This is the third of five films in the series Indiana Jones in History: From Pompeii to the Moon. Based on a book of the same name by Justin M. Jacobs, the films look at treasure seekers throughout the ages and acting in various cultures.
The sections which interest us and being shown here are those on China (XXII to XVI). The format seems to be basically a reading from the book illustrated with appropriate photographs of the objects and people discussed.
This episode looks at how western explorers first entered into the far reaches of Chinese Turkestan where they discovered the remains of ancient and mainly Buddhist civilisations, some of which had been largely forgotten after the coming of Islam.
It also examines the competition for collecting items between Chinese officials residing in these remote areas and the western adventurers who were digging in the lands they oversaw. The westerners were also competing with each other, as Swedish, British and French expeditions came across the lands.
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