0:00:22 > 0:00:25Family is the cornerstone of Chinese society.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29But lifestyles and relationships are changing.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34In this programme, young people in Beijing air their views on marriage,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38meeting people and getting introduced,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41and festivities at a wedding in the countryside.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49The city of Beijing has embraced the 21st C.
0:00:49 > 0:00:55With its sights set on the 2008 Olympics, and a population of 13m,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Beijing's fashioned itself into one of the world's leading capitals.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08Recent years have seen the fabric of the city change out of all recognition.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16Until the 1980s, most of Beijing's residents lived in one-storey houses,
0:01:16 > 0:01:17along lanes known as hutongs.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Over the years, these hutongs have become so cramped and unsanitary,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25that most have been demolished to make way for blocks of flats.
0:01:28 > 0:01:34In some areas, people fight to hang onto homes they've lived in for generations.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Once, the majority of Chinese families lived in houses like this one,
0:01:38 > 0:01:44the whole extended family gathered around a communal space and sharing their daily activities.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Nowadays though, the Yeo family are unusual.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Three generations of them still live in this courtyard house,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54with Grandma Yeo as the head of the family.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58The family.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Grandma.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Daughter.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Son.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Grandson.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21My name is Meng Chao.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25This is my mum.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29This is my dad.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33This is my grandma.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39The Chinese philosopher Confucius taught that families have a duty to share their lives
0:02:39 > 0:02:44and care for each other. Courtyard architecture makes this possible.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22Nowadays, for a family to have so much room is a luxury.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Mrs Po's situation is more typical.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32She's on the neighbourhood committee for the local community earning £50 a month.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36She lives in just part of a former courtyard house.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42Her husband's taken early retirement, and her 20-year-old son's still at college,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45so money is tight.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50They live in two rooms. Her son's bedroom doubles up as the living room and dining area.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Her lean-to kitchen's also the shower room.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57The toilet's outside.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02Despite all this, Mrs Po still prefers it to living in a modern block of flats.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43While local people fight for their homes to be improved,
0:04:43 > 0:04:48the historic heart of Beijing is gradually being taken over,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51by super-rich newcomers from Hong Kong and Taiwan,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54happy to spend huge sums on renovation.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03In modern Beijing, money talks. Business and professional classes
0:05:03 > 0:05:07are among the fastest-growing sectors of the population.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The Chinese are keen to show off their status,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15and the various ways they introduce themselves are clear proof, if a touch confusing.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20In professional circles, a man will often introduce his wife as "madam".
0:05:20 > 0:05:22In Chinese...
0:05:25 > 0:05:27This is my wife.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43She's called Zhang Han Lu.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Another fashionable term for spouse among educated people...
0:05:48 > 0:05:50..literally, loved one.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54The formal word for mother.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Father.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12Another way for a wife to refer to her spouse is...
0:06:13 > 0:06:15..husband.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Thanks to population control, introduced in the late 1970s,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37the modern city couple are likely to have just one child.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Many don't want any more for fear of reducing their living standards.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48But these days, only children are often over-indulged,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and over-fed. Little emperors, the Chinese call them.
0:06:51 > 0:06:57In the past it was considered vital to produce a son to look after you in old age.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Son.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I have.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06I have one son.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23More leisure time and spending power, along with images and ideas from the West,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27are having a huge impact on male/female relationships.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Touching in public was once frowned on, or even punished.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Even holding hands was unacceptable.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Traditionally, couples would have been introduced by their families,
0:07:39 > 0:07:45but now, young affluent Chinese are asserting their independence and choosing their own partners.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49This man is a successful entrepreneur in his 30s.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54He runs a fashion retail business in downtown Beijing.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59He was born into a relatively prosperous family, and has one sister.
0:07:59 > 0:08:05He's had a lot of pressure from his parents to get married, and start a family.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39His friends share the same attitudes.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42This man has been living with his girlfriend for three years
0:08:42 > 0:08:44but they're not set on marriage or children.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48And his family aren't putting any pressure on him.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08To say you are married, say...
0:09:09 > 0:09:11I'm married.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13To ask the question, say...
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Are you married?
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I'm not married.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38This is my girlfriend.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47In the countryside near Beijing, population control has been less rigid,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50yet few families choose to have more than two children.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Haizi means children.
0:10:05 > 0:10:12This village lies in a mountain region 50km north of Beijing.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16The area's recently been discovered by affluent city dwellers.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's become a popular spot for weekend outings.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Nearly every house has turned itself into a restaurant or B&B.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32Once the villagers had to make a living from corn and sorghum.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38Now they grow a whole variety of crops designed to tempt the palates of city visitors.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Several thousand guests come to sample the rural pleasures of the village every year.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53The shift from farming to tourism has made a big difference
0:10:53 > 0:10:56to the status of women in the village.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Chairman Mao said that women hold up half the sky.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And in this village, it's never been truer than now.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49As the status of women has changed, Western-style romance has become the fashion.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Most brides now dream of a white wedding.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Chinese traditions are still hanging on, though.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00The bride's feet must not touch the ground.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Sadly for the groom, sedan chairs have long gone!
0:12:06 > 0:12:11This couple live and work in Beijing, but they wanted their wedding celebrations back home.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15WEDDING MARCH PLAYS
0:12:15 > 0:12:21Four generations of relatives are present here. Great-grandma used to have bound feet,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and she can no longer walk.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28The bride...
0:12:29 > 0:12:32The groom...
0:12:34 > 0:12:39The couple must first show their respects to their elders and all the guests.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Once they would have kowtowed on their knees.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Presenting a ring at the wedding is a new idea.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00When public touching was forbidden, games like this were a way of teasing the couple.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08Liu Yan and Zhu Haijiang have already had their civil marriage in Beijing.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13HE SPEAKS IN CHINESE
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Presents of money are the most likely gift to the newlyweds.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47The precise ingredients of the wedding feast are important.
0:13:47 > 0:13:54There must be six starters. Eight fried dishes, four steamed, and four stewed,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56along with many other delicacies.
0:13:56 > 0:14:02By the end of the day, 300 relatives will have eaten to their hearts' content.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Subtitles by Heather Middleton Red Bee Media
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Email Subtitling@bbc.co.uk