Upper Yarra U3A Adventures in History: The China Story - Session 3

The Golden Age

We look at the story of China's Renaissance, which happened long before the one in Europe. In the alleys of Kaifeng, the world's greatest city
before the 19th century, he hears legends, samples the cuisine and explores printing. We see a huge working replica of an astronomical clock made by 'China's Leonardo da Vinci', one of the inventions that made the Song a great era of science. And at a crunch Chinese Premier League match, we learn that the Chinese even invented soccer!
Song dynasty - Wkipedia
China -birthplace of football
Li Qingzhao - Poet
Jingkang incident - Wikipedia
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Novel
Su Song - Inventor of an Astronomical Clock

Upper Yarra U3A Adventures in History: The China Story - Session 2

Silk Roads and China Ships

In a tale of fantastic geographical sweep, we conjure up China's first great international age, the Tang Dynasty. From picturesque old cities on the Yellow River he travels to the bazaars of the Silk Road in Central Asia, and on to India in the footsteps of the Chinese monk who brought Buddhist texts to China.We uncover the coming of Christianity, sails the Grand Canal, and tracks the spread of Chinese culture across East Asia, an influence 'as profound as Rome on the Latin West'.


Tang dynasty - Wikipedia
Silk Road
Chinese Buddhism - Wikipedia

Upper Yarra U3A Adventures in History: The China Story - Session 1

Travelling from the Silk Road to the Yellow Sea, we explore the history of the world's newest superpower. A thrilling and moving epic of the world's oldest continuous state with the landscapes, peoples, and stories that made today's China.

Ancestors

We go back to the beginnings of Chinese history to find clues to today's China. Starting with a family reunion, when 300 relatives gather to worship their ancestors on 'Tomb Sweeping Day,' We explore ancient myths and archaeological sites to uncover the origins of the Chinese state; he examines the first Chinese writing, and tells the dramatic tale of the bloodthirsty First Emperor, before an amazing climax with a million pilgrims at a festival on the Yellow River.

History of China - Wikipedia
Timeline and History Overview
Confucius - Wikipedia
Han dynasty - Wikipedia
Shang dynasty - Wikipedia
Qin dynasty - Wikipedia
Xia dynasty - Wikipedia
Zhou dynasty - Wikipedia