Riding Rails in China

Watch Pre-Trip Scene

Watch Day1 Scene

Watch Day2 Scene

110-minute Documentary (2004)

Catch a train with young American travelers Chris Gould and Nick Russell as they embark on their first trip to China. Follow their journey across the country, starting in the stately northern capital of Beijing and ending over a thousand miles south in cosmopolitan Guangzhou. From the Great Wall to the Pearl River Delta, they ride through the country’s changing landscape on good old Chinese locomotives.

Armed with cameras and a sense of curiosity, they stop en route to meet locals in traditional neighborhoods, eager university students, entrepreneurial southern farmers, and hardworking migrant laborers. Touched by their many encounters, these adventurous travelers uncover the changing face of an ancient and emerging nation. 

They explore the Forbidden City, step-up their kung-fu at the Shaolin Temple, cross the Yellow River, and feast on delicacies at night markets. Will Chris eat fried scorpion-on-a-stick? Will Nick learn how to use chopsticks? Join them as they discover China’s extraordinary landscapes, communities, cuisine, and a little something about themselves along the way. 

A Beijing pedicab driver has many 

stories to share

Chris and Nick on the Great Wall

Prepping to film at the Great Wall 

A little helper silences the 

crowd for filming

Duffy and Alex filming in the 

Forbidden City 

Nick checks out Tiananmen Square 

(photo by Nick Russell)

Chris and Nick  practice their 

kung fu at Shaolin Temple 

Burning incense at Shaolin Temple

Sharing pictures with a southern farmer

Chris by the Yellow River 

Nick and Chris cross the 

tracks in Changsha 

An after-school snack 
in Changsha
(photo by Christine Gould)

Nick, Alison and Anna Sophie

preparing for the next take on the train 

(photo by Christine Gould)

 Nick buys cordyceps at a 

Beijing pharmacy

Endless treats at the night market 
in Beijing
(photo by Nick Russell)

Chris gets her hair done at a 

Guangzhou trade fair

Viewers: To request Riding Rails in China, contact the TV Programmer at your local PBS station. 

Michigan

WTVSDT

Detroit, MI

November 11, 2012 (Sun)

4:00 am

5:00 am 

North Caronila

UNCEX
WUNCDT3
WUNPDT3
WUNEDT3
WUNGDT3
WUNFDT3
WUNLDT3
WUNDDT3
WUNKDT3
WUNMDT3
WUNUDT3
WUNJDT3 

Raleigh durham, NC

Chapel Hill, NC
Roanoke Rapids, NC

Linville, NC 

Concord, NC 

Asheville, NC

Winston-Salem, NC

Edenton, NC

Greenville, NC

Jacksonville, NC 

Lumberton, NC

Wilmington, NC 

November 28, 2012 (Wed)

November 29, 2012 (Thu)

 

8:00 am
9:00 am
3:00 pm
4:00 pm



1:00 am
2:00 am
9:00 pm
10:00 pm 

New Mexico

KENWDT2

Portales, NM                      

November 5, 2012 (Mon)

November 12, 2012 (Mon) 

10:00 pm

10:00 pm 

West Virginia

WSWPDT2

WNPBDT2 

WPBYDT2 

Grandview, WV

Morgantown, WV

Huntington, WV 

November 14, 2012 (Wed)

10:00 pm