(already subscribe? log in).

The great Chinese miniseries of previous world powers

Brainiac

THIS STORY APPEARED IN

January 08, 2012|By Joshua Rothman

(Matthew Callahan/Globe…)

Global domination, the miniseries

One of the world’s most talked-about documentaries right now comes from a surprising place: Chinese state television. “The Rise of the Great Powers,” a 12-part miniseries about world political history commissioned and broadcast by the Chinese government, aired in November. It offered Chinese viewers a comprehensive overview of how nine of the world’s “great powers” ascended to greatness: Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Holland, Britain, Japan, Russia, and the United States. (Guess who’s next!)

Writing in Guernica magazine, Liu Xiabo--a literary critic, essayist, and activist who was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize--explains what the series reveals about modern China. (Liu was unable to collect his prize because he’s been imprisoned for his views since June 23, 2009; he’s one of only three people to receive the Peace Prize while imprisoned.) The series, Liu writes, was a huge undertaking, and electrified millions of viewers. He quotes a typical viewer’s review of the show: “Excellent series! I can’t believe CCTV made it! I’m stunned, and just hope it won’t be banned, because its contents are at odds with China’s political system at every turn. It talks about fairness, human rights, democracy, laws, market economy....”

The show, Liu concedes, does make a good-faith effort to be open-minded; it’s a breath of fresh air in a claustrophobic political culture. But, at the same time, its focus is overwhelmingly economic, almost totally ignoring the role that political freedom has played in creating modern growth--and in that sense it serves the Chinese government well. In fact, the word “democracy” is used only 12 times in so many episodes.

The show, Liu writes, suggests that you can be a “great power” in purely economic terms--but, along with many of his fellow citizens, Liu remains convinced that “no matter how many Chinese cities come to resemble modern international metropolises in their outward appearances...as long as China remains a dictatorial one-party state, it will never ‘rise’ to become a mature civilized country.”

Why we can’t look away

From gruesome ghost stories to real-life serial murderers to “The Girl with the Dragon

Tattoo,” pain, death, and decomposition exert a powerful but troubling grip on our imaginations. Why? That’s the question Eric Wilson, a professor of English at Wake Forest University, asks in his new book, “Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck: Why We Can’t Look Away.”