Wild China

I highly recommend this series. It details China's vast landscape, as well as Chinese culture. I am a first grade teacher, and I believe this is appropriate for my students. This series is long, but I can have my students watch it during snack time over several weeks. This film is vivid and well-made. The music and narration are interesting, and the animals and landscapes will keep their attention. Watching this series is an excellent way to learn more about China for adults and students alike.

I teach first grade. Wild China is a six episode series about the country of China. It is appropriate for children and adults. The cinematography and music are stunning. This series covers many different topics such as the Great Wall, Tibet, pandas, birds and other wildlife, and groups of people that live in traditional ways. Each episode is about 45 minutes. For young children, it would be better to watch part of an episode at a time. The scenes of the wildlife are nice for children. There is a section of an episode that shows children attending a school in a cave. The variety of wildlife and landscapes is incredible. This series would integrate well with social studies, science, and writing lessons. There is a section documenting how the series was made and it was very entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed this series and am excited to share it with my students.

Wild China was a beautiful documentary detailing the history, culture, landscapes, and wildlife of China. There is a lot of. Alia let information to be found in this series of videos. The photography and videography is stunning, and the narration and information given are equally as incredible.

Wild China provided visuals of China that a person can only hope to visit someday. It gave history and information in all areas around China. The beautiful photography from the mountains, desert, to the jungles and the diversity of wild animals was breathtaking. The music and narratives only enhanced the enjoyment of each episode. Even young children, like my kindergarten class, can appreciate the beauty and learn about China as presented in Wild China.

For my review of the video "Wild China" I found it most interesting that China has such a diverse climate. The Flora and Fauna being just as diverse as the climates. I think it is also amazing to see some of the species being isolated that their characteristics are becoming so different due to their isolation. The music was appropriate to accompany the videos as well using melodies and instruments that were not unlike the people in those distant lands would enjoy themselves. Over all the video was enjoyable to watch and quite educational.

Peggy Willard
Mother of Sorrows School
Second grade
Wild China is a series of six programs produced by the BBC for public television. The programs cover all aspects of nature and the environment throughout various regions of China.
The photography is spectacular and the content wide-ranging.
The topics covered over the six episodes are so widely varied that they appeal to every age group. There is at least one episode that would enhance almost any grade level curriculum. From nature and animals to human impact on the environment, the combination of scientific information and social studies concepts make these films extremely versatile for classroom use.
I field tested two of the episodes in my second grade classroom. Because second graders are interested and fascinated by almost any kind of animal, I chose ‘Shangri-La’ and ‘Land of the Panda’ hoping that they would enjoy and learn from the film. The results were better than I could have hoped. Each child was engaged and entranced throughout the entire film. After viewing they reviewed the film and wrote about what they had learned. Their responses were very insightful and they had a hard time identifying anything about the film they did not like.
There is unlimited potential for the application of the information found in these films. They are visually stunning and give us access to the extensive and diverse natural wonders of China.

Wild China provides viewers with a wide variety of content spread across 6 episodes. Each episode is 48 minutes which makes it difficult to watch in one class period. At times the pace is also slow moving; however, each episode has rich content and stunning imagery that can be utilized for many different topics.

Lauren Fawcett
6th Grade Math and Science
Founders’ Hall Middle School, McKeesport Area School District
Wild China
Wild China is a breathtaking film that talks about China’s wildlife and the culture that resides within China. It is a 5 hour film that has many great clips of wildlife and scenery. It explains what the animals are and what they do to survive in their habitats. All of the exotic animals would be neat for students to see because they would not see them here in North America most likely. This film shows how the people of China fish, which I thought was interesting because they use other animals (cormorants) to catch the fish then spit them out. The people of China are very creative because they utilize their resources to the fullest extent. People need to witness this because the Chinese use skills that were derived from centuries ago and still work efficiently today.
The film Wild China would be appropriate for any grade level above first grade. First graders should be exposed to documentaries because it is considered nonfictional. I would only play small clips of the video though because the wording may bore or over stimulate the students. At least seeing what another country let alone what another continent looks like would be beneficial for a younger student. In addition, this film would be great for middle school or high school students because they would have a more robust vocabulary and understand the documentary better and they may become interested in the culture or geography in general. You can use this film for social studies and math.
I did play clips from this film to my sixth grade class after I watched the film and I told them to write down three interesting facts or questions about anything that they viewed. They loved the film because it was something different and they enjoyed seeing animals in their natural habitat rather than a zoo. They wanted to watch it all day long because each section wasn't too long and they were excited to see what was coming next. Many of the students had both questions and interesting facts about the film and if I did not know something specifically I took them to the computer lab and we looked information up, which led to a computer lesson. It was nice that I got to integrate computer skills with the lesson of China.
I would like to know the history of the people so I can explain things easier to the students and know more about the animals and their habitats. Preparation is key and learning all the ins and outs of China’s wildlife specifically would be extremely beneficial to me as an educator for this lesson. I would need to view it a few times before allowing my students to watch it so I can have questions and comments already prepared for the lesson. If the film company would have anything else to offer I would look into that as well.
I highly recommend this well written film for any classroom. I just wouldn't play the film the whole way through in one sitting because 300 minutes would be overwhelming for any grade level. If you like nature you will love Wild China.

By Katie Sukenik
I am the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade resource teacher at Falk Laboratory School at The University of Pittsburgh.
This DVD is appropriate for any grade, K-12.
In this breath-taking BBC Documentary mini-series, you will be entranced by the sights and sounds of the diverse Chinese landscape. Not only does this series feature fantastic, sweeping wide-angle shots of Southern China’s rice paddies, but then travels into the towering peaks and rich forests of Southwest China, follows the Silk Road through forests, grassy plains and remote desert dunes, and also explores the Tibetan plateau and Central China’s heartland, including the home of the giant panda. I was astounded by the great diversity of landscapes contained within China’s borders, and was delighted by video of people and wildlife in those areas.
This documentary could be used with any age group because of the amazing visuals and beautiful soundtrack. I absolutely adored this series, as did all the friends that I showed it to while borrowing the DVD from NCTA! I would recommend it for any type of geography, history or cultural study of China. It also could be used in science classes because of the BBC “Planet Earth”-styled wildlife footage and frequent analysis of human impact on the environment. No matter what type of unit you are planning, you will have a hard time picking highlights of Wild China to show your students. There are six, 50-minute long programs all of high quality. I hope the following helps you in your selection if you are short on time to watch the entire mini-series.
I would recommend using Part 1, "Heart of the Dragon" if you are discussing the Red River valley, rice production, or other river environments in South China. Part 2, “Shangri-La”, focuses on the Yunnan province, Himalayan Mountains, and the unique ecosystem and animal adaptations created by Indian Ocean monsoon rains traveling into more northerly, high altitudes. Use Part 3, “Tibet” if you are discussing Tibetan Buddhism, shamanism, the extreme environments in the Tibetan plateau or wildlife on Mt. Everest. This part also discusses the effect of global warming on the area’s fragile ecosystem, which depends on glacial snow melt. For obvious reasons, use Part 4, “Beyond the Great Wall” when teaching about the nomadic tribes in northern areas of China. This was a particularly eye-opening segment for me because viewing the harsh landscapes helped me to realize why ancient nomadic tribes would risk bloodshed to push southerly into China, and why the Chinese felt these lands were to be feared. Also, use Part 4 for a study of the Silk Road, as ruined towns along the old Silk Road are included in this segment, as well as the underground irrigation canals used to support them. Part 5, “Land of the Panda” takes an interesting look at the relationship and co-existence of man and nature in China, and how this has changed from ancient times to today. This section also has beautiful footage of the North China Plain and Loess plateau, which feed the Yellow River. It also addresses how a greater demand for water in China is causing soil erosion and far-reaching dust storms. If you are studying the impact of industrialization on the environment, you will also want to preview Part 6,"Tides of Change". This segment tracks the impact of rapid urban development on migratory birds along China’s eastern coastline.

Timothy A. McVeagh
Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS
Studio Art/Art Appreciation Grades 9 - 12
Wild China is an extremely well written and produced documentary about many of the aspects of life in China. It includes, but was not limited to the magnificent topography, flora and fauna throughout China. I watched the film with my eight year old daughter and we both enjoyed it tremendously. We watched the film in three separate segments. Each segment was preceded by my daughter asking if we could please watch the rest of that China movie. The movie was very enlightening as well as entertaining. We were intrigued by the extremely delicate eco systems and unique animal life that exists in the region. It was exciting to be able to travel to some of the rarest areas of China and be able have the experience of seeing things that few people ever have the opportunity to see. The rice fields meticulously spaced along sprawling hillsides in beautiful geometric patterns were of particular interest to me as an artist and art teacher. They reminded me of some of the great outdoor installations by the artist Christo and the geometry and color found in the work of artist Victor Vasarely. The unique and fascinating animals were the highlight of my daughter’s movie experience. She especially enjoyed seeing the cormorants going fishing time and time again for the local fishermen and the mammoth sized salamander that was the size of a small dinosaur. We spent much of our time on the end of our seat, just wondering what we would see next. I would highly recommend the movie for all ages. Ages between 8 and 56 have already passed the test. The film has the same qualities found in the National Geographic movies that have been produced over the years. It is a great fit for many subjects including, but not limited to, geography, science, art and history.