What the Ancients Did For Us - The Chinese History Documentary Questions PDF

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Summary over the YouTube video "What the Ancients Did For Us"...

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What the Ancients Did For Us: The Chinese History Documentary 1. How are Chinese society and culture portrayed and critiqued? Coleman portrays the Chinese culture as the oldest and the center of the universe in the documentary. According to the film, the ancient Chinese had a great impact on the world. The film portrays the Chinese as artistic and creativity people (Coleman n.p.). The impacts of the inventions made by the ancient Chinese exist today. The Chinese society used traditional equipment to create remarkable tools that people use today. They used calligraphy to write and traditional apparatus such as bells to measure length and weight (Coleman n.p.). The Chinese society values arts such as drawing, carvings, and poetry. Despite making numerous inventions, the ancient Chinese did not use sophisticated technology. In addition, the Chinese do not relate the innovations and inventions to specific individuals. They utilized their skills and creativity to benefit the whole society. 2. What do you find persuasive about the video's presentation? The director of the video used various techniques to make it appealing and persuasive to the viewers. I found the in-depth explanations to be a persuasive feature of the video. Instead of stating the impact that the ancient Chinese had on the world, the director gives a detailed explanation of their inventions. Besides the explanations, he illustrates the ways that the Chinese operated the traditional tools. I found the illustrations to be persuasive and helpful in understanding various concepts in the video. 3. What criticism might you offer of it? Indeed, the cinematographer and the director of the video use various techniques to illustrate effectively the ancient Chinese’s inventions. However, they take much time explaining and illustrating the inventions. Viewers are likely to lose focus or forget the topic of discussion due to

extensive illustrations. For instance, when explaining the segmented-arc bridge built by the ancient Chinese, the director takes much time illustrating simple concepts such as how people walked on the bridges (Coleman n.p.). In addition, instead of focusing on the theme of the video when illustrating the manufacture of silk, he proceeds to explain its advantages, shifting the attention of the viewers (Coleman n.p.).

Work Cited Coleman, David. What the ancients did for us: the Chinese history documentary. BBC, 2005. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=025n25Btlk8...