A 12-part television documentary about how nine countries rose to become significant global players is creating a buzz among Chinese viewers.

"The Rise of Great Powers" (Daguo Jueqi) is China Central Television's (CCTV's) first time to shoot a documentary on the history of the world's major powers, and all of the footage was shot in these nine countries.

The idea was born in 2004, when China's top officials held a meeting to discuss how China can learn from the experiences of the nine countries which have grown most rapidly since the 15th century.

This was the first of several such seminars, and eventually, CCTV China's largest TV network decided to shoot a documentary on the subject.

In the following three years, seven teams travelled to Portugal, Spain, Holland, England, France, Germany, Japan, Russia and the United States to explore how these nations grew in power and affluence over the past 500 years.

"What we want to do," said Zhou Yan, one of the scriptwriters, "is go to the particular country and capture the parts of its history that can still be seen there, such as the ancient sites and cultural relics what we call 'the living history'."

That's why Chinese TV audiences are shown the script of the Christopher Columbus' log book, The Dutch East India Company's account books, the earliest published version of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" and many other precious cultural relics. This is the first time many of these relics will appear in a Chinese TV documentary.

The living history, in Zhou's words, includes the nations' rituals, customs, habits and even the local people's facial expressions.

"We think that history and present life are connected," Zhou said. "All these pieces of living history say something about the country's past."

The show uses 3D computer animation to create re-enactments of important historical events such as the storming of Bastille in the French Revolution, the arrival of the Mayflower in America and the sailing of Dutch merchant ships on the Atlantic Ocean.

But the use of technology, according to Zhou, is only a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.

"We hope that the computer animation serves the content and the theme," Zhou said. "We don't use high-end technology just for technology's sake. It is just kind of an ornament, and we try hard not to overuse it."

Since it started broadcasting, the show has gained swift popularity among Chinese. The audience rating is even running neck-and-neck with the channel's high-profile "Half-an-hour Economic News" (Jingji Banxiaoshi).

The feedback suggests the viewers come from a variety of demographic backgrounds, ranging from 12-year-old students to middle-aged public servants.

Talking about the show's popularity on an online forum interview with China's netizens posted on people.com.cn, Ren Xue'an, the documentary's chief director, believes the audiences watch to learn about the countries featured.

He believes the Chinese people's eagerness to learn about the outside world since the reform and opening up also contributes to the show's popularity.

"China is always a nation willing to learn, and to learn about the world has become a habit of many Chinese since China opened its window in 1978," he said.

China can learn many things from what the show documents about these rising nations, including these nations' international visions, the overall development of their economies and cultures and the innovations of their social systems, said international relations historian Tang Chongnan.

"It is important to learn from the successful examples and avoid repeating these countries' mistakes in order to shape our own prosperity," Ren posted on the online forum.

The topic has also been the focus of several recently released books and DVDs.

(China Daily November 25, 2006)