子东的寒砚斋

      当加拿大的联邦大选正如火如荼的时候，我到CBC的网页上查阅一下大选的消息，竟然看到了China Rises 系列报道的节目预告。

The Oldest Civilization on Earth, Reborn

China, the oldest civilization on earth, is currently the scene of the most extraordinary economic, social and political transformation of our time. But such rapid progress has a downside, and China faces near-devastated environment, and a divided population growing resentful of the unequal distribution of wealth and poverty.

CHINA RISES, a four-part High Definition series chronicling the monumental changes unfolding in the planet's most populous nation. Combining the finest journalistic talents of CBC, the New York Times and other broadcast partners, CHINA RISES takes viewers inside this vibrant, fascinating nation for an extraordinary, intimate view of this emerging superpower.

Through compelling first hand-accounts, CHINA RISES explores four themes, which document the triumphs and disappointments of a diverse range of people living in the world’s fastest growing economy. On January 22, the broadcast finds China preparing to takes its place on the world stage. The opening hour, Party Games, looks at the complex story of politics in China through the preparations for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 - the greatest nation-building experience of the modern era. The country’s evolving political landscape is viewed through the eyes of people like Bo Han, an 18-year-old law student chasing her dream of joining the Communist Party to bad-boy artist Ai Wei Wei and to Xiao Sha, a 14-year-old gymnast raised by the nation, to bring honour to the country…all of them play a role in the party games. From communism to capitalism, Getting Rich (hour two) explores how China has embraced private enterprise and made the most rapid economic advances of any nation in history. In candid conversations, Chinese men and women - newly minted millionaires to factory workers - speak of a country where some are reaping the benefits of economic progress and others are left behind.

On Sunday, January 29, China's future is examined from different perspectives. Food Is Heaven presents a passionate case that food is the very heart and soul of China. The episode introduces us to chefs, students and artists of food who celebrate their culture through food, but fear the consequences of development on China’ ability to feed itself. In City of Dreams, Shanghai residents - ranging from a video director to an activist - describe the inequalities and extremes that are part of China’s most cosmopolitan city. Young professionals in Shanghai live fairy-tale lives of consumer indulgence, while resentment rises among those sidelined by the city’s rapid transformation.

Visually stunning, CHINA RISES is filmed entirely in High Definition, capturing rarely seen images of both rural and urban China. Original music for the series is by Canadian composer Donald Quan who worked with musicians from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and top musicians in Canada to record a score that is an illuminating blend of Chinese and Western music.

有感于中国的巨变，真想立刻回到那片热土。