Paul Merton in China (Episode 2)

DVD, Paul Merton in China (Episode 2)

Livelier than the first episode, this effortlessly glides between the busy, built-up cities and meditative country, with Paul clearly enjoying himself and getting into the spirit of things (aside from wimping out on Kung Fu or eating dog meat), so you can see he'd relaxed into his role of eccentric English tourist and continues his penchant for exhibitionism, whether that's joining in with an outdoor line dancing group to the embarrassment of his guide, letting loose some fighting crickets on a train journey, bemused travellers watching as he crawls along the carriage trying to find them, or dancing again in the middle of a dirt road. In the last case it's fully understandable as he's on a ten hour car journey out into the country to visit nomads and Tibetan monks (could have been the same place Michael Palin visited in 'Himalaya' for all I can remember!). The strange and extreme contrasts between the traditional and the modern are further explored, as is a touch of religion, as these sorts of programmes tend to do: I suppose the spiritual side of other cultures is somewhat exotic to a Western world that has allowed our own to become submerged or ignored. I found it interesting that Paul doesn't believe in going to Heaven, but does have the belief that we become something else. Sadly he doesn't explain where he lost one view or gained another, but so much is packed in that the forty-five minutes fly by.

It's interesting to be reminded how much of a labour Buddhism is, the people having to prostrate themselves on the floor, or turn prayer wheels ten thousand times in their lifetime to help them on their way to a better 'next chance.' It's not for people afraid of hard work, nor is it an easy thing, but then the lives of the nomads, too, is much the same in that regard. It's touching to see that laughter breaks down barriers of culture and taste as Paul's clowning tendencies find free rein, whether his wild jigging on the road or blowing up balloons for nomadic children, he's in his element as an entertainer. He draws the line at being walloped in the stomach at the Kung Fu school, understandably, and his outgoing nature and silliness contrasted with his traditional British reserve at certain things is fascinating to see, like a mirror of Chinese culture's two sides, perhaps one reason why the series works so well. He keeps finding non-Chinese to touch base with for an outsider's insider perspective: one young Westerner who's come to practice the martial art, describes it as a purely physical pursuit that relieves the stress of day to day life by focusing on fighting rather than the minutiae of living. That's in the city, and it's no surprise that the country life is shown to be far from hectic or stressful, though with China's insistence on industrial advance the usual fears of progress encroaching like an unstoppable wave on the simple, traditional ways of life through economic change is ever present and real.

A memorable image is seeing a child's balloon blowing off, with the young boy chasing it, ever just out of reach as Paul is told about plans for an airport over this beautiful green land, poetic in its symbolism. But though people are more reluctant to talk openly than ever thanks to extra government minders who have made warnings about what to say in advance, there's still plenty of opportunity for Paul to get behind the scenes. He's even a little mischievous in his exploits, searching out 'Dog Street,' famed for its restaurants selling dog meat, and after a day of finding out about the new Chinese status symbol of dog ownership, petting neon-coloured poodles, he's reluctant to indulge, though the colour and liveliness of the area at night makes you almost smell the sizzling food and feel the rush of passersby hurrying along - on that occasion they'd given the minders the slip, so there's an element of danger and impropriety that adds to Merton's gung-ho exploring, even when he earns the ire of a resident by filming in front of a shuttered area that looks like a sleeping place for the homeless. Food experiences continue to be mixed for his unadventurous palate, and while dodging dog, he does eat from 'The Pot of Hades' as he names it, a rather hot selection, as well as the ingenious all-in-one use of a sheep as both meal, pot, and oven, hot stones placed in with the meat inside the sheep's own stomach for a traditional cooking experience with the nomads.

The city of Chongqing, said to be the 'fastest growing metropolis on the planet' has always been a name I've remembered, probably because its very name sounds rich (ching-ching!). He may have been mistaken for the Canadian Prime Minister, but the fact that Emma, his Chinese assistant and guide, lets him think the staff of a hotel are pleased to see him, adds some humour between them, and she definitely seems to be hitting it off with him, indulgently treating him like an overzealous son or younger brother, perhaps. But then she has the air of a more Westernised Chinese about her anyway, so is a good fit for his japes. References to Tony and Gordon, as well as David Beckham's mohican, date it somewhat, but this episode is full to the brim of the speed and scale of life and social change in this country, and my only complaint might be that sometimes it would be nice if they slowed down and concentrated on one area or stayed with a person or group a bit longer, but I suspect that had more to with keeping the minders on their toes. Just think if this had been a six- or seven-part series, how much more detail we could have gone into. It's fast and fun food for thought, not much time for digestion, but spicy and enjoyable entertainment all the same.

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