Paul Merton in China (Episode 3)

DVD, Paul Merton in China (Episode 3)

Another eclectic mix of journeying and exploring the far reaches of Chinese culture for the Englishman abroad. It begins in less than happy fashion with Paul experiencing the discomfort of illness and indignity of having to describe it to a white-coated medicine dispenser on camera, but it's clear the impression of being such an acute outsider in a country that hasn't traditionally welcomed them, is deserved and becoming increasingly unwelcome in his strained condition. Handler Emma stitching him up with Chinese opera didn't help the situation, provoking the closest we've seen to an outburst, digging in on the spitting behind his back and the constant staring, but then every travel series has its moment of extreme culture clash when homesickness rears its head in the face of the impenetrable foreign culture all around. A group massage of multiple masseurs operating at once seems to calm the waters a little in time for more waters to be explored, by boat, and the balm of the incredible views of the natural sights of the Chinese countryside proves a welcome tonic, as much for the viewer as for Paul. But even deep in the natural world the growing attraction of tourism, with many Chinese visiting the sights for themselves, is a reminder of the crowded nature of this massive country.

He manages to find some eloquent native guides, even in the furthest rural town (as well as meeting 'Basil Fawlty' of Fawlty Towers Hotel!), that speak good English and have thriving businesses and hobbies, and there's also the usual Westerners he manages to root out for a chat to discover the outsider's insider point of view on things. Sometimes this is great, with the English lawyer giving plenty of useful information on the growing export of branded products (some of which provide entertainment, with market stalls selling everything from Chairman Mao memorabilia and paraphernalia, as well as t-shirts of the world's dictators and a watch featuring a waving Queen Elizabeth II, which Paul promptly snaps up for its kitsch value!), but there's also a rather distasteful sequence, ironically featuring ex-pats from various countries going through some juvenile antics as part of a running group designed to find partners. It's easy to point fingers at alien cultures as unpleasant and bizarre, but such things can be found just as easily in Western culture it seems.

To counterbalance this there's a little exploration of the fastest growing religion of the country: Christianity. It's encouraging to hear about it when it was oppressed for so long, although as Paul says, the main churches were still under strict observance from the government and he had to find the underground churches to see how much it's really growing. There's one that gives new meaning to the term 'house church' with every room full to the brim with the congregation, hidden down a backstreet, the preaching beamed into every room via monitor for those that can't be in the main one! Free from the constraints of government propaganda they can preach the true Gospel and are unafraid in the face of the potential danger they could face were they to be discovered, and there's a slight frisson of danger to Paul's undercover work, even though he admits to being wary of the faith, much like the Chinese government, so it's good to see the programme allowing time for it, answering such important questions as what the purpose of life is (watch it to find out!).

As ever, there's a mixture of the vast and impressive cityscapes and the counterbalance of the vast and impressive natural wonders China can boast of, and there's something pleasing and comforting about seeing a stereotypical Englishman cycling through the beautiful rural landscape that could almost be Medieval England with its stone bridges and carts. There's also the astounding age-old practice of the Chinese fishermen that use cormorants to catch their fish. The role of tourism is an important theme of the episode, with Paul musing that it could diminish the reality of these old practices and ways of life at the same time as keeping them going as attractions to be seen, the old fisherman interviewed, admitting he makes a lot more money than he used to from turning it into a whole event for the tourists to come and see rather than just catching the fish to sell. Finally, there's the thorny issue of more Western influence: rich Americans paying up to $25,000 to basically come and 'buy' a cute little Chinese baby. It looks a little bit indulgent and suspect, but when you realise these were abandoned babies because they were female, a less desirable offspring, it's a sad state of affairs, and you come to see the parents that have the means to do this as angels of mercy rather than rich showoffs that come across the world to get an exotic baby to add to their collection of stuff back home. As usual, a thoughtful episode, but as with the others, you wish he could linger on a subject for longer, an hour's running time would have been beneficial.

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