China's recent rise has sparked an explosion of scholarly and journalistic works on the country. In the academic community, greater access to archives, polling data, and other primary sources has spawned thousands of social and political studies and fed a new generation of China specialists and subspecialists. Meanwhile, Western journalists and filmmakers have excelled at offering a more accessible look at the most critical policy issues, including the power of the ruling party.
China: A Century of Revolution, A Three-Part Documentary. Written and produced by Sue Williams. Zeitgeist Films, 1989, 1994, 1997.
Purchase at B&N.com | Purchase at Amazon.com
A century ago, China was a failed state. It was a victim of Western imperialism, civil wars, and regime collapse. In haunting and powerful detail, the award-winning documentary China: A Century of Revolution captures the full dimensions of that time. Part one, "China in Revolution (1911-1949)," was released in 1989. Sue Williams procured rare historical footage to document the disintegration of the Qing empire, Sun Yat-sen's nationalist revolution, and the triumph of the communists. In part two, "The Mao Years (1949-1976)," she records the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Here, she depicts the gradual degener...
