China - Sport and PE

A fascinating and visually spectacular programme providing unique insights into how Chinese schools, and the country at large, value physical education.

We also see the extraordinary lengths that schools go to in order to engender a lifelong habit of exercise.

From the school run - done entirely on foot or bicycle - through to lunch with freshly-prepared ingredients, to a whole two hours of exercise every single day, the Chinese put a premium on exercise and healthy living.

This programme shows the PE drills that every Chinese child undertakes throughout their school career, and it considers whether habits which to us seem harsh, such as rarely using central heating in schools, do in fact produce a healthy population.

The programme considers the role of ancient martial arts in the country's physical education heritage. And it features the acupuncture-influenced eye exercises performed twice a day by millions of schoolchildren, which the Chinese claim improves eyesight.