Paul Merton In China ((TV Mini-Series 2007)
Paul Merton journeys across both modern and traditional China as he attempts to unravel the deep mysteries and baffling contradictions of this ancient country.
Travelling to major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu but also to the country’s most obscure and traditional backwaters, Merton enjoys a voyage of personal discovery as he encounters China’s new economic realities, idiosyncratic cuisine and engaging people.
Merton meets representatives from all walks of Chinese life, from the eccentric farmer who has taught himself to build robots out of scrap metal to the apparatchik who has built his own 17th century French chateau. Exploring China’s cultural differences, the comedian braves meals of scorpion and hairy crab, attempts kung fu, prays with Tibetan monks, meets Chinese hip hop artists who only rap about food, and visits Thamestown, a unique recreation of a provincial English town on the outskirts of Shanghai. Laced with Paul Merton’s usual deadpan wit and observations, his journey is an unforgettable oriental trip along the road less travelled.