To borrow a video (maximum 3 at a time for a $10 handling fee), you must be a current 2007 FCCNY member and have a Mastercard, Visa or Amex card. We will take your credit card number and if the video is returned within 3 weeks you will be charged a nominal shipping and handling fee of only $10 .........BUT YOU MUST RETURNED THE VIDEO WITHIN 3 WEEKS. After 3 weeks you will be charged the entire purchase price of the video plus a $50 service charge!

Please contact Kathy Urbina at Urbina9@aol.com or 718-852-8979 to make lending arrangements.


***Diversity***
Just a Little Red Dot
That’s A Family
Let’s Get Real
No Dumb Questions
People - An Animated Celebration Of Diversity
Starting Small - Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades
Mighty Times - The Lagacy of Rosa Parks
The Children's March
One Survivor Remembers
America's Civil Rights Movement
A Place at the Table: Struggles for Equality in America

Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible

Mai’s America

The Grace Lee Project

The Color of Fear


***China ***
New Year in Ping Wei
One Day in Ping Wei

Land of the Dragon: A Documentary of China
China's Lost Girls
Great Wall across the Yangze
Ming Garden
Video Visits - Discovering China and Tibet
Video Visits: China
Touring China
China and the Forbidden City
National Geographic: Hong Kong - A Family Portrait
National Geographic: China - Beyond the Clouds
Families of China
Jing, A Chinese Girl
Small Happiness: Women of a Chinese Village
Chinese Americans
In Search of China
China in the Red
Full Circle with Michael Palin – China
The American Experience: Nixon's China Game

China from the Inside: An Exploration of China, Her People, Her Past, Her Present

BECOMING AMERICAN: The Chinese Experience
Program One: Gold Mountain Dreams
Program Two: Between Two Worlds
Program Three: No Turning Back
Becoming American: Personal Journeys

THE SILK ROAD COLLECTION

Raise The Red Lantern Ballet Drama

Hero

***audio books***

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan 2005.

Finding Miracles by Julia Alvarez 2004

Wild Swans by Jung Chang 1991

***DIVERSITY***
JUST A LITTLE RED DOT by Mitra Sen
Canada (English), 1996 35 min.
Suggested age: 5 to 12 Rating: G
When a new student enters the classroom wearing a red dot on her forehead, some children express racist attitudes and negative feelings. Shocked by their peers’ behaviour, a group of students create an ingenious solution to challenge prejudice and spread a message of respect and understanding. Based on a true story, this film lends itself to the exploration of difference, tolerance and friendship.


THAT’S A FAMILY by Debra Chasnoff, from Women’s Educational Media, VHS 30 minutes, suitable for children in elementary school.
That's a Family! is an entertaining documentary that breaks new ground in helping children in grades K-5 understand the different shapes families take today. With courage and humor, the children in That's a Family! take viewers on a tour through their lives as they speak candidly about what it's like to grow up in a family with parents of different races or religions, divorced parents, a single parent, gay or lesbian parents, adoptive parents or grandparents as guardians. This video places adoptive families in the context of a broad variety of families including mixed families, grandparent/guardian families, separated or divorced families, and single parent families. The mixed family segment features a German-American mother and Chinese American father. The adoptive family segment is only several minutes long. So much is covered in this 30 minute video that the separate segment just touch on each type of family. The focus is on promoting the acceptability of different types of family. A teacher guide is also available. (Cost $75)


LET’S GET REAL by Debra Chasnoff, from Women’s Educational Media, VHS 35 minutes, suitable for children in middle school
An award winning powerful documentary where kids speak up about bullying
Name-calling and bullying are at epidemic proportions among youth across the country, and are often the root causes of violence in schools. Let's Get Real gives young people the chance to tell their stories in their own words--and the results are heartbreaking, shocking, inspiring and poignant. Let's Get Real examines a variety of issues that lead to taunting and bullying, including racial differences, perceived sexual orientation, learning disabilities, religious differences, sexual harassment and others. The film not only gives a voice to targeted kids, but also to kids who do the bullying to find out why they lash out at their peers and how it makes them feel. The most heartening part of Let's Get Real includes stories of kids who have mustered the courage to stand up for themselves or a classmate. Let's Get Real inspires honest dialogue among all (students & adults), helping viewers establish an awareness about their own roles in society and what they can do to prevent prejudice and promote understanding. (Cost $99)

NO DUMB QUESTIONS by Melissa Regan VHS 24 minutes
Uncle Bill is becoming a woman.
This lighthearted and poignant documentary profiles three sisters, ages 6, 9 and 11, struggling to understand why and how their Uncle Bill is becoming a woman. These girls love their Uncle Bill, but will they feel the same way when he becomes their new Aunt Barbara?
With just weeks until Bill's first visit as Barbara, the sisters navigate the complex territories of anatomy, sexuality, personality, gender and fashion. Their reactions are funny, touching, and distinctly different.
This film offers a fresh perspective on a complex situation from a family that insists there are no dumb questions. This wonderful film will educate viewers about transgendered identity, child development, human acceptance and love.


PEOPLE – AN ANIMATED CELEBRATION OF DIVERSITY VHS 60 min
In how many wonderful ways are we different from each other? What if all the world were to rejoice in each other's differences? Cara and her lovable Grandfather embark on a journey of imagination that brings them face to face with the wonderful variety of people around the world. Based on the very special picture book by Peter Spier, PEOPLE features 10 original songs by major recording artists, elaborate animation, and unforgettable characters. Featuring the voices of Hume Cronyn and James Earl Jones ($25)


STARTING SMALL - TEACHING TOLERANCE IN PRESCHOOL AND THE EARLY GRADES 58 min VHS A Training Tool for Early Grade Educators
The vision of community that the early childhood classroom provides can color children's expectations about equity, cooperation and citizenship for a lifetime. This training kit for early childhood educators profiles seven innovative classrooms in which teachers are helping children practice fairness, respect and tolerance. "Starting Small" includes: 58-minute film in VHS format with closed-captioning; and 250-page text that includes classroom profiles, commentary, activities and a resource guide.


MIGHTY TIMES - THE LEAGACY OF ROSA PARKS 40 min VHS
A Teaching Kit for the Middle and Upper Grades
This innovative and authoritative history of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott infuses the familiar story of the boycott with first person accounts, stirring dramatizations and narration by young people. "Mighty Times" includes: 40-minute documentary film in VHS format with closed-captioning; and Viewer's guide with classroom activities and historical documents that bring the Montgomery Bus Boycott alive for today's students. This Teaching Kit is appropriate for the Middle and Upper Grades. Produced by Teaching Tolerance and Tell the Truth Pictures, "Mighty Times" has been seen in thousands of classrooms and broadcast nationally by HBO. Winner of the 2004 Emmy Award and Nominee in 2003 for Academy Award Documentary Short.


THE CHILDREN'S MARCH 40 min DVD A Teaching Kit for the Middle and Upper Grades
"The Children's March" tells the story of how the young people of Birmingham, Ala., braved fire hoses and police dogs in 1963 and brought segregation to its knees. Their heroism complements discussions about the ability of today's young people to be catalysts for positive social change. "The Children's March" kit includes: A 40-minute teachers' edition of the Academy Award-winning documentary film, available in VHS or DVD format, with closed-captioning; and A teacher's guide with 9 standards-based lesson plans for social studies, language arts and music classrooms. This Teaching Kit is appropriate for the Middle and Upper Grades. Produced by Teaching Tolerance in association with Home Box Office (HBO), "The Children's March," a film by Tell the Truth Pictures, also will air on HBO in 2005. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.


ONE SURVIVOR REMEMBERS 40 min DVD A Teaching Kit for Grades 8-12
"One Survivor Remembers" tells the unforgettable story of Gerda Weissmann Klein's six-year ordeal as a victim of Nazi cruelty. Klein describes her years in Nazi labor camps and months on a forced death march. Though her experience was horrifying, Klein also remembers wonderful acts of decency and normalcy — testaments to the greatness of humanity.
This teaching kit sheds light on the 20th century's terrible history of devastation and prejudice, yet offers hope that hatred can be overcome. It includes: A 40-minute Oscar-winning documentary film by Kary Antholis, available in VHS or DVD format, with closed-captioning; A collection of primary documents, drawn from Klein's personal collection; A resource booklet including a Holocaust timeline; and A teacher's guide with standards-based lesson plans. "One Survivor Remembers" is made available through a special partnership between HBO, The Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation and Teaching Tolerance. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.


AMERICA'S CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 38 min VHS
A Teaching Kit for the Middle and Upper Grades
The story of the struggle and heroism of the Civil Rights Movement is captured through historic news footage, the voices of participants and biographies of those who died in the struggle. "America's Civil Rights Movement" includes: 38-minute Academy Award-winning film, "A Time for Justice," in VHS format; "Free at Last", 108 pages of history, profiles and photos; and Teacher's guide with 10 lesson plans that adhere to state standards for U.S. history, civics and language arts. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.


A PLACE AT THE TABLE: STRUGGLES FOR EQUALITY IN AMERICA
40 min VHS A Teaching Kit for the Middle and Upper Grades
Throughout our nation's history, individuals and groups – from Baptists fighting for religious freedom to families seeking gender equity in sports – have toppled barriers to become full participants in our democracy. These stories of everyday bravery are highlighted in the film.
To help students identify with ongoing efforts to achieve equality, the film is narrated by teenagers who explain how their families struggled for and found "a place at the table."
"A Place at the Table" includes: 40-minute documentary film in VHS format; 144-page classroom text that includes narratives, historical documents, first-person stories and commentary; and Teacher's guide with 13 detailed lesson plans for grades 8 and above.

MIRRORS OF PRIVILEGE: MAKING WHITENESS VISIBLE
- 2006, 50 minutes, Color DVD , English
Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible is a brilliant documentary and a must-see for all people who are interested in justice, spiritual growth and community making. It features the experiences of white women and men who have worked to gain insight into what it means to challenge notions of racism and white supremacy in the United States. This film serves as a catalyst for dialogue and sets the context for constructive conversations through the lens of race. Producer/Director Shakti Butler's work moves conversations beyond black and white and speaks to the interconnectedness of racism, classism, sexism, and homophobia.

MAI”S AMERICA DVD 72 minutes 2002

"Mai's America" is a personal journey that defies all expectations. Mai, a smart, vivacious, and resilient Vietnamese teenager, travels to America for her senior year of high school, shouldering her family's high expectations and her own visions of western-style success. Yet, nothing in Mai's wildest imagination could prepare her for what she finds in rural Mississippi, where encounters with white Pentecostal and black Baptist host-families, a local transvestite, and South Vietnamese immigrants challenge her long-held ideas about America, the concept of freedom, her identity and even her homeland of Vietnam. ($100)

THE GRACE LEE PROJECT DVD 68 minutes 2005

When Korean American filmmaker Grace Lee was growing up in Missouri, she was the only Grace Lee she knew. Once she left the Midwest however, everyone she met seemed to know "another Grace Lee." But why did they assume that all Grace Lees were reserved, dutiful, piano-playing overachievers? The filmmaker plunges into a funny, highly unscientific investigation into all those Grace Lees who break the mold -- from a fiery social activist to a rebel who tried to burn down her high school. With wit and charm, THE GRACE LEE PROJECT puts a hilarious spin on the eternal question, "What's in a name?"

***CHINA***
NEW YEAR IN PING WEI 2005 DVD, 30 Minutes
Celebrate Chinese New Year in a rural Chinese Village. Narrated in both English and Mandarin (with subtitles) New Year in Ping Wei follows Liu Yen Twin and her family as they prepare the family reunion dinner, participate in the symbolic burning of paper money, and light firecrackers. All of the traditions of New Year are captured in this colorful sequel to One Day in Ping Wei. (cost $25)

ONE DAY IN PING WEI DVD, 30 Minutes
What is life like... in China? China is changing at a remarkable rate but the countryside, where the majority of China’s 1.3 billion citizens live, remains much the same as it has for centuries. This documentary, shot entirely on location in China, offers a window on life in rural village, capturing in compelling detail the daily life of a Chinese family.Narrated in both English and Chinese (with subtitles) , "One Day in Ping Wei" follows a young Chinese girl as she goes through an average day. From home to school, interaction with parents and friends, chores and homework, all is captured in colorful detail to give an understanding of what life is like for a little girl in China. price $25


LAND OF THE DRAGON: A Children of China Film DVD 30 minutes 2006

Like the Ping Wei films, LAND OF THE DRAGON offers a rare glimpse of life inside China. This time our journey is hosted by 13-year old Liu Hui Ping. She acts as both tour guide and teacher, appearing on camera (and speaking in English) as she leads us through the Forbidden City and other historical sites. From hutongs (traditional Chinese homes) to temples you'll see how people live their lives in one of the busiest and fastest growing cities in the world. Travel through China, learning as you go about history, customs, culture and language. Narrated in both English and Mandarin (with subtitles), this documentary takes you from Beijing to the Yangtze River and beyond - offering a rare glimpse at life inside the Land of the Dragon.

CHINA'S LOST GIRLS - DVD 43 minutes
National Geographic Ultimate Explorer host Lisa Ling examines the consequences of China's two-decade-old, ''one-child policy'' designed to curb the country's exploding population. Due to cultural, social and economic factors, traditional preference leans toward boys, so girls are often hidden, aborted, or abandoned. As a result, tens of thousands of girls end up in orphanages across China.
Today, more than one quarter of all babies adopted from abroad by American families come from China—and nearly all are girls. Ling joins some of these families as they travel to China to meet their new daughters for the first time. Along this emotional journey, she shares in the joy of these growing families and also witnesses firsthand China's gender gap, its roots, and its possible repercussions. cost $20


GREAT WALL ACROSS THE YANGTZE VHS 60 minutes
This documentary about the controversial Three Gorges Dam on China's Yangtze River states the Chinese government's case for building the dam while reviewing the project's many consequences: the displacement of 1.5 million people, the imminent threat to regional wildlife and the loss of ancestral burial grounds and centuries-old temples that will be forever submerged beneath the dam's immense reservoir. Martin Sheen ("The West Wing") narrates. Cost $20


MING GARDEN vhs 1987
This video chronicles the installation of a Ming Garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The historic event marked the first time the United States and the People's Republic of China shared their cultural resources to install a permanent exhibition. A museum curator explains the elements of style and color characteristic of the Chinese garden, which was patterned after the famed Suzhou Gardens in China.


Video Visits – DISCOVERING CHINA & TIBET (1991) VHS
Discover China, the 5,000-year-old "Middle Kingdom," and mysterious Tibet. Begin in Bejing, home to Chinese emperors for more than 500 years. Travel to Xi'an, the ancient capital, to examine a neolithic village. Visit the birthplace of Confucius, then trek to Tibet's mountainous land shrouded in Buddhist culture. Witness the effects of modernization on the Chinese workplace that have transformed China into an awakening giant. (Cost $20)


Video Visits: CHINA (1996) VHS-60 minutes
See the monumental Great Wall stretching from the Gobi Desert to the East China Sea.
CHINA: Ancient Rhythms and Modern Currents The ancient splendor of China provides a breathtaking feast for the eyes. Travel the vast countryside and see the monumental Great Wall.
Travel across 2,000 miles and 4,000 years of legends to discover the treasures of China. See the monumental Great Wall, stretching from the Gobi Desert to the East China Sea. In bustling Beijing, enjoy the exquisite opera company, and enter The Forbidden City, the playground of ancient emperors. Spanning China's vast countryside, your journey will take you from Sichuan's teahouses to the canals of Suzhou-- "Venice of the East." You'll learn the secrets of Chinese medicine, and uncover the amazing army of terra cotta warriors that guard Xian's Imperial Tomb. Finally, in Shanghai, the largest seaport of the Far East, take a stroll along the Bund and watch the cargo ships go by. (Cost $20)


TOURING CHINA vhs
Despite its forbidding image, China is open for business and welcoming visitors! Touring China whisks viewers through as much of the country as can be seen without a visa--just over an hour of lush landscapes, quiet teahouses, busy Shanghai streets, and of course the Great Wall. Mixing dynastic and colonial history with the modern struggle for identity, this production ignites the imagination and whets the desire to travel in even the most obstinate homebody. China has much to see and do--from opera to shopping, from riverside walks to mountain climbing. Art and culture are well preserved--the interested traveler could spend a lifetime of learning in the museums alone. Touring China covers it all and more, giving enough material to plan over a dozen vacations. ($20)


CHINA AND THE FORBIDDEN CITY VHS 1hr
From the award-winning Jarvis Collection, China & the Forbidden City offers an insider's look into the opulence, mystery, and fascinating charms of the magnificent center of imperial China. For 500 years, this city was off-limits to all except rulers and their servants. The Forbidden City was home to two dynasties of emperors, the Ming and Qing. Journey to this intriguing Eastern locale and discover its ancient secrets. Explore some of humankind's greatest treasures, civilization, and cultures. This educational film is appropriate for students in grades six through 12


National Geographic: HONG KONG - A Family Portrait VHS 59min
This National Geographic documentary follows a single family struggling toward success in the frantic world of Hong Kong. The Family lives on a houseboat and is part of the large boat community that occupies the waterways of the giant city. Following the family for several days, the cameras film the group during work and as the children play, giving the viewer an in-depth view of the average person's life in one of the world's largest and most competitive cities.


National Geographic: CHINA – BEYOND THE CLOUDS vhs 120 minutes
This set of two National Geographic videos take you to Lijiang, a small ancient town in Yunnan province, and learn about life in China of the 1990s. Granted unprecedented access by the Chinese government, British film-maker Phil Agland captures the compelling drama of life in Lijiang. Exquisite and engrossing cinematography exposes people and events in post Cultural Revolution China like never before. For the first time, the people of Lijiang tell their own compelling stories in their own voices. Journey behind the scenes and witness the joy and pain of daily life during a time of dramatic social transformation. ($45)


FAMILIES OF CHINA 1999 Grades: K-4 VHS 30 min.
Meet Qinbo and her family who live in Ningbo, a port city in China. They watch as her mother rides to work on a motor bike and Qinbo goes to school on a public bus. Next, they will meet Kun whose parents grow bonsai in the mountains around their village. Visit an open market with Kun·s mother and watch her prepare a meal for her family and Kun·s grandparents.
This video is part of the Families of the World Series ($40)


JING, A CHINESE GIRL VHS 18 min 1991
A chronicle of two days in the life of an eleven-year-old Chinese girl, this program provides an unusual opportunity to examine city life in the world's most populated country. While exploring the activities of daily living, the program suggests larger issues such as the role of children in a one-child per family society, competition for entry into 'good' schools, the quality of life in crowded cities and modern influences on Chinese life. Produced by Leslie Swartz, China Specialist in the Harvard East Asian Program at the Children's Museum in Boston. ($50)


SMALL HAPPINESS: WOMEN OF A CHINESE VILLAGE 1984 VHS 58 min
The series shows us the village of Long Bow, some 400 miles southwest of Beijing. "To give birth to a boy is considered a big happiness. To give birth to a girl is a small happiness. Well, you can't say it's no happiness."-- A grandfather in Long Bow village The pattern of male dominance in Chinese society is longstanding and evidently stubborn. But "Small Happiness," with its interviews of both young and old women, finds that there have nevertheless been significant changes in the role of women. Small Happiness explores sexual politics in rural China with segments on love and marriage, foot-binding, child-bearing and birth control.


CHINESE AMERICANS 1993 30 min
This series shows the impact of each ethnic group on the growth of the U.S. and Canada and the contributions made by individuals from each group. These programs are based on the highly acclaimed "People of North America" series by Schlesinger Video (Cost$25)


IN SEARCH OF CHINA VHS 2000 90 Minutes
Few societies in history have undergone as dramatic, far reaching and rapid transformation as China has in the past two decades. The strategy of the ruling Communist Party to loosen economic constraints while retaining political control has had a profound social impact. With unprecedented access to Chinese citizens and institutions, "In Search of China" illuminates the profound consequences of China's commitment to build a free market system and the resultant unleashing of the dynamism, energy, and entrepreneurial spirit of the Chinese people.
As a result of such remarkable presence and intimacy, this powerful, character-driven documentary goes beyond the impressive statistics of economic growth to tell the human story - startling, compelling, uplifting, and agonizing - of China today.
A production of K2 Media in association with WETA Washington, D.C. and in cooperation with China Central Television. (cost $20)


CHINA IN THE RED ."VHS, NTSC, 120 Minutes 2003
Filmed over the course of three turbulent years, "China in the Red" is a two-hour documentary that tells the stories of 10 Chinese individuals -- factory workers, rural villagers, and a millionaire entrepreneur -- caught up in China's dramatic, ongoing effort to modernize its economy. Through their intimate personal stories, camera work capturing the unique feel of their cities and homes, and with a soundtrack that includes Chinese rock music reflecting the rawness and energy of a nation in great flux, "China in the Red" offers a view of China that is rarely seen in the West. "People in the West tend to view China as an impenetrable, alien culture, but we have far more in common than most people think," says producer/director Sue Williams. "We wanted to show this and the huge changes taking place in China by filming ordinary Chinese citizens over a period of years. And almost everyone we asked agreed to open their homes and their lives and share their stories (Cost $30)


FULL CIRCLE WITH MICHAEL PALIN -CHINA VHS 60 Minutes 1998
British actor and comedian Michael Palin takes you along on an entertaining journey in China, traveling by boat, train and plane. Your itinerary includes the mysteries of China's holiest mountain, a nap in Mao's bed in the Governor's Castle, dancing with a local girl on the street. This film was shown on PBS. (cost $20)


THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: NIXON’S CHINA GAME VHS 60 Minutes 2000
It stunned and shocked America, its allies, and its enemies -- a secret White Houseinitiative, spearheaded by Henry Kissinger, hat led to a diplomatic breakthrough. Watch history unfold as President Richard Nixon embarks in February 1972 for Beijing and an encounter with Mao Zedong. See this momentous event through the testimony of key witnesses and recently declassified records. This film was shown on PBS. (cost $20)


CHINA FROM THE INSIDE: An Exploration of China, Her People, Her Past, Her Present DVD 4 hours 2006

China is rapidly becoming a world power, but much of the country and its people remain hidden to those outside its borders. China from the Inside, provides a rare insider's view of China, her institutions and people.
China is at a critical point in its history -- it is richer and stronger than ever, but the clash between economic policies and the Communist political agenda complicates the lives of many of its citizens. China from the Inside includes perspectives ranging from those of the powerful to the powerless, the scholars and the uneducated, and the supporters and detractors of today's China. It does not shy away from China's many contradictions, with scenes from some of the most breathtaking places on the planet as well as the most polluted.
Across four extraordinary hours, the series explores a country of 1.3 billion people undergoing astonishing growth while facing prodigious obstacles:
Episode 1: Power and the People (60 minutes)
Episode 2: Women of the Country (60 minutes)
Episode 3: Shifting Nature (60 minutes)
Episode 4: Freedom and Justice (60 minutes)

BECOMING AMERICAN: The Chinese Experience
What Does It Mean to Become an American? In the 1840s they came by boat, a frightening journey across the wide Pacific. Today, they come by jet, a few hours flight to a new life. For over 150 years, the Chinese like other immigrants to this country have pursued the American dream. Theirs is a compelling tale of struggle and triumph, progress and setback, separation and assimilation, discrimination and achievement. It is the story of the collision of two cultures, and a saga that has largely been left out of history books. Bill Moyers, Series Producer Thomas Lennon, and a team of filmmakers including Series Editor Ruby Yang and Producers Joseph Angier, Steve Cheng and Mi Ling Tsui explore this dramatic portion of America's history and confront myths about the Chinese in America that have flourished in the void. (for more info visit http://www.becomingamerican.org/index.html ) VHS, 360 minutes on 4 tapes (COST $120) OR 3 DVD’s (cost $100)

Program One: Gold Mountain Dreams As civil war and famine ravaged Southern China in the mid-19th century, word of the California Gold Rush reached the port of Canton. The prospect of making a fortune in America proved an irresistible lure to young Chinese men. They set sail across the Pacific hoping for a better life.

Program Two: Between Two Worlds Part Two tells the story of hostile years when Chinese Americans existed in a kind of limbo, denied the rights of their new country and no longer at home in their former one. They found refuge in Chinatowns, insular worlds that provided a sense of security and the companionship of kinsmen.

Program Three: No Turning Back World War II ushered in major changes for Chinese Americans. In an abrupt about face, they were suddenly embraced by America's political establishment. The exclusion laws were quickly repealed and Chinese Americans began their rise to the pinnacle of U.S. life.

Becoming American: Personal Journeys Watch a three-part series of one-on-one interviews by Bill Moyers with author Gish Jen, Nobel prize-winning physicist Samuel Ting, AIDS researcher David Ho, businesswoman Shirley Young, and artist Maya Lin



THE SILK ROAD COLLECTION - 3 DVDs 1998
For thousands of years, the fabled Silk Road, as traveled by Marco Polo, was the link between the people of Europe and the vast riches of mysterious China. Spanning the deserts, grasslands, and seas between Istanbul and the major cities of China, the Silk Road witnessed an ongoing parade of goods and traders, carrying with them their art, religion, and culture. The impact of the Silk Road is immeasurable—giants such as Alexander the Great and tyrants such as Genghis Khan created our world’s history while striding along its path! Contains all 12 episodes and award winning music by Kitaro. Price: $135


RAISE THE RED LANTERN BALLET DRAMA (DVD) (China Version in Mandarin ) 2006
Zhang Yimou's award-winning film Raise the Red Lantern, starring Gong Li, is adapted from a novel by the famous writer Su Tong. The same novel is now turned into a ballet show, radiating a distinctive charm which is just as amazing. The show belongs to the 50 stage shows under the national project to promote stage art in Mainland China. Funded the government, Raise the Red Lantern has secured enough resources to create an exquisite ballet drama, which is now captured on DVD! Prominent dancers in Mainland China join hands to enact a story of a young girl who is forced to become a rich man's concubine. She struggles to walk her own path, but in the end she seems failed in escaping from what her fate has prepared for her. This is a stunning moving performance!

HERO DVD 1 hr. 33 min. 2004
Master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino presents Hero - starring martial arts legend Jet Li in a visually stunning martial arts epic where a fearless warrior rises up to defy an empire and unite a nation. With supernatural skill..and no fear..a nameless soldier ( Jet Li ) embarks on a mission of revenge against the fearsome army that massacred his people. Now, to achieve the justice he seeks, he mus take on the empire's most ruthless assassins and reach the enemy he has sworn to defeat! Acclaimed by critics and honored with numerous awards, Hero was nominated for both an Oscar & Golden Globe.

***audio books***
Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan 2005 15 CD’s ~ 15 hours read by the author
A provocative new novel from the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's Daughter. On an ill-fated art expedition into the southern Shan state of Burma, eleven Americans leave their Floating Island Resort for a Christmas-morning tour-and disappear. Through twists of fate, curses, and just plain human error, they find themselves deep in the jungle, where they encounter a tribe awaiting the return of the leader and the mythical book of wisdom that will protect them from the ravages and destruction of the Myanmar military regime.
Saving Fish from Drowning seduces the reader with a fagade of Buddhist illusions, magician's tricks, and light comedy, even as the absurd and picaresque spiral into a gripping morality tale about the consequences of intentions-both good and bad-and about the shared responsibility that individuals must accept for the actions of others.


Finding Miracles by Julia Alvarez 2004 Audio cassettes ~ 6 hours
Milly Kaufman is an ordinary American teenager living in Vermont — until she meets Pablo, a new student at her high school. His exotic accent, strange fashion sense, and intense interest in Milly force her to confront her identity as an adopted child from Pablo’s native country. As their relationship grows, Milly decides to undertake a courageous journey to her homeland and along the way discovers the story of her birth is intertwined with the story of a country recovering from a brutal history.
Beautifully written by reknowned author Julia Alvarez, Finding Miracles examines the emotional complexity of familial relationships and the miracles of everyday life.


Wild Swans by Jung Chang 1991 6 CD’s ~ abridged 6 ½ hrs
This book recounts the evocative, unsettling, and insistently gripping story of how three generations of women in her family fared in the political maelstrom of China during the 20th century. Chang's grandmother was a warlord's concubine. Her gently raised mother struggled with hardships in the early days of Mao's revolution and rose, like her husband, to a prominent position in the Communist Party before being denounced during the Cultural Revolution. Chang herself marched, worked, and breathed for Mao until doubt crept in over the excesses of his policies and purges. Born just a few decades apart, their lives overlap with the end of the warlords' regime and overthrow of the Japanese occupation, violent struggles between the Kuomintang and the Communists to carve up China, and, most poignant for the author, the vicious cycle of purges orchestrated by Chairman Mao that discredited and crushed millions of people, including her parents.