Collections : [C.V. Starr East Asian Library]

The series is also known as the "China: The Enduring Heritage" series. This 13-part series on Chinese history and the affiliated film Buddhism in China were produced by Weng under the auspices of the China Institute in America, an organization for which Weng later served as president for several years in the 1980s. The series was filmed between 1972 and 1974, and was release in 1977. They were initially screened at museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, and the St. Louis Art Museum, then distributed as educational films by the Indiana University Audio-Visual Center on film and later, VHS. As with many of Weng's films, the footage consists largely of Chinese art and artifacts filmed in museums. The museum footage is supplemented by other documentary footage licensed from a variety of sources, including the BBC Film Library, the 1968 film Two Faces of China, directed by Magnum photographer René Burri, and Requiem for a Faith: Tibetan Buddhism, directed by Elda Hartley. The films run approximately 20 minutes each and feature color footage shot silently with English-language narration. Titles include in this series: Episode 1: The Beginnings; Episode 2: The Making of a Civilization; Episode 3: Hundreds of Schools to One; Episode 4: The First Empires; Episode 5: The Great Cultural Mix; Episode 6: The Golden Age; Episode 7: The Heavenly Khan; Episode 8: The Age of Maturity; Episode 9: Under the Mongols; Episode 10: The Restoration; Episode 11: The Manchu Rule; Episode 12: Coming of the West; Episode 13: The Enduring Heritage; Buddhism in China.

The films in this series are produced or directed by Weng Wango, dating from 1945 to 1979. Some of the major titles include in this series: Chinese Kitchen (unknown); East in the West (1947); Chinese Brushwork (1971); Chinese Art: Of Heaven, Earth, and Man (1979). A Christmas Story (episode of "The Big Picture") (c. 1961) is an episode of the U.S. Army-produced television show featuring soldiers celebrating Christmas with their families. The Expo '70 Films (1970) are three short films ("Ceramics," "Silk," "Printing") produced for Expo '70, held in Osaka, Japan. Of the various elements in the collection, it is unclear which, if any, represent the most definitive versions of the films. It is also unclear whether the films are meant to have sound – they may have been played silently at the Expo with some sort of live accompaniment. The Buddhist Service at the Cathedral of the Pines (1971) is a filmed record of a service at the Cathedral of the Pines in New Hampshire, the collection contains master picture and sound elements for this film, as well as prints, and other original footage. Also include are films produced by Weng, but were undated.

The films in this series were collected by Weng Wango. Despite that these films seem to have had no creative input from Weng, future research could uncover additional information. The films include a number of U.S government and United Nations films with Chinese-language soundtracks, suggesting that Weng may have been involved in translating, re-recording, or distributing these versions of the films. Films include are: Why We Fight, Episode 7: The Battle of China, Chinese Version (U.S. Government, 1944); Defence of Peace, Chinese version (United Nations, 1946); Maps We Live By, Chinese Version (United Nations, 1948); Green Gold, Chinese version (United Nations, 1949); The Chinese Peasant Goes to Market (John Gutmann, 1949); Operation Deep Freeze (U.S. Navy, c. 1957); The Abduction of the Emperor of Japan (Daniel Stampler, Bradley Smith, 1966); A Child's Garden of Verse (Wil Berg, 1966); Exploring the World of Chocolate (1967); Living Legend films (Armand Denis, date unknown): The Giant (elephant) and The King (lion); Turbine Was a Lady (Westinghouse, date unknown); Footage from Rene Burri and Hartley films.

This series consists of combined, miscellaneous, unidentified films. Some unknown materials contain dates while others contain title but without dates. Future digitization and research could uncover additional information on the films.