Documentaries
Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth (Choice TV, Monday, 7.30pm) went viral in China last year in the lead-up to celebrations in February. As the Chinese New Year approaches on January 28, here’s our chance to see the scope and excitement of this spectacular holiday.
For one thing, it’s a massive movement of people: the number of Chinese returning home to celebrate with their families is said to equate to a sixth of the world’s population. In the first episode, presenters Kate Humble, Jing Lusi and Ant Anstead experience the
New Year transport crush in Beijing and Dave Myers and Si King, otherwise known as the Hairy Bikers, join a massive migration of motorbikes from Guangdong province.
Humble also experiences the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in the far north-east and, during the Year of the Monkey, seeks out the rare snub-nosed monkeys of Yunnan.
The remaining two
episodes cover the themes of
Reunion and Celebration.
British scientist Brian Cox is off on several epic journeys of his own in Forces of Nature (BBC Knowledge, Sky 074, Saturday, 8.30pm), which answers some of the simplest questions.
In the first episode, it’s the shapes of the natural world, then it’s the Earth’s journey through space; the building blocks of life; and the science behind colours.