"Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet," a 58-minute documentary released on April 6 on BBC Four, introduces Du Fu to the Western world for the first time in documentary form.

A screenshot of the BBC documentary "Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet"

The launch of the documentary by BBC indicates a wider acceptance of ancient Chinese literature among the Western world, as well as stronger willingness of the BBC to communicate with oriental culture, according to Zhang Tongdao, director of the Documentary Center of the Beijing Normal University.

In the film, Michael Wood, historian and one of BBC's most popular presenters, visited a number of Chinese cities to retrace Du's steps. The documentary features Sir Ian McKellen, the British actor familiar to Chinese audiences, who reads Du's masterpieces in an elegant and meditative manner.

"The greatness of Du Fu has transcended time and space, which further proves that humanity is a community of a shared destiny," said an insider with Chinese poetry journal Shikan, adding that based on a book written by a Chinese educationist and historian, the film faithfully reflects historical facts.

The film also invites sinologist Stephen Owen of Harvard University, Professor Zeng Xiang'an of Renmin University of China, and Doctor Tao Tao Liu from Oxford University, to bring professional interpretation from multiple perspectives.

"The documentary showcases the eternal charm and value of Chinese poetry," said Gao Chang with China Culture Daily.