The Kingdom of Lou-lan was an ancient Buddhistic kingdom which used to house 4,000 monks, a quarter of the population, but the remains are sparse indeed, as it disappeared into the desert it arose in, long ago.
The Silk Road Series 4/16: The Dark Castle
The Dark Castle of the title refers to the fortress at Khara-khoto, which was a main center of the Tangut state. The Castle has legendary status amongst the local people, who fear to go there, but the crew find some guides and trek across the desert on camels.
The Silk Road Series 3/16: The Art-gallery in the Desert
This episode focuses on the magnificent Mo-gao caves at Dun-huang in the Gobi desert. In this complex, there are 500 caves and over 3,000 statues and murals. It is counted as the longest art gallery in the world.
The Silk Road Series 2/16: A Thousand Kilometres Beyond The Yellow River
This episode sees the expedition crossing first the Yellow River, with its goat-skin rafts and giant waterwheels, and entering the Gobi desert along the He-xi corridor, where it visits some of the main citadels along the route.
Confucius: Words of Wisdom
A biography of Confucius that looks at the salient features of his life story, including the legendary parts also.
The Silk Road Series 1/16: The Glories of Chang-an
The first episode in the series focuses on Chang-an, which in modern-day China is called Xi-an. It was formerly the capital of China and the source of the Silk Road which ran from there to Rome. In ancient times it was the largest city in the world.
HOME: The Statistics
Here I have collected together some statistics from the film HOME in a sequence which is worthwhile spending some time contemplating.
HOME: The Film
The visuals in the film consisting mainly of aerial photography, give a bird’s eye view of the planet which helps to situate not only the inter-connectedness of all living beings, but also our own position in its evolution.
HOME: An Introduction
Tomorrow I will be showing the documentaryHOME as this week’s Friday Night Video. I consider it one of the most important documentaries of the past decade. The HOME of the title is our fragile Earth.
