The Story of China

We are entering the century of China. Our collective future is dependent on its future, and China’s future is highly constrained by its past. By far the best history of China so far is a 6-part BBC experience now running on Amazon Prime by the peripatetic historian Michael Woods. The Story of China boasts incredibly high production values, filmed in China. A thousand-year history is grounded in visits to the actual places where it happened, making it visible and intimate. More importantly this program presents an understandable history that sadly even most Chinese today are ignorant of. Woods is a likeable host who will make you smart. I consider The Story of China essential viewing. (His Story of India is likewise great.) — KK