Episode 2 China on Four Wheels

'We're on an epic road trip

'across one of the most powerful countries on the planet...

'..home to a fifth of the world's population.'

'We're taking two very different vehicles...'

Where's my chariot? She's a black beauty.

It's not the most impressive car I've ever seen.

'..on two very different journeys.'

This is China.

The road surface has just completely gone.

'We're getting to grips with a very different style of driving.'

'On some of the most dangerous roads in the world.'

HORN BLOWS

'Ten days ago, we set off from Beijing on our journeys across China.'

'We've already seen how China's booming car industry

'is a symbol of the huge changes transforming this country.'

Oh, that's beautiful.

'On this leg of the trip, I'll be going on the school run...'

An E-Class Mercedes coupe.

'..to check out the competition from the next generation.'

CHILDREN: On Ilkley Moor ba tat!

'While I'll be encountering some of the contradictions of modern China.'

Think I asked the wrong question there.

FIREWORKS

'And we'll be asking what changing China means for the world.'

'I'm starting the second leg of my journey

'with my guide Qiao Xin in Aizhai,

'in Hunan Province.

'If all goes according to plan,

'I'll be meeting up with Anita in Shanghai in ten days' time.

'The Aizhai highway winds its way up the mountainside

'via countless hairpin bends and sheer drops

'to the valley floor 1,000 feet below.'

The road surface has just completely gone, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-Oh.

It's just ground away. This is a proper switch back. There we go.

'Believe it or not,

'this is a crucial route linking the giant industrial city of Chongqing

'to the West with the mighty financial centres of the East.'

Just round the tight bend, there is some steep drops down there.

If we came over the edge, we would be toast.

Oh! Huge lorries.

HORN BLOWS

'As China's economy has grown, so has the pressure on this road.

'Traffic has increased five-fold in recent years.'

Phew!

Oh, look at this. This looks like the tightest bend of them all.

Yeah.

I don't think bread vans... oh...

are designed for this kind of work.

'But as part of a multi-billion pound infrastructure development,

'the Chinese have built a whopping great bridge.

'And as this is China, it's not just any bridge.

'It's the largest valley suspension bridge in the world.'

Wow, Mr Ouyang.

Hello.

What a magnificent bridge!

'The bridge is three-quarters of a mile long

'and sits more than 1,000 feet above the valley floor.

'Ouyang Gang is the Project Manager.'

What do you think this bridge tells us about where China's at right now?

You're saying you're more advanced than the West?

Ha-ha!

Definitely? That's a challenge!

'His pride in China's achievements is not surprising.

'The country is now home to seven of the ten

'longest bridges in the world, and incredibly,

'they've all been built in the last decade.

'And there are more roads, railways, airports, power stations,

'all part of a phenomenal expansion of infrastructure

'unprecedented in the history of the world.'

HORN BLOWS

'While Justin's out in the sticks,

'my guide Li Li and I are arriving in Qingdao.

'It's a coastal city that's become a playground for China's new rich.

'Luxury Western brands are popular here

'as symbols of wealth and status.

'But China's relationship with Western culture

'can be confusing to outsiders.

'The history of Qingdao goes some way to explaining why.'

Walking around some parts of Qingdao,

it really doesn't feel like China. I could be in Europe,

and that's because this city was once controlled by Germany

and that building was the German Governor's mansion.

'From 1898 to 1914, Qingdao and the surrounding area

'was governed by Germany.

'Parts of the city are still very much as the Germans left them.

'The Germans weren't the only foreign power in China.

'From the middle of the 19th century

'the British, French, Russians and Japanese,

'all at various times, controlled parts of the country.'

China is a very proud country with over 2,000 years of its own

rich imperial history, so to have parts of the country under

foreign control left a dark stain on the national psyche.

They call it the century of humiliation.

'Chinese children are taught that the century of humiliation

'was a short but painful aberration in the country's history,

'one that was ended by Mao's unification of China

'under Communist rule in 1949.

'Since then, of course, China and Qingdao

'have changed beyond recognition.

'Take Qingdao's most famous export.'

The story of Qingdao beer, or Tsingtao as we like to call it,

pretty much sums up the last 100 years of Chinese history.

The Germans built a brewery here in 1903,

which the Japanese then took over a little while later.

Then in 1949, when Mao came to power, he nationalised the company

and 20 years ago, it was privatised and now you can buy it everywhere.

'It may be a long time ago, but the century of humiliation

'still drives Chinese nationalism and global ambition.

'But Chinese national pride doesn't mean that the country's averse

'to stealing a few ideas from the West.

'In the heart of Shandong Province

'lies a little piece of the Loire valley.

'Hans Zheng is a Chinese winemaker at the Chateau Huadong.'

If you want to make good wine, you basically need good soil.

We have right climate, we have right soil

and this place is the right place for winemaking.

Those are the grapes. They will become grapes.

There we go.

When will they turn into grapes?

End of August, the beginning of September we start harvesting.

This time of the year, we do canopy management.

Uh-huh.

So we take off this, we call this sec.

So just the top bit?

Yeah, just the top bit.

OK?

I can't reach the very top. Here we go, here we go.

I don't want to kill your vine off.

See this one, at the top.

OK.

'Chinese companies have also been buying up vineyards in France

'and over the next few years, China's wine consumption is set to double.'

Why do you think they're wanting to start to drink wine?

I think it's because our standard of living is getting higher and higher.

We're becoming more Westernised. You know, the lifestyle we have

at this moment, wine's basically a symbol of high social status.

Have you ever tried Chinese wine?

I've never tried Chinese wine.

I will show you some good wines from our cellar.

Our Chardonnay is the best Chardonnay in China.

Lead the way to the Chardonnay.

Let's do some wine tasting.

I'm not spitting it out, though.

Welcome to our cellar. Do you want to try some?

I would love to try some. That's why we're here.

It's still young, it's only one year old.

So it still needs time to age, to develop.

It's fresh.

It is very fresh, and I can tell that would be...

Zesty.

Yeah, zesty. Be quite cleansing on a hot summer's day.

It's very pleasant. That's good.

Thank you.

I'm actually very surprised.

Oh, thank you very much.

'It's good enough to be a little present for Justin.'

Justin's going to love it.

'A bottle of wine with a personalised twist.'

'I'm continuing my journey through the remote hills of Hunan Province.

'I've come here in search of one of China's minority populations.

'More than 90% of the country is made up of Han Chinese.

'Originally from the north, they've spread across the country,

'often pushing other ethnic groups into remote areas.

'The mountain town of Fenghuang is home to a people called the Miao.

'The Miao have lived in this area for over 2,000 years

'and have their own culture, costumes and language.

'I've met up with Zhang Qiao, who's taking me on a tour of the town.'

What is this?

-Ow!

-Be careful, it's biting.

'Fortunately, it's too early for lunch,

'so we're headed down to the river.'

So it seems busy, even on a rainy day, this town.

'With its vibrant colours and striking clothing, it might appear

'as though traditional Miao culture is alive and well in Fenghuang.

'But actually, these people in their elaborate outfits aren't Miao.

'They're tourists, part of the majority Han population

'who've come to have a look at their exotic neighbours.

'Fenghuang has now become a major tourist draw in China,

'with around 20,000 visitors every day.

'The whole town survives on the tourist industry,

'and Mrs Zhang makes her living as a tour guide.'

Cheers.

So how much has the town changed, I don't know,

in the last ten or 20 years?

'I want to see what life is really like

'for ethnic minorities living in rural areas,

'away from the tourist crowds.

'So I'm heading out on the rough country roads

'to the village of Denggao.

'I'm meeting up with Long Jianxing, a Miao rice farmer.'

Do you wear traditional Miao clothes?

'In rural areas,

'minorities are twice as likely as their Han counterparts

'to live in poverty and as younger generations leave their homelands

'in search of work, it's difficult for ancient traditions to survive.'

How many people from the village

go and work in factories outside of the area?

'But Mr Long remains here, farming rice as his Miao ancestors

'have done for generations, albeit without the colourful costumes.

'Most of China's minorities have now been absorbed

'into the dominant Han culture.

'Some, like the Tibetans, who have resisted assimilation,

'have been persecuted.

'Time to head back to Fenghuang.

'I've got tickets for a show that claims to celebrate

'the best of minority culture.

'Despite government subsidies

'and support for minority communities across China,

'their culture survives mostly like this, as a curiosity for tourists.

'Qiao Xin thinks it's funny to get me involved.'

From England.

'It's a race to dress up in traditional Miao costume.

'All's going well, until my trousers fall down.'

Are you OK? Ah, you're OK.

'With my dignity in tatters, it's time to drown my sorrows.

'And as the night wears on,

'there isn't much sign of traditional Miao culture.'

'It's my last night in Qingdao, and Hans is taking me out

'to the city's most famous restaurants.'

It's known for seafood.

'Rather ominously, there aren't any menus on offer

'and we have to pick our dinner straight from the tanks.'

Crabs. OK, well, I know crabs.

Fresh.

-Fresh crabs.

-Shellfish.

Shellfish, OK. You've got snails, fresh snails.

I feel like I'm in an aquarium.

Large razor clams, lovely. Ooh! What's that?

Oh, my god! OK, OK, that's me absolutely freaked out.

That was a snake.

'The snake wasn't the only thing that shocked me.'

-What's all this?

-It's shark fins.

Shark fins.

Why do people eat shark fins?

It's traditional Chinese dishes. I don't know why.

People have been eating this for 400 years. I don't know why.

And is it a status thing as well?

Yes, I think it is.

'And in today's China, more people can afford that status,

'and the huge demand for shark fin soup

'is emptying the oceans of sharks.'

OK, the shark fins shocked me, but no, what have we got here?

We've got crocodile feet.

Why just the feet?

What about the rest of the crocodile?

I think it's the best part, because they always move

with this part of the body, so the meat is much more tender.

Don't touch it! Why are you touching it?

Oh, no, I'm definitely not going anywhere near you!

Who knew I was this squeamish?

Why do the Chinese love to eat such exotic seafood?

I mean food, generally, Hans? Why is that?

I think we like to try things and it tastes beautiful in the dish.

-Do you guarantee that?

-Yeah, I guarantee that.

If you guarantee that, I might try something.

I won't try anything endangered, OK, but I will try something.

OK, good.

Yeah.

'To ensure a truly memorable meal,

'we're leaving it to the restaurant to select our dishes.

'Big mistake!'

-OK, so what's this?

-Jellyfish.

-Jellyfish?

-It's raw.

Raw jellyfish.

'And that's just for starters.'

What on Earth is this?

It's a sea cucumber.

Oh, my god!

It's still moving. Hans?

Yes, I know. It's fresh.

OK.

KNIFE CHOPS

It's that noise!

'Before I know it, the sea cucumber is in front of me.'

Am I expected to eat this?

Try.

I really don't think I can.

Can you see how genuinely freaked out I am right now?

OK.

Oh, no, no, it's got knobbly bits on it.

No way on Earth!

I thought it was going to be softer.

It's really tough.

I'm going to try the jellyfish, because after seeing everything else,

the jellyfish has become quite normal.

Oh, well, here we go.

Mmm.

Like mushroom.

Jellyfish is fine.

Jellyfish is great.

I'm full, absolutely stuffed. I couldn't eat another thing.

'Wealthy people here aspire to many Western ideals of status,

'but when it comes to food,

'the Chinese have their own very proud traditions.

'The following morning, I'm heading south from Qingdao.

'I'm crossing one of the longest sea bridges in the world.

'This giant construction would almost reach from Dover to Calais.

'It's the start of a 400 mile drive to my next destination, Nanjing,

'one of China's great historic capitals.

'A city the size of London,

'Nanjing sprawls along the banks of the Yangtze river.

'It's China's biggest river,

'and divides the north and the south of the country.

'The great bridge over the Yangtze was completed in 1968,

'the first major engineering triumph of the Communist state.

'Like the rest of the country,

'Nanjing has developed at breakneck speed.

'But not everyone can keep up with the pace of change,

'particularly the thousands of migrant workers

'who flooded into the city in search of work.

'The Nanjing Bridge has become famous as a place where desperate

'people come to end their lives.

'This tragedy has prompted one Nanjing resident to take action.

'Chen Si, who works for a local transport company, spends his spare

'time patrolling the bridge, trying to persuade people not to jump.'

So how often do you save people?

The suicide rate in China has gone up.

Why do you think people are wanting to kill themselves?

'And when life gets difficult, there's not much of a safety net.

'Free healthcare is very limited.

'With few trained psychiatrists, only one in 12 people

'with mental illness ever get to see a professional.'

Xie xie, Mr Chen.

'Mr Chen wants me to meet someone

'he saved on the bridge a few years ago.'

If Mr Chen had not been there to save your life,

would you have gone through with it?

'When Shi Xiqing's daughter contracted leukaemia,

'he had to borrow £50,000 to pay for her treatment.'

What took you to Nanjing Bridge?

So what happened that day on the bridge?

Is he your angel?

My God!

You're a God, Mr Chen, you're a God.

'Mr Chen's campaign is an inspiration but it illustrates

'the lack of care in Chinese society for the most vulnerable.

'Despite the huge outlay on building projects,

'Communist China spends very little on healthcare,

'just a tenth of what Britain spends per person,

'and less than countries like Honduras or Jamaica.

'It's the first time on my trip that I've seen a downside

'to the booming Chinese economy.'

'My trusty old bread van has chugged its way across over 1,500 miles

'of Chinese countryside.

'But after the battering it's had over the last few days,

'it's started to sound terrible.'

Oh, no! It's literally hanging off.

Oh, dear.

I think we're going to have to get it fixed.

'With night fast approaching,

'we need to find a mechanic that is still open.'

Ni hao!

Ni hao?

Could you take a look at our car?

Oh!

Sounds absolutely horrible.

'The bread van's still got 1,000 miles to go before Shanghai,

'so if we don't get it fixed we are in trouble.'

Isn't it?

Oh! Oh, so it came off there?

Oh, it's been bent.

'It looks like we're in for a long night,

'but I haven't banked on Chinese ingenuity.'

You've fixed it?

Well, that's amazing.

It took him about five minutes.

Normally, in Britain, they'd want to replace the whole thing

and it would take hours,

but he's fixed it right here and now. That's excellent.

Well done, mate.

'With the bread van patched up, it's time to get back on the road.'

Let's go.

'My east coast journey has taken me to some of China's richest and most stunning cities.

'Now I'm heading for Hangzhou.

'It's known as the city of love.

'With a beautiful lake at its heart,

'it's a favourite destination for young couples on romantic holidays.

'And of course, the city of love is famous for its weddings.'

Going to a wedding!

'Weddings are big business here, and in modern middle-class China,

'the car you're married in makes an important statement.'

So they've got a fleet of red Audis that will be taking

the wedding procession.

All the cars are red because it's an auspicious colour.

But the actual main car that the bride and the groom will sit in is a BMW convertible.

Love. Says it all. Written in English.

Yep.

'The groom, 26-year-old Zheng Feng, is an account manager in a bank.

'He's splashed out on a wedding video and a photographer.

'Hiring the fleet of German cars set him back around £500.'

FIREWORKS

'They've already had their legal marriage,

'but in China, the real wedding celebrations start afterwards.

'And for Zheng Feng, that means he and his best men have to pass

'a series of tests before he can take his bride away.

'The boy band dance...'

'..down some disgusting drinks...'

'..and the lip print test. Can he spot his wife's?

'Get it wrong and there's a forfeit.'

Oh, he's in, he's in.

'He's through the first door and into the flat,

'but Zheng Feng now finds his wife holed up in the bedroom

'with some of her bridesmaids.'

He has to kiss one of his male classmates.

The bridesmaids have written a list of vows and promises

that he has to now read out before she'll let him in.

I'm liking this tradition.

He has to sign. It's a contract!

'The whole thing is a far cry from the wedding

'that their grandparents had.'

What was your wedding ceremony like?

'In their day, many couples could only marry

'with the permission of the local Communist Party,

'but these two were lucky enough to have a love marriage.'

What made you want to marry him?

And he's very handsome as well.

Are you pleased that your grandchildren get to grow up

in today's China, rather than the China that you grew up in?

'And for the happy couple, that means a honeymoon in the Maldives.'

'I'm now back in civilisation

'and I'm heading into the city of Changsha.

'It's the last stop before the end of my journey in Shanghai.

'This is the city where Mao Zedong went to school

'and where he developed his Communist philosophy.

'Mao ruled China more or less as a dictator from 1949

'until his death in 1976.

'He'd unified the country after its century of humiliation

'and civil war.

'But his rule was marked by famines that killed up to 40 million people

'and the so-called cultural revolution,

'in which hundreds of thousands died in violent political purges.'

Welcome to Orange Island, scenic spot.

Thank you.

I'm your tour guide, Cathy.

'And yet this part of Changsha has been transformed into

'a tourist destination to show off the city's Mao heritage.'

So Chinese people who are interested

in the history of Communist China come here, do they?

Yes, about 3.5 million people.

-3.5 million people come here every year?

-Yeah.

That is amazing.

That's incredible.

See on your right hand, this is the Chairman Mao sculpture.

It's enormous!

'At over 100 feet tall, it's the largest bust of Mao in the world

'and depicts him as a young student.'

He looks more like Beethoven than Chairman Mao, doesn't he?

He looks much younger and he's got much bigger hair, hasn't he?

Yes.

-Do you think?

-Yes.

Yeah, obviously bigger. He wasn't really this big.

Do you think he looks good? Do you think he's attractive?

Yeah, very cool.

Very cool!

No, he does look very dashing, though.

So why do you think so many Chinese people want to come here

and see this statue of Mao?

Because Chairman Mao is the leader of China.

All the people respect him.

'It seems bizarre to an outsider that so many people want to

'venerate a man whose rule was marked

'by so much suffering and death.'

But what's also really odd is the China of today

is not something that was created by Chairman Mao.

It was really created by his successor, Deng Xiaoping.

He was the guy that liberalised the economy,

that created this incredible engine of capitalism

that has transformed China,

and I wonder why all these people have come here to celebrate Mao.

Why is Chairman Mao still so significant in China, do you think?

Because we think he is the spirit of China.

But the China that we see today isn't the China that Chairman Mao created, is it?

It's like a very capitalist China.

He's the chief of the revolution.

-He led the revolution?

-Yes.

Why have you guys all come here today? Why have you come here?

Chairman Mao?

Do you think he would recognise China today?

Yeah, but Chairman Mao, he was Communist and yet China now seems to me

to be one of the greatest capitalist nations in the world.

WOMAN TRANSLATES

Oh, where's she going?

That's that. I think I asked the wrong question there.

'More than three decades after Mao's death,

'questioning his legacy can be seen as an insult to the whole country

'and many people are still frightened of anything

'that sounds like criticism of him or of the Communist Party.

'The failures of Mao's rule seem irrelevant

'when compared to his role in the founding of modern China.'

'I've stayed an extra day in Hangzhou

'because there's one more thing that I really want to do here.'

We've headed out of downtown into the suburbs. It's really lush.

-It's beautiful, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Ooh, private gate. In we go.

Thank you, sir.

Very nice. This feels like America.

These houses are gorgeous.

I mean, how expensive would one of these be, Li Li,

these beautiful villas?

In this area, ten million RMB.

-£1 million?!

-Yeah.

Crikey.

It's not even the most expensive area.

Really? We're not in one of the major cities.

We're in Hangzhou, we're in a middle-class suburb,

and the houses are £1 million.

Are you ready to go back to school, Li Li?

Yeah, I miss school.

You miss school? Today's your lucky day, then.

'I'm here to take part in that most Westernised middle-class ritual,

'the school run.'

Hello.

'Yu Zijue is a 35-year-old housewife

'and mother of an eight-year-old girl.'

Hello, there. Pleased to meet you. What's your name?

My name is Julia.

Julia.

Your English is very good.

Yes.

Yes, it is.

'Yu Zijue's husband set up a small supermarket chain

'that now has several branches around Hangzhou.

'They send their daughter Julia to a private school

'that costs about £1,000 a year.'

Right, school time. Let's go. School o'clock.

So, what do you drive, Miss Yu?

This is a very nice drive. Beautiful car.

An E-Class Mercedes, coupe. Very sporty.

'China has invested heavily in its state education system,

'with impressive results for children of all abilities.'

'But like many wealthier people,

'Yu Zijue and her husband decided to go private.'

Where is it, Julia? Is this it? OK. Here we go.

Back to school.

'Assembly in China is slightly more regimented than at home.'

MUSIC PLAYS

INSTRUCTIONS OVER TANNOY

It's very organised, isn't it, Li Li?

Yes, very organised.

Is this usual? Does this happen in most schools?

Yes, every school, especially the elementary schools, will do this.

-Every school?

-Yeah.

-They'll do a drill like this every morning?

-Yeah, every morning.

'For Chinese parents, education is seen as absolutely key

'to social mobility and success.

'Recent figures rank children in nearby Shanghai

'as the best in the world at reading, maths and science,

'in a different league to British kids.

'Parents often make huge sacrifices

'to pay for extra tuition for their children.'

-Guitar.

-CHILDREN: Guitar.

-Guitar.

-CHILDREN: Guitar.

-Guitar.

-CHILDREN: Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

-Guitar.

Guitar.

-Say it together. Guitar.

-CHILDREN: Guitar.

'As Julia's first lesson is English, I'm going to see

'if I can teach the class something new.'

-Hello, everybody.

-CHILDREN: Hello.

My name is Anita.

-CHILDREN: Anita.

-That's right. Do you want to learn a song?

-CHILDREN: Yes.

-Shall I teach you a song?

OK, you all have to stand up for this one.

It's the song of my province. Can you say "Yorkshire"?

CHILDREN: Yorkshire.

That's right. OK.

-On...

-CHILDREN: On...

-..Ilkley...

-CHILDREN: ..Ilkley...

-..Moor...

-CHILDREN: ..Moor...

-..ba...

-CHILDREN: ..ba...

-..tat.

-CHILDREN: ..tat.

Are you ready?

CHILDREN: Yes.

Sing with pride. Stand straight.

ALL: # On Ilkley Moor ba tat

# On Ilkley Moor ba tat

# On Ilkley Moor ba tat. #

Well done. Round of applause. Come, clap yourselves.

Very good, very good. You can all sit down.

Who can tell me, in English, what they want to be?

I want to be a piano player.

-How about you?

-I like teacher.

I want to be an engineer.

An engineer.

-I want a doctor.

-A doctor, OK.

So I'm driving from Beijing down to Shanghai

and I'm driving a Chinese car, a Great Wall.

So I want to know what cars you'd like to drive when you grow up.

How about you, young man?

A Lamborghini!

A sports car, vroom, vroom, vroom!

A Porsche! So you like your sports cars.

-Ferrari.

-Ferrari.

'Even if we're being overtaken in the education stakes,

'at least it seems like Western car brands have got a healthy future.

'With the rest of the lessons in Chinese,

'I'm heading off to join Julia's mum for her twice weekly foot massage.

'It's a chance to see what she thinks about the new China her daughter is growing up in.'

How different is your daughter's life to your life when you were a kid?

Is there a lot of competition?

Would you have liked more children?

'Yu Zijue and her husband are not actually allowed more children.

'Except in special circumstances,

'it's forbidden in China to have a second child,

'a policy that was introduced in 1978

'to slow the growth of the country's huge population.'

Do you have many friends who have more than one child?

What! That's a phenomenal amount.

A £100,000 fine for having a second child.

I find that incredible to get my head around.

It's very difficult to understand.

'There are many things about modern China

'that feel familiar to a Western traveller,

'but a world where the government dictates how many kids you have

'feels completely alien.

'It's a short hop from Hangzhou to Shanghai

'and the end of my epic journey.

'I get the feeling I'm way ahead of Justin.'

Shanghai.

This is brilliant. Li Li, we've made it!

-Shanghai!

-Shanghai. Woo-hoo!

It's like a helter-skelter.

'By some counts, this is the biggest city on the planet.'

I have to say this is the most impressive city I have ever been to.

I just can't get over it. I mean, what is that thing?

That structure is so weird.

'Shanghai is the beating heart of modern capitalist China,

'and one of the financial and commercial capitals of the world.'

Oh, Li Li, look at it!

It's brilliant!

This is China.

'I've reached the end of my journey

'down China's booming eastern coastal strip.

'All I have to do now is wait for Justin to get here.'

'After 2,500 miles, I'm finally nearing my destination.

'Travelling from the countryside to the cities is like jumping ahead

'through the centuries, and nothing illustrates

'China's helter-skelter growth more than the car.

'A million new cars hit China's roads every month,

'and while my little bread van used to be one of the most common types of vehicle,

'the Chinese today are opting for bigger and faster cars.

'That means more and more pollution,

'and more greenhouse gases that will affect the entire planet.

'The future of the Chinese car market

'could be one of the most important issues facing the world.

'I've come to an electric car testing centre

'on the outskirts of Shanghai.

'Paul Lin is Head of Marketing for BYD,

'the biggest electric car-maker in China,

'a company that hopes to make millions from a new generation of green vehicles.'

So you look at a BYD vehicle,

actually it's a kind of crossover between SUV and MPV.

The performance is quite impressive.

You push it, you can feel like, you can hear the cells,

it's coming, zzzz! And give you energy and push you ahead.

-So you think it's as exciting to drive as a petrol car?

-Yeah, exactly.

-Yeah?

-Go ahead, please. I see you can't wait.

HE CHUCKLES

'Joining us for the ride is Luo Cheng,

'who'll be showing me around the test circuit.'

Should be fun! Right. I've pushed the button, it's on.

-It's already on.

-Can't hear it. Put it in "drive".

So we're going to test the acceleration first, then.

TYRES SQUEAL

Left.

'After three weeks trundling along in the bread van,

'I can't resist seeing what this car can do.'

Whoa! This is good.

'The Chinese government is investing 1.5 billion a year

'to stimulate the production of electric cars like this.'

TYRES SQUEAL

It's quite exciting. It's quite fast to drive, isn't it?

Are you enjoying it?

Yes, it's so exciting!

HE LAUGHS

Whoa! I've got to brake. Ah!

TYRES SQUEAL

Oh! It really is good fun to drive. That is fun.

-Thank you. Very enjoyable.

-It's my pleasure.

-That was good fun.

-You want to buy one in the UK?

I'd be very happy to drive one of those. That was great.

'But the Chinese public isn't quite as receptive.

'Only 5,500 electric cars were bought in China last year.

'That is way less than one in every thousand cars sold.'

How many of these vehicles have you actually sold?

We're selling more than a hundred units per month.

Hundred units per month. And how many have you sold in Shanghai?

A lot, being shown in the showroom.

Lots showing? Yeah, so they're being test driven.

We're waiting for the sales to go boom.

You're waiting for it to explode.

'As China's car industry expands, we've all got to hope

'that the electric vehicle revolution takes off here,

'because around the country, less than 10% of the population

'currently owns a car.

'If China reaches American levels of ownership,

'there'll be around a billion cars on the road here.

'They'll need more oil than is currently produced from every well

'in the world, and will produce enough carbon dioxide

'to fry the planet.'

'As Chinese people get richer,

'they're going to want more of everything.

'From consumer goods to raw materials to food,

'the impact on the world's resources will be immense.

'It will affect us all.'

-Whoa!

-Hey, Justin.

Anita, how are you doing?

Good to see you. Welcome to Shanghai.

-Thank you.

-I've brought a present. There you go.

-Oh, my word.

-Check that out. How brilliant is that?

That is so cool. What a label.

-It doesn't matter what it tastes like, it's all about the brand, OK.

-Yeah, Brand Rani.

-That's right.

-So, while I've been on the back roads of China,

you've been drinking fine wines, yeah?

-No, my trip's been really rough and ready, Justin.

-Has it?

Yeah. I've got something seriously impressive to show you. Follow me.

-I've saved the very best till the end, Justin.

-Excellent.

Take a look at that.

-Whoa!

-Yes.

That has to be one of the most impressive urban skyscapes

I've ever seen.

'20 years ago, the view across the river was of farmland.

'Now it's a symbol of capitalist success to rival any city on Earth.'

This sums up my trip.

Capitalism, rampant consumerism, incredible wealth,

and you know what everybody wants? Western brands.

Really? I'll tell you what. I've had a completely different journey.

We've seen development, new buildings, new roads, but we've seen real poverty as well.

But do you know what?

Every single Chinese person I've met, without exception,

says that their lives have got better.

'Despite the greatest economic boom in history,

'despite the view across the river,

'China is still a developing country,

'poorer per person than countries like Bulgaria or Costa Rica.

'And that means no matter how much it's changed

'in the last few decades, there's a lot more change to come.'

And that skyline symbolises just how far China's come

in the last 20 years.

Just imagine in 20 more years - what's it going to be like then?

-We'll have to come back.

-Certainly will.

'If you'd like to learn the basics of Mandarin and find out

'more about Chinese culture, then go to...

'and follow the links to the Open University's free learning website.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd