China is rapidly becoming a world power, but much of the country and its people remain hidden to those outside its borders. CHINA FROM THE INSIDE includes visits to temples in Tibet, border areas of Muslim Xinjiang, Communist Party meetings, a village election, court rooms, newspaper offices, a women's labor camp, and a country wedding. From these domains, viewers observe the difficulties of navigating politics and culture in this vast country. In only four hours, viewers will be able to discern a China that few outside the country ever glimpse, a country of 1.3 billion people undergoing extraordinary growth while facing prodigious obstacles.
Episode 1: Power and the People
How does the Communist Party exert control over 1.3 billion Chinese? Are village elections a chance for people to take a share in power? Chinese people, from farmer to Minister, speak frankly about the problems the country faces and the ways forward.
Episode 2: Women of the country
China's women are argued over at their weddings and have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Now many are beginning to fight for their rights and their futures.
Episode 3: Shifting Nature
China's environment is in trouble, but solutions often seems as harsh as the problems. A third of the world uses water from China's rivers, but rapid industrialization and climate change have led to bad air, polluted rivers and dire water shortages.
Episode 4: Freedom and Justice
Filmed in Tibetan temples, newspaper offices and a labor camp, this final episode asks: what are the limits of freedom--and the threats to stability?