An account of the various expeditions led by the great Hungarian explorer Aurel Stein in Central Asia, which were significant for Buddhist history (mainly English, with some subtitles).
Sven Hedin’s 1928 Expedition through the Gobi Desert
A silent film recording the adventures of an expedition led by the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin in the Gobi desert.
The Silk Road Series 16/16: The Travels of Xuang Zang in India
The expedition team crosses into India proper, and down the Ganges Basin, following in the footsteps of China’s most famous pilgrim, Xuang Zang.
The King and the Buddhist Pagoda at Leifeng
A history of the small Chinese kingdom of Wuyue and its last King who built a beautiful Pagoda near a lake with Buddhist scriptures carved on its walls (Mandarin, with English subtitles).
The Towering Buddhist Pagoda of Yongning
A documentary exploring the history of one of the earliest and greatest Buddhist Pagodas in China, which is now lost to the flames of war (Mandarin, with English subtitles).
The Silk Road Series 13/16: Across the Pamirs
In the 13th episode of this classic series the expedition crosses into Pakistan and goes down the Indus Valley finding remains of Buddhist Civilisation along the way.
Marco Polo, Journey to the East
A beautiful retelling of Marco Polo’s account of his journeys in Asia in the 13th century, with illustrations from some editions of his book.
Paintings by Zhang Daqian (Chang Dai-chien)
Zhang Daqian was a real virtuoso artist who seemed to be at home in landscape, flower and portrait painting, as well as being a master at replicas of ancient works.
