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Einreinhofer (Bill) China Archive
3380
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Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries East Asian Library
Title: Bill Einreinhofer China Archive
Creator:
Einreinhofer, William M., 1952-
Identifier/Call Number: 3380
Physical Description:
2.1 Terabytes
988 digital files stored in 123 digital folders
Physical Description:
0.38 Linear Feet
1 USB-C external hard drive stored in 1 box
Date (inclusive): 1910-2022
Abstract: The Bill Einreinhofer China Archive comprises approximately 1000 digital video, image, audio, and text files that Einreinhofer
used to produce a series of public television documentaries covering modern China and Japan from 1910 to 2022. The collection
includes the finished television programs, as well as unedited interviews and historic and scenic footage that were used in
the documentaries. The collection also holds transcripts, footage logs, and documentary overviews. Einreinhofer organized
the collection into ten digital folders, which correspond to this finding aid's ten series. Seven of the series correspond
to specific television programs that Einreinhofer produced:
China Now (1997);
So Very Far From Home (2006);
Beyond Beijing (2008),
Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began (2018);
Century Masters (2019);
Unsettled History: America, China and the Doolittle Tokyo Raid (2022); and
China: Frame by Frame (2023). The last three series contain thematically grouped source material that Einreinhofer collected during the production
of the documentaries: "Wartime Newsreels & Propaganda Films" (38 files), "Japanese Wartime Feature Films" (17 files), and
"Post-War Japan" (8 files). See the series-level records for further details.
Language of Material:
English
, Chinese
, Japanese
.
Bill Einreinhofer is an Emmy Award winning documentary producer/director. For more than 30 years he has been creating films
and stories in and about China. This includes
China: Frame by Frame, a retrospective on what he saw, learned and witnessed over the course of three decades;
Unsettled History: America, China and the Doolittle Tokyo Raid; and
Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began. All were broadcast nationally on Public Television. He was Senior Director and Host for the international version of
Century Masters, a 15-episode Chinese cultural history series, as well as Series Producer of
Beyond Beijing, a four-part documentary series, broadcast in 43 countries and seen by 250+ million viewers, tied to 2008 Summer Olympics.
He has developed and produced programming for ABC, CBS, Discovery, HBO, and PBS, including
Spacewalkers: The Ultimate High-Wire Act, which was seen worldwide on Discovery. He conceived and was Executive Producer of
People in Motion, the first primetime documentary series in U.S. television history to deal with disability and technology. He produced/shot/wrote/edited/voiced
Five Points of Life, a multipart web-doc that followed a team of nine amateur cyclists on an 1,800-mile international journey. He has also participated
in co-productions with leading international broadcasters including the ABC (Australia), Globo (Brazil), NHK (Japan), SMG
(China), SVT (Sweden) and ZDF (Germany). He holds a Masters degree in Communications Arts from the University of Wisconsin
(Madison), and a Bachelor's degree in History from Saint Peter's University (Jersey City, NJ). He is Chair Emeritus of the
Broadcast Journalism department at the New York Film Academy.
The Bill Einreinhofer China Archive comprises approximately 1000 digital video, image, audio, and text files that Einreinhofer
used to produce a series of public television documentaries covering modern China and Japan from 1910 to 2022. The collection
includes the finished television programs, as well as unedited interviews and historic and scenic footage that were used in
the documentaries. The collection also holds transcripts, footage logs, and documentary overviews. Einreinhofer organized
the collection into ten digital folders, which correspond to this finding aid's ten series. Seven of the series correspond
to specific television programs that Einreinhofer produced:
China Now (1997);
So Very Far From Home (2006);
Beyond Beijing (2008),
Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began (2018);
Century Masters (2019);
Unsettled History: America, China and the Doolittle Tokyo Raid (2022); and
China: Frame by Frame (2023). The last three series contain thematically grouped source material that Einreinhofer collected during the production
of the documentaries: "Wartime Newsreels & Propaganda Films" (38 files), "Japanese Wartime Feature Films" (17 files), and
"Post-War Japan" (8 files). See the series-level records for further details.
The collection is unique in that it spans modern Chinese history from the early 20th century through the second decade of
the 21st century. And while it includes footage of pivotal historical events, it also captures everyday life among both the
privileged and powerful, as well as ordinary Chinese families. The Archive is the product of more than three decades of research,
and incorporates images of China at the collapse of the Qing dynasty, the "Warlord" period, the "War of Resistance," the Chinese
Civil War, the early years of Reform and Opening, and the growth of an increasingly important consumption-driven economy.
The majority of the digital files in this collection are publicly accessible via the USC Digital Library. Each folder- and
file-level record in this finding aid includes a link to the corresponding USC Digital Library asset. However, the files relating
to the
China Now (1997) documentary series are available for individual research purposes only and cannot be published via the USC Digital
Library. Please contact the East Asian Library at eal@usc.edu to request access to the
China Now files. Access to the external hard drive, on which the files were delivered to USC, is also restricted.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of the East
Asian Library at eal@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the East Asian Library as the owner of the
physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Bill Einreinhofer, March 2023.
[Box/folder# or Item name], Bill Einreinhofer China Archive, Collection no. 3380, East Asian Library, USC Libraries, University
of Southern California.
The files from the Bill Einreinhofer China Archive were uploaded to the USC Digital Repository in April of 2023.
Bill Einreinhofer authored the series-level descriptive notes summarizing each documentary. Bill Einreinhofer also requested
that the USC Libraries title the collection "Bill Einreinhofer China Archive."
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The initial donation of digital files in this collection were delivered to USC on a 4 terabyte LaCie Rugged USB-C external
hard drive. The files are still saved on this hard drive in addition to the copies uploaded to the USC Digital Repository.
Accruals to the collection were emailed directly from Einreinhofer to USC Libraries personnel.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
China -- Foreign relations -- 20th century -- Archival resources
China -- Politics and government -- 20th century -- Archival resources
China -- Social conditions -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Documentary television programs -- Production and direction -- Archival resources
Japan -- Foreign relations -- 20th century -- Archival resources
World War, 1939-1945 -- China -- Archival resources
World War, 1939-1945 -- Japan -- Archival resources
Born digital
Documentary film
Digital media
Digital images
Moving images
Transcripts
Einreinhofer, William M., 1952-