:40,840 --> 00:55:45,630
The officials at the court decided that the prominent
shape of the buttocks, a symbol of beauty,
195
00:55:46,000 --> 00:55:48,150
depends on the size of the feet.
196
00:55:48,400 --> 00:55:50,277
Hence they invented the custom.
197
00:55:50,760 --> 00:55:55,038
A woman with feet like this must have been
young in the days of the last dynasty.
198
00:56:05,520 --> 00:56:08,478
This is an antique trading street
called Liu Li Chang.
199
00:56:08,800 --> 00:56:13,078
It is brimming with shops selling all sorts of
curiosities. They are all managed by the state.
200
00:56:13,240 --> 00:56:15,675
And all the goods are sold at fixed prices.
201
00:56:37,480 --> 00:56:42,077
The streets are narrow.
And there is always a Public Security Guard
202
00:56:42,280 --> 00:56:45,750
who would maintain the order
and prevent strangers from entering.
203
00:58:19,520 --> 00:58:21,796
The roofs protrude beyond the walls.
204
00:58:21,960 --> 00:58:23,951
There are no windows outside.
205
00:58:24,560 --> 00:58:27,598
The life is confined to the courtyards.
206
00:58:28,200 --> 00:58:32,273
They are a kind of communal area
used for both work and recreation.
207
00:58:32,440 --> 00:58:36,877
A kind of private order is maintained
inside by consent of all inhabitants.
208
00:58:37,440 --> 00:58:40,637
The houses are simple and poor.
209
00:58:41,320 --> 00:58:42,958
Getting inside is hard.
210
00:58:43,280 --> 00:58:45,510
You have to overcome the diffidence
and shyness.
211
00:58:45,920 --> 00:58:48,196
But once you're in you'll discover
the human warmth as well.
212
01:00:54,880 --> 01:00:57,759
There is also a new growing Beijing.
213
01:00:58,120 --> 01:01:00,270
Even though the government does not favor
urban expansion,
214
01:01:00,600 --> 01:01:03,240
the natural growth cannot be stopped.
215
01:01:03,960 --> 01:01:07,954
New districts are built in a place
formerly crossed by the wall
216
01:01:08,200 --> 01:01:10,237
that was delimiting
the ancient Mongol City.
217
01:01:45,080 --> 01:01:49,119
The trade and commerce in Beijing
are mostly concentrated around two streets.
218
01:01:49,600 --> 01:01:51,910
This one is called Wang Fu Jing.
219
01:01:53,080 --> 01:01:58,951
To record its daily activities,
we have to hide the cameras.
220
01:03:36,120 --> 01:03:41,320
A stern capital of the Revolution,
Beijing does not exhibit much color.
221
01:03:41,760 --> 01:03:43,273
The garments are simple and frugal.
222
01:03:43,680 --> 01:03:46,880
Here, you can witness the virtues
of the long-forgotten times:
223
01:03:46,880 --> 01:03:49,952
decency, modesty,
the spirit of self-restraint.
224
01:04:03,600 --> 01:04:05,955
The other street is called Feng Sheng.
225
01:04:35,760 --> 01:04:37,831
Here, it's like this every day, anytime.
226
01:04:38,080 --> 01:04:43,473
A wall of pedestrians, which is nearly impossible
to traverse with a camera in your hands.
227
01:05:29,000 --> 01:05:31,594
Beijing has hundreds of temples and pagodas.
228
01:05:31,960 --> 01:05:37,194
But, for us, the most beautiful and mysterious
is this one. Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven.
229
01:05:38,000 --> 01:05:41,152
Here, the Emperors were tending to the Gods
230
01:05:41,600 --> 01:05:44,672
in hope for ample rain and abundant harvest.
231
01:05:45,280 --> 01:05:48,910
Today, when the elephant driven carriages,
processions of aristocrats
232
01:05:48,960 --> 01:05:52,954
and brutal human sacrifices
are nothing more than stories of distant past.
233
01:05:53,080 --> 01:05:57,313
Tian Tan is a public park
very much favored by the tourists.
234
01:06:14,040 --> 01:06:18,989
It is made of whole pieces of wood
without a single nail.
235
01:06:51,040 --> 01:06:54,396
It's said that there is more than
a million bicycles in Beijing.
236
01:07:54,320 --> 01:07:59,394
This is Chang An theater
which Chinese like to visit after work.
237
01:08:32,240 --> 01:08:38,077
Tonight, it's a puppet show.
The hostess announces a piece for orchestra.
238
01:13:56,440 --> 01:14:00,354
From Beijing, we travel south by train
for three days
239
01:14:00,400 --> 01:14:02,960
and arrive in Henan province.
240
01:14:02,960 --> 01:14:05,076
Its name means "south of the river",
241
01:14:05,200 --> 01:14:07,635
the Yellow River in the central part
of China.
242
01:14:08,960 --> 01:14:11,190
This is Linxian district.
243
01:14:12,200 --> 01:14:15,989
The Chinese do not try to conceal
the rural poverty of this province.
244
01:14:36,960 --> 01:14:41,955
Henan is the place where the first Chinese state
was established 2500 years ago.
245
01:14:42,000 --> 01:14:46,198
It is the capital of wheat and maize,
the principal grain of China.
246
01:16:35,840 --> 01:16:40,198
But, most importantly, Henan is also
the first region where, in 1958,
247
01:16:40,240 --> 01:16:44,950
agricultural communes were introduced
in place of the cooperatives.
248
01:16:54,960 --> 01:17:00,592
Every commune is divided into production brigades.
And every brigade is divided into squads.
249
01:17:00,920 --> 01:17:04,231
Every worker receives a small
annual monetary salary
250
01:17:04,640 --> 01:17:07,712
and a share of grain sufficient
to his needs.
251
01:17:07,960 --> 01:17:09,678
Also the children.
252
01:17:10,000 --> 01:17:14,790
The elderly, who cannot work anymore,
are provided with housing, food, garments,
253
01:17:14,880 --> 01:17:19,033
medical aid and coverage of the burial costs.
254
01:18:09,600 --> 01:18:13,594
The pride of this district is
the Red Flag Canal.
255
01:18:13,960 --> 01:18:17,032
It is 1500km long and
was constructed with bare hands.
256
01:18:17,120 --> 01:18:21,318
The water of Chanhe river was thus brought
to this side of the mountains.
257
01:18:21,680 --> 01:18:26,959
The people who live here like to say that,
before, water was more rare than petroleum.
258
01:18:56,240 --> 01:18:59,471
30,000 workers known as the Heroes of Linxian
259
01:18:59,800 --> 01:19:02,713
spent 10 years excavating
through the granite.
260
01:19:03,000 --> 01:19:05,960
17,000,000 cubic meters of rocks
had to be removed.
261
01:19:05,960 --> 01:19:08,480
The dam, the diversion canal and the reservoir
were then constructed.
262
01:19:08,480 --> 01:19:10,994
All with very primitive instruments.
263
01:19:11,400 --> 01:19:15,598
Today, Linxian is celebrated
as the First Pinnacle of Socialism.
264
01:19:19,400 --> 01:19:22,950
The house and the agricultural instruments
are the only private property.
265
01:19:23,200 --> 01:19:24,998
Everything else belongs to the state.
266
01:20:54,920 --> 01:21:02,156
We requested to visit a small village.
Ta Zai Tuan, 1628 inhabitants.
267
01:21:14,520 --> 01:21:18,400
All the public facilities are
in this courtyard:
268
01:21:18,600 --> 01:21:23,754
farming equipment and grain storage,
the mill and the tailor shop.
269
01:22:05,120 --> 01:22:08,272
The same courtyard hosts
the Revolutionary Committee
270
01:22:08,680 --> 01:22:10,671
that supervises the workers
at the village.
271
01:22:10,960 --> 01:22:12,951
Today, they hold a meeting.
272
01:22:13,080 --> 01:22:17,836
The nine members of the committee
join after work at a cup of tea.
273
01:22:25,120 --> 01:22:28,238
The chairman is called Ma Yongqi.
He is 34,
274
01:22:28,560 --> 01:22:31,029
has received a middle school education,
and is of peasant backgrounds.
275
01:22:47,560 --> 01:22:52,270
They read a few sayings by Mao, which are
made into the starting point of the discussion.
276
01:22:52,840 --> 01:22:57,357
It's May, and the seeding season is over.
The commune must now prepare for the autumn.
277
01:23:57,880 --> 01:24:01,191
One of the members remarks
that the ideological work
278
01:24:01,280 --> 01:24:03,954
should be put above all other issues.
279
01:24:04,240 --> 01:24:09,952
Once the political discussion is over, they proceed
talking about plowing, mowing and sifting the seeds.
280
01:25:31,320 --> 01:25:33,994
After the meeting,
the chairman and the vice-chairman
281
01:25:34,280 --> 01:25:37,830
leave to pay a visit
to one of the village families.
282
01:26:17,560 --> 01:26:20,154
This is the village school.
283
01:28:26,480 --> 01:28:30,599
Since the time of the Maoist Revolution,
the population has doubled.
284
01:28:30,840 --> 01:28:36,552
Very few people left for the cities, and those
had to be approved by the entire village.
285
01:29:31,160 --> 01:29:34,391
They've finally come
to the family expecting them.
286
01:29:34,800 --> 01:29:36,960
Today, there are no serious questions
to be discussed.
287
01:29:36,960 --> 01:29:40,430
But, when necessary, the committee
can put to use all its power.
288
01:29:40,960 --> 01:29:43,554
They've told us they can approve divorces,
289
01:29:43,880 --> 01:29:48,272
but added that the occasion is rare,
as the commune workers do not divorce often,
290
01:29:48,440 --> 01:29:50,272
because they usually do not quarrel.
291
01:30:13,760 --> 01:30:16,513
Today, they discuss cultivation and harvesting,
292
01:30:16,640 --> 01:30:20,713
a tractor that needs to be purchased,
barley and beans.
293
01:31:03,200 --> 01:31:08,593
The bedroom. In winter,
fire is kindled in these cavities.
294
01:31:08,840 --> 01:31:12,959
The bricks ignite and maintain
the heat all night long.
295
01:31:46,000 --> 01:31:48,879
The pains and sentiments are nearly
invisible in China.
296
01:31:48,960 --> 01:31:51,713
They are concealed behind
propriety and restraint.
297
01:31:57,720 --> 01:32:01,998
We ask if we could see a funeral, but the response
is that those occasions are too personal.
298
01:32:02,600 --> 01:32:05,069
China is a country without cemeteries.
299
01:32:05,560 --> 01:32:10,430
The state recommends cremation. But in the
rural areas, the dead are still often buried
300
01:32:10,920 --> 01:32:16,154
The tomb location needs to be approved,
but the permissions are not hard to obtain.
301
01:35:00,480 --> 01:35:07,159
A strange crowd of people catches our sight
in another part of the Linxian district.
302
01:35:07,960 --> 01:35:12,477
We ask our guides to stop the car,
but they pretend they don't understand us.
303
01:35:12,920 --> 01:35:16,151
So we jump out of the car and insist on shooting.
304
01:35:16,600 --> 01:35:21,800
They respond: "If you really want to do it,
you can. But it doesn't make us happy..."
305
01:35:22,120 --> 01:35:25,636
So, we've filmed this, as you can see.
306
01:36:11,960 --> 01:36:14,110
This is one of the rare private markets,
307
01:36:14,320 --> 01:36:17,950
where the peasants trade their own products:
308
01:36:18,080 --> 01:36:23,359
vegetables from a small garden,
a pig, a straw hat, a hoe blade.
309
01:36:29,320 --> 01:36:33,029
A single exception from the collectivism
of the entire territory.
310
01:36:33,280 --> 01:36:39,037
The authorities disapprove of it, and think about it
as a marginal phenomenon, nothing to speak of.
311
01:37:38,400 --> 01:37:42,633
We're now entering a village in the mountains
without any advance warning.
312
01:37:42,840 --> 01:37:44,956
It seems abandoned and deserted.
313
01:37:48,960 --> 01:37:52,954
The first thing to draw our attention
is an inscription on the wall.
314
01:37:53,480 --> 01:37:55,960
Once it's translated we discover,
to our surprise,
315
01:37:55,960 --> 01:37:57,960
that, written in perfect Chinese,
316
01:37:57,960 --> 01:38:03,592
it protests the invasion of Indian troops
into the Chinese territory.
317
01:38:05,760 --> 01:38:09,958
The governor of the village is reluctant
to give us the permission to enter.
318
01:38:10,480 --> 01:38:12,869
He keeps striding in front of us now,
vexed.
319
01:38:43,520 --> 01:38:47,434
The walls of the buildings are
covered with fanciful inscriptions.
320
01:38:47,840 --> 01:38:52,232
For example, "May the Red Sun keep rising
for a thousand years!"
321
01:38:52,400 --> 01:38:56,189
"Oppose individualism, criticize revisionism!"
322
01:38:56,320 --> 01:39:01,952
or "May we wish Chairman Mao to live forever!"
323
01:39:43,960 --> 01:39:46,952
These Chinese have never seen a Westerner.
324
01:39:47,840 --> 01:39:52,437
They come to the doorways:
amazed, a bit scared and curious.
325
01:39:52,680 --> 01:39:55,718
They can't resist the temptation
to stare at us.
326
01:39:56,160 --> 01:39:57,912
We go on with filming.
327
01:39:57,960 --> 01:40:01,954
But, soon, we realize that it's us
who are peculiar and foreign.
328
01:40:02,600 --> 01:40:06,753
For the people to the other side of the camera,
we're completely unknown
329
01:40:06,960 --> 01:40:09,713
and perhaps a bit ridiculous.
330
01:40:10,960 --> 01:40:13,873
A hard blow against our
European arrogance!
331
01:40:13,960 --> 01:40:17,715
For one fourth of the earth's population,
we're so unfamiliar that it fills us with awe.
332
01:40:17,960 --> 01:40:21,794
Our big eyes, curly hair,
big long noses,
333
01:40:21,960 --> 01:40:26,716
pale skin, extravagant gestures,
outlandish costumes...
334
01:40:28,960 --> 01:40:30,951
They are taken aback, but very courteous.
335
01:40:31,440 --> 01:40:33,511
Afraid to offend us by fleeing,
336
01:40:33,680 --> 01:40:37,036
they come out and stand still
in front of the camera,
337
01:40:37,160 --> 01:40:39,800
often motionless and as if petrified.
338
01:40:41,120 --> 01:40:44,954
During our brief digression into
the highland,
339
01:40:45,040 --> 01:40:47,919
we've witnessed a gallery
of astounded faces,
340
01:40:47,960 --> 01:40:51,396
but we've never noticed any expression
of hostility.
341
01:41:55,760 --> 01:41:58,229
The governor wants everything to be
captured properly.
342
01:41:58,400 --> 01:42:02,359
He explains to the villagers
who we are and what we want.
343
01:42:03,120 --> 01:42:04,758
During the time of our stay,
344
01:42:04,960 --> 01:42:09,750
he forces out of sight the elderly men and women,
especially those wearing shabby clothes.
345
01:44:19,360 --> 01:44:22,955
We continue travelling south
and arrive in the drainage areas of Yangtze.
346
01:44:23,120 --> 01:44:27,079
This river is the principal source of water
for the irrigation in central China.
347
01:44:27,640 --> 01:44:31,270
This agricultural commune is on
the outskirts of Suzhou city.
348
01:44:33,240 --> 01:44:38,838
The experiment of agricultural communes continues
through surges of enthusiasm and disappointment.
349
01:44:39,120 --> 01:44:44,274
And these work units are presently
the foundation of the Chinese rural economy.
350
01:48:09,360 --> 01:48:12,318
China lives along its rivers and channels.
351
01:48:12,520 --> 01:48:16,559
The origins of both political centralization
and collectivism
352
01:48:16,880 --> 01:48:21,431
lie in the historical need to build
and maintain the network of dams and channels,
353
01:48:21,800 --> 01:48:24,235
so precious, yet so vulnerable.
354
01:48:24,440 --> 01:48:28,832
The Chinese historians see it as a sign
of the imminent decline of a dynasty,
355
01:48:28,960 --> 01:48:31,952
when the emperors start treating
irrigation with negligence.
356
01:52:57,880 --> 01:53:01,953
We arrive in Suzhou almost by chance,
and discover a city of remarkable beauty
357
01:53:02,040 --> 01:53:03,960
covered with a patchwork of channels,
358
01:53:03,960 --> 01:53:07,954
not too different from the remote times
when they were constructed.
359
01:54:36,000 --> 01:54:39,277
Of course, Suzhou reminds us of Venice.
360
01:54:39,600 --> 01:54:43,958
It has a long history and has been
often ruled by militant sovereigns.
361
01:54:46,160 --> 01:54:50,711
A thousand years ago, the silk produced
in Suzhou was the most sought-after in China.
362
01:54:50,960 --> 01:54:55,318
When Marco Polo arrived here, he was struck
by the advances of civilization.
363
01:54:55,400 --> 01:54:58,279
Back then, the city was already using paper money,
producing brocade,
364
01:54:58,480 --> 01:55:00,437
it excelled in literature and medicine,
365
01:55:00,600 --> 01:55:05,993
and had "6000 bridges, so tall
that a boat could pass underneath,
366
01:55:06,080 --> 01:55:08,356
or maybe even two boats together."
367
01:55:09,000 --> 01:55:13,198
Today it's a city of industry, commerce
and laborious life.
368
01:56:25,960 --> 01:56:27,189
Like in the other Chinese cities,
369
01:56:27,320 --> 01:56:32,713
the elderly people attempt to regulate traffic
and maintain order at their own discretion.
370
01:58:20,040 --> 01:58:22,793
This is the best restaurant in town.
371
01:59:36,920 --> 01:59:40,754
For a few yuan,
you can get broad noodles and flatbreads.
372
01:59:40,960 --> 01:59:43,952
The broad noodles, served in soy sauce,
are the prototype of fettuccine.
373
01:59:44,280 --> 01:59:47,910
It's hard to accept the idea
that the Chinese have invented everything,
374
01:59:47,960 --> 01:59:49,519
including the fettuccine.
375
02:02:16,840 --> 02:02:20,356
Suzhou is most famous for its parks.
376
02:02:20,960 --> 02:02:23,315
The rich Mandarins and the court officials
377
02:02:23,680 --> 02:02:27,958
built these gardens to spend here
their years of retirement.
378
02:02:28,160 --> 02:02:32,711
They are labyrinths of stones, streams,
water lilies and small temples.
379
02:02:33,000 --> 02:02:36,959
They continue to please the eyes of the generation
that has separated from the aristocratic life,
380
02:02:37,160 --> 02:02:40,994
the intellectual discourse,
the nostalgic feelings for nature.
381
02:03:12,200 --> 02:03:15,397
Every window, every rock
has some significance.
382
02:03:16,960 --> 02:03:19,156
And so does the name of the gardens:
383
02:03:19,360 --> 02:03:24,878
the Gardens of Harmony,
or the Gardens of the Humble Administrators.
384
02:04:40,160 --> 02:04:43,312
It's not easy to enter
a Buddhist temple in China.
385
02:04:43,840 --> 02:04:46,309
They are closed or do not allow
public admission,
386
02:04:46,560 --> 02:04:50,315
and are not often desecrated
and transformed into factories.
387
02:04:52,120 --> 02:04:56,478
It's hard to believe that the religious sentiments
have disappeared completely in a country
388
02:04:56,600 --> 02:05:01,356
that has been dominated for hundreds of years
389
02:05:01,560 --> 02:05:04,279
by the thoughts and ideas of
Buddha and Confucius,
390
02:05:04,480 --> 02:05:07,916
and where the Emperor was worshipped
as a divine being.
391
02:05:08,440 --> 02:05:11,956
Today, this West Garden Temple in Suzhou
392
02:05:12,440 --> 02:05:16,718
is visited as a museum of the past
preserved as a curiosity.
393
02:06:50,960 --> 02:06:54,749
500 statues.
All of them representing Buddha
394
02:06:54,800 --> 02:06:57,952
in his various fantastic and
symbolic incarnations.
395
02:06:58,680 --> 02:07:02,913
The same deity depicted through
the different stages of life.
396
02:07:03,080 --> 02:07:06,232
An example of a personality cult
from the former times.
397
02:08:23,280 --> 02:08:25,954
Once, Nanjing was a corrupt capital
398
02:08:26,120 --> 02:08:28,794
that hosted the glorious Ming Emperors.
399
02:08:28,960 --> 02:08:31,873
Now it's an industrial and commercial center
400
02:08:31,960 --> 02:08:36,955
that has played an important role in
the Civil War and the Communist Revolution.
401
02:08:37,960 --> 02:08:40,960
This district in the ancient center
of Nanjing
402
02:08:40,960 --> 02:08:44,271
used to be a lair of petty crimes
and prostitution.
403
02:10:48,560 --> 02:10:52,190
There is a medical center in the district,
neat and efficient.
404
02:10:52,480 --> 02:10:56,235
It has to rely, however,
on herbal medicine and acupuncture,
405
02:10:56,440 --> 02:10:59,193
which are the common resorts
of the needy medicine.
406
02:11:44,040 --> 02:11:48,876
These are medical plants.
They can cure flu, cough, fever,
407
02:11:48,960 --> 02:11:54,353
malaria, high blood pressure,
skin and liver diseases.
408
02:12:37,840 --> 02:12:40,639
There are not many historical monuments
that have survived in Nanjing.
409
02:12:40,800 --> 02:12:43,952
A few gardens, a few restored pagodas.
410
02:12:44,680 --> 02:12:49,800
The Palaces of the Southern Dynasties and
the temples have all decayed into ruins.
411
02:14:18,720 --> 02:14:23,510
The monument that Nanjing is most proud of
is made of iron.
412
02:14:23,880 --> 02:14:27,953
It's a bridge across Yangtze, 6km long.
413
02:14:28,000 --> 02:14:31,959
The construction has taken 8 years
and involved 5000 workers.
414
02:14:33,960 --> 02:14:37,874
The bridge is a magnificent accomplishment.
It has connected the banks of the river
415
02:14:37,960 --> 02:14:42,033
that, until recently, used to separate
the north and south of China.
416
02:16:30,040 --> 02:16:33,078
We're at the central square dedicated
to the people of Nanjing,
417
02:16:33,240 --> 02:16:36,358
filming the mundane daily activities.
418
02:19:19,000 --> 02:19:22,834
Nanjing takes a lot of pride
in its schools.
419
02:19:22,960 --> 02:19:27,636
Every district has a kindergarten
supervised by a revolutionary committee.
420
02:19:28,920 --> 02:19:33,039
China is a country of the young.
Half of its population is less than 20.
421
02:19:33,640 --> 02:19:35,836
But it's the children who are
in the focus of everybody's attention.
422
02:19:36,000 --> 02:19:38,992
Since the early age, they absorb
the values of collectivism.
423
02:19:39,040 --> 02:19:42,635
They are quiet, obedient
and not at all capricious.
424
02:24:28,040 --> 02:24:32,273
Since childhood, the basis for education
is the thoughts and sayings by Mao,
425
02:24:32,600 --> 02:24:35,069
his language, examples of his gestures.
426
02:24:35,600 --> 02:24:38,718
"I am a golden sunflower",
says one of the songs,
427
02:24:38,880 --> 02:24:44,000
and continues: "a sunflower turning after
the Red Sun of the Revolution."
43022
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