Executive Producer
It describes the emperor's ceremonial life, the stultifying world of his concubines, eunuchs and palace maids, and the devastating impact of the West in the late 19th century. A new chapter deals with the treasures and paintings collected under imperial patronage their dramatic dispersal, painstaking recovery and restoration and ends in the triumphant establishment of the Palace Museum.Introduction by pre-eminent China scholar Jonathan Spence; explains the rich history of the home of the Chinese emperor; draws on previously inaccessible information in Beijing; explores the lifestyles behind the Forbidden City's walls; extensive quotes from early days, including views from palace maids and eunuchs; detailed map of the Forbidden City's layout.
Executive Producer
High Seas Adventurer highlights Johnson's exciting life, beginning with his introduction to the sea aboard the PEKING in 1929. Around Cape Horn, a Mystic Seaport video released in 1984, chronicles that voyage on the Peking. Seven of Johnson's round-the-world voyages aboard the brigantine Yankee are charted and illustrated with National Geographic's striking footage of exotic stops in the South Pacific islands. Later, aboard the smaller ketch Yankee, we travel with the Johnsons through the inland waterways of Europe and up the ancient Nile. Captain Johnson's realistic yet openly optimistic view of life is captured, showing him to be a paragon of the sailor. Several members of the "family" crew recount how memorable it was to sail with the Johnsons, and relate their appreciation for the experience.
