0:00:03 > 0:00:06We're going on an epic road trip
0:00:06 > 0:00:10through one of the most powerful countries on the planet.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Home to a fifth of the world's population.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16- Where's my chariot?- Here.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18She's a black beauty!
0:00:18 > 0:00:23- We'll be taking two very different vehicles.- It's not the most impressive car I've ever seen.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26On two very different journeys.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29What is that thing? That structure is so weird.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34The road surface has just completely gone, hasn't it?
0:00:34 > 0:00:38We're getting to grips with a very different style of driving.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41METAL CRUNCHES
0:00:41 > 0:00:45On some of the most dangerous roads in the world.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52China's car industry is a great symbol of the huge changes
0:00:52 > 0:00:54transforming this country.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Part of an economic revolution
0:00:56 > 0:01:00that's created a new generation of billionaires.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Oh, it's beautiful. Oh, my God, it's like a spaceship.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10But on my journey I'll be visiting a forgotten China
0:01:10 > 0:01:12where cars are rarely seen
0:01:12 > 0:01:17and hundreds of millions of people still live in poverty.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22We'll be asking whether the Chinese economic miracle can be sustained.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27This city also has a nickname called Ghost City.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30And if it can, what that means for the world.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Beijing, the ancient imperial capital of China.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53The 21st century has brought a massive construction boom
0:01:53 > 0:01:55and a population explosion,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59creating a vast mega city of 20 million people.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04And booming car ownership has brought traffic chaos.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Are there many accidents, Mr Liu?
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Yes. So many accidents every day.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11So many accidents every day?
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Why?
0:02:13 > 0:02:14The new drivers.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Oh, new drivers?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19The new driver just in road is a scary road, scary driving.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Sometimes they need to think, especially women drivers.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28- Oh! Oh, whoa, Mr Liu! - That sounds sensible to me.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Women are safe drivers. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37It's not long before we see an accident for ourselves.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42The car bumped the bicycle. Maybe the children get problems?
0:02:42 > 0:02:46- Oh, no!- I think he's been shocked more than anything.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Yeah, he doesn't look hurt but he looks very anxious.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I mean it looked like everybody was OK.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53It wasn't a serious accident but it shows you how common they are.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57- I was going to say, it makes me a bit worried that... - That was just a little knock.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Clearly, the roads are dangerous, aren't they?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01'Very dangerous.'
0:03:01 > 0:03:04China is reckoned to have the most road deaths in the world.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for people under 45.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14In fact, Beijing now has a popular TV series called Traffic Light
0:03:14 > 0:03:19that shows police footage of the city's worst car accidents.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21SHE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:03:32 > 0:03:35It's a sobering thought with thousands of miles to drive
0:03:35 > 0:03:36in the next three weeks
0:03:36 > 0:03:41but our taxi driver is just the man to keep our spirits up.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43He was a finalist in another popular TV show -
0:03:43 > 0:03:46the equivalent of Britain's Got Talent.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47So, how did you do?
0:03:47 > 0:03:49I just got to second.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- Second!- That's really good.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Will you sing for us, Mr Liu?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- Now?- Yes, now. - Please, please.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- You know Elton John? - Elton John? Yeah.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06It's the Lion King, the song name is Can You Feel The Love Tonight?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08- Oh.- Sing that.- Yeah, OK.
0:04:09 > 0:04:16# There's a calm surrender to the rush of day
0:04:16 > 0:04:24# When the heat of the rolling world can be turned away
0:04:24 > 0:04:30ALL: # Can you feel the love tonight?
0:04:30 > 0:04:34# It's night and day. #
0:04:34 > 0:04:37THEY CHEER
0:04:39 > 0:04:43We've asked Mr Liu to take us to a local market
0:04:43 > 0:04:45so we can do some shopping for our trip.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- This place is crazy! - Is this it?
0:04:53 > 0:04:56- Oh, my goodness. - It's like Disneyland.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Yeah, like Disney.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02HE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:05:02 > 0:05:03OK?
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Let's go. Come on.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- Wow!- This is madness, isn't it? - Insane.- Crazy.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10CAR HORN BEEPS
0:05:14 > 0:05:15This is the local. For local people.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17The local, that's good. So, it should be cheap?
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- Cheap, yeah. You can bargain. - You can bargain for it?
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Driving has become so dangerous in China,
0:05:27 > 0:05:32there's now a vast array of lucky charms you can buy for your car.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- Now hold on a second. Chairman Mao. - Oh, yeah.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Oh, and he spins. He'd definitely bring us good luck, wouldn't he?
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Hold on, this is young Mao and old Mao.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- That is good. I'd like that.- Do you like that?- I like that.- I like it.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- No, I want that.- No, I want it. - I like it.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49No, you're meant to be looking for me.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53- I know, well, you're meant to be looking for me.- OK, I will get you this, Justin.- Oh, Anita.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55HE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- 25 for two. - 25 for two? But we only need one.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02We only need one, so can he do it for 12?
0:06:02 > 0:06:03Maybe 13, maybe 14?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Maybe 12, maybe 12?
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Yeah, yeah, he likes it, he likes it.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13- It's a real buy. - It's a real buy. What a bargain.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15- 12.- 12? Yes? - Well, that's £1.20.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20- £1.20 for that? - Yeah, so that's good.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- Anita?- Oh, my goodness. - What about that?
0:06:22 > 0:06:24This one is the sunshine power.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- It's power?- It's powered by the sun. - Oh, it's solar powered. OK.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Could you put this in a car, Mr Liu?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Yeah, and it wouldn't... Justin, that is so hideous.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33It's pretty disgusting.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36I don't know how I'd feel sharing the car with that for three weeks.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- What about this? That's a bit more Chinese.- Oh, yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- A little Chinese family to keep you going.- I love that.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44- I think we're ready to travel, aren't we?- I think we are.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Ready to head off across China.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47- Let's go.- Beep beep.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Armed with our lucky charms,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Justin and I will be travelling thousands of miles
0:06:54 > 0:06:57across this vast country following two very different routes.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02On the first leg of my journey,
0:07:02 > 0:07:07I'll be heading into some of China's most remote and impoverished rural areas.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Travelling through inner Mongolia
0:07:10 > 0:07:15down to Yan'an, the heartland of Mao's Communist Revolution.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17While I'll be taking to the motorways
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and exploring some of the country's richest cities.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23I'll pass through the high-tech Solar Valley at Dezhou
0:07:23 > 0:07:26before scaling one of China's sacred mountains.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31If all goes according to plan, we'll meet up in Shanghai,
0:07:31 > 0:07:36China's spectacular financial centre, in just three weeks time.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42On the outskirts of Beijing I've met up with Qiao Xin,
0:07:42 > 0:07:48who's going to be my guide and companion on our 2,500-mile journey.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51We're on our way to collect our vehicle.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57Here's Mr Shoux. We call him Mr Shoux but we call him Boss Shoux.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58Boss Shoux? Very good.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- Ni hao, Boss Shoux.- Ni hao, ni hao.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03So, this is the car?
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Yeah, that's the car.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07It's not the most impressive car I've ever seen.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Ah, yeah, but I think it's a good one.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13You think it's good? Let's have a look. OK.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17OK, Boss Shoux. I like this.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22In English, we call these go-faster stripes.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29I mean I'll tell you what, Boss, the only thing I would say is that...
0:08:29 > 0:08:33it is... Look at that. It is very dirty.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35HE SPEAKS CHINESE
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Oh, look at this.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- Try it.- Can I have a go?
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- Yeah.- The key?- Yeah. - The key to my car.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47- Go for it.- Let's get in.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- It's arranged for somebody a lot smaller than me. - You fit in there all right?
0:08:53 > 0:08:54CAR ENGINE STARTS
0:08:54 > 0:08:59That is sweet. It sounds good, yeah, it sounds good.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01CAR ENGINE REVS
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- You know what I haven't tested?- Yeah?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08I haven't tested the horn.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10CAR HORN BEEPS
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Small vans like this are known here as bread vans
0:09:18 > 0:09:20because they're shaped like a loaf.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23They're the workhorses of rural China,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26transporting goods and people around the country.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35So, it's a car wash. We're getting this little baby cleaned up.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40I don't want Anita to be thinking that I'm driving around in some kind of bread van or something.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47In a slightly more upmarket part of town,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49I've met up with my guide, Li Li.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Right, thank you, Li Li. Right, which one is it?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- Where's my chariot?- Here.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58- That's it?- What do you think?
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- She's a black beauty, that's what I think.- Yeah? - Come on, let's check it out.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- Your key.- Thank you. What is she? What does it say? What's that?
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- Great Wall Vehicles. - Great Wall? Is that good?
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Yeah, it's good. That's the best producer of SUV in China.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17The best? Only the best. All right, let's see what's she's got.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Wow. Some beige upholstery going on in here.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23Let's get some windows open.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Electric windows. It's very comfortable.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30I just think this trip's going to be pretty smooth.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Shanghai, here we come.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41Great Wall is the biggest Chinese manufacturer of 4x4s or SUVs.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43The Haval is their best seller.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48I'm kind of veering into that lane, aren't I?
0:10:48 > 0:10:52I must remember left-hand drive, left-hand drive.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Here we go. She's in a Great Wall, she's in China.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Oh, God.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04OK. All right, let's do some lane crossing. What do you reckon?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Yeah, I reckon.
0:11:13 > 0:11:14Sorry.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Five minutes into my first driving experience
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and I totally drive into a railing.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Is it OK?
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Everything's fine. Just a little scratch here.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Nothing to worry about. It's all right. It's fine.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Many of the menial jobs in Beijing are done by workers
0:11:36 > 0:11:39who've migrated here from the countryside.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42They live in a kind of limbo,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46with no rights to permanent residency
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and few welfare benefits
0:11:48 > 0:11:52but their low wages fuel China's economic growth.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54So, what is your name?
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- Liu.- Liu?- Yeah. - Liu? Hello, Liu.- Oh, hello.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58Hello, nice to meet you.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01So, why is it good to come here to Beijing?
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Because I thought migrant workers don't have the same rights,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11like of residence and things, as people from Beijing.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Liu Shijie is one of more than 200 million people
0:12:22 > 0:12:28who've moved from China's rural areas to its cities and factories in search of work.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32It is the biggest migration in human history.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Just above the shop?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Liu Shijie lives in a dormitory above the car wash.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43It couldn't be easier, could it?
0:12:45 > 0:12:46OK.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50So this is your room? Wow.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55So, how often do you get home, you know, to go and see your family?
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Then, otherwise you work every single day?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12How much money do you earn?
0:13:14 > 0:13:16- Yeah, so 2,000 per month?- Yes.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20So, that's like £200 a month, working every single day.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Do you keep all the money for yourself
0:13:23 > 0:13:26or do you send some back to your family?
0:13:31 > 0:13:35So you spend 500, save 500 and 1,000 to your family.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38And how much difference does it make to your family?
0:13:51 > 0:13:55While migrant workers live on just a few pounds a week,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59China's new breed of super-rich have never had it so good.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03China is now the fastest-growing market for Rolls-Royce, Bentley
0:14:03 > 0:14:09and Lamborghini despite the huge import duties.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Before hitting the road, I want to check out some serious supercars.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Right, let's see how the other half live.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22This is definitely the right place.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Look at these cars! Oh, my God!
0:14:26 > 0:14:30- That is pretty blingtastic, isn't it?- That looks great.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36I've arranged to meet Jeff Sun and some fellow members of a very exclusive car club.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- Pleased to meet you. How are you? Good to meet you. - Nice to meet you.- Anita.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43So, here we have the Supercar Club of Beijing?
0:14:43 > 0:14:47- You're buddies? You all hang out? - Exactly, we're just a group of friends
0:14:47 > 0:14:52and we do not discriminate against anybody or anyone.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Just so long as you've got a really expensive car?
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- That's the only requirement. - Well, yes, basically.- Yeah, yeah.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03- How many cars have you got, Jeff? - Me myself? I haven't counted but I've got a couple.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Come on. You haven't counted? How many cars have you got?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09- Tell me your cars.- I've got a Lamborghini. I've got two Lamborghinis actually.
0:15:09 > 0:15:15I've got two Ferraris, I've got the R8, the Audi R8, the Maserati.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19- That's it. And I've got a Bentley. - Oh, and a Bentley.- And a Bentley.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- It's a British Bentley.- Just a Bentley you add on at the end.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23- That's it?- Yeah, that's it.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- How old are you?- I'm 28. - You're 28?- Exactly.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30- And you have that many supercars? - Yes.- OK, what do you do?
0:15:30 > 0:15:32- Oh, I'm actually in a real estate company.- OK.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Yes. I'm an entrepreneur myself.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- Your company?- My own.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39And what do your parents think about how well you've done?
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- Well, I actually inherited the company from my parents.- OK.- Yes.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- So, which is your ride, Jeff? - This will be my ride.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- The Lamborghini?- The Lamborghini. - Yeah, this will do, this will do.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56'Like many of China's super-rich, Jeff's family has made its money
0:15:56 > 0:15:58'from the huge boom in property prices.'
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Oh, it's beautiful. Oh, my God, it's like a spaceship.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05All right. Whoo!
0:16:05 > 0:16:09MUSIC: "For The Love Of Money" by The O'Jays
0:16:14 > 0:16:20This car, Jeff, is beautiful and it smells really new.
0:16:20 > 0:16:21It is a new car.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23I bought it around four weeks ago.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26And how much did this car cost?
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Around 7.4 million.
0:16:28 > 0:16:337.4 million? So that's about, well, basically nearly a million pounds.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- Yes, basically. - Yeah, basically.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41ENGINE PURRS
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- Oh, God, that noise.- Yes.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Jeff, I really love this Lamborghini.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52- Like, I am so comfortable right now. - I'm I love with it too.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55This is something I could really get used to.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09It's the next day and time for our adventure to really begin.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10On the outskirts of town
0:17:10 > 0:17:14I'm meeting Justin to bid our final farewells.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- Justin?- Listen, Anita, what are you laughing at?
0:17:17 > 0:17:19- This thing. - This is a serious vehicle.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21It's like a Postman Pat van.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23This is a bread van.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25This is happy, it's got go-faster stripes.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27- Look at this. - Yes, what's wrong with that?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29What? You cannot be serious?
0:17:29 > 0:17:32This, Anita, is a workhorse, a Chinese workhorse.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34How fast does it go?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36It goes at least 80 kilometres an hour.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38How big is the engine?
0:17:38 > 0:17:43This is packing 1,000cc of raw Chinese power.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44It's a one litre engine?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47It's a one litre... Yeah, it's a one litre engine.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Come and look at this. How long have we had the car?
0:17:49 > 0:17:50- I've had it one day, right?- Yes.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- We parked it in the car park... - What happened.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54..and when we got back, look at that.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Someone's driven into the back of it.- Day one.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58And we've already had a prang.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Now let's have a look at this monster.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Monster?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06It's not... Yeah, it's not huge but it's impressive.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08It's a bit of a beast compared to mine.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Yeah, look, listen, China - the bigger, the better.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Size matters in this country so you need something impressive.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15- So, you're feeling good in your impressive...- Yeah, come on.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17I need people to know that I'm arriving
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and have a good look at it. Just have a look around my baby.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Your tyres are twice the size of mine.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24But, Justin, I've got a confession to make.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27- Right, you know how someone drove into the back of yours?- Yes.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29- Check this out.- Oh, my word.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- Look.- Who did that? - I did it.- Oh, no.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36I drove into a railing on day one.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38That's bad. One day and already...
0:18:38 > 0:18:39I was driving it for half an hour.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Ow! These will look like wrecks when they come back, won't they?
0:18:42 > 0:18:46I must say I'm very confident about your ability to get there.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- I'm just a little bit more worried about mine.- No, I'm not.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- I have faith in you and this mini bread van.- And my bread van.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53- Yes, I really do. - Listen, best of luck.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54Thank you, Justin.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- And I'll see you in three weeks. - In Shanghai.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59- 4,000 miles to go.- Go well.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06THEY HONK THEIR HORNS
0:19:14 > 0:19:18I'm heading out of Beijing on the Hong Kong expressway
0:19:18 > 0:19:19towards the city of Baoding.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26I'm surprised at how organised the expressways are.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Everyone's driving in lane, nobody's being too erratic.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34Although I have just clocked a man walking along the intersection in the middle.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40So there's still random mentalness happening on the roads of China.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44China's massive network of motorways is now second only to America
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and it's still growing.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50In the last ten years
0:19:50 > 0:19:53China has built about 50,000 miles worth of road,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56which is more than any other country on the planet.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59I don't feel like I'm in a developing country at all.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01I feel like I'm in a first world nation.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03But like much of China's new infrastructure,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07the motorway network has been built on credit.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10It's in debt to the tune of £230 billion.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Some economists worry
0:20:12 > 0:20:15that this country might be overstretching itself.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24My journey is taking me southwest
0:20:24 > 0:20:28on the mighty Beijing to Tibet highway.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34It's not long before we get our first glimpse of rural China.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Yeah, I wasn't expecting mountains. Bloody hell.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38It looks like those paintings of China.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- Yeah.- You know the ancient paintings?- Yeah.
0:20:43 > 0:20:49The Great Wall Of China was constructed to keep out the barbarian hoards from the north.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51The Great Wall going to be on the mountain.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55Of course, it snakes up the side of the mountains, doesn't it?
0:20:55 > 0:20:56Now I'm quite excited.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04Look at that! Now that is classic. That's what everyone sees, isn't it?
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- Yeah.- This is the really classic Great Wall.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Baoding is a relatively small city by Chinese standards
0:21:18 > 0:21:20but it's an economic powerhouse
0:21:20 > 0:21:24specialising in high-tech manufacturing.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28I've stopped here for a specific reason.
0:21:31 > 0:21:37This is the headquarters of Great Wall and the birthplace of my car.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43China produced over 18 million vehicles last year,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46more than America and Japan combined.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54It also manufactures many of the parts for other cars
0:21:54 > 0:21:55built around the world.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Great Wall Motors is a typical Chinese success story.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Hardly known outside China,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05they only started making cars ten years ago.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11They're now the biggest manufacturer of 4x4s or SUVs in the country.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Shi Qingke works in the International Sales Division.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Mr Shi, you've worked for Great Wall for ten years.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23How have you seen the company change in that time?
0:22:48 > 0:22:52So, how is it competing with foreign brands because I notice that
0:22:52 > 0:22:57on the streets of Beijing and even in here in Baoding, it's Volkswagen,
0:22:57 > 0:23:02Audi, Land Rover, Mercedes, you name it, but it's not Chinese?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Step by step?
0:23:17 > 0:23:19So what's the dream for this company, Great Wall,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23where are they heading to next? What do they want to achieve?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39We've been driving for ten hours
0:23:39 > 0:23:42and Qiao and I are now in the heart of rural China,
0:23:42 > 0:23:47where the Great Wall meets the Yellow River in Kanshi province.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53It's just a few hundred miles from Beijing
0:23:53 > 0:23:56but it might as well be a different planet.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58There are no cars on the roads
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and many of the villagers out here live in cave houses -
0:24:01 > 0:24:05a lifestyle that's hardly changed for thousands of years.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- This is my friend's place. - It's your friend's place?- Yes.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18This is Xancov.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Hello, hello, very nice to meet you.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25It's spring and the planting season in China
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and I'm joining farmer Wang Guisheng
0:24:28 > 0:24:33ploughing his cornfields with the only technology available round here.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40As well as farming, Mr Wang has to take whatever casual work he can get as a migrant labourer.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44So, Mr Wang, why do you need to go and work in the city?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Mr Wang, is this your donkey?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16You borrowed it or you hired the donkey?
0:25:20 > 0:25:21The villagers here are so poor
0:25:21 > 0:25:25that one donkey is shared by more than a dozen households.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28But in China
0:25:28 > 0:25:32more than 700 million people live in the countryside
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and, according to the official figures,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38126 million of them are in abject poverty
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and lots of people think that's actually an underestimate.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46It could be 250 million. A quarter of a billion people in poverty.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57China may have become a great economic power
0:25:57 > 0:26:01but it is actually still a desperately poor nation.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Per head, it's poorer than Bulgaria and Jamaica.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09From Xianxi, I'm heading towards Inner Mongolia -
0:26:09 > 0:26:15a vast region that spans the Gobi Desert.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21And from Baoding, I'm cruising 140 miles down the motorway
0:26:21 > 0:26:24to Dezhou, China's self-styled Solar Valley.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39- This is some traffic jam.- Yes.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45- They're unloading some coal. - These are coal trucks? Wow.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47My God.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50It's like a very long queue.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Oh, yeah, it's massive.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Oh, man, we could be here for a long, long time.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00LORRY HORN BEEPS
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Jesus, this is, I think, the worst traffic jam
0:27:05 > 0:27:09I have ever been in and the entire thing is coal trucks.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15I mean, this just shows you China's incredible dependence on coal.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It is the biggest producer
0:27:17 > 0:27:20and the biggest importer of coal in the world,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23something like over 70% of China's electricity
0:27:23 > 0:27:26comes from the black stuff, comes from coal.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29And look at the chaos it's creating on the roads.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34With daylight fading and still some distance to go,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37I decide to take my life in my hands.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44- Oh my, we're on the wrong side of the central reservation here.- Yes.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47See, I wouldn't want to be hit by one of those.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54LORRY HORNS BLARE
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Yeah, that's just loud, isn't it?
0:28:12 > 0:28:14- Somebody has rammed into the side of that van.- Yeah.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17- All the windscreen's shattered.- Yeah.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Oh, that's better.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27- So, a lot of the problem was that... - Yes, the accident.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32Inner Mongolia is the heart of China's coal country.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37Close to a billion tons a year are taken from Mongolian mines,
0:28:37 > 0:28:42helping to make China the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Two hours from Baoding,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50my journey has brought me to the city of Dezhou.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55It's not very clear. You cannot see the sunshine.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Yeah, there is no sunshine but do you know what, Li Li?
0:28:58 > 0:29:01I haven't seen any blue sky since I got to China.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04It's really hazy, it's really smoggy
0:29:04 > 0:29:10and that's just because of the amount of fuel that's pumped out of these cars, industry,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12the amount of coal that's used.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16So it's so refreshing to come to a city like Dezhou
0:29:16 > 0:29:19and see so many solar panels.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21Our solar-powered god of good fortune
0:29:21 > 0:29:24is going to feel right at home here.
0:29:26 > 0:29:31With levels of greenhouse gas emissions still growing at a colossal rate,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35China has begun to recognise the need to combat global warming.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40And, just like everything else, they are doing it on a giant scale.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43This is quite amazing.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46So even the street lights have solar panels,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48the traffic lights have solar panels.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51It really feels like we're in a city of the future.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Dezhou even has a solar-powered hotel.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02- Ni hao.- Ni hao. - Hello, pleased to meet you.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05- Welcome to Solar Valley Hotel. - Thank you, and I get a gift.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- Yeah, it's a gift. It's a hat.- A hat?
0:30:08 > 0:30:13- It can keep you cool.- Keep me cool? - Yeah.- It's got a fan.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Two solar panels and a little fan to keep me cool.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19And I think that is pretty cool, don't you?
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Xie xie. Thank you. Right, let's test this hat out.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27Now we're talking. I'm going to try and get it... Put it on my head.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31Hats are always too big for me. It's not working yet though, is it? Not much sun around.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35I need to point it towards the sun.
0:30:35 > 0:30:36Oh, I'm very hot.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39If only I had a hat that could keep me cool. It's going!
0:30:39 > 0:30:41SHE LAUGHS
0:30:41 > 0:30:43What a brilliant idea.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Justin's going to be so jealous of me. So jealous.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55Dezhou's Solar Valley is the vision of one man -
0:30:55 > 0:30:58multi-millionaire green entrepreneur Huang Ming.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Mr Huang. Ni hao. Pleased to meet you.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06- Are we going to go for a tour of the Solar Valley?- Yeah.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10- Your creation?- Very good. - After you, please.- OK.- Thank you.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Mr Huang is taking me on a tour of his plant
0:31:13 > 0:31:14in a solar-powered golf buggy.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19His company Himin is the biggest producer of solar water heaters in the world
0:31:19 > 0:31:25and has been the inspiration for many other clean energy companies here in Dezhou.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31What inspired you to start Solar Valley?
0:31:31 > 0:31:34All this began with the birth of my daughter.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38After her birth I felt guilty
0:31:38 > 0:31:44because the next generation and the daughter of my daughter
0:31:44 > 0:31:48will have no oil even no coal.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52They will go back to the ancient times.
0:31:52 > 0:31:59They cannot survive, so I thought I have to change something.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06We have promoted 300 million square metres of solar water heaters
0:32:06 > 0:32:13all over China, including a lot of our colleague companies.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15But isn't it just a dip in the ocean though?
0:32:15 > 0:32:19I mean, the dependency of China on carbon-based fossil fuels.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21Yes, we want to solve this problem.
0:32:21 > 0:32:27First, we want to build this new town, this Solar Valley,
0:32:27 > 0:32:32as a carbon-free, mineral resource-free example.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39China is one of the world's biggest investors in renewable energy.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Its one-party government means it can force through green policies.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48But with millions of new cars flooding onto the roads every year
0:32:48 > 0:32:51and more and more coal burned for electricity,
0:32:51 > 0:32:55it's hard to see what real impact these green policies will have.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00Even if the solar-heated pool is a great innovation.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07I'm really impressed with what I've seen here
0:33:07 > 0:33:09and maybe it is a vision of the future
0:33:09 > 0:33:11but it's barely scratching the surface.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13China still has a long way to go.
0:33:24 > 0:33:25My trusty bread van
0:33:25 > 0:33:28has brought me to Ordos,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31the coal capital of Inner Mongolia.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36This was the land of the Mongolian warrior king Genghis Khan,
0:33:36 > 0:33:40who conquered China and founded a great dynasty.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Ordos has changed somewhat since his day.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45Coal has made its residents the richest in China
0:33:45 > 0:33:48and locals have invested their profits
0:33:48 > 0:33:52in a gleaming new city next door called Kangbashi.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55I never thought Ordos would be like this.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59I thought Inner Mongolia would be like a little bit countryside.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01That's probably why they've built it,
0:34:01 > 0:34:05- because they want to address those kind of attitudes.- Yes.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07But maybe they've got a bit carried away with it.
0:34:11 > 0:34:12That's a great building.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16I never imagined a city like this.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18I think it's better than Beijing.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22- Yeah, it's what it's like if you start a city afresh.- Yeah.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Kangbashi even has its own brand-spanking-new
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Mongolian-themed racetrack.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33That looks like an airport or something.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35It's incredible, it's huge.
0:34:36 > 0:34:41We've arranged to meet racetrack manager Hu Lianghuai.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46- This is absolutely incredible. - Ni hao.- Ni hao.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51This is... Mr Hu, this is an AMAZING stadium.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Yes, let's have a look. That sounds fantastic. Come on, let's go look.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06So, this is the stadium from the other side and we can see the seats
0:35:06 > 0:35:07and this is the track, yes?
0:35:10 > 0:35:14So, we're actually standing on the racetrack?
0:35:14 > 0:35:16I've got a question for you, Mr Hu.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19Do you do a class of racing for bread vans?
0:35:23 > 0:35:27What is the fastest lap time on the track?
0:35:30 > 0:35:33So, I need to go faster than 1:52. Do you think I can do it?
0:35:41 > 0:35:45All right, here we go. Hey, thank you.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50- It's a tough challenge. Right, Qiao?- Yeah.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52I want you to take the time.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54This could be an important track record, so...
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Yes, I've got my stopwatch ready.
0:35:57 > 0:35:58Ready to go.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01MUSIC: "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac
0:36:04 > 0:36:07ENGINE REVS
0:36:11 > 0:36:14TYRES SCREECH
0:36:18 > 0:36:23Right, it's up to 80kmph. Come on, come on, baby. Come on!
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Slide to fifth.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34Not bad. Oh, my days, we're going fast.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Whoo!
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Whoo!
0:36:47 > 0:36:49TYRES SCREECH
0:36:53 > 0:36:57Not bad, not bad, you got 3:24.
0:36:57 > 0:36:583:24? That's not bad.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05But for all its wealth and amazing facilities,
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Kangbashi seems strangely deserted.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28It just looks completely empty.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30They're kind of like skeletons of buildings,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32a sort of skeleton of a town.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37The city was designed as an advert
0:37:37 > 0:37:39for the new, wealthy China
0:37:39 > 0:37:43but its fate may be a warning that all is not quite as rosy
0:37:43 > 0:37:46as the government here wants us to believe.
0:37:48 > 0:37:49Erin Zhang works for a PR company
0:37:49 > 0:37:53that promotes some of the city's projects.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57- Erin, this is a really impressive city. Everything is excellent.- Yes.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00But one thing I notice here is... How shall I put this?
0:38:00 > 0:38:03- ..there aren't that many people around.- Yeah.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- You know, you look at it, there aren't that many people.- Yeah, yeah.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09This city also has a nickname called Ghost City.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12It's a new city.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15But, you know, in China there's a big worry,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18like, people outside China look at China and they worry
0:38:18 > 0:38:21that there's this real estate boom, you know,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25the prices of property are becoming very expensive.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28And that happened in Beijing and in Shanghai
0:38:28 > 0:38:30- and here in Kangbashi, prices are very high.- Yeah.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34And there's a worry that that real estate bubble will burst
0:38:34 > 0:38:37and it'll be over and property prices will fall.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40Do you think that will happen in Kangbashi?
0:38:40 > 0:38:45- I guess it's... It already happened. - It's already happened?
0:38:45 > 0:38:47And does that worry people locally?
0:38:47 > 0:38:51No, because local people, they are rich.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Every family has two or three houses here.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58- They don't have to worry? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:38:58 > 0:39:05And it's good for us because we can afford a house finally.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09But what about this Ghost City thing? Do you think it will...?
0:39:09 > 0:39:13It needs some time but the ghost will be gone.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18- The ghost will be gone, be driven out of Kangbashi?- Yes.- Excellent.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25But Kangbashi was designed to house a million people,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28yet just a fraction of that number now live here.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32The speculators who built it face losing billions.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35This property bubble is mirrored across the country.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39If it bursts, China could experience an economic slump
0:39:39 > 0:39:44which would have huge implications for entire world.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57I'm now nearly halfway through my journey.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00I'm heading for the city of Jinan in Shandong province,
0:40:00 > 0:40:05on my way to one of the most spectacular tourist destinations in China.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08But, first, it's time for a pit stop.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Right, Li Li, let's pull over at the service station and get a coffee
0:40:11 > 0:40:15because I am feeling peckish.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Looks pretty neat to me.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Very swanky. Very new. After you.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31And what have we got here, Li Li? Is this normal?
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Is this normal to have a weapons section?
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Li Li? Why would anyone have that?
0:40:38 > 0:40:42That is not an ornament. The only reason to have something like...
0:40:42 > 0:40:44For a beautiful girl to protect herself.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Oh, right, yeah. For a girl to protect herself.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50Maybe we could do with one then, in that case. Two girls on the road.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54Let's get some snacks. What do they sell here?
0:40:54 > 0:40:59OK, these are all right. Coffee beans, some peanuts, spicy crisps.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03- Oh, Li Li. - Would you like to try this?
0:41:03 > 0:41:07What the...? What is that?!
0:41:07 > 0:41:10- Just try. - Why, why would you have?
0:41:10 > 0:41:15Well, it's a different flavour and it's very hard to eat it
0:41:15 > 0:41:20- but it's really delicious. - Do you think I should try it?- Yes. - I'm going to try chicken's foot.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24That is just the weirdest thing.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27What do I eat? Just the skin?
0:41:27 > 0:41:29Not the bones.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Lightly pull it with your teeth.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Work on that. Dun-dun-dun.
0:41:35 > 0:41:36Nibble on it like this?
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Getting good?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42I'm getting good.
0:41:42 > 0:41:43I can't actually see it right now.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46It's as soon as you look at it, it puts you right off.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49- Are you OK? - It's not that bad.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51SHE LAUGHS
0:42:04 > 0:42:09It's evening by the time we reach Jinan, en route to one of the wonders of China.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Get out of the way!
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Come on!
0:42:19 > 0:42:21CAR HORN BEEPS
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Mr Xie? Ni hao.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38- Good morning.- Good morning. Anita. Pleased to meet you.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40Welcome to Shandong.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Thank you, thank you, I'm ready for this holiday.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46China's new middle classes now have more disposable income
0:42:46 > 0:42:47and leisure time on their hands.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52Every year around 25 million people take their very first holiday.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Is that where we're going? Tai'an?
0:42:55 > 0:42:56It looks beautiful.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58And more and more of these tourists are choosing to
0:42:58 > 0:43:01explore their country by car.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Number 16, that's us. That's it. We're good to go.
0:43:06 > 0:43:11I'm joining 15 Chinese families on a self-drive excursion to Mount Tai,
0:43:11 > 0:43:13one of China's sacred mountains.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18The tour leader is Xie Yingmin.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22And what's the appeal of this type of self-drive holiday,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25where you join a convoy with strangers to go away?
0:43:51 > 0:43:53- VOICE COMES OVER WALKIE-TALKIE - Who's that, number one?
0:43:53 > 0:43:54Is that number one?
0:44:05 > 0:44:07- 'Hello.'- Hello.
0:44:07 > 0:44:14'Everybody. It's our pleasure to join this Taishan travel.'
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Excellent. She speaks English.
0:44:16 > 0:44:23'And it is our pleasure to meet with BBC broadcast workers.'
0:44:32 > 0:44:36Mount Tai holds a unique place in Chinese history.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Its many temples and supreme beauty
0:44:38 > 0:44:40have made it a destination for artists,
0:44:40 > 0:44:43scholars and pilgrims over the centuries.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47It now attracts over 4.5 million
0:44:47 > 0:44:52newly-mobile Chinese tourists every year.
0:44:52 > 0:44:59- Hello, ladies. Hi. What's your car number?- Oh, we have car number ten.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Car number ten?
0:45:01 > 0:45:04So, why come to this mountain? What's the reason to come here?
0:45:04 > 0:45:08Just to have some fun because we're from Shandong
0:45:08 > 0:45:13but I have never been to Mountain Tai, so it's my first time.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17And why is this mountain special? Why do you want to come here?
0:45:17 > 0:45:19It's the highest mountain in the east of China.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21Do you drive?
0:45:21 > 0:45:24I drove very little but I can drive.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27- You can, you've passed your test? - Yes.- So, do you want a car?
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Yes. I have bought a car and it's coming this weekend.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33- This weekend?- Yes. - What car are you getting?
0:45:33 > 0:45:36- It's the same as my uncle. - A VW Touran?
0:45:36 > 0:45:38- Yes.- That's quite a big car.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42- You're going to have a huge car. - I love huge cars.
0:45:42 > 0:45:43Why not?
0:45:54 > 0:45:56After a seemingly endless climb,
0:45:56 > 0:46:00Li Li and I have almost reached the summit of Mount Tai.
0:46:00 > 0:46:03- Come on, Li Li, last few steps.- Yes.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06And why do people slog all the way up here?
0:46:06 > 0:46:10It's a kind of pilgrimage because there's a temple at the very top.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Many of the tourists are still interested
0:46:15 > 0:46:17In the sacred aspects of Mount Tai.
0:46:20 > 0:46:21For decades,
0:46:21 > 0:46:24China's Communist government suppressed religious worship
0:46:24 > 0:46:27but now most religions are tolerated.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35Yes, I'm really surprised at how much spirituality and religion
0:46:35 > 0:46:38I'm coming across in China. Are the Chinese very religious people?
0:46:38 > 0:46:42I think so because China has so many years of history.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44I'm practising a religion.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46Are you? What's your religion?
0:46:46 > 0:46:48- Buddhism.- So, you're a Buddhist?
0:46:48 > 0:46:52And it's encouraged? Or is it just tolerated? I mean...
0:46:52 > 0:46:57Well, it's just like it's your own choice.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04But freedom of religion in China only goes so far.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06When religion is linked to politics
0:47:06 > 0:47:10or questions the authority of the Communist Party,
0:47:10 > 0:47:12it can still be ruthlessly suppressed.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24My next stop is Yan'an,
0:47:24 > 0:47:27famous throughout China as the cradle of the revolution
0:47:27 > 0:47:30that brought Communist rule to the country.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37We're arriving at the walled compound
0:47:37 > 0:47:39where Mao Zedong and his Communist comrades
0:47:39 > 0:47:44plotted the fall of the Nationalist government of China.
0:47:53 > 0:47:58Today, Mao's cave house is a popular tourist attraction.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01The heart of the revolution.
0:48:01 > 0:48:02Well, look at this.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08This map of China. Oh, OK, here.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10- Oh, there he is. This is Mao.- Yes.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13- And that's the same map, isn't it? - Yes.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16So can I sit here? I can sit here?
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Check it out. This is where Chairman Mao sat.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Oh, look at this. Do some calligraphy.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Is that about right?
0:48:32 > 0:48:35The birth of the People's Republic Of China
0:48:35 > 0:48:38was a long, complex and bloody struggle.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41From the 1920s Mao Zedong
0:48:41 > 0:48:44and his Communist guerrillas fought the Nationalist forces.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50Mao finally emerged victorious from this civil war,
0:48:50 > 0:48:56driving the Nationalists out of mainland China in 1949.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00So-called "red tourism" has become increasingly popular.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04The ruling Communist Party, despite its blatant capitalism,
0:49:04 > 0:49:08still promotes the legend of Chairman Mao
0:49:08 > 0:49:12to help legitimise its rule over the country.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19Here, there's a daily re-enactment of a civil war battle
0:49:19 > 0:49:21between the Communists and the Nationalists.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25Tourists are sometimes allowed to take part.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29There's a nurse over here. So if I get injured... Oh!
0:49:32 > 0:49:34You look after me, yeah?
0:49:34 > 0:49:39I'm glad to have a nurse on hand. You know, there could be some tough, close fighting in this, I think.
0:49:39 > 0:49:40Sir? Sir?
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Can I put a uniform on?
0:49:43 > 0:49:48'The drama depicts an attack by the Nationalist government forces
0:49:48 > 0:49:50'on the Communists in Yan'an.'
0:49:50 > 0:49:54I want to be an officer. How's that?
0:49:58 > 0:50:02This is a Nationalist uniform? These are the baddies.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Oh, you want me to be a Communist? You know, if I must.
0:50:05 > 0:50:10- Oh, look at this.- Yes, they want you to be a Communist.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13That's better, that's better. How's that? Look good?
0:50:13 > 0:50:15Let's go.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19- Shall we get changed? Are you going to get changed? Qiao? You've to get a uniform.- Yes.
0:50:24 > 0:50:29- Eh? It's pretty good, isn't it?- Yeah. - You really look the part.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32- You know, you could be fighting for freedom. Eh?- Yes.
0:50:32 > 0:50:33- Think about it.- Yeah.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36- What do you think? - Pretty awesome.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40The re-enactment has a cast of hundreds,
0:50:40 > 0:50:42including the star of the show.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Chairman?
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Ni hao. What's comrade?
0:50:49 > 0:50:53- Tongzhi.- Ni hao, tongzhi. Ni hao, tongzhi.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57We have a new soldier. I will fight for you, Chairman.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59QIAO TRANSLATES
0:50:59 > 0:51:01I will fight for you, Great Helmsman.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Ni hao. Xie xie.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09I'll tell you what, there's quite a big audience. Look at that.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14Despite the abuses that have happened during communist rule,
0:51:14 > 0:51:19many Chinese people idealise the early days of the revolution.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Perhaps it provides a contrast to the inequality
0:51:24 > 0:51:27that characterises so much of today's China.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33EXPLOSIONS
0:51:33 > 0:51:36AIR RAID SIREN BLARES
0:51:55 > 0:51:58We're going to protect the party, protect the people.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Oh, we'll protect the people? OK.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03GUNFIRE AND EXPLOSIONS
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Oh, my God. He's used a real one.
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Oh, oh, he's dead.
0:52:25 > 0:52:29Arrggh! Come on, you running dogs!
0:52:32 > 0:52:35One Communist tradition that does survive
0:52:35 > 0:52:38is a selective attitude to history.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41In reality, rather than a heroic victory,
0:52:41 > 0:52:45Mao and his generals staged a rather tactical retreat
0:52:45 > 0:52:48from the Nationalist advance on Yunnan.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52Victory was eventually theirs two years later,
0:52:52 > 0:52:58when Mao became the first ruler of the People's Republic Of China in 1949.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06But neither the tourists nor the organisers
0:53:06 > 0:53:07of this very popular attraction
0:53:07 > 0:53:11are letting the facts get in the way of a good story.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28But just how much has life really changed
0:53:28 > 0:53:31for rural farmers here since the revolution?
0:53:31 > 0:53:36Just a few miles up the road is the hamlet of Lao Shitougou -
0:53:36 > 0:53:38literally Old Stone village.
0:53:40 > 0:53:46I'm meeting Zhao Xuecheng who is old enough to remember Mao's struggle.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51Ah, the grindstone.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56So, what have we got here, Mr Zhao?
0:53:59 > 0:54:02It's over 60 years since the revolution
0:54:02 > 0:54:05but it's almost as if time has stood still here.
0:54:05 > 0:54:11People still largely subsist on a diet of millet, corn and vegetables.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18A bit of labour.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24Mr Zhao?
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Don't you have a donkey or something to do this?
0:54:27 > 0:54:29A mao lu?
0:54:29 > 0:54:31I'm the mao lu?
0:54:33 > 0:54:35You're saying I'm your mao lu,
0:54:35 > 0:54:36I'm your donkey?
0:54:40 > 0:54:44After my exertions at the grindstone,
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Mr Zhao invited me to share a meal with him in his cave house
0:54:47 > 0:54:49dug into the hillside.
0:54:49 > 0:54:54Ah, thank you. Thank you very much. OK?
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Wow, look at this.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00This is my first meal in a cave house, Mr Zhao.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04What are we having for dinner tonight?
0:55:07 > 0:55:08Sounds delicious.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14Wild vegetable and it's a cabbage with...
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Mmm!
0:55:18 > 0:55:21That is really lovely. Thank you very much.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23Do you remember the days
0:55:23 > 0:55:26when Chairman Mao was living just down the road here?
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Zhou Eniai, the Premier of all China?
0:55:39 > 0:55:43So has much changed since those days
0:55:43 > 0:55:47when Chairman Mao lived just ten minutes down the road?
0:56:00 > 0:56:04Meat three times a month seems like a rather modest return
0:56:04 > 0:56:09from a revolution fought in the name of the rural poor.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13But China is pulling millions of its people out of poverty.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16The extent to which that change will reach areas like this
0:56:16 > 0:56:19is perhaps the biggest test facing the country.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27At the end of a long day on Mount Tai,
0:56:27 > 0:56:29I'm having dinner at a local restaurant
0:56:29 > 0:56:32with some of my new friends from the self-drive holiday.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Halfway through our trip,
0:56:37 > 0:56:40it seems like a good time to catch up with Justin.
0:56:42 > 0:56:47- Hello.- Hello, Justin. - Hey, Anita, how's it going?
0:56:47 > 0:56:50Very well. I'm on a Chinese holiday.
0:56:50 > 0:56:55- In fact, some of my friends want to say hello to you.- Hello, Justin.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58So, what are you eating? Are you having a meal?
0:56:58 > 0:57:01I'm about to have a delicious Chinese banquet.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04I've got a cold beer in front of me.
0:57:04 > 0:57:05How about you? Where are you?
0:57:05 > 0:57:08We are in a cave house just a couple of doors down
0:57:08 > 0:57:11from where Chairman Mao plotted the revolution.
0:57:11 > 0:57:15I have seen no obvious signs of communism here.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19It feels like it's a consumer capitalist nation,
0:57:19 > 0:57:21as far as I can tell.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23It couldn't be more different here.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26There's still incredible poverty in China.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29But it has been an absolutely incredible journey.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32It has, and we're only halfway through it.
0:57:32 > 0:57:33I'll see you in Shanghai.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35See you in Shanghai. Bye.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40Next week, I'll be getting to grips
0:57:40 > 0:57:43with one of the most treacherous roads in China.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46There's some steep drops down there. If we came over the edge,
0:57:46 > 0:57:50we would be toast.
0:57:50 > 0:57:54And I'll be finding out how a new generation of wealthy Chinese
0:57:54 > 0:57:57is splashing out on wheels for their weddings.
0:57:57 > 0:57:58- Love?- Yes.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00It says it all. Written in English?
0:58:00 > 0:58:02Yeah.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08If you'd like to learn the basics of Mandarin
0:58:08 > 0:58:16and find out more about Chinese culture, then go to...
0:58:16 > 0:58:21and follow the links to the Open University's free learning website.
0:58:36 > 0:58:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd