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 This is an hour-long programme made for the PBS Nova Series about the European looking mummies discovered in the Taklamakan Desert. The mummies are unusual in that they simply survived because of the extreme dryness of their burial ground in the desert. Read More: Mysterious Mummies of China  The Kingdom of Lou-lan was an ancient Buddhistic kingdom which used to house 4,000 monks, a quarter of the population, but the remains are sparse indeed, as it disappeared into the desert it arose in, long ago. Read More: The Silk Road 5/12: In Search of the Kingdom of Lou-lan  The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism to China started in the 3rd century BCE during the reign of the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuang. Read More: The Silk Road Transmission of Buddhism  The Dark Castle of the title refers to the fortress at Khara-khoto, which was a main center of the Tangut state. The Castle has legendary status amongst the local people, who fear to go there, but the crew find some guides and trek across the desert on camels. Read More: The Silk Road 4/12: The Dark Castle  Xuan-zang was fully ordained as a monk in 622, at the age of twenty. The myriad contradictions and discrepancies in the texts at that time prompted Xuan-zang to decide to go to India and study in the cradle of Buddhism. Read More: The Travels and Work of Xuan-zang  This episode focuses on the magnificent Mo-gao caves at Dun-huang in the Gobi desert. In this complex, there are 500 caves and over 3,000 statues and murals. It is counted as the longest art gallery in the world. Read More: The Silk Road 3/12: The Art-gallery in the Desert  This episode sees the expedition crossing first the Yellow River, with its goat-skin rafts and giant waterwheels, and entering the Gobi desert along the He-xi corridor, where it visits some of the main citadels along the route. Read More: The Silk Road 2/12: A Thousand Kilometres Beyond The Yellow River  This is an interesting biography of Confucius that manages within a short compass (45 mins) to cover most of the salient features of his life story, including the legendary parts also. Read More: Confucius: Words of Wisdom  The first episode in the series focuses on Chang-an, which in modern-day China is called Xi-an. It was formerly the capital of China and the source of the Silk Road which ran from there to Rome. In ancient times it was the largest city in the world. Read More: The Silk Road 1/12: The Glories of Chang-an  Tomorrow I start posting the 12-part Silk Road series. I found this series about 2 years ago, and have watched it all the way through three times by now, and individual episodes at other times. Read More: Introduction to The Silk Road Series  Here is an animated video in the sumi-e style of painting. The film is inspired by Toaist thought and includes drawing of the Yin and Yang symbols as well as the I-ching. Read More: Animated Film: The Way  Woodblock printing in China is strongly associated with Buddhism, which encouraged the spread of its teachings. The world’s earliest dated (AD 868) printed book is a Chinese scroll about sixteen feet long and containing the text of the Diamond Sūtra. Read More: Buddhist Woodblock Printing in China  This is an excerpt from a documentary on Great Inventions of China made by the Taiwan based New Tang Dynasty Television. It traces the reasons that paper making became necessary, and shows examples of some of the traditional crafts that are used in the technique. Read More: Paper Making Technique in China  An unforgettable journey into the hidden lives of China’s forgotten Zen Buddhist hermit tradition in the Zhongnan Mountains. Read More: Amongst White Clouds  Photographs of a Chinese temple dedicated to the god Tua Peh Kong in Kampong Baru, Bukit Mertajam.  This is a wonderful evocation of the spirit of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshwara! The performers are from the China Disabled Peoples Performance Art Troupe in Hubei, and all of the dancers are deaf and mute. Read More: Avalokiteshvara with a Thousand Arms Dance |
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