Winner 1994

China: Beyond the Clouds

WETA-TV, Washington, DC, Channel 4, London, UK, River Films Production for National Geographic Television

This sweeping four-hour miniseries takes viewers on an unprecedented journey into the centuries-old market town of Lijiang, China. The images and personal stories presented by filmmaker Phil Agland are both stunning and stirring. Many of the shots in this program could stand alone as photographic landscapes or portraits. In addition, the feelings and strivings of ordinary people involved in everyday activities provide an immediacy rarely captured on screen. When shown in England and the U.S., many hundreds of viewers felt compelled to write, proclaiming Beyond the Clouds to be among the best television programs they had ever seen. This sentiment was shared by the Peabody Board. For revealing the heart, soul, and spirit of a nation just now opening itself to the world, a Peabody to China: Beyond the Cloud.