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-"One thing you can say about the

-Chinese", a friend once told me...

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-.."they know how to build

-a good wall."

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-And looking at this wall

-in front of me today...

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-..I have to agree

-that he had a point.

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-Until recently, the wall,

-paddy fields and Chairman Mao...

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-..were what many of us thought of

-when we talked about China.

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-But, the truth is,

-over the past 20 years...

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-..China has changed from being

-one of the poorest countries...

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-..to a country that's growing faster

-than any other country in the world.

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-I'm here to experience

-the change for myself...

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-..and where better to start...

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-..than Shanghai.

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-The prostitute of the Orient?

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-Or a city of dreams and a powerful

-symbol of the new China...

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-..with evidence all around that

-this city and country are changing.

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-Walking around Shanghai is quite a

-shock for an old socialist like me.

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-It's like being lost

-in a massive video game.

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-New buildings

-are being built in an instant...

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-..hotels, restaurants, banks,

-bars and whatever else you want.

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-If I was expecting to see bikes

-and people dressed in grey...

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-..Shanghai has blown

-that image to bits.

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-Even though

-it's a communist state...

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-..it seems that communism

-has changed...

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-..to what the current

-government calls...

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-.."socialism with

-Chinese characteristics."

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-Or, to you and me...

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-..capitalism!

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-"It's glorious to be rich,"

-is the politicians' recent mantra.

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-A mantra

-that the middle class chants daily.

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-During the '60s,

-the government tried to prevent...

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-..the development

-of any middle class.

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-Today,

-this new generation of Chinese...

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-..lives in a style that you would

-expect of New York, Paris, London...

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-..or even Cardiff!

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-TV, which was once the voice

-of the communist message...

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-..now sells the consumerist dreams

-of the new middle class...

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-..who, by now,

-make up 20% of the population.

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-I met Ma Liang, writer

-and director of commercials...

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-..who represents

-the successful middle class.

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-Action!

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-Cut!

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-Ma Liang is 33 and this

-is a very exciting time for him.

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-He is part of China's

-first generation...

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-..to experience freedom

-and new socialism.

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-He owns a flat in Shanghai,

-runs a successful business...

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-..and is free to travel

-wherever he wishes.

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-It is an incredible change to the

-poverty he remembers in his youth...

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-..when he and his whole family

-had to share just two rooms.

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-At that time, we all wore

-poor clothes, simple clothes.

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-There were no complications

-in our lives.

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-Everything was ordinary.

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-When I was 15, I couldn't imagine

-how things would be when I was 30.

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-At that time, it was difficult

-to believe that there was a future.

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-Now, I dream.

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-I dream about

-what I will be doing next...

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-..what I will be doing tomorrow.

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-The marriage of Ma Liang

-and his wife Ni Hua...

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-..and that of his parents

-couldn't be more different.

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-Ma Liang and Ni Hua

-communicate over the internet.

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-She's in France studying fashion.

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-One day,

-they intend to have children...

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-..but they are happy now

-to live life and enjoy.

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-Grandmother, Grandmother,

-cheers to you!

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-Ma Liang still enjoys

-his mother's Sunday dinner...

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-..with his father, his grandmother,

-his sister and nephew.

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-The three men sitting together.

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-The old Chinese tradition

-of having large families...

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-..living close together

-is slowly dying out.

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-Fewer and fewer people

-live near their families.

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-There are more opportunities

-for young people today.

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-I have nine people

-working in my company...

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-..and apart from one or two

-who were born in Shanghai...

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-..the rest of them

-come from other regions.

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-They want to realise their dreams

-and so they leave home...

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-..and only return to see

-their families once or twice a year.

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-Ma Liang's father

-was one of Shanghai's...

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-..most famous opera directors...

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-..but as a result of Chairman Mao's

-Cultural Revolution of the '60s...

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-..thousands of artists and

-intellectuals were re-educated...

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-..according to Mao's beliefs.

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-Tens of thousands were killed

-and millions of lives were ruined.

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-Today, the government refers to the

-period as the 'Decade of Disarray'.

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-Look at this. Who is he?

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-Ma Liang was born

-on a farming collective.

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-They can laugh about it now, but it

-was the close love of the family...

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-..that helped them through

-that difficult time.

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-His mother feels that his generation

-places too much emphasis...

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-..on making money whilst forgetting

-the important things in life.

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-Goodbye to the wrinkles and ageing.

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-The change in his life

-is incredible.

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-He now makes good money directing

-commercials for cosmetics.

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-The irony is part of the change

-his generation has experienced.

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-But for now,

-Ma Liang is too busy to think.

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-He's in the right place at the

-right time in the city of dreams.

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-Dear visitors,

-what you see in front of you...

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-..is the planning model

-for Shanghai's central city...

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-..covering an area

-of 100 square kilometres.

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-The government continues

-to plan Shanghai's great future...

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-..with 3,300 skyscrapers and more

-than 10,000 kilometres of new roads.

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-Over the next 25 years...

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-..more than 100,000,000 people from

-the country will have to move...

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-..to make way

-for new civil buildings...

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-..and ensure that this century

-can be called 'China's Century'.

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-Shanghai's new developments

-are simply the largest in the world.

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-The jobs and wealth being created...

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-..attract hundreds of thousands

-of people every year...

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-..increasing the city's population

-to more than 20,000,000.

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-But there is a price to pay.

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-Hundreds of the old buildings

-in the city centre...

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-..or the "Shikumen" as the Chinese

-call them, are disappearing...

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-..and with them,

-the old Chinese way of life.

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-Over the past decade, more than

-600,000 families have been forced...

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-..out of their homes

-in the old communities...

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-..and I began to think...

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-..is this new China

-a dream or a nightmare?

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-The government owns the land

-where the "Shikumen" is located...

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-..and now they are making a fortune

-renting the land back to developers.

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-The people are meant to have fair

-compensation for losing their homes.

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-But many believe

-they have been cheated...

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-..and are refusing to move.

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-I met Dyfed Williams who has lived

-in Shanghai for about six years...

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-..helping foreign companies

-to invest in the city.

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-He's aware of the plight of the

-people living in the old "Shikumen".

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-Many people are being

-moved out of old housing...

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-..and there is a lot

-of slum housing in Shanghai.

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-I can't talk

-about the rest of China...

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-..the situation

-is different there...

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-..but in Shanghai, the government

-is asking every developer...

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-..to pay compensation to people for

-the price of their home - in theory.

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-I'm sure they do receive

-compensation...

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-..but in practice we aren't so sure

-- the legislation is too recent.

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-The legislation is too recent

-according to Dyfed...

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-..and the gap between

-theory and practice is obvious.

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-People I spoke to were adamant

-that the developers only pay...

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-..a percentage

-of the true value of the houses.

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-They then try to sell them expensive

-flats on the outskirts of the city.

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-There is a lot of resentment

-between the people...

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-..the government and the developers.

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-It's not fair.

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-They're not ready

-to discuss it with us.

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-Don't be so angry!

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-We're ready to go,

-but we don't want to go too far.

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-Often, the workers begin the work

-of demolishing the houses...

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-..whilst the people

-are still living in them.

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-Unfortunately,

-the protests never succeed.

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-There are more security people

-and workers present...

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-..than residents. Some carry

-pieces of wood ready for battle.

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-Many of Shanghai's residents

-are benefiting...

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-..from this new freedom

-and this is a good thing.

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-But there is a high price to pay

-for this incredibly quick change.

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-The New Orleans hurricane...

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-..showed how America has tried

-to hide the poverty in its cities.

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-The new Shanghai

-is doing much the same.

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-I'd like to think that the problem

-will soon be solved, but for now...

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-..the government is placing greater

-emphasis on hiding the blemishes...

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-..from the new investors

-of the West.

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-This government is good at dealing

-with the issues in China.

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-People have a lot of faith

-in the government at the moment.

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-I can't blame Dyfed for being

-so optimistic - that's his job...

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-..but his life as an ex-pat...

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-..is very different from the lives

-of the city's poorest people.

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-Personally,

-after spending more time here...

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-..and looking over

-the Paris of the Orient...

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-..the city of dreams is

-beginning to feel far less romantic.

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-888

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-888

-

-888

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-In this new Shanghai...

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-..thousands of poor people

-feel that the government...

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-..which once promised jobs

-and certainty, has betrayed them.

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-In a period of four years,

-24,000,000 jobs were lost...

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-..when the government

-closed inefficient factories.

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-Shanghai was China's

-largest industrial city...

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-..but with so many factories

-having closed...

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-..older workers have little to

-offer the new competitive economy.

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-Hu Yang used to work

-in the factories.

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-After a period out of work,

-he is now a photographer...

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-..struggling to make ends meet...

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-..as well as publishing a book

-that draws attention...

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-..to the gap between the old

-Shanghai and the new middle class.

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-He has taken photographs

-of more than 500 people in Shanghai.

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-The gap between

-the rich and poor is massive.

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-Presently, Shanghai society

-is like a weightlifting bar.

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-We have the rich and poor

-as heavyweights at both ends...

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-..and the middle class

-is the bar between them.

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-This creates security issues.

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-It endangers the wealth

-and stability of our society.

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-Like Hu Yang, Wei Qin has suffered

-because of these new developments.

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-She's seen her flat

-and community...

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-..bulldozed to pieces before her.

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-She is a single mother

-and her home...

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-..was her only investment.

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-Wei Qin lost her job when the

-factory where she worked closed.

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-With little education

-and no system to re-educate her...

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-..finding work is difficult.

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-She hasn't received compensation

-for losing her home...

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-..and gets by on a small pension.

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-To save money, she wears her old

-work clothes and looks for bargains.

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-She shares a single room

-with her son Yongkang who is twelve.

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-Wei Qin is concerned that

-losing her former home means...

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-..she will never have

-enough money to help her son.

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-Yongkang's grades aren't good. Wei

-Qin knows that without a tutor...

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-..he will fall further behind

-the rest.

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-If the developers

-had offered me more money...

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-..things would certainly

-be better for us.

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-I would have money to pay

-the fees for my son's education.

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-Pack the right things.

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-Have you packed the correct books?

-Don't forget anything.

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-Living in the new China

-is getting more difficult each day.

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-You need a good education...

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-..and more importantly,

-you need the money to pay for it.

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-This is what worries Hu Yang when he

-thinks about his daughter's future.

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-He and his family

-live in a worker's flat...

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-..that was built

-back in the time of Chairman Mao.

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-He and his wife, Li Lili,

-and daughter, Hiu Yizhe...

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-..rent one room and share a kitchen

-with two other families.

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-This is how millions

-still live in China.

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-The low rent allows Hu Yang

-to spend every penny...

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-..on his daughter's education.

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-This wouldn't have been possible

-during the Cultural Revolution.

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-There are many Chinese families

-like us.

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-Parents spend a lot of time and

-money on their children's education.

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-They all expect a lot of them.

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-We want them to be the best -

-in everything they do.

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-But to ensure the best education,

-he needs to get his daughter...

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-..into the best school,

-and today that's expensive.

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-The best schools know that parents

-are willing to pay a lot of money...

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-..to ensure

-their children are registered.

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-Our country has changed the rules

-that govern our secondary schools.

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-This has led to the privatisation

-of the education system.

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-I disagree with this policy.

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-You can privatise any other industry

-but not education.

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-The state should invest

-in education.

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-Private education will have a

-detrimental effect on this country.

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-I have to agree with Hu Yang.

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-The longer I stay in Shanghai...

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-..the more I can feel

-the old socialist in me coming out.

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-Hu Yang wants

-an equal opportunity for his child.

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-Wei Qin wants the same.

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-While window shopping

-in the city of dreams...

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-..she likes to show her son

-the wealth of the new China.

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-But she is concerned

-that he will never have any of it.

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-When she is able to afford it,

-once or twice a year...

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-..she likes to give Yongkang

-a special treat.

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-Symbol of the worldwide

-American dream - McDonald's.

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-She buys one between them.

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-Things weren't supposed

-to be like this.

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-Surely this wasn't the dream.

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-Whilst driving through

-the hustle and bustle...

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-..the feeling of being

-lost in a video game increases.

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-It took 50 years to build

-the Manhattan skyline.

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-Shanghai has done it in 10.

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-In my opinion,

-it's happening far too quickly...

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-..and the human cost is too high.

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-"Greed is good" was the mantra

-of the '80s film 'Wall Street'...

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-..and the mantra of new China...

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-.."socialism with

-Chinese characteristics"...

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-..is beginning to sound

-dangerously false.

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-This isn't socialism -

-it's capitalism gone mad...

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-..which has more in common

-with Thatcher and Reagan...

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-..than Marx and Engles.

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-Standing at the feet of a sculpture

-of the two old men in a park...

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-..I watch the elderly

-doing their Tai Chi.

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-I like this calmness

-after the bustle of the city.

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-I feel I'm trespassing

-on an old tradition...

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-..that hasn't changed for ages.

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-But how long will this last?

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-I wonder if I, in years to come...

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-..will be one of those few people

-from Europe...

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-..who saw a piece of old Shanghai

-before it disappeared forever?

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-"Shop till you drop" is the mantra

-along the streets of Shanghai.

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-There's an obsession

-amongst the young...

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-..for anything

-that's hip and western.

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-China's MTV generation wants

-to be part of the world beat.

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-But are they also concerned about

-losing their unique Chinese roots?

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-Back on the streets,

-Ma Liang gives a glimpse of hope.

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-We are now really beginning

-to look at our culture...

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-..and not just rediscovering it,

-but reusing it.

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-We always knew it was interesting,

-but by studying it...

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-..we've discovered

-how magnificent it is.

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-The antique furniture

-and other things we collect.

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-They're just on the surface.

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-We want to understand the deeper

-meaning of our culture.

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-I hope Ma Liang's right.

-He has talent...

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-..and he seems to be aware that

-he is one of the fortunate ones...

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-..who's able to be optimistic about

-the future because he is the future.

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-I've seen a lot of poverty...

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-..and I have strong feelings about

-what I've seen. But what can I do?

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-China has a vast population.

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-20 years ago, both the country folk

-and Shanghai's residents were poor.

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-Today, many people have money, but

-a large number still have no money.

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-I think it's just a period in time.

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-The situation

-will improve and improve.

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-Only when the lives of Wei Qin,

-Hu Yang and Ma Liang come closer...

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-..and when millions

-of similar people...

0:22:320:22:35

-..feel that they are part

-of these changes...

0:22:350:22:38

-..will the new hopes of the

-city of dreams turn into reality.

0:22:380:22:42

-But what do I know?

0:22:510:22:53

-Who am I but a liberal from the west

-who longs after his socialist youth?

0:22:530:22:59

-I am now in my 40s.

0:22:590:23:01

-All I can do is feel sorry for

-the two old men in the Tai Chi park.

0:23:010:23:06

-What would they say about "socialism

-with Chinese characteristics"...

0:23:060:23:11

-..in the Paris of the Orient?

-Paris of the Orient? Not for me.

0:23:110:23:15

-The city of dreams? I hope.

0:23:150:23:19

-Equal opportunities?

-We live in hope.

0:23:200:23:23

-Vodka, Mr Marx? A large one?

0:23:240:23:26

-Or a Bacardi Breezer

-a la Shanghai Paris...

0:23:260:23:29

-..with a fading socialist

-bitter lemon...

0:23:300:23:33

-..spitting at the proletariat twist?

0:23:330:23:35

-Poor dab. His beard's

-turning white in front of me.

0:23:360:23:39

-One day, someone might mistake him

-for Father Christmas.

0:23:390:23:42

-After all, in Shanghai,

-if you have the money...

0:23:430:23:46

-..anything is possible.

0:23:470:23:49

-S4C subtitles by Rh Sion Morgan

0:24:210:24:23

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