Wild China

Am a big fan of nature documentaries, especially the work of David Attenborough. Having been recommended 'Wild China' through Amazon and here, it was instantly put down on my list as a must see. Also heard nothing but praise for it, which has nearly always been a good sign, so that further sparked interest.

'Wild China' is as good as others have said and there is not much to add, actually feeling much more than just a documentary. Throughout it's an awe-inspiring, utterly transfixing experience where one forgets they're watching a documentary and instead feeling like they're watching art. This may sound like extreme hyperbole, but to me 'Wild China' is completely deserving of its praise and even deserving of more.

It is hard knowing when to start with the praise. 'Wild China' for starters looks amazing, reasons enough to make book a trip to see the more naturalistic parts of China. It is gorgeously filmed, done in a completely fluid and natural, sometimes intimate (a great way of connecting even more with the animals), way and never looking static. In fact much of it is remarkably cinematic. The scenery and habitats are some of the most breath-taking personally seen anywhere, whether in visual media and real life. The rich colours just leap out and the scenery from this part of the world has rarely looked more beautiful. The music here is a remarkably good fit, throughout it not only complements the visuals but enhances them and there is an authentic flavour to it.

What of the narrative and information aspects? Can't fault 'Wild China' in this aspect either. The narration has a great well-balanced mix of facts that will be familiar to the viewer and others that will induce the right amount of surprise. In short, it's just fascinating, informative and thoughtful.

From start to finish, 'Wild China' managed to intrigue and illuminate, and there is a freshness to the material, not feeling derivative of anything. The narration is delivered articulately by Bernard Hill, there's an enthusiasm and precision about the delivery and it never feels preachy and always lets the scenery and such speak for itself.

The wildlife themselves are a wonderful mix of the adorable and the dangerous, and one actually finds they're rooting for them in exactly the same way they would a human character. Not just that we also see how humans interact and adapt which was just as great and interesting to watch. There is a good deal of suspense and emotional impact. There are some scenes where one is amazed that they managed to be filmed in the first place, like with the snakes.

In all the six episodes, 'Wild China' feels much more than a series and it doesn't feel episodic or repetitive. The episodes instead feel like their own story, without being too reliant on that approach, with real, complex emotions and animal characters developed in a way a human character would in a film but does it better than several.

Overall, wondrous in every regard. Not to be missed. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I've seen this documentary series several times on Netflix, and it has become one of my favorites to watch when I feel worried about the state of the world!

Most of the current events part of this series are no longer current at all but that doesn't diminish its quality.

I don't know as much as I would like about China, and Wild China does a wonderful job of showing its many beauties, both natural and built by humans. From long-settled fishing villages on China's increasingly prosperous eastern coast to the icy reaches of Manchuria to the sunbaked deserts of Xinjiang, this series shows off a beautiful and wild China.

(I have watched this series several times, mostly recently on August 25 2017)

I watched Wild Indonesia a few years ago. It was only three episodes long, but every minute was filled with information and wild animals, there was never a dull moment. Why then do we need six episodes the tell us about the meager wildlife in China? The answer is we don't, which is why the scenes drag on forever and the pace of everything is so slow.

As for narration, I like Bernard Hill in some movies, but in this his voice is, to me anyway, incredibly dull and gray.

I can only assume that people rating this highly do so because it's a nice introduction to China and they don't know to much. I lived there for two years, and travelled through Indonesia, so perhaps that's some explanation.

To sum up, this would have made one or two hours good TV, but production companies are probably paid by the minutes of TV shown.

This is a very interesting documentary that should have been seen by so many more. Thanks to Netflix for making this available for a bigger audience.

If more Chinese people were shown this in school, maybe many of them would have different thoughts towards animals and wildlife in general.

After visiting China a couple of times last year, it was fascinating to see a different kind of China from what I experienced in my travels. Of all the episodes I enjoyed Shangri-La, Tibet and Beyond The Great Wall the most. The amazing animals in the rain forest in Shangri-La and the peaceful Tibetan lifestyle living in harmony with nature are some of the best highlights.

The last episode was also important in the mind of the future of China and in fact the world in general. Hopefully the mindset of Buddhism will continue, and not be overthrown by western/eastern influences and economic growth.

As for the use of shark fin soup, it's been a large decrease the last years, much thanks to campaigns using high profile stars as the popular basketball player Yao Ming. Luckily it seems to be a better understanding of animals and environmental problems by the younger generation.

So there is still hope… but China will play a big role for all life in the future, whether we like it or not!

Wow. To be fair, I watched this on a huge television with surround sound...other may not have the same experience, it may or may not have lessend their enjoyment,..But simply, WOW. The scenery, the greenery, the mist rising off the mountains, the panoramic views, the insight into both different regional cultures and the wildlife that surrounds and shapes them, is so exciting and fresh. The only drawback is that is seems to drag a bit in certain spots, but that may just be my lack of interest in certain animals, and it's not that bad. The narrator is both informative, leading and yet unobtrusive during the spectacular panoramas and minutiae the camera exposes and lets speak for itself. Watch this, if you need some green and travel, you don't have to pay attention to every second, but you won't be sorry. Let it take you someplace else.