China: The Making of a Nation
★ 8 · 2026 · 60m · Documentary
China: The Making of a Nation is the story of the painful transformation of the vast Qing Empire into the Chinese nation after the 1911 revolution. Spanning more than a century up to the Xi Jinping era, the story pits the two pivotal leaders of this transformation against each other: Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Republic of China for 47 years, and Mao Zedong, who rose from ‘red bandit’ to master of the mainland in 1949. Sworn enemies, they fought a merciless battle: first military, then diplomatic, and finally, beyond their deaths, in the conflicting memories of the Taiwanese and the Chinese of the People's Republic. Beyond their fierce hatred, the two tyrants also had much in common: a certain vision of Chinese territory and the greatness of China, the desire to regain the country's sovereignty and the quest for a Chinese identity in a nation that also includes Tibetans, Uighurs, Mongols... and a certain ability to rewrite history.
Episodes
1. The Blue Sun60m · After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, China faced a historic turning point: how could the nation find its path to modernity? Under the symbol of the “Blue Sun,” Chiang Kai-shek carried forward the legacy of his mentor Sun Yat-sen, fighting to abolish foreign concessions and restore national sovereignty. From the revolutionary overthrow of the imperial dynasty to the era of Xi Jinping, China underwent a century-long transformation to reclaim its former greatness. The relentless struggle between the nationalist Chiang Kai-shek and the communist Mao Zedong forms a gripping historical panorama.
2. The Red Sun60m · In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, the “Blue Sun” of nationalist China seemed to be at its peak: it had reclaimed foreign concessions and become one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Yet behind this façade, corruption and brutality were rife. The Republic eventually fell in the civil war to Mao Zedong’s “Red Sun.” Defeated, Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan, while Mao began reshaping the Chinese state according to his vision.More Like This
Drinks, Crime and Prohibition
2018
A deep dive into the underbelly of the Prohibition era, which was characterized as much by jazz, illegal booze and female liberation as it was by gangsters and brutality.
More info →
Titanic Sinks Tonight
2025 · ★ 7.3
Minute by minute - the night the unsinkable ship sank. Vivid first-hand accounts from passengers and crew tell the story of the most infamous disaster in maritime history.
More info →
Lost Treasures of the Maya
2019 · ★ 8.3
A new "treasure map" of the Maya world is transforming what we thought we knew of one of the world most mysterious ancient civilizations.
More info →
Ancient Megastructures
2011 · ★ 8.5
Examine how ancient civilisations built some of the most magnificent structures on the face of the Earth, many centuries before the industrial revolution.
More info →
Legend of Martial Arts
2018
Wushu is one of the most representative symbols of Chinese culture. Today, hundreds of millions of people around the world are practicing martial arts, experiencing eastern wisdom and the true meaning of martial arts. So how did martial arts spread abroad? What opportunities and challenges do generations of martial artists face in their overseas promotion?
More info →
Duels of History
2023
From Lucrezia Borgia to Malinche to Marie Curie: Women’s contributions have often been downplayed or misrepresented in the history books. Duels of History (re)tells their stories.
More info →
Maeda Atsuko Yappari Tsuri ga Suki!
2023
Actress Maeda Atsuko challenge hairtail and horse mackerel in Tokyo Bay in summer.
More info →
Ireland's secrets from above
2022
Ireland is a very different place, seen from above. Looking down, the secrets of our natural landscape, architecture, history and human experience come to light in new and unexpected ways. The hidden stories, memories and the mythologies of a nation, written into the very landscape itself. Filmed exclusively from on high using the latest drone technology, this 2 x 1 hour documentary series showcase Ireland, its splendours and its secrets like never before.
More info →
Surrealist Revolutions
2024 · ★ 8
Between experiments, mutations and recompositions, the teeming story of the surrealist adventure, the most fertile avant-garde of the 20th century, whose centenary we are celebrating this year.
More info →
Picasso: The Beauty and the Beast
2023
His art changed the way we see the world - now change the way you see the artist. An unflinching look at Picasso's legacy, and the horror and brilliance of what he left behind. Family, friends and experts reassess the tumultuous artistic and personal life of Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest and most provocative artists of all time.
More info →