Beyond Beijing - Reviews

School Library Journal - June 2009

Beyond Beijing: Exploring China's Cities. DVD. 2 hrs. with lesson plan/guidebook online. Choices Video. 2008. ISBN 978-1-933724-23-2. $24.95.

Gr 9 Up—This informative film was released in 2008 as a non-traditional travelogue for visitors attending the Summer Olympics. The six cities featured that hosted games are Shanghai, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Tianjin, Shenyang, and Hong Kong. The pleasant voice of narrator Chris Verrill, scenic video footage, and the unique viewpoint of producer Bill Einreinhofer all combine to make this film a good choice for schools as well as for travelers. Rather than focusing on China's history and famous places, the director shows the many ways in which Western culture blends into the past and present China. Viewers learn that thousands of Jews were welcomed to Shanghai after World War II, German immigrants gave Quindao its best known product—beer; and an Italian architect directed the restoration of Italian concession buildings in Tianjin. It is no surprise that sports received major coverage. Reference to events scheduled in each of the six cities and interviews with coaches and athletes will be of less interest now that the Olympics are over. Teachers can select specific chapters from the menu to facilitate classroom use.—Sally Ray, Plano Senior High School, Plano, TX

Video Librarian - November/December 2008

Beyond Beijing: Exploring China's Cities
120 min. DVD: $24.95. Choices, Inc. PPR. ISBN: 978-1-933724-23-2.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics actually involved six other Chinese cities/regions as well, all of which are visited in this informative two-hour travelogue. The best-known are Shanghai and Hong Kong, with the former, perhaps understandably, receiving the lion's share of coverage, as ample attention is paid to its importance as a center of both pop culture and fashion. But all are intriguing locales, and producer Bill Einreinhofer offers an enthusiastic introduction to each through colorful journeys to neighborhoods, shopping areas, sporting venues, temples, historical monuments, and places preserved as examples of 19th-century European architectural and cultural influence. Narrated by Chris Verrill, the documentary incorporates interviews with officials, local residents, and foreigners living in China, while also examining the unique qualities of each area - Hong Kong's economic prowess, Qingdao's reputation for its beer, Tianjin's European settlements, Shenyang's early imperial complex, and Qinhuangdao's connection with the famed Great Wall and terra cotta warriors'as well as their roles in the Olympics (e.g., Hong Kong for equestrian events, Qingdao for sailing competitions, etc.). DVD extras include a downloadable lesson plan and guidebook, as well as a photo gallery. Even though Beyond Beijing has something of the flavor of a promotional film with its relentlessly upbeat vibe (the only negative observation involves the demolition of old buildings for urban renewal), overall the film offers a good introduction to Chinese cities outside the capital. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)

Educational Media Reviews Online

Date Entered: 11/5/2008

Reviewed by Sheila Intner, Professor Emerita, Graduate School of Library & Information Science, Simmons College GSLIS at Mt. Holyoke, South Hadley, MA

Recommended

Billed as an introduction to six Chinese cities other than Beijing and aimed at English-speakers planning to visit China for the 2008 Olympic summer games in Beijing, this is, essentially, a travelogue that would not ordinarily elicit strong interest from academic librarians. However, the production is outstanding and the focus of interest is on the cities’ architecture, history, people, and changing lifestyles, not typical tourist attractions like Shanghai’s “Pearl of the Orient” tower, which is not shown here. As a result, it warrants serious consideration for academic collections supporting study of contemporary China.

The featured cities are Shanghai, Tianjin, Qindao, Qinhuangdao, Shenyang, and Hong Kong. The program can be viewed sequentially in this order or at random by clicking on “Chapters” in the main menu. Shanghai consumes the lion’s share of the disc—approximately 45 minutes out of the 120, with Tianjin and Qindao also covered at some length. Qinhuangdao, Shenyang, and Hong Kong are shorter, although they are described in similar terms. Given that Shanghai is China’s largest city, the differences may be justified or, perhaps a city’s coverage reflected its importance to the Olympics.

Sports—particularly Olympic sports—figure importantly. Coaches and athletes give brief interviews. Sports facilities are described and the people using them are interviewed. Observers and participants in China’s sports scene opine on the Olympics, their sport, and their city. Many interviewees are expatriates from Europe, North America, and elsewhere. They explain briefly why they chose to live and/or work in China. A good feature of the program is that the interview segments are brief, yet the pace is leisurely without any hint of dragging.

The visuals are beautiful. Shots of noteworthy buildings, temples, parks, and other historic sites are thoughtfully presented, often from numerous angles. Spoken material has clear, easy-to-read English subtitles. Since much of the dialogue is in Chinese (some in French, etc.), the subtitles are important, but they help also for English speakers with accents.

 

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