0:00:02 > 0:00:04'We're on an epic road trip
0:00:04 > 0:00:07'across one of the most powerful countries on the planet...
0:00:08 > 0:00:12'..home to a fifth of the world's population.'
0:00:12 > 0:00:15'We're taking two very different vehicles...'
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Where's my chariot? She's a black beauty.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21It's not the most impressive car I've ever seen.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25'..on two very different journeys.'
0:00:25 > 0:00:27This is China.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31The road surface has just completely gone.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35'We're getting to grips with a very different style of driving.'
0:00:38 > 0:00:42'On some of the most dangerous roads in the world.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:45HORN BLOWS
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'Ten days ago, we set off from Beijing on our journeys across China.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'We've already seen how China's booming car industry
0:00:57 > 0:01:01'is a symbol of the huge changes transforming this country.'
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Oh, that's beautiful.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10'On this leg of the trip, I'll be going on the school run...'
0:01:10 > 0:01:13An E-Class Mercedes coupe.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17'..to check out the competition from the next generation.'
0:01:18 > 0:01:21CHILDREN: On Ilkley Moor ba tat!
0:01:21 > 0:01:26'While I'll be encountering some of the contradictions of modern China.'
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Think I asked the wrong question there.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35FIREWORKS
0:01:37 > 0:01:41'And we'll be asking what changing China means for the world.'
0:01:55 > 0:01:57'I'm starting the second leg of my journey
0:01:57 > 0:02:00'with my guide Qiao Xin in Aizhai,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02'in Hunan Province.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05'If all goes according to plan,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08'I'll be meeting up with Anita in Shanghai in ten days' time.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18'The Aizhai highway winds its way up the mountainside
0:02:18 > 0:02:21'via countless hairpin bends and sheer drops
0:02:21 > 0:02:24'to the valley floor 1,000 feet below.'
0:02:29 > 0:02:33The road surface has just completely gone, hasn't it?
0:02:33 > 0:02:34- Yeah.- Oh.
0:02:36 > 0:02:42It's just ground away. This is a proper switch back. There we go.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'Believe it or not,
0:02:44 > 0:02:49'this is a crucial route linking the giant industrial city of Chongqing
0:02:49 > 0:02:53'to the West with the mighty financial centres of the East.'
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Just round the tight bend, there is some steep drops down there.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04If we came over the edge, we would be toast.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Oh! Huge lorries.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16HORN BLOWS
0:03:16 > 0:03:21'As China's economy has grown, so has the pressure on this road.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25'Traffic has increased five-fold in recent years.'
0:03:28 > 0:03:29Phew!
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Oh, look at this. This looks like the tightest bend of them all.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35Yeah.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41I don't think bread vans... oh...
0:03:41 > 0:03:45are designed for this kind of work.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50'But as part of a multi-billion pound infrastructure development,
0:03:50 > 0:03:55'the Chinese have built a whopping great bridge.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58'And as this is China, it's not just any bridge.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04'It's the largest valley suspension bridge in the world.'
0:04:04 > 0:04:05Wow, Mr Ouyang.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Hello.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08What a magnificent bridge!
0:04:08 > 0:04:11'The bridge is three-quarters of a mile long
0:04:11 > 0:04:15'and sits more than 1,000 feet above the valley floor.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19'Ouyang Gang is the Project Manager.'
0:04:21 > 0:04:26What do you think this bridge tells us about where China's at right now?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46You're saying you're more advanced than the West?
0:04:47 > 0:04:48Ha-ha!
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Definitely? That's a challenge!
0:05:00 > 0:05:04'His pride in China's achievements is not surprising.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06'The country is now home to seven of the ten
0:05:06 > 0:05:10'longest bridges in the world, and incredibly,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12'they've all been built in the last decade.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16'And there are more roads, railways, airports, power stations,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20'all part of a phenomenal expansion of infrastructure
0:05:20 > 0:05:23'unprecedented in the history of the world.'
0:05:26 > 0:05:28HORN BLOWS
0:05:31 > 0:05:34'While Justin's out in the sticks,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37'my guide Li Li and I are arriving in Qingdao.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43'It's a coastal city that's become a playground for China's new rich.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55'Luxury Western brands are popular here
0:05:55 > 0:05:56'as symbols of wealth and status.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06'But China's relationship with Western culture
0:06:06 > 0:06:10'can be confusing to outsiders.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15'The history of Qingdao goes some way to explaining why.'
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Walking around some parts of Qingdao,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21it really doesn't feel like China. I could be in Europe,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and that's because this city was once controlled by Germany
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and that building was the German Governor's mansion.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35'From 1898 to 1914, Qingdao and the surrounding area
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'was governed by Germany.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42'Parts of the city are still very much as the Germans left them.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47'The Germans weren't the only foreign power in China.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49'From the middle of the 19th century
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'the British, French, Russians and Japanese,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56'all at various times, controlled parts of the country.'
0:07:00 > 0:07:06China is a very proud country with over 2,000 years of its own
0:07:06 > 0:07:09rich imperial history, so to have parts of the country under
0:07:09 > 0:07:13foreign control left a dark stain on the national psyche.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17They call it the century of humiliation.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31'Chinese children are taught that the century of humiliation
0:07:31 > 0:07:34'was a short but painful aberration in the country's history,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38'one that was ended by Mao's unification of China
0:07:38 > 0:07:41'under Communist rule in 1949.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'Since then, of course, China and Qingdao
0:07:46 > 0:07:48'have changed beyond recognition.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50'Take Qingdao's most famous export.'
0:07:52 > 0:07:56The story of Qingdao beer, or Tsingtao as we like to call it,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59pretty much sums up the last 100 years of Chinese history.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02The Germans built a brewery here in 1903,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05which the Japanese then took over a little while later.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Then in 1949, when Mao came to power, he nationalised the company
0:08:09 > 0:08:13and 20 years ago, it was privatised and now you can buy it everywhere.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26'It may be a long time ago, but the century of humiliation
0:08:26 > 0:08:29'still drives Chinese nationalism and global ambition.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34'But Chinese national pride doesn't mean that the country's averse
0:08:34 > 0:08:37'to stealing a few ideas from the West.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40'In the heart of Shandong Province
0:08:40 > 0:08:42'lies a little piece of the Loire valley.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03'Hans Zheng is a Chinese winemaker at the Chateau Huadong.'
0:09:08 > 0:09:11If you want to make good wine, you basically need good soil.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13We have right climate, we have right soil
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and this place is the right place for winemaking.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Those are the grapes. They will become grapes.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20There we go.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22When will they turn into grapes?
0:09:22 > 0:09:25End of August, the beginning of September we start harvesting.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27This time of the year, we do canopy management.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28Uh-huh.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30So we take off this, we call this sec.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32So just the top bit?
0:09:32 > 0:09:33Yeah, just the top bit.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34OK?
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I can't reach the very top. Here we go, here we go.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38I don't want to kill your vine off.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40See this one, at the top.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41OK.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45'Chinese companies have also been buying up vineyards in France
0:09:45 > 0:09:49'and over the next few years, China's wine consumption is set to double.'
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Why do you think they're wanting to start to drink wine?
0:09:53 > 0:09:58I think it's because our standard of living is getting higher and higher.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01We're becoming more Westernised. You know, the lifestyle we have
0:10:01 > 0:10:07at this moment, wine's basically a symbol of high social status.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Have you ever tried Chinese wine?
0:10:10 > 0:10:11I've never tried Chinese wine.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I will show you some good wines from our cellar.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Our Chardonnay is the best Chardonnay in China.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Lead the way to the Chardonnay.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Let's do some wine tasting.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23I'm not spitting it out, though.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Welcome to our cellar. Do you want to try some?
0:10:27 > 0:10:29I would love to try some. That's why we're here.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33It's still young, it's only one year old.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37So it still needs time to age, to develop.
0:10:41 > 0:10:42It's fresh.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44It is very fresh, and I can tell that would be...
0:10:44 > 0:10:45Zesty.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Yeah, zesty. Be quite cleansing on a hot summer's day.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51It's very pleasant. That's good.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52Thank you.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53I'm actually very surprised.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Oh, thank you very much.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59'It's good enough to be a little present for Justin.'
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Justin's going to love it.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06'A bottle of wine with a personalised twist.'
0:11:16 > 0:11:20'I'm continuing my journey through the remote hills of Hunan Province.
0:11:20 > 0:11:26'I've come here in search of one of China's minority populations.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31'More than 90% of the country is made up of Han Chinese.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35'Originally from the north, they've spread across the country,
0:11:35 > 0:11:37'often pushing other ethnic groups into remote areas.
0:11:40 > 0:11:45'The mountain town of Fenghuang is home to a people called the Miao.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52'The Miao have lived in this area for over 2,000 years
0:11:52 > 0:11:56'and have their own culture, costumes and language.
0:12:00 > 0:12:05'I've met up with Zhang Qiao, who's taking me on a tour of the town.'
0:12:12 > 0:12:13What is this?
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- Ow! - Be careful, it's biting.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31'Fortunately, it's too early for lunch,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33'so we're headed down to the river.'
0:12:35 > 0:12:39So it seems busy, even on a rainy day, this town.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44'With its vibrant colours and striking clothing, it might appear
0:12:44 > 0:12:49'as though traditional Miao culture is alive and well in Fenghuang.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58'But actually, these people in their elaborate outfits aren't Miao.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01'They're tourists, part of the majority Han population
0:13:01 > 0:13:05'who've come to have a look at their exotic neighbours.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28'Fenghuang has now become a major tourist draw in China,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31'with around 20,000 visitors every day.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35'The whole town survives on the tourist industry,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38'and Mrs Zhang makes her living as a tour guide.'
0:13:38 > 0:13:39Cheers.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01So how much has the town changed, I don't know,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03in the last ten or 20 years?
0:14:20 > 0:14:22'I want to see what life is really like
0:14:22 > 0:14:26'for ethnic minorities living in rural areas,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28'away from the tourist crowds.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31'So I'm heading out on the rough country roads
0:14:31 > 0:14:33'to the village of Denggao.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41'I'm meeting up with Long Jianxing, a Miao rice farmer.'
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Do you wear traditional Miao clothes?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03'In rural areas,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'minorities are twice as likely as their Han counterparts
0:15:06 > 0:15:10'to live in poverty and as younger generations leave their homelands
0:15:10 > 0:15:16'in search of work, it's difficult for ancient traditions to survive.'
0:15:16 > 0:15:17How many people from the village
0:15:17 > 0:15:19go and work in factories outside of the area?
0:15:29 > 0:15:34'But Mr Long remains here, farming rice as his Miao ancestors
0:15:34 > 0:15:38'have done for generations, albeit without the colourful costumes.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'Most of China's minorities have now been absorbed
0:15:43 > 0:15:45'into the dominant Han culture.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49'Some, like the Tibetans, who have resisted assimilation,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51'have been persecuted.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58'Time to head back to Fenghuang.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01'I've got tickets for a show that claims to celebrate
0:16:01 > 0:16:04'the best of minority culture.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17'Despite government subsidies
0:16:17 > 0:16:21'and support for minority communities across China,
0:16:21 > 0:16:27'their culture survives mostly like this, as a curiosity for tourists.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34'Qiao Xin thinks it's funny to get me involved.'
0:16:48 > 0:16:49From England.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01'It's a race to dress up in traditional Miao costume.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22'All's going well, until my trousers fall down.'
0:17:29 > 0:17:30Are you OK? Ah, you're OK.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43'With my dignity in tatters, it's time to drown my sorrows.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49'And as the night wears on,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53'there isn't much sign of traditional Miao culture.'
0:18:08 > 0:18:11'It's my last night in Qingdao, and Hans is taking me out
0:18:11 > 0:18:13'to the city's most famous restaurants.'
0:18:13 > 0:18:17It's known for seafood.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21'Rather ominously, there aren't any menus on offer
0:18:21 > 0:18:24'and we have to pick our dinner straight from the tanks.'
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Crabs. OK, well, I know crabs.
0:18:27 > 0:18:28Fresh.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30- Fresh crabs. - Shellfish.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Shellfish, OK. You've got snails, fresh snails.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35I feel like I'm in an aquarium.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Large razor clams, lovely. Ooh! What's that?
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Oh, my god! OK, OK, that's me absolutely freaked out.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45That was a snake.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49'The snake wasn't the only thing that shocked me.'
0:18:50 > 0:18:51- What's all this? - It's shark fins.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Shark fins.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Why do people eat shark fins?
0:18:55 > 0:18:58It's traditional Chinese dishes. I don't know why.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01People have been eating this for 400 years. I don't know why.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03And is it a status thing as well?
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Yes, I think it is.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09'And in today's China, more people can afford that status,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12'and the huge demand for shark fin soup
0:19:12 > 0:19:15'is emptying the oceans of sharks.'
0:19:15 > 0:19:20OK, the shark fins shocked me, but no, what have we got here?
0:19:20 > 0:19:22We've got crocodile feet.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23Why just the feet?
0:19:23 > 0:19:24What about the rest of the crocodile?
0:19:24 > 0:19:27I think it's the best part, because they always move
0:19:27 > 0:19:30with this part of the body, so the meat is much more tender.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Don't touch it! Why are you touching it?
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Oh, no, I'm definitely not going anywhere near you!
0:19:40 > 0:19:41Who knew I was this squeamish?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Why do the Chinese love to eat such exotic seafood?
0:19:44 > 0:19:47I mean food, generally, Hans? Why is that?
0:19:47 > 0:19:52I think we like to try things and it tastes beautiful in the dish.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- Do you guarantee that? - Yeah, I guarantee that.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57If you guarantee that, I might try something.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00I won't try anything endangered, OK, but I will try something.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01OK, good.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Yeah.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05'To ensure a truly memorable meal,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08'we're leaving it to the restaurant to select our dishes.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12'Big mistake!'
0:20:17 > 0:20:19- OK, so what's this? - Jellyfish.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20- Jellyfish? - It's raw.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Raw jellyfish.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25'And that's just for starters.'
0:20:27 > 0:20:28What on Earth is this?
0:20:28 > 0:20:29It's a sea cucumber.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Oh, my god!
0:20:31 > 0:20:33It's still moving. Hans?
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Yes, I know. It's fresh.
0:20:38 > 0:20:39OK.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47KNIFE CHOPS
0:20:47 > 0:20:48It's that noise!
0:20:57 > 0:21:01'Before I know it, the sea cucumber is in front of me.'
0:21:06 > 0:21:07Am I expected to eat this?
0:21:07 > 0:21:08Try.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12I really don't think I can.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Can you see how genuinely freaked out I am right now?
0:21:17 > 0:21:18OK.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Oh, no, no, it's got knobbly bits on it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46No way on Earth!
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I thought it was going to be softer.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53It's really tough.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I'm going to try the jellyfish, because after seeing everything else,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59the jellyfish has become quite normal.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00Oh, well, here we go.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Mmm.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Like mushroom.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Jellyfish is fine.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Jellyfish is great.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I'm full, absolutely stuffed. I couldn't eat another thing.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21'Wealthy people here aspire to many Western ideals of status,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23'but when it comes to food,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26'the Chinese have their own very proud traditions.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37'The following morning, I'm heading south from Qingdao.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44'I'm crossing one of the longest sea bridges in the world.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49'This giant construction would almost reach from Dover to Calais.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55'It's the start of a 400 mile drive to my next destination, Nanjing,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58'one of China's great historic capitals.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03'A city the size of London,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07'Nanjing sprawls along the banks of the Yangtze river.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08'It's China's biggest river,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11'and divides the north and the south of the country.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25'The great bridge over the Yangtze was completed in 1968,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29'the first major engineering triumph of the Communist state.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34'Like the rest of the country,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36'Nanjing has developed at breakneck speed.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40'But not everyone can keep up with the pace of change,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43'particularly the thousands of migrant workers
0:23:43 > 0:23:45'who flooded into the city in search of work.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51'The Nanjing Bridge has become famous as a place where desperate
0:23:51 > 0:23:53'people come to end their lives.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04'This tragedy has prompted one Nanjing resident to take action.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32'Chen Si, who works for a local transport company, spends his spare
0:24:32 > 0:24:36'time patrolling the bridge, trying to persuade people not to jump.'
0:24:40 > 0:24:42So how often do you save people?
0:25:06 > 0:25:09The suicide rate in China has gone up.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Why do you think people are wanting to kill themselves?
0:25:42 > 0:25:45'And when life gets difficult, there's not much of a safety net.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53'Free healthcare is very limited.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57'With few trained psychiatrists, only one in 12 people
0:25:57 > 0:25:59'with mental illness ever get to see a professional.'
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Xie xie, Mr Chen.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20'Mr Chen wants me to meet someone
0:26:20 > 0:26:23'he saved on the bridge a few years ago.'
0:26:25 > 0:26:27If Mr Chen had not been there to save your life,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30would you have gone through with it?
0:26:39 > 0:26:42'When Shi Xiqing's daughter contracted leukaemia,
0:26:42 > 0:26:46'he had to borrow £50,000 to pay for her treatment.'
0:26:48 > 0:26:49What took you to Nanjing Bridge?
0:27:07 > 0:27:09So what happened that day on the bridge?
0:27:56 > 0:27:57Is he your angel?
0:28:09 > 0:28:11My God!
0:28:11 > 0:28:13You're a God, Mr Chen, you're a God.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26'Mr Chen's campaign is an inspiration but it illustrates
0:28:26 > 0:28:29'the lack of care in Chinese society for the most vulnerable.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33'Despite the huge outlay on building projects,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36'Communist China spends very little on healthcare,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39'just a tenth of what Britain spends per person,
0:28:39 > 0:28:44'and less than countries like Honduras or Jamaica.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47'It's the first time on my trip that I've seen a downside
0:28:47 > 0:28:50'to the booming Chinese economy.'
0:28:55 > 0:29:01'My trusty old bread van has chugged its way across over 1,500 miles
0:29:01 > 0:29:03'of Chinese countryside.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13'But after the battering it's had over the last few days,
0:29:13 > 0:29:16'it's started to sound terrible.'
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Oh, no! It's literally hanging off.
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Oh, dear.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33I think we're going to have to get it fixed.
0:29:35 > 0:29:36'With night fast approaching,
0:29:36 > 0:29:39'we need to find a mechanic that is still open.'
0:29:48 > 0:29:49Ni hao!
0:29:51 > 0:29:52Ni hao?
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Could you take a look at our car?
0:30:03 > 0:30:04Oh!
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Sounds absolutely horrible.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12'The bread van's still got 1,000 miles to go before Shanghai,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15'so if we don't get it fixed we are in trouble.'
0:30:19 > 0:30:21Isn't it?
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Oh! Oh, so it came off there?
0:30:25 > 0:30:26Oh, it's been bent.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35'It looks like we're in for a long night,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38'but I haven't banked on Chinese ingenuity.'
0:30:40 > 0:30:41You've fixed it?
0:30:41 > 0:30:42Well, that's amazing.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44It took him about five minutes.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47Normally, in Britain, they'd want to replace the whole thing
0:30:47 > 0:30:48and it would take hours,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51but he's fixed it right here and now. That's excellent.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Well done, mate.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58'With the bread van patched up, it's time to get back on the road.'
0:30:59 > 0:31:00Let's go.
0:31:29 > 0:31:34'My east coast journey has taken me to some of China's richest and most stunning cities.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38'Now I'm heading for Hangzhou.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42'It's known as the city of love.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47'With a beautiful lake at its heart,
0:31:47 > 0:31:52'it's a favourite destination for young couples on romantic holidays.
0:31:57 > 0:32:02'And of course, the city of love is famous for its weddings.'
0:32:05 > 0:32:06Going to a wedding!
0:32:09 > 0:32:13'Weddings are big business here, and in modern middle-class China,
0:32:13 > 0:32:16'the car you're married in makes an important statement.'
0:32:18 > 0:32:21So they've got a fleet of red Audis that will be taking
0:32:21 > 0:32:22the wedding procession.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25All the cars are red because it's an auspicious colour.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31But the actual main car that the bride and the groom will sit in is a BMW convertible.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36Love. Says it all. Written in English.
0:32:36 > 0:32:37Yep.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45'The groom, 26-year-old Zheng Feng, is an account manager in a bank.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51'He's splashed out on a wedding video and a photographer.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55'Hiring the fleet of German cars set him back around £500.'
0:33:02 > 0:33:05FIREWORKS
0:33:07 > 0:33:11'They've already had their legal marriage,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15'but in China, the real wedding celebrations start afterwards.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19'And for Zheng Feng, that means he and his best men have to pass
0:33:19 > 0:33:22'a series of tests before he can take his bride away.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28'The boy band dance...'
0:33:31 > 0:33:33'..down some disgusting drinks...'
0:33:38 > 0:33:41'..and the lip print test. Can he spot his wife's?
0:33:47 > 0:33:50'Get it wrong and there's a forfeit.'
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Oh, he's in, he's in.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57'He's through the first door and into the flat,
0:33:57 > 0:34:01'but Zheng Feng now finds his wife holed up in the bedroom
0:34:01 > 0:34:03'with some of her bridesmaids.'
0:34:03 > 0:34:06He has to kiss one of his male classmates.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39The bridesmaids have written a list of vows and promises
0:34:39 > 0:34:42that he has to now read out before she'll let him in.
0:34:51 > 0:34:52I'm liking this tradition.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56He has to sign. It's a contract!
0:35:02 > 0:35:05'The whole thing is a far cry from the wedding
0:35:05 > 0:35:08'that their grandparents had.'
0:35:08 > 0:35:10What was your wedding ceremony like?
0:35:21 > 0:35:24'In their day, many couples could only marry
0:35:24 > 0:35:27'with the permission of the local Communist Party,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29'but these two were lucky enough to have a love marriage.'
0:35:29 > 0:35:31What made you want to marry him?
0:35:39 > 0:35:41And he's very handsome as well.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Are you pleased that your grandchildren get to grow up
0:35:52 > 0:35:55in today's China, rather than the China that you grew up in?
0:36:22 > 0:36:26'And for the happy couple, that means a honeymoon in the Maldives.'
0:36:30 > 0:36:32'I'm now back in civilisation
0:36:32 > 0:36:35'and I'm heading into the city of Changsha.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39'It's the last stop before the end of my journey in Shanghai.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48'This is the city where Mao Zedong went to school
0:36:48 > 0:36:50'and where he developed his Communist philosophy.
0:36:51 > 0:36:57'Mao ruled China more or less as a dictator from 1949
0:36:57 > 0:36:58'until his death in 1976.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03'He'd unified the country after its century of humiliation
0:37:03 > 0:37:05'and civil war.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11'But his rule was marked by famines that killed up to 40 million people
0:37:11 > 0:37:14'and the so-called cultural revolution,
0:37:14 > 0:37:19'in which hundreds of thousands died in violent political purges.'
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Welcome to Orange Island, scenic spot.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29Thank you.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32I'm your tour guide, Cathy.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36'And yet this part of Changsha has been transformed into
0:37:36 > 0:37:41'a tourist destination to show off the city's Mao heritage.'
0:37:42 > 0:37:45So Chinese people who are interested
0:37:45 > 0:37:48in the history of Communist China come here, do they?
0:37:48 > 0:37:52Yes, about 3.5 million people.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56- 3.5 million people come here every year?- Yeah.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58That is amazing.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00That's incredible.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12See on your right hand, this is the Chairman Mao sculpture.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14It's enormous!
0:38:20 > 0:38:26'At over 100 feet tall, it's the largest bust of Mao in the world
0:38:26 > 0:38:28'and depicts him as a young student.'
0:38:29 > 0:38:32He looks more like Beethoven than Chairman Mao, doesn't he?
0:38:32 > 0:38:35He looks much younger and he's got much bigger hair, hasn't he?
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Yes.
0:38:38 > 0:38:39- Do you think?- Yes.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Yeah, obviously bigger. He wasn't really this big.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Do you think he looks good? Do you think he's attractive?
0:38:54 > 0:38:56Yeah, very cool.
0:38:56 > 0:38:57Very cool!
0:38:58 > 0:39:00No, he does look very dashing, though.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04So why do you think so many Chinese people want to come here
0:39:04 > 0:39:06and see this statue of Mao?
0:39:06 > 0:39:10Because Chairman Mao is the leader of China.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14All the people respect him.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18'It seems bizarre to an outsider that so many people want to
0:39:18 > 0:39:21'venerate a man whose rule was marked
0:39:21 > 0:39:23'by so much suffering and death.'
0:39:23 > 0:39:27But what's also really odd is the China of today
0:39:27 > 0:39:30is not something that was created by Chairman Mao.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33It was really created by his successor, Deng Xiaoping.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36He was the guy that liberalised the economy,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39that created this incredible engine of capitalism
0:39:39 > 0:39:41that has transformed China,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45and I wonder why all these people have come here to celebrate Mao.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Why is Chairman Mao still so significant in China, do you think?
0:39:54 > 0:39:59Because we think he is the spirit of China.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03But the China that we see today isn't the China that Chairman Mao created, is it?
0:40:03 > 0:40:06It's like a very capitalist China.
0:40:06 > 0:40:07He's the chief of the revolution.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09- He led the revolution?- Yes.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Why have you guys all come here today? Why have you come here?
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Chairman Mao?
0:40:17 > 0:40:20Do you think he would recognise China today?
0:40:29 > 0:40:34Yeah, but Chairman Mao, he was Communist and yet China now seems to me
0:40:34 > 0:40:37to be one of the greatest capitalist nations in the world.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40WOMAN TRANSLATES
0:40:51 > 0:40:52Oh, where's she going?
0:41:06 > 0:41:09That's that. I think I asked the wrong question there.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20'More than three decades after Mao's death,
0:41:20 > 0:41:25'questioning his legacy can be seen as an insult to the whole country
0:41:25 > 0:41:28'and many people are still frightened of anything
0:41:28 > 0:41:32'that sounds like criticism of him or of the Communist Party.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35'The failures of Mao's rule seem irrelevant
0:41:35 > 0:41:40'when compared to his role in the founding of modern China.'
0:41:49 > 0:41:51'I've stayed an extra day in Hangzhou
0:41:51 > 0:41:54'because there's one more thing that I really want to do here.'
0:42:04 > 0:42:09We've headed out of downtown into the suburbs. It's really lush.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15- It's beautiful, isn't it?- Yeah. - Ooh, private gate. In we go.
0:42:16 > 0:42:17Thank you, sir.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Very nice. This feels like America.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24These houses are gorgeous.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27I mean, how expensive would one of these be, Li Li,
0:42:27 > 0:42:28these beautiful villas?
0:42:28 > 0:42:31In this area, ten million RMB.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- £1 million?!- Yeah.
0:42:33 > 0:42:34Crikey.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36It's not even the most expensive area.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Really? We're not in one of the major cities.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42We're in Hangzhou, we're in a middle-class suburb,
0:42:42 > 0:42:44and the houses are £1 million.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Are you ready to go back to school, Li Li?
0:42:46 > 0:42:47Yeah, I miss school.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51You miss school? Today's your lucky day, then.
0:42:52 > 0:42:57'I'm here to take part in that most Westernised middle-class ritual,
0:42:57 > 0:42:58'the school run.'
0:43:02 > 0:43:03Hello.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07'Yu Zijue is a 35-year-old housewife
0:43:07 > 0:43:09'and mother of an eight-year-old girl.'
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Hello, there. Pleased to meet you. What's your name?
0:43:13 > 0:43:14My name is Julia.
0:43:14 > 0:43:15Julia.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17Your English is very good.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Yes.
0:43:19 > 0:43:20Yes, it is.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24'Yu Zijue's husband set up a small supermarket chain
0:43:24 > 0:43:28'that now has several branches around Hangzhou.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30'They send their daughter Julia to a private school
0:43:30 > 0:43:32'that costs about £1,000 a year.'
0:43:35 > 0:43:41Right, school time. Let's go. School o'clock.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47So, what do you drive, Miss Yu?
0:43:47 > 0:43:50This is a very nice drive. Beautiful car.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56An E-Class Mercedes, coupe. Very sporty.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13'China has invested heavily in its state education system,
0:44:13 > 0:44:17'with impressive results for children of all abilities.'
0:44:19 > 0:44:22'But like many wealthier people,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25'Yu Zijue and her husband decided to go private.'
0:44:33 > 0:44:38Where is it, Julia? Is this it? OK. Here we go.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Back to school.
0:44:44 > 0:44:49'Assembly in China is slightly more regimented than at home.'
0:44:53 > 0:44:54MUSIC PLAYS
0:44:54 > 0:44:56INSTRUCTIONS OVER TANNOY
0:45:01 > 0:45:03It's very organised, isn't it, Li Li?
0:45:03 > 0:45:04Yes, very organised.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08Is this usual? Does this happen in most schools?
0:45:08 > 0:45:12Yes, every school, especially the elementary schools, will do this.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14- Every school?- Yeah.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17- They'll do a drill like this every morning?- Yeah, every morning.
0:45:17 > 0:45:22'For Chinese parents, education is seen as absolutely key
0:45:22 > 0:45:23'to social mobility and success.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28'Recent figures rank children in nearby Shanghai
0:45:28 > 0:45:32'as the best in the world at reading, maths and science,
0:45:32 > 0:45:34'in a different league to British kids.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37'Parents often make huge sacrifices
0:45:37 > 0:45:40'to pay for extra tuition for their children.'
0:45:40 > 0:45:43- Guitar.- CHILDREN: Guitar.
0:45:43 > 0:45:44- Guitar.- CHILDREN: Guitar.
0:45:44 > 0:45:46- Guitar.- CHILDREN: Guitar.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48- Guitar.- Guitar.
0:45:48 > 0:45:49- Guitar.- Guitar.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51- Guitar.- Guitar.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53- Guitar.- Guitar.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55- Guitar.- Guitar.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57- Guitar.- Guitar.
0:45:57 > 0:45:58Guitar.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00- Say it together. Guitar. - CHILDREN: Guitar.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04'As Julia's first lesson is English, I'm going to see
0:46:04 > 0:46:06'if I can teach the class something new.'
0:46:06 > 0:46:09- Hello, everybody.- CHILDREN: Hello.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11My name is Anita.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15- CHILDREN: Anita.- That's right. Do you want to learn a song?
0:46:15 > 0:46:17- CHILDREN: Yes. - Shall I teach you a song?
0:46:17 > 0:46:20OK, you all have to stand up for this one.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23It's the song of my province. Can you say "Yorkshire"?
0:46:23 > 0:46:24CHILDREN: Yorkshire.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26That's right. OK.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29- On...- CHILDREN: On...
0:46:29 > 0:46:31- ..Ilkley...- CHILDREN: ..Ilkley...
0:46:31 > 0:46:34- ..Moor...- CHILDREN: ..Moor...
0:46:34 > 0:46:36- ..ba...- CHILDREN: ..ba...
0:46:36 > 0:46:38- ..tat.- CHILDREN: ..tat.
0:46:38 > 0:46:39Are you ready?
0:46:39 > 0:46:41CHILDREN: Yes.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Sing with pride. Stand straight.
0:46:43 > 0:46:48ALL: # On Ilkley Moor ba tat
0:46:48 > 0:46:52# On Ilkley Moor ba tat
0:46:52 > 0:46:57# On Ilkley Moor ba tat. #
0:46:57 > 0:47:01Well done. Round of applause. Come, clap yourselves.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06Very good, very good. You can all sit down.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Who can tell me, in English, what they want to be?
0:47:08 > 0:47:12I want to be a piano player.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14- How about you?- I like teacher.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16I want to be an engineer.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18An engineer.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21- I want a doctor.- A doctor, OK.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25So I'm driving from Beijing down to Shanghai
0:47:25 > 0:47:30and I'm driving a Chinese car, a Great Wall.
0:47:30 > 0:47:35So I want to know what cars you'd like to drive when you grow up.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51How about you, young man?
0:47:53 > 0:47:55A Lamborghini!
0:47:55 > 0:47:58A sports car, vroom, vroom, vroom!
0:48:00 > 0:48:03A Porsche! So you like your sports cars.
0:48:06 > 0:48:07- Ferrari. - Ferrari.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12'Even if we're being overtaken in the education stakes,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15'at least it seems like Western car brands have got a healthy future.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20'With the rest of the lessons in Chinese,
0:48:20 > 0:48:23'I'm heading off to join Julia's mum for her twice weekly foot massage.
0:48:23 > 0:48:29'It's a chance to see what she thinks about the new China her daughter is growing up in.'
0:48:31 > 0:48:35How different is your daughter's life to your life when you were a kid?
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Is there a lot of competition?
0:49:12 > 0:49:14Would you have liked more children?
0:49:22 > 0:49:26'Yu Zijue and her husband are not actually allowed more children.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28'Except in special circumstances,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31'it's forbidden in China to have a second child,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34'a policy that was introduced in 1978
0:49:34 > 0:49:38'to slow the growth of the country's huge population.'
0:49:38 > 0:49:42Do you have many friends who have more than one child?
0:49:58 > 0:50:01What! That's a phenomenal amount.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05A £100,000 fine for having a second child.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09I find that incredible to get my head around.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12It's very difficult to understand.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16'There are many things about modern China
0:50:16 > 0:50:18'that feel familiar to a Western traveller,
0:50:18 > 0:50:21'but a world where the government dictates how many kids you have
0:50:21 > 0:50:23'feels completely alien.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32'It's a short hop from Hangzhou to Shanghai
0:50:32 > 0:50:35'and the end of my epic journey.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40'I get the feeling I'm way ahead of Justin.'
0:50:42 > 0:50:44Shanghai.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46This is brilliant. Li Li, we've made it!
0:50:46 > 0:50:50- Shanghai! - Shanghai. Woo-hoo!
0:50:50 > 0:50:51It's like a helter-skelter.
0:50:53 > 0:50:57'By some counts, this is the biggest city on the planet.'
0:50:58 > 0:51:03I have to say this is the most impressive city I have ever been to.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06I just can't get over it. I mean, what is that thing?
0:51:06 > 0:51:07That structure is so weird.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11'Shanghai is the beating heart of modern capitalist China,
0:51:11 > 0:51:16'and one of the financial and commercial capitals of the world.'
0:51:16 > 0:51:19Oh, Li Li, look at it!
0:51:19 > 0:51:21It's brilliant!
0:51:25 > 0:51:26This is China.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32'I've reached the end of my journey
0:51:32 > 0:51:35'down China's booming eastern coastal strip.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39'All I have to do now is wait for Justin to get here.'
0:51:43 > 0:51:49'After 2,500 miles, I'm finally nearing my destination.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56'Travelling from the countryside to the cities is like jumping ahead
0:51:56 > 0:51:59'through the centuries, and nothing illustrates
0:51:59 > 0:52:02'China's helter-skelter growth more than the car.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06'A million new cars hit China's roads every month,
0:52:06 > 0:52:11'and while my little bread van used to be one of the most common types of vehicle,
0:52:11 > 0:52:15'the Chinese today are opting for bigger and faster cars.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18'That means more and more pollution,
0:52:18 > 0:52:22'and more greenhouse gases that will affect the entire planet.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26'The future of the Chinese car market
0:52:26 > 0:52:31'could be one of the most important issues facing the world.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37'I've come to an electric car testing centre
0:52:37 > 0:52:40'on the outskirts of Shanghai.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43'Paul Lin is Head of Marketing for BYD,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46'the biggest electric car-maker in China,
0:52:46 > 0:52:51'a company that hopes to make millions from a new generation of green vehicles.'
0:52:51 > 0:52:53So you look at a BYD vehicle,
0:52:53 > 0:52:55actually it's a kind of crossover between SUV and MPV.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59The performance is quite impressive.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02You push it, you can feel like, you can hear the cells,
0:53:02 > 0:53:05it's coming, zzzz! And give you energy and push you ahead.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08- So you think it's as exciting to drive as a petrol car? - Yeah, exactly.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10- Yeah?- Go ahead, please. I see you can't wait.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12HE CHUCKLES
0:53:12 > 0:53:14'Joining us for the ride is Luo Cheng,
0:53:14 > 0:53:17'who'll be showing me around the test circuit.'
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Should be fun! Right. I've pushed the button, it's on.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25- It's already on. - Can't hear it. Put it in "drive".
0:53:25 > 0:53:28So we're going to test the acceleration first, then.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30TYRES SQUEAL
0:53:32 > 0:53:34Left.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38'After three weeks trundling along in the bread van,
0:53:38 > 0:53:42'I can't resist seeing what this car can do.'
0:53:42 > 0:53:43Whoa! This is good.
0:53:47 > 0:53:52'The Chinese government is investing 1.5 billion a year
0:53:52 > 0:53:57'to stimulate the production of electric cars like this.'
0:53:57 > 0:53:59TYRES SQUEAL
0:54:02 > 0:54:05It's quite exciting. It's quite fast to drive, isn't it?
0:54:05 > 0:54:06Are you enjoying it?
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Yes, it's so exciting!
0:54:08 > 0:54:10HE LAUGHS
0:54:12 > 0:54:15Whoa! I've got to brake. Ah!
0:54:15 > 0:54:16TYRES SQUEAL
0:54:16 > 0:54:22Oh! It really is good fun to drive. That is fun.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24- Thank you. Very enjoyable. - It's my pleasure.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26- That was good fun.- You want to buy one in the UK?
0:54:26 > 0:54:28I'd be very happy to drive one of those. That was great.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33'But the Chinese public isn't quite as receptive.
0:54:34 > 0:54:39'Only 5,500 electric cars were bought in China last year.
0:54:39 > 0:54:45'That is way less than one in every thousand cars sold.'
0:54:45 > 0:54:48How many of these vehicles have you actually sold?
0:54:48 > 0:54:52We're selling more than a hundred units per month.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56Hundred units per month. And how many have you sold in Shanghai?
0:54:56 > 0:54:59A lot, being shown in the showroom.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02Lots showing? Yeah, so they're being test driven.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05We're waiting for the sales to go boom.
0:55:05 > 0:55:06You're waiting for it to explode.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18'As China's car industry expands, we've all got to hope
0:55:18 > 0:55:21'that the electric vehicle revolution takes off here,
0:55:21 > 0:55:25'because around the country, less than 10% of the population
0:55:25 > 0:55:28'currently owns a car.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31'If China reaches American levels of ownership,
0:55:31 > 0:55:36'there'll be around a billion cars on the road here.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39'They'll need more oil than is currently produced from every well
0:55:39 > 0:55:42'in the world, and will produce enough carbon dioxide
0:55:42 > 0:55:44'to fry the planet.'
0:55:47 > 0:55:50'As Chinese people get richer,
0:55:50 > 0:55:52'they're going to want more of everything.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57'From consumer goods to raw materials to food,
0:55:57 > 0:55:59'the impact on the world's resources will be immense.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03'It will affect us all.'
0:56:12 > 0:56:14- Whoa!- Hey, Justin.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Anita, how are you doing?
0:56:16 > 0:56:17Good to see you. Welcome to Shanghai.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20- Thank you.- I've brought a present. There you go.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23- Oh, my word.- Check that out. How brilliant is that?
0:56:23 > 0:56:24That is so cool. What a label.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28- It doesn't matter what it tastes like, it's all about the brand, OK. - Yeah, Brand Rani.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31- That's right.- So, while I've been on the back roads of China,
0:56:31 > 0:56:34you've been drinking fine wines, yeah?
0:56:34 > 0:56:37- No, my trip's been really rough and ready, Justin.- Has it?
0:56:37 > 0:56:40Yeah. I've got something seriously impressive to show you. Follow me.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44- I've saved the very best till the end, Justin.- Excellent.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47Take a look at that.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50- Whoa!- Yes.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53That has to be one of the most impressive urban skyscapes
0:56:53 > 0:56:54I've ever seen.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58'20 years ago, the view across the river was of farmland.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05'Now it's a symbol of capitalist success to rival any city on Earth.'
0:57:06 > 0:57:09This sums up my trip.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12Capitalism, rampant consumerism, incredible wealth,
0:57:12 > 0:57:15and you know what everybody wants? Western brands.
0:57:15 > 0:57:19Really? I'll tell you what. I've had a completely different journey.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22We've seen development, new buildings, new roads, but we've seen real poverty as well.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24But do you know what?
0:57:24 > 0:57:27Every single Chinese person I've met, without exception,
0:57:27 > 0:57:29says that their lives have got better.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35'Despite the greatest economic boom in history,
0:57:35 > 0:57:37'despite the view across the river,
0:57:37 > 0:57:40'China is still a developing country,
0:57:40 > 0:57:45'poorer per person than countries like Bulgaria or Costa Rica.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48'And that means no matter how much it's changed
0:57:48 > 0:57:52'in the last few decades, there's a lot more change to come.'
0:57:52 > 0:57:55And that skyline symbolises just how far China's come
0:57:55 > 0:57:56in the last 20 years.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59Just imagine in 20 more years - what's it going to be like then?
0:57:59 > 0:58:01- We'll have to come back. - Certainly will.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07'If you'd like to learn the basics of Mandarin and find out
0:58:07 > 0:58:11'more about Chinese culture, then go to...
0:58:11 > 0:58:16'and follow the links to the Open University's free learning website.'
0:58:40 > 0:58:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd