Skip to main content
Access to this video is a benefit for members through PBS Passport.
Back to Show
Story of China

The Last Empire

Season 1 Episode 5

In the 18th century China was the biggest economy in the world, and with that prosperity came a fabulously rich culture. From China's favourite novel, to opera and storytelling houses, and all-women's mosques, it's an age full of surprises. But then came the fateful clash with the British in the First Opium War, the beginning of the end of the empire.

Watch Preview