Travels with Palin S04E03 · Full Circle: China

Overview

Arriving in China at the port city of Qingdao, Michael checks in to the Welcome Guest House, where Mao Zedong once spent a month right before the infamous Great Leap Forward. Michael gets a massage on the streets of Qingdao and then visits a winery in the Laoshan Mountains, where he samples Chinese chardonnay. He then climbs Taishan Mountain, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism. Catching a train to Shanghai, he notices how more modern Chinese trains have become since Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days in 1988. Arriving in Shanghai, he discovers a Harvey Nichols store. Michael also takes time out to dance with one of the locals. He also finds out that the Bund, the longtime economic heart of the city (even when he last visited), has been usurped by the Pudong area. Taking an inland route via the Yangtze River, he views the construction for the Three Gorges Dam and notes how a lot of area will be submerged after its completion in 2009.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Full Circle: Alaska/Russia1997-08-31 · 37mMichael begins his trek around the Pacific Rim at Little Diomede Island, Alaska, in hopes of returning there in a year's time. Arriving at Nome, he visits with a goldpanner on the
2. 2 2. Full Circle: Japan/Korea1997-09-14 · 37mMichael begins his time in Japan at Sado Island, where he meets the famous Kodō drummers. He participates in a morning run with drummer hopefuls and then takes his shot at the larg
3. 3 3. Full Circle: China1997-09-21 · 37mArriving in China at the port city of Qingdao, Michael checks in to the Welcome Guest House, where Mao Zedong once spent a month right before the infamous Great Leap Forward. Micha
4. 4 4. Full Circle: Vietnam/Philippines1997-09-28 · 37mMichael arrives in Vietnam at a time when it is reintroducing itself to the global stage, via a process called Đổi mới ("new thinking"). He also observes a local cricket match in t
5. 5 5. Full Circle: Malaysia/Indonesia1997-10-05 · 37mAfter a bit of a wait, Michael catches a ferry across the notorious Sulu Sea to the northern tip of Borneo. There, he visits an orangutan rehabilitation center. From there, Michael
6. 6 6. Full Circle: Australia/New Zealand1997-10-12 · 37mPalin begins in Darwin, where he catches a truck down to Katherine. There, he visits a crocodile farm and helps hatch a few eggs. (Palin wanted the camera to focus on the fact he h
7. 7 7. Full Circle: Chile/Bolivia (arrival)1997-10-19 · 37mStarting the second half of his journey at Cape Horn, Palin views the end of the continent of South America. He travels through the southern islands of Chile to the town of Punta A
8. 8 8. Full Circle: Bolivia/Peru1997-10-26 · 37mAt the town of Copacabana, Palin visits with reed boat makers on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Crossing the border into Peru, he chats with a lady who hopes to get the Yavari, a cen
9. 9 9. Full Circle: Peru/Colombia1997-11-02 · 37mPalin and his guide approach a Machiguenga village where the feast of St. John the Baptist is going on. Palin observes a men's and women's intervilage football matches. Then he sam
10. 10 10. Full Circle: Mexico/Western USA/Canada/Alaska1997-11-09 · 37mIn Mexico City, Palin attends a lucha libre match and listens to a lively mariachi band. The next day, he observes the darker side of the city, as a graffiti protest is being led b