0:00:00 > 0:00:00- 888
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- 888- - 888
0:00:06 > 0:00:11- "One thing you can say about the - Chinese", a friend once told me...
0:00:11 > 0:00:14- .."they know how to build - a good wall."
0:00:16 > 0:00:19- And looking at this wall - in front of me today...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22- ..I have to agree - that he had a point.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28- Until recently, the wall, - paddy fields and Chairman Mao...
0:00:28 > 0:00:33- ..were what many of us thought of - when we talked about China.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- But, the truth is, - over the past 20 years...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40- ..China has changed from being - one of the poorest countries...
0:00:41 > 0:00:45- ..to a country that's growing faster - than any other country in the world.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48- I'm here to experience - the change for myself...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- ..and where better to start...
0:00:50 > 0:00:52- ..than Shanghai.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55- The prostitute of the Orient?
0:00:55 > 0:00:59- Or a city of dreams and a powerful - symbol of the new China...
0:00:59 > 0:01:03- ..with evidence all around that - this city and country are changing.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28- Walking around Shanghai is quite a - shock for an old socialist like me.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32- It's like being lost - in a massive video game.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39- New buildings - are being built in an instant...
0:01:40 > 0:01:45- ..hotels, restaurants, banks, - bars and whatever else you want.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48- If I was expecting to see bikes - and people dressed in grey...
0:01:49 > 0:01:52- ..Shanghai has blown - that image to bits.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54- Even though - it's a communist state...
0:01:55 > 0:01:58- ..it seems that communism - has changed...
0:01:58 > 0:02:01- ..to what the current - government calls...
0:02:02 > 0:02:04- .."socialism with - Chinese characteristics."
0:02:05 > 0:02:07- Or, to you and me...
0:02:08 > 0:02:10- ..capitalism!
0:02:11 > 0:02:16- "It's glorious to be rich," - is the politicians' recent mantra.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20- A mantra - that the middle class chants daily.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27- During the '60s, - the government tried to prevent...
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- ..the development - of any middle class.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33- Today, - this new generation of Chinese...
0:02:33 > 0:02:38- ..lives in a style that you would - expect of New York, Paris, London...
0:02:38 > 0:02:40- ..or even Cardiff!
0:02:44 > 0:02:47- TV, which was once the voice - of the communist message...
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- ..now sells the consumerist dreams - of the new middle class...
0:02:52 > 0:02:56- ..who, by now, - make up 20% of the population.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02- I met Ma Liang, writer - and director of commercials...
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- ..who represents - the successful middle class.
0:03:07 > 0:03:08- Action!
0:03:13 > 0:03:14- Cut!
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- Ma Liang is 33 and this - is a very exciting time for him.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21- He is part of China's - first generation...
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- ..to experience freedom - and new socialism.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31- He owns a flat in Shanghai, - runs a successful business...
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- ..and is free to travel - wherever he wishes.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- It is an incredible change to the - poverty he remembers in his youth...
0:03:39 > 0:03:44- ..when he and his whole family - had to share just two rooms.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51- At that time, we all wore - poor clothes, simple clothes.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- There were no complications - in our lives.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- Everything was ordinary.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02- When I was 15, I couldn't imagine - how things would be when I was 30.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- At that time, it was difficult - to believe that there was a future.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- Now, I dream.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- I dream about - what I will be doing next...
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- ..what I will be doing tomorrow.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30- The marriage of Ma Liang - and his wife Ni Hua...
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- ..and that of his parents - couldn't be more different.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- Ma Liang and Ni Hua - communicate over the internet.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- She's in France studying fashion.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- One day, - they intend to have children...
0:04:46 > 0:04:51- ..but they are happy now - to live life and enjoy.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58- Grandmother, Grandmother, - cheers to you!
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- Ma Liang still enjoys - his mother's Sunday dinner...
0:05:02 > 0:05:07- ..with his father, his grandmother, - his sister and nephew.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- The three men sitting together.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- The old Chinese tradition - of having large families...
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- ..living close together - is slowly dying out.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26- Fewer and fewer people - live near their families.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- There are more opportunities - for young people today.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- I have nine people - working in my company...
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- ..and apart from one or two - who were born in Shanghai...
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- ..the rest of them - come from other regions.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45- They want to realise their dreams - and so they leave home...
0:05:45 > 0:05:50- ..and only return to see - their families once or twice a year.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Ma Liang's father - was one of Shanghai's...
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- ..most famous opera directors...
0:05:57 > 0:06:04- ..but as a result of Chairman Mao's - Cultural Revolution of the '60s...
0:06:04 > 0:06:08- ..thousands of artists and - intellectuals were re-educated...
0:06:08 > 0:06:10- ..according to Mao's beliefs.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15- Tens of thousands were killed - and millions of lives were ruined.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20- Today, the government refers to the - period as the 'Decade of Disarray'.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22- Look at this. Who is he?
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- Ma Liang was born - on a farming collective.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31- They can laugh about it now, but it - was the close love of the family...
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- ..that helped them through - that difficult time.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- His mother feels that his generation - places too much emphasis...
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- ..on making money whilst forgetting - the important things in life.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- Goodbye to the wrinkles and ageing.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- The change in his life - is incredible.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- He now makes good money directing - commercials for cosmetics.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- The irony is part of the change - his generation has experienced.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12- But for now, - Ma Liang is too busy to think.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- He's in the right place at the - right time in the city of dreams.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- Dear visitors, - what you see in front of you...
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- ..is the planning model - for Shanghai's central city...
0:07:26 > 0:07:30- ..covering an area - of 100 square kilometres.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35- The government continues - to plan Shanghai's great future...
0:07:35 > 0:07:40- ..with 3,300 skyscrapers and more - than 10,000 kilometres of new roads.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42- Over the next 25 years...
0:07:43 > 0:07:46- ..more than 100,000,000 people from - the country will have to move...
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- ..to make way - for new civil buildings...
0:07:50 > 0:07:55- ..and ensure that this century - can be called 'China's Century'.
0:07:57 > 0:08:03- Shanghai's new developments - are simply the largest in the world.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- The jobs and wealth being created...
0:08:07 > 0:08:11- ..attract hundreds of thousands - of people every year...
0:08:11 > 0:08:15- ..increasing the city's population - to more than 20,000,000.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- But there is a price to pay.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20- Hundreds of the old buildings - in the city centre...
0:08:21 > 0:08:25- ..or the "Shikumen" as the Chinese - call them, are disappearing...
0:08:25 > 0:08:30- ..and with them, - the old Chinese way of life.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37- Over the past decade, more than - 600,000 families have been forced...
0:08:37 > 0:08:39- ..out of their homes - in the old communities...
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- ..and I began to think...
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- ..is this new China - a dream or a nightmare?
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- The government owns the land - where the "Shikumen" is located...
0:08:57 > 0:09:01- ..and now they are making a fortune - renting the land back to developers.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06- The people are meant to have fair - compensation for losing their homes.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- But many believe - they have been cheated...
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- ..and are refusing to move.
0:09:12 > 0:09:18- I met Dyfed Williams who has lived - in Shanghai for about six years...
0:09:18 > 0:09:21- ..helping foreign companies - to invest in the city.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27- He's aware of the plight of the - people living in the old "Shikumen".
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- Many people are being - moved out of old housing...
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- ..and there is a lot - of slum housing in Shanghai.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- I can't talk - about the rest of China...
0:09:37 > 0:09:39- ..the situation - is different there...
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- ..but in Shanghai, the government - is asking every developer...
0:09:44 > 0:09:48- ..to pay compensation to people for - the price of their home - in theory.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- I'm sure they do receive - compensation...
0:09:51 > 0:09:55- ..but in practice we aren't so sure - - the legislation is too recent.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59- The legislation is too recent - according to Dyfed...
0:09:59 > 0:10:03- ..and the gap between - theory and practice is obvious.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07- People I spoke to were adamant - that the developers only pay...
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- ..a percentage - of the true value of the houses.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14- They then try to sell them expensive - flats on the outskirts of the city.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18- There is a lot of resentment - between the people...
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- ..the government and the developers.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24- It's not fair.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- They're not ready - to discuss it with us.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30- Don't be so angry!
0:10:30 > 0:10:36- We're ready to go, - but we don't want to go too far.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- Often, the workers begin the work - of demolishing the houses...
0:10:43 > 0:10:47- ..whilst the people - are still living in them.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- Unfortunately, - the protests never succeed.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- There are more security people - and workers present...
0:10:54 > 0:10:59- ..than residents. Some carry - pieces of wood ready for battle.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03- Many of Shanghai's residents - are benefiting...
0:11:03 > 0:11:06- ..from this new freedom - and this is a good thing.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12- But there is a high price to pay - for this incredibly quick change.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16- The New Orleans hurricane...
0:11:16 > 0:11:21- ..showed how America has tried - to hide the poverty in its cities.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29- The new Shanghai - is doing much the same.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34- I'd like to think that the problem - will soon be solved, but for now...
0:11:34 > 0:11:39- ..the government is placing greater - emphasis on hiding the blemishes...
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- ..from the new investors - of the West.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46- This government is good at dealing - with the issues in China.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- People have a lot of faith - in the government at the moment.
0:11:50 > 0:11:56- I can't blame Dyfed for being - so optimistic - that's his job...
0:11:57 > 0:11:58- ..but his life as an ex-pat...
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- ..is very different from the lives - of the city's poorest people.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- Personally, - after spending more time here...
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- ..and looking over - the Paris of the Orient...
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- ..the city of dreams is - beginning to feel far less romantic.
0:12:25 > 0:12:25- 888
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- 888- - 888
0:12:31 > 0:12:32- In this new Shanghai...
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- ..thousands of poor people - feel that the government...
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- ..which once promised jobs - and certainty, has betrayed them.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45- In a period of four years, - 24,000,000 jobs were lost...
0:12:45 > 0:12:48- ..when the government - closed inefficient factories.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57- Shanghai was China's - largest industrial city...
0:12:58 > 0:13:00- ..but with so many factories - having closed...
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- ..older workers have little to - offer the new competitive economy.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12- Hu Yang used to work - in the factories.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16- After a period out of work, - he is now a photographer...
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- ..struggling to make ends meet...
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- ..as well as publishing a book - that draws attention...
0:13:22 > 0:13:27- ..to the gap between the old - Shanghai and the new middle class.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- He has taken photographs - of more than 500 people in Shanghai.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49- The gap between - the rich and poor is massive.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54- Presently, Shanghai society - is like a weightlifting bar.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58- We have the rich and poor - as heavyweights at both ends...
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- ..and the middle class - is the bar between them.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- This creates security issues.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09- It endangers the wealth - and stability of our society.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16- Like Hu Yang, Wei Qin has suffered - because of these new developments.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19- She's seen her flat - and community...
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- ..bulldozed to pieces before her.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- She is a single mother - and her home...
0:14:26 > 0:14:28- ..was her only investment.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33- Wei Qin lost her job when the - factory where she worked closed.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- With little education - and no system to re-educate her...
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- ..finding work is difficult.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- She hasn't received compensation - for losing her home...
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- ..and gets by on a small pension.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51- To save money, she wears her old - work clothes and looks for bargains.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59- She shares a single room - with her son Yongkang who is twelve.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- Wei Qin is concerned that - losing her former home means...
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- ..she will never have - enough money to help her son.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12- Yongkang's grades aren't good. Wei - Qin knows that without a tutor...
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- ..he will fall further behind - the rest.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- If the developers - had offered me more money...
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- ..things would certainly - be better for us.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28- I would have money to pay - the fees for my son's education.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31- Pack the right things.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36- Have you packed the correct books? - Don't forget anything.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- Living in the new China - is getting more difficult each day.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41- You need a good education...
0:15:41 > 0:15:45- ..and more importantly, - you need the money to pay for it.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53- This is what worries Hu Yang when he - thinks about his daughter's future.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- He and his family - live in a worker's flat...
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- ..that was built - back in the time of Chairman Mao.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- He and his wife, Li Lili, - and daughter, Hiu Yizhe...
0:16:12 > 0:16:17- ..rent one room and share a kitchen - with two other families.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- This is how millions - still live in China.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- The low rent allows Hu Yang - to spend every penny...
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- ..on his daughter's education.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32- This wouldn't have been possible - during the Cultural Revolution.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- There are many Chinese families - like us.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44- Parents spend a lot of time and - money on their children's education.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46- They all expect a lot of them.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- We want them to be the best - - in everything they do.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- But to ensure the best education, - he needs to get his daughter...
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- ..into the best school, - and today that's expensive.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- The best schools know that parents - are willing to pay a lot of money...
0:17:04 > 0:17:07- ..to ensure - their children are registered.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14- Our country has changed the rules - that govern our secondary schools.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19- This has led to the privatisation - of the education system.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21- I disagree with this policy.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- You can privatise any other industry - but not education.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- The state should invest - in education.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33- Private education will have a - detrimental effect on this country.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- I have to agree with Hu Yang.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- The longer I stay in Shanghai...
0:17:40 > 0:17:44- ..the more I can feel - the old socialist in me coming out.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- Hu Yang wants - an equal opportunity for his child.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51- Wei Qin wants the same.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- While window shopping - in the city of dreams...
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- ..she likes to show her son - the wealth of the new China.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- But she is concerned - that he will never have any of it.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13- When she is able to afford it, - once or twice a year...
0:18:13 > 0:18:17- ..she likes to give Yongkang - a special treat.
0:18:21 > 0:18:26- Symbol of the worldwide - American dream - McDonald's.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- She buys one between them.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- Things weren't supposed - to be like this.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40- Surely this wasn't the dream.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- Whilst driving through - the hustle and bustle...
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- ..the feeling of being - lost in a video game increases.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- It took 50 years to build - the Manhattan skyline.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- Shanghai has done it in 10.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- In my opinion, - it's happening far too quickly...
0:19:22 > 0:19:24- ..and the human cost is too high.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29- "Greed is good" was the mantra - of the '80s film 'Wall Street'...
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- ..and the mantra of new China...
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- .."socialism with - Chinese characteristics"...
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- ..is beginning to sound - dangerously false.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42- This isn't socialism - - it's capitalism gone mad...
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- ..which has more in common - with Thatcher and Reagan...
0:19:47 > 0:19:48- ..than Marx and Engles.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05- Standing at the feet of a sculpture - of the two old men in a park...
0:20:05 > 0:20:09- ..I watch the elderly - doing their Tai Chi.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- I like this calmness - after the bustle of the city.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- I feel I'm trespassing - on an old tradition...
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- ..that hasn't changed for ages.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- But how long will this last?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- I wonder if I, in years to come...
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- ..will be one of those few people - from Europe...
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- ..who saw a piece of old Shanghai - before it disappeared forever?
0:20:41 > 0:20:46- "Shop till you drop" is the mantra - along the streets of Shanghai.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49- There's an obsession - amongst the young...
0:20:49 > 0:20:51- ..for anything - that's hip and western.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59- China's MTV generation wants - to be part of the world beat.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05- But are they also concerned about - losing their unique Chinese roots?
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- Back on the streets, - Ma Liang gives a glimpse of hope.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- We are now really beginning - to look at our culture...
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- ..and not just rediscovering it, - but reusing it.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- We always knew it was interesting, - but by studying it...
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- ..we've discovered - how magnificent it is.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- The antique furniture - and other things we collect.
0:21:31 > 0:21:32- They're just on the surface.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- We want to understand the deeper - meaning of our culture.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- I hope Ma Liang's right. - He has talent...
0:21:42 > 0:21:47- ..and he seems to be aware that - he is one of the fortunate ones...
0:21:47 > 0:21:52- ..who's able to be optimistic about - the future because he is the future.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- I've seen a lot of poverty...
0:21:56 > 0:22:01- ..and I have strong feelings about - what I've seen. But what can I do?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- China has a vast population.
0:22:04 > 0:22:10- 20 years ago, both the country folk - and Shanghai's residents were poor.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15- Today, many people have money, but - a large number still have no money.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- I think it's just a period in time.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21- The situation - will improve and improve.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32- Only when the lives of Wei Qin, - Hu Yang and Ma Liang come closer...
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- ..and when millions - of similar people...
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- ..feel that they are part - of these changes...
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- ..will the new hopes of the - city of dreams turn into reality.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53- But what do I know?
0:22:53 > 0:22:59- Who am I but a liberal from the west - who longs after his socialist youth?
0:22:59 > 0:23:01- I am now in my 40s.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06- All I can do is feel sorry for - the two old men in the Tai Chi park.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11- What would they say about "socialism - with Chinese characteristics"...
0:23:11 > 0:23:15- ..in the Paris of the Orient? - Paris of the Orient? Not for me.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19- The city of dreams? I hope.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- Equal opportunities? - We live in hope.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26- Vodka, Mr Marx? A large one?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- Or a Bacardi Breezer - a la Shanghai Paris...
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- ..with a fading socialist - bitter lemon...
0:23:33 > 0:23:35- ..spitting at the proletariat twist?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- Poor dab. His beard's - turning white in front of me.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- One day, someone might mistake him - for Father Christmas.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- After all, in Shanghai, - if you have the money...
0:23:47 > 0:23:49- ..anything is possible.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- S4C subtitles by Rh Sion Morgan