PBS - China from the Inside (2008) Part 2 Women of the Country

China from the Inside

China from the Inside is a series of four documentaries that survey China through Chinese eyes to see how history has shaped them, and where the present is taking them. Episodes include Power and the People, deals with the governance of China, The Women, talks about the past and future for Chinese women, Shifting Nature, looks at China's environmental challenges, and Freedom, explores China's conflict between personal freedom and governance.

Part 2: Women of the Country

China's women have always been under pressure: from men, from family, from work. Now more and more are under new pressure – from themselves – to take control of their lives; to get an education; to have a career; to marry for love. It's a slow, difficult process, and it is changing China. Mass migration from the countryside to the cities is increasing prosperity, but fracturing families. It also gives women new roles – whether running the farm back home, or as wage-earners in the city. Xiao Zhang has lived in Beijing for 14 years, cooking and cleaning. This episode follows her home to her village 600 miles away for Chinese New Year, where she is reunited with the children she hasn't seen for a year. The cameras capture the visit of the local Birth Planning Officer to check on young wives, the plight of unwanted girl babies and abortion issues, and a village wedding which turns nasty.

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