Documentary, World History, and National Power in the PRC: Global Rise in Chinese Eyes

Documentaries have recently become a favourite format in Chinese state-directed media to present an officially sanctioned view of history, and not just Chinese history. In contrast to the earlier self-centred preoccupation with Chinese history, the current upsurge of interest in foreign history within China is notable and even when studying Chinese history, this is now done with a view to China's being part of world history. This book examines three very recent documentary series which present the Chinese officially sanctioned and propagated view of the rise of the modern West, of the reasons for the end of the Soviet Union, and of the legitimisation for the present-day Chinese government via a specific reading of modern Chinese history to argue for a "Chinese rise" in the future.