Great Civilizations: Asia

A modern day warrior, Green Beret Terry Schappert tests the deadly weapons and psychological tactics of legendary Samurai.

Interviews with Tibetan Lamas, American scholars, and practicing Buddhists bring this powerful and mysterious Tibetan Book of the Dead to life.

Travel to China to explore the roots of modern agricultural genius as host Michael Guillen explains the ancient history of today's advanced farming technology.

Explore the life and times of Chin Shi Huang Di through the remains of the Qin Dynasty, from the Great Wall of China to the army of 8,000 life-sized terracotta warriors and horses that guard his empire in the afterlife.

Travel to the heart of the Cambodian jungle to discover a magnificent stone temple built on a scale unparalleled in human history and the mystery of its sudden abandonment.

Winding 6,000 kilometers through undulating mountains, it is said to be visible with the naked eye from the moon. But who called for the Great Wall's construction? And how was it accomplished?

Deep in the forests of Cambodia are the mysterious remains of 75 square miles of great gilded palaces and immense stone temples of ancient Angkor - and the ghosts and spirits that inhabit them.

Explore with host Michael Guillen how ancient Chinese armies developed the battlefield strategies that shape how we go to war today.

For centuries, China's regal emperors mobilized immense peasant armies to accomplish engineering feats unparalleled in human history, only to be consumed by vanity and greed, then stripped of power by the people it had ruled.

Chin Shi Huang Di, ruler of the Qin Kingdom, rose to power, defeated six states and created an empire that would lay the groundwork for modern day China.

Explore the life and times of Chin Shi Huang Di through the remains of the Qin Dynasty, from the Great Wall of China to the army of 8,000 life-sized terracotta warriors and horses that guard his empire in the afterlife.

For 700 years, Japanese Shogun controlled vast Samurai armies, suppressing peasant-led rebellions and repelling foreign invasions. Examine the plots and battles that helped these warloards consolidate their power.

Sun Tzu's book Art of War, written 2,400 years ago, is the ultimate how-to for winning. Take a look at epic battles throughout history that prove an understanding of his strategy is the most dangerous weapon of all.

Uncover the ingenuity of the ancient engineers of the Far East, whose innovations would take shipbuilding to new heights and create some of the largest and most fearsome navies of the ancient world.