Lost in China

Exactly the sort of travelogue I like - immersive and participatory. The Hutchins brothers grew up in China, have been away for years, and have gone back to see what's become of the land of their childhood. In six episodes, they travel throughout China, seeing and doing and trying their hands at anything they run across. Full of odd bits of local color, the Hutchins brothers put together a fascinating series with gleeful spontaneity, running off on any tangent that grabbed their attention while somehow still managing to keep track of their main objectives. This is the sort of ground-level look at a nation that you can only get with a small crew and a high level of mobility. It's not enough to point a camera. You have to try the food, wear the clothes, play the games, climb the mountains and portage boats down the rivers in order to get anything resembling an authentic experience. The Hutchins brothers did a bang-up job capturing that experience for the rest of us.