The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has started televising "The Story of China," - a new documentary series about the country's 4,000 years of history.

Written and presented by Michael Wood, an English historian and broadcaster, the story will delve into the past and present of China, now home to more than one billion people and known to be "the world's oldest continuous state."

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The series will feature some of the significant events that happened in China's history - starting from exploration voyages before the time of Columbus to a number of scientific and technological innovations ahead of the European Renaissance period.

It took Wood and his team over three years of hard work to come up with the six-part series. The story is internationally co-produced by the BBC and the US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

While documenting, Wood was able to travel across China's big territory. He was able to meet people from different walks of life, to visit some of the country's renowned tourist spots, and to visit ancient cities such as Beijing, Kaifeng, Xi'an, Qufu, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Yangzhou, to name a few.

Wood revealed his drive to make the series. He recalled that a former Chinese ambassador once told him that if he can come up with something that will make the Western understand and feel them, "it would be a good task." Motivated by the remarks, Wood made up his mind and decided to pursue a documentary about Chinese history.

The series will be aired on BBC2 on Thursday nights between Jan. 21 and Feb. 25.

TagsThe Story of China, BBC News, Documentary series, Michael Wood, china, history