0:00:13 > 0:00:17White Horse Village, a farming community deep in Western China.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Life here hasn't changed much for hundreds of years
0:00:25 > 0:00:29but now it faces transformation on an epic scale.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37The village is to be destroyed to make way for a city.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44This is the story of a family torn apart by change.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55A farmer trying to forge a business empire in China's ruthless economy.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And the communist party secretary who has to convince
0:01:03 > 0:01:07the villagers to give up their way of life forever.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Filmed over six years, it's a story being replicated in thousands
0:01:19 > 0:01:21of villages all over China.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26The biggest urbanisation in human history
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and a giant leap of faith in the name of progress.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50I've lived and worked in China on and off for nearly 30 years
0:01:50 > 0:01:53and when I started filming in White Horse Village
0:01:53 > 0:01:57it was just another dirt poor corner of the country.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Farmers working small plots by hand,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02counting themselves lucky to earn £200 a year
0:02:02 > 0:02:04from selling pigs or silkworms.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11A decade ago, the Chinese government embarked
0:02:11 > 0:02:15on an ambitious piece of social engineering.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18The plan was to drive development west
0:02:18 > 0:02:20to modernise thousands of rural communities.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23White Horse Village was on the list.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26After centuries as a rural backwater, it was destined
0:02:26 > 0:02:29to become a high-rise city in a few short years.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36China's power and wealth are concentrated
0:02:36 > 0:02:38in its coastal mega-cities.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43White Horse Village lies a thousand miles inland, in remote Wuxi County.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Now the challenge is to bring China's economic success
0:02:46 > 0:02:48to the hinterland.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Xaio Zhang is 32 and she's a rice and pig farmer,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00just like her mother before her.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06She lives on the outskirts of the village with her two children,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Yang Yang and Pei Pei
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Her husband works in a factory in Beijing.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25So Xiao Zhang is bringing up her children alone
0:03:25 > 0:03:27as well as caring for her in-laws.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37There's no money to buy food, so she has to grow everything they eat.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14This is the life Xiao Zhang wants for herself and her children.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18The cities of the east coast.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Hundreds of millions of farmers flock here
0:04:20 > 0:04:22for jobs in the money economy.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Now the government wants to reverse that tide by bringing
0:04:28 > 0:04:30the cities to the countryside instead,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34turning half a billion farmers into urban consumers,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36hoping to spread the wealth
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and cure China's dependence on western markets.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44But for those who've never left White Horse Village
0:04:44 > 0:04:46all of this is unimaginable.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- TRANSLATION:- I'm in my 60s and I've been a farmer all my life.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I don't know how to do business and I can't start now.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00We don't know anything about the plans for development.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04They told us we have to sell and that we'll have to rely
0:05:04 > 0:05:07on financial support from the government.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11The village must go to make way for the city
0:05:11 > 0:05:14and this is the man who must deliver the orders.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19Xiang Caiguo was born just after the Communist revolution of 1949,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23and the party has shaped his life.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27He grew up under Chairman Mao and he served in the Red Army.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32For the last 20 years, he's been White Horse Village's communist party secretary.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39- TRANSLATION:- It's a hard job because I have to carry out orders from above.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41On the other hand, I have to listen to ordinary people
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and find solutions to their problems.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49For a party that was founded to fight for the peasants
0:05:49 > 0:05:55it's awkward that the cities have benefited so much more from China's growth.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Political stability depends on closing the gap.
0:06:05 > 0:06:11It's the party secretary who has to convince his neighbours to give up their houses.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- TRANSLATION:- It's very sad that people have to move.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Many families have been on this land for decades,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24even hundreds of years.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27They'll miss their old lives here on this land.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31The new life can't be as tough as farming.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Farming is really hard work.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36You have to make a lot of effort for very little reward
0:06:36 > 0:06:38and that's a fact.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49The plan for Wuxi New Town -
0:06:49 > 0:06:54a city of 200,000 that will transform the valley.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Farmers have no place in this vision.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Every new tower block has to be built on somebody's fields.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Government and developers cutting deals.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11In China there's no private land ownership.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14The state can take fields from the farmers at will,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18give them minimal compensation and lease the land to developers instead -
0:07:18 > 0:07:22at 30 times the price. The farmers think that's unfair.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Construction has already started in some parts of the valley.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58This is Xie Ting Ming.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02He had no hesitations about taking the compensation for his farmland.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06At 43, he's been a farmer and a migrant worker.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09The plan for a city has given him a chance to start a business
0:08:09 > 0:08:12and he's invested his compensation in a bulldozer.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Mr Xie is making friends where it matters.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20A villager the government can do business with.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26TRANSLATION: The next step will be to build houses,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29high-rise buildings and roads.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31You can make much more money than being a farmer.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32I've got my own projects now,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36but I'm also getting involved in other people's projects.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Mr Xie and his team have been busy.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Much of the land on the valley floor has already been cleared.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48But the next step towards the new city is harder.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50The villagers may not have owned their fields
0:08:50 > 0:08:53but they do own their houses.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56So they can't be forced out quite so easily.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01It's the party secretary's job to measure each farmhouse.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Compensation is calculated on floor space
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and he has to convince the farmers to accept it.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Everyone's been promised an apartment and places
0:09:23 > 0:09:26for their children in the new high school when the city is built.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29But they feel cheated at the low price
0:09:29 > 0:09:32they received for their farm land and many are suspicious.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Some villagers are old enough to remember another attempt
0:09:55 > 0:10:00by the party to transform their lives - the Great Leap Forward.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Grand promises were made but the result was famine
0:10:03 > 0:10:05and in White Horse Village many died.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Now the party is promising transformation again
0:10:09 > 0:10:12and Tang Rending voices their shared anxiety.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41TRANSLATION: As party secretary,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45I can't disagree with central government policy.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47The programme is for the welfare of the public
0:10:47 > 0:10:49so we must all make sacrifices.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03For some, the city can't come fast enough
0:11:03 > 0:11:07but Xiao Zhang lives outside the first zone of development
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and fears it will be years before she benefits.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Before she had children, she worked as a maid in Beijing
0:11:14 > 0:11:18and she knows the cities are the only place to make real money.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- TRANSLATION:- Almost every young couple leaves their children
0:11:23 > 0:11:25with their grandparents
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and goes away to work as a migrant to make money.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36I feel very jealous of those who can go. I don't have a way to do that.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Most young people leave for the cities.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Mr Xie and his wife are taking time out from business
0:12:55 > 0:12:58to celebrate their daughter Yuqian's 20th birthday.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59She's made a big decision.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37The deep valleys and high mountains of this region have kept it
0:13:37 > 0:13:41cut off from the modern China that Yuqian wants to belong to.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48But for now, her only decision is what to do for her birthday.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11In White Horse Village, it's the party secretary's job
0:14:11 > 0:14:15to persuade his neighbours to give up their homes for the new city.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16But it's personal too.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19His ancestors are buried in the fields they once farmed.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32The party secretary and his generation have lived through chaos and famine.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36But the traditions of life on the land have always endured.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Now they're being asked to give up everything they know.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22Eight months later, construction of the new city is well under way.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24All these buildings are government offices.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27There's no sign of the promised new high school
0:15:27 > 0:15:30or the apartments for the farmers.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35So they're concerned about where they come on the list of priorities.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42There's been no public consultation.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Mr Tang, who had so much to say at the village meeting,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48is still waiting for answers on how they're going to make money
0:15:48 > 0:15:50now their farmlands been confiscated.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It's the run up to Chinese New Year, the biggest festival in the calendar
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and a time when families get together.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Xaio Zhang is preparing for a rare trip home by her husband Chang Seng.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35In a few days, she'll slaughter the pig she's been fattening up all year.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Chang Seng works a thousand miles away in Beijing.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47With no jobs in White Horse Village,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51this is the only way they can save for their children's future.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Earning £20 for a seven-day week in a chemical factory,
0:16:56 > 0:17:01Chang Sheng is one of the unsung heroes of China's economic miracle.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07The low cost labour behind the products that flood world markets.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12TRANSLATION: I never wanted to leave home while my children
0:17:12 > 0:17:14were so small.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I wasn't even there when my son was born.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Last year I only spent three weeks at home
0:17:21 > 0:17:23and then I had to come back to Beijing.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Chang Sheng plans to persuade Xiao Zhang that this time,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34he should stay with the family for good.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44150 million people leave their families to work in the cities.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51For Chang Seng, it's a three-day journey home.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23On his journey home, Chang Sheng witnesses the extent of China's transformation.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26Along the Yangtze River more than a million people have been resettled
0:18:26 > 0:18:30in new cities to make way for the Three Gorges dam and reservoir.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38And all these new cities are being linked with a motorway network
0:18:38 > 0:18:42part of the ambition for a 21st century infrastructure.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50Perhaps when Yang Yang and Pei Pei grow up there will be well-paid jobs at home.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54But for now, work means separation and they have a father
0:18:54 > 0:18:55they barely remember.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19In the village, the party secretary is taking his campaign
0:19:19 > 0:19:24from house to house, hoping a new year gift will smooth the way.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Xaio Zhang and Chang Sheng spend their first day together
0:20:19 > 0:20:23preparing the pork for their traditional New Year feast.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28But they don't see eye to eye.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05New Year is a rare moment in China when construction actually stops.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10But for Mr and Mrs Xie business never stops.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15On the eve of the holiday, the workers must get their annual bonus.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30It's not just the Xies who are feeling rich.
0:21:30 > 0:21:36It's been another year in which China's economy has grown by more than 10%.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48The Xies' new wealth paid for the village's first ever white wedding
0:21:48 > 0:21:53when their daughter Yuqian married her businessman boyfriend.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57TRANSLATION: Business has been good since my daughter got married.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02New officials have been appointed to the development project
0:22:02 > 0:22:05which means the new town will happen even faster.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09I'm going to buy more equipment, another new digger
0:22:09 > 0:22:11and hire more workers.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14I'm hoping business will get even better.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19After the wedding, Yuqian rejected her parents' advice.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23She moved to the city of Shenzhen to start a new business
0:22:23 > 0:22:24with her husband.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37There's important news to catch up on.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33The party secretary can finally forget the cares of village politics,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35even if it's just for one night.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51One person is missing.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55His daughter Rui Lin is a migrant worker in Shenzhen
0:23:55 > 0:23:59and has decided to save money rather than spend it coming home.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03The party secretary and his wife are bringing up her little girl.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Tonight, the villagers celebrate the new year.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Soon the Xies will get a grandchild
0:24:26 > 0:24:31and Chang Seng will have to make the long journey back to Beijing.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36But for the village, the future is as uncertain as ever.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Seven months later and progress on the new city has slowed down.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00The villagers still don't like the plan for their apartment blocks
0:25:00 > 0:25:04and are refusing to move out of their farmhouses.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Officials are getting impatient.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11TRANSLATION: Farmers here are rather backward.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16They want to be able to feed their pigs, cows, chickens and sheep -
0:25:16 > 0:25:19they're not used to the idea of living in an apartment block.
0:25:19 > 0:25:26So the process of building a new town is also about changing their way of thinking.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33The Xie family have always embraced the plan for the new city.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Mr and Mrs Xie have used their contacts
0:25:35 > 0:25:38to buy a commercial apartment at a knockdown price.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41They're hoping they can persuade daughter Yuqian
0:25:41 > 0:25:43to move back home with her new family.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28700 miles from White Horse Village
0:26:28 > 0:26:32is Shenzhen - China's export hub in the Pearl River Delta.
0:26:36 > 0:26:4030 years ago, it was little more than a fishing village -
0:26:40 > 0:26:42now, with a population of 12 million
0:26:42 > 0:26:46it's the centre of the biggest manufacturing region in the world.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48A place where fortunes are made.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Xiao Zhang has convinced her mum to look after her children,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57and come to Shenzhen to see if she can find work.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02There's already a network of friends and relatives
0:27:02 > 0:27:06from White Horse Village who might be able to help.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Rui Lin is the party secretary's daughter.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12She's worked here for ten years in a shoe factory.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59While her mum's away, Yang Yang has to grow up quickly.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02It's a three-mile walk to the local primary school.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06FANFARE
0:28:08 > 0:28:09THEY SING A STIRRING SONG
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Competition for places at the new high school will be intense.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22At four, Yang Yang already knows she has to stand out.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30PHONE RINGING
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Their grandmother is ill and has no health insurance.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38If Xiao Zhang gets a city job, it'll pay for medicine.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06In village politics, battle lines are being drawn.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10Finishing the Communist Party headquarters has taken up much of the construction budget,
0:29:10 > 0:29:15and now the bosses want a public square in front.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17The farmers' mud brick homes are in the way,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19and eviction notices have been posted.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Beijing's intention was to bring them prosperity,
0:29:29 > 0:29:34but all the villagers see is local officials looking after themselves.
0:29:51 > 0:29:56In 2007, China saw over 70,000 riots,
0:29:56 > 0:29:59most of them sparked by the confiscation of land and homes.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03In response, central government announced a new slogan,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07"Harmonious Society", a reminder to local government
0:30:07 > 0:30:10that everyone should benefit from progress.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14But the harmonious message hasn't reached White Horse Village yet.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59It's four years since their land was confiscated,
0:30:59 > 0:31:03and the villagers know the stalemate over their houses can't go on.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Now the party secretary's been ordered to set an example
0:31:08 > 0:31:11and have his own home demolished - or face the sack.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20It's a turning point -
0:31:20 > 0:31:23most of the farmers follow his lead and give up their homes.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48Until the apartment blocks are built, this is their new home.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55There's no hot water or heating,
0:31:55 > 0:31:58and the toilets are in a communal block.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Hardly the good life they were promised.
0:32:07 > 0:32:13The party secretary's family have lived on this land for generations.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07TRANSLATION: Right now is the hardest time.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09We've lost our land and our houses.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13The government is thinking about how they can resettle us.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16They've got lots of things to sort out.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26China's new inland cities will consume vast amounts of energy,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29and these mountains are rich in natural resources.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41The Xies have won the contract for a road to a coal mine and dam,
0:33:41 > 0:33:43growing their business beyond the valley.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02It's a difficult and dangerous business.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Three people have died on this project already.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10TRANSLATION: It's really tough up here.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13There's a constant danger of rock falls hurting people
0:34:13 > 0:34:16and damaging equipment.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19It's very dangerous,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21but this is the project the government has given us.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24We have to get it done and we have to do it fast.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32We have many projects around here, but there's not enough money
0:34:32 > 0:34:36in the area. We have to invest a lot and it's very competitive.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40It'll be easier to make money in Chongqing.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48The emerging mega-city Chongqing is 200 miles away,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50but despite the distance
0:34:50 > 0:34:53its boundary extends to White Horse Village -
0:34:53 > 0:34:57a sign of how big China intends this urban region to become.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02The Xies have persuaded Yuqian to move to Chongqing,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and given her husband a start in construction -
0:35:06 > 0:35:08the first stage of their own plans in the city.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Yuqian's got to start again and build a new business.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Being a full-time mum was never her plan, and she doesn't want to get
0:35:38 > 0:35:42trapped at home when there are so many opportunities here.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53Xiao Zhang's taste of city life didn't last long.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Her mum found looking after the kids on her own too much.
0:36:44 > 0:36:45The one hope left for Xaio Chang
0:36:45 > 0:36:48is that her children might go to the new high school.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52It's the best in the county, and will soon have 5,000 pupils.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56THEY RECITE ENGLISH PHRASES
0:37:00 > 0:37:03English is taught here as well as computer science -
0:37:03 > 0:37:05part of China's campaign
0:37:05 > 0:37:08to prepare the next generation for global competition.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17The villagers were promised places for THEIR children.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20But none have been allowed to enrol.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24Rural children have always been the outsiders
0:37:24 > 0:37:27when it comes to educational opportunity in China.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Now it looks they might lose out, even in the new city.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36As usual, the only person to whom the villagers can air their grievance
0:37:36 > 0:37:38is the party secretary.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44The city has arrived. Wuxi new town.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50Just four years ago all of this was fields,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53but there's no trace now of White Horse Village.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Instead, a thriving money economy,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02where every day brings the launch of a new business.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08But the villagers are not yet part of city life.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12They're still living in the temporary housing.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16Their apartment block has now been built,
0:39:16 > 0:39:20but they're unhappy with the quality and they're refusing to move in.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26They think the developers have cut corners to line their own pockets.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29They've made a video, and bypassed local officials
0:39:29 > 0:39:32to send their complaints direct to Chongqing.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Two years ago, an earthquake nearby killed 70,000 people.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58Building standards can mean life or death.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21The prospect of jobs and businesses in the new city
0:40:21 > 0:40:24is bringing young migrants home.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27The party secretary's daughter Rui Lin has saved enough money
0:40:27 > 0:40:30to buy her dream apartment in an upmarket block.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34Her parents have come round to celebrate.
0:41:13 > 0:41:19The city expansion hasn't reached Xiao Zhang's house yet.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21But she's been making a little money by renting out
0:41:21 > 0:41:24the top floor of her house to construction workers.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28She built an extension, but bigger buildings
0:41:28 > 0:41:32mean more compensation, so only the government is licensed to build.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Lots of people get away with it
0:41:34 > 0:41:36but Xiao Zhang doesn't have the connections you need.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24What is true in Wuxi is true in Chongqing and for bigger stakes.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Mr Xie knows for his business to succeed in the new China,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30he has to build good relationships.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37TRANSLATION: When we first arrived, we didn't know anyone.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40After a while I started to make contacts with property developers,
0:42:40 > 0:42:44and eventually they started calling to offer me business.
0:42:46 > 0:42:51The line between connections and corruption can easily get blurred.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53In Chongqing they've arrested thousands.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57But even the Communist Party admits corruption
0:42:57 > 0:42:59is one of the biggest threats to China's advance.
0:43:03 > 0:43:08TRANSLATION: There are a very small number of officials who work outside the law.
0:43:08 > 0:43:13They use their power and influence within the government
0:43:13 > 0:43:15to bully you and threaten to take over
0:43:15 > 0:43:18the businesses of honest people.
0:43:18 > 0:43:23That's how they do things.
0:43:27 > 0:43:32In Chinese families, childcare is often the grandparents' responsibility.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35Yuqian hopes to persuade her parents to look after Han Han
0:43:35 > 0:43:39so that she can concentrate on her struggling snack business.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15But business in Chongqing is beginning to thrive,
0:44:15 > 0:44:17and Yuqian's parents are not ready to retire.
0:44:34 > 0:44:41The people of White Horse Village are preparing for an enormous housewarming party.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44After years of argument,
0:44:44 > 0:44:48they've finally agreed to move into their new apartment blocks.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51Each family has a shop front,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53and some businesses are already thriving.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58Today it's the party secretary's brother who's moving in.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09After years of being ignored by local officials,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12the villagers took their grievance about the apartments
0:45:12 > 0:45:17to Chongqing, staging a sit-down protest outside party headquarters.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21Local government was forced into concessions.
0:45:22 > 0:45:28TRANSLATION: In the end, the Wuxi government signed a written agreement,
0:45:28 > 0:45:31guaranteeing the safety of the structure for 50 years.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34So once we got that, we agreed to move in.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49The party secretary and his wife are not moving in with the rest of the village.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53They've bought an apartment in the same commercial building as their daughter.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42Private property, and consumerism -
0:46:42 > 0:46:45none of this would have been permitted under Mao,
0:46:45 > 0:46:47but he remains a hero.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14Some villagers asked questions about where the money
0:47:14 > 0:47:19came from for the party secretary to buy property at commercial prices.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22A formal investigation was launched.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28TRANSLATION: I'm innocent. I wasn't afraid.
0:47:28 > 0:47:34I used only what I should have used, took only what I should have taken.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38Last year they checked everything from top to bottom,
0:47:38 > 0:47:42and now everyone knows that I've been cleared of wrongdoing.
0:47:42 > 0:47:48People realised they'd been wrong and some even apologised.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56In Chongqing, Mr Xie's business is growing,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59but he's still very much hands-on.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07The global economic crisis is being felt across China,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10including the construction sites of Chongqing.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13Cash flow is now his biggest headache.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19TRANSLATION: We're supposed to be paid in full every month,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22but all our partners are having problems so we don't push it.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25It's only when we have trouble paying workers,
0:48:25 > 0:48:29or maintaining the equipment, that we go to collect what we're owed.
0:48:30 > 0:48:36Right now, everybody owes us - some owe us more than £20,000.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43The Xies still own a lot of property back home,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47and with money so tight, Mrs Xie is on her way to collect the rent.
0:48:47 > 0:48:51The new highway from Chongqing has almost reached Wuxi.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54The last stretch is just 50 miles,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57but every inch of it is through mountains and gorges.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Funded from Beijing,
0:49:00 > 0:49:04it's part of the drive to surpass the American highway network,
0:49:04 > 0:49:07and connect China's newest cities to the global economy.
0:49:11 > 0:49:17Xiang Caiguo has retired from his job as party secretary, after 25 years.
0:49:19 > 0:49:24The man who grew up in a China which executed landlords
0:49:24 > 0:49:27is now the proud owner of four new apartments for rent.
0:49:43 > 0:49:48TRANSLATION: Now I'm retired and I feel a lot more relaxed.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53My children are grown up and I don't have a lot of responsibilities
0:49:53 > 0:49:56so life is very comfortable and I'm happy.
0:49:56 > 0:50:01We've got a rental income now and it's enough for us to live on.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09China's now the world's largest market for bathrooms.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11Xiang Caiguo is doing his bit.
0:50:24 > 0:50:29TRANSLATION: There's no way we could have imagined stuff like this when I was growing up.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32In the 1950s, China was very backward.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36We washed in a wooden bucket. I'd never seen a bath.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40Never imagined it - but now everyone has one.
0:50:41 > 0:50:46Millions of new private bathrooms are contributing to an acute water shortage.
0:50:46 > 0:50:49But they do provide short-term business opportunities.
0:50:49 > 0:50:55There's no shortage of shops in Wuxi new town - business is booming.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57But by my count, about 80% of them
0:50:57 > 0:51:00are to do with home decorating and building materials.
0:51:00 > 0:51:04Take this stretch - that's tiles, paint, front doors
0:51:04 > 0:51:07and, along at the end here, kitchen stoves.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10So my question is, what is going to drive the economy
0:51:10 > 0:51:13when everyone's decorated their apartments?
0:51:16 > 0:51:21The local government is hoping this might be the answer.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Every new Chinese city has an industrial park.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26But so far there's only one factory here.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30A local man made good in Shenzhen has brought his knitting business home.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32That's just 200 factory jobs.
0:51:40 > 0:51:45There is now a service economy in the city, and it's creating employment.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51After years of waiting and hoping,
0:51:51 > 0:51:54Xiao Zhang finally has paid work close to home...
0:51:54 > 0:51:58one job as a cleaner, and another in a local cafe.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01TRANSLATION: Working here is easier than farming -
0:52:01 > 0:52:05when it rains you don't get wet. It's easier on the body.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12Xiao Zhang works here for four hours a day, earning around £100 a month.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17That's more than she used to make in a year from farming.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23TRANSLATION: I like working here. I can meet new friends
0:52:23 > 0:52:25and it's good to learn how to do the work
0:52:25 > 0:52:30because I want to open my own restaurant in the future.
0:52:35 > 0:52:39She spends her earnings in the new supermarket.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43With millions of subsistence farmers like her leaving the land,
0:52:43 > 0:52:48commercial agriculture and imports are key to feeding China in future
0:52:48 > 0:52:50and Xiao Zhang is looking forward to it.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57TRANSLATION: It will be great for the next generation.
0:52:57 > 0:53:03Transport, the roads, education will make our children's lives so much better.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Our generation is living through the development stage
0:53:06 > 0:53:09so that our children can benefit.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12THEY CHANT PLAYFULLY
0:53:12 > 0:53:16Perhaps some day Yang Yang's dad can come home from Beijing to work in the family restaurant.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40The promise of a better life for their children
0:53:40 > 0:53:42was why the villagers sacrificed their homes and land.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49And they made it happen.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52Their children have joined the ranks of the educated.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55But only after the parents staged another sit-in -
0:53:55 > 0:54:00an enormous victory for direct action, in a country where taking a stand often ends in prison.
0:54:00 > 0:54:05TRANSLATION: I kept complaining to the leaders
0:54:05 > 0:54:07that we should keep our promise,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09and let the village children go to the new school
0:54:09 > 0:54:11as soon as it was finished.
0:54:11 > 0:54:18We finally achieved this, but it took two years to get done.
0:54:18 > 0:54:23- TRANSLATION:- This school has given children like me a better education.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26In the past, local people didn't have much schooling,
0:54:26 > 0:54:29but now farmer's children get educated properly.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31That's important.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34- TRANSLATION: - I want to become a scientist,
0:54:34 > 0:54:39because scientists make a huge contribution to China and the world.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46Many of these children now set their sights on China's top universities.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49There's no going back to farming.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51And for the elderly,
0:54:51 > 0:54:54there are basic pensions and healthcare in the new city.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56But some remain unimpressed.
0:54:56 > 0:55:01Tang Rending has opposed the project throughout,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04and despite the transformation of everything around him,
0:55:04 > 0:55:07he's holding out in his farmhouse.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11TRANSLATION: They haven't made a good job of it. The demolition's unfair.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14I refuse to move out of my house without a good deal.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16The new town's no good.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23In the six years we've been filming with the people of White Horse Village,
0:55:23 > 0:55:26we've seen their lives transformed.
0:55:26 > 0:55:32And across China, a hundred million people have become urban residents.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34Nothing like it has ever been attempted.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38But Mr Tang is not the only one asking questions.
0:55:38 > 0:55:43No one knows whether any of this is sustainable in the long run -
0:55:43 > 0:55:46economically or environmentally.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55But for today at least, worries about the future have been put to one side -
0:55:55 > 0:55:58the people of White Horse Village are ready to party.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07And they have reason to celebrate.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11They've fought long and hard for their rights and won some important battles -
0:56:11 > 0:56:14for their apartments, their shop fronts
0:56:14 > 0:56:17and for their children's education.
0:56:18 > 0:56:25TRANSLATION: In the old days, my mum and dad barely had enough to eat.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27Now we have a much better life.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31We're very lucky.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40- TRANSLATION:- My new house is much better than my old one.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42It's all thanks to this new town.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57- TRANSLATION:- Just think about it - we're all farmers here,
0:56:57 > 0:57:00but now we're out dancing in the evenings.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02Old people do t'ai chi in the mornings.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Even my mum is spending money -
0:57:04 > 0:57:06now she wears even more jewellery than me!
0:57:14 > 0:57:17A city has been born before our eyes.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20100,000 strong, and growing.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27Connected to the rest of China, and impatient to make up for lost time.
0:57:28 > 0:57:32The people of White Horse Village have joined the modern world.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41TRANSLATION: Only with development, with the expansion of the city,
0:57:41 > 0:57:45can we improve our standard of living.
0:57:45 > 0:57:51If you don't develop, if you stand still, then you get left behind.
0:57:53 > 0:57:55- TRANSLATION: - There used to be nothing -
0:57:55 > 0:57:59no sanitation, no parks, no bridges, absolutely nothing.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03For me, a local girl, it's been amazing.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06The speed of development has been astonishing.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09TRANSLATION: We feel lucky.
0:58:09 > 0:58:13We used to be farmers, and now we're city people.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15It was tough along the way -
0:58:15 > 0:58:16we missed the old life -
0:58:16 > 0:58:21but now we feel better. It's progress.
0:58:38 > 0:58:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd