Designed in China: Part Three Click - Short Edition

Our journey through China has taken us across this vast country.

From badminton smashes to smashing bridges.

It's a fascinating place, hungry for success.

But there's one subject you can't avoid here.

People can't do what they want, say what they want,

The government controls the media here and it tries is hardest to lock

And if you go online here, you hit a massive obstruction.

It is a filter that blocks access to sites, apps and search terms

considered contrary to Chinese values, and that includes

Facebook and Twitter, and all Google services,

including Gmail and even the home page.

However, things are starting to get a little more dark.

Chinese citizens are being encouraged to report on each other

online, looking for inappropriate content like politically

Private messaging is being monitored and your digital footprint,

what you do online and who you talk to, could start to automatically

affect you getting a job or getting access to credit.

Dan Simmons reports from the city of Shanghai.

Just as big Chinese cities start to look more like Western ones,

each day, so like in the West, the Chinese equivalents of Facebook

and eBay are getting to know their users even better.

Wandering round this metropolis, it's easy to feel very at home.

But it's also really easy to forget that you could be being watched.

Wii Chat has become a sort of WhatsApp and Facebook

But while WhatsApp messages are encrypted to stop snooping,

it's a very different story on Wii Chat.

You know, day-to-day message, and we do video calls,

Actually, we do everything, including payment.

I mean, everybody knows we're being watched,

If this were a student protest, it would only take about less

than one day for the Government to find out and then it

I sort of understand that the Government is trying

to block some things to maintain the so-called harmony,

or social stability, but I feel that it's our right

to know what's happening out there, and it's our right

to have our own judgment on stuff that is a threat to us.

Certain accounts that post too many things

that the Government doesn't approve of will be blocked forever.

Being watched is one thing, but Shangue says that, increasingly,

One of my roommates, actually, is a part of the team,

so he received a message from his leader saying

that you should do this and you should do that,

So, you have university students spying on other university students?

And reporting them to the Government?

Yes. That's correct.

Wii Chat's move into being a purchasing platform,

as well as a social one, means they have each user's buying

And that mixing of the social and financial is a cause

The pressure group Privacy International says that it's worried

about a new development in China called Sesame Credit.

How would you feel if the information you were sharing

on social media, all communications you are having with your partner

impacted the chances of you getting credit, and essentially the chances

of you getting a nicer house, and nicer car, having your kids go

Would you be willing, or would you even be able to change

behaviour and comply with such a system?

Sesame Credit was created last year, not by the big banks, but by China's

shopping equivalent to eBay, Alibaba and ANDE financial services.

This online video suggests that your social accounts

and who you are friends with could affect your access

to credit, mortgages and even some jobs.

Under the scheme, each user is given a score,

a number that, if high enough, could be used for preferential

treatment at Marriot hotels and Hertz cars, amongst others.

And in the future, it's likely to be recognised much more widely.

So, I find out, ooh! I got a high score.

So, I'm proud of that and show my friends,

There is so many incentives built into this system from

a psychological level, from a competitive level,

The reason that it is self-policing is because there are so much

Maybe go to make more friends, make more good-quality friends.

The idea that people pick their friends,

or change their on-line behaviour in pursuit

of a high score is challenged by Sesame Credit's creators.

They told us that they currently have no intention of tracking any

non-consumption activities of our users.

And there's no evidence to the contrary, but

This government document states China's intentions of having credit

scores partly based on news media, that blacklists should be widely

publicised with an overall aim to categorise credit scores.

So some feel proud, and lower scorers learn to change

We invited Tencents, the owners of Wii Chat, to talk to us

about online surveillance and credit scores but they didn't reply to us.

The Chinese credit rating system for individuals is very young.

Social credit scores, as they are being called,

could see the blending of financial and social information,

be it judging our posts or friendship groups

So, it's likely that the credit for introducing new rules governing

people's access to money, and perhaps other life opportunities

will go to China's biggest tech companies rather than its banks.

It is nearly time for us to leave China, but before we do, here is

jammed with some monks. This was the last place

we expected to find a robot The Longquan Temple

was built at the foot North West of Beijing,

a thousand years ago and the site Underneath this bridge is said

to live a Golden dragon, and in this ancient ginkgo

is rumoured to be an old man with a white beard,

who is a God of the tree. Buddhism is an ancient tradition

that forms the spiritual practice And the monks here are hoping to use

technology to promote their beliefs to many more,

through an extremely cute robot. Xian'er's name actually means

'Stupid, virtuous one.' But he's Through the touch screen held

on his tummy, he can answer simple voice commands and answer up to 100

questions about Buddhism. He's happy to have a conversation

about various deep topics... The master has just asked

the robots monk where do And he says, even human beings

cannot answer this question. The robot monk has got

some sensitive parts. The master showed me around

the grounds where they grow their own food, and have a high-tech

library as well as a lower tech one. The temple is gaining a reputation

as being a high-tech monastery. Some of the monks here have degrees

in computer science. The main master monk

was the first in mainland China to start an Internet blog,

and at least one monk is rumoured I was surprised to find such

as sophisticated stop-motion studio operating at the heart of the temple

with so many volunteers. But it was the volunteers

that drove the creation He was designed by technology

companies in China who donated their expertise and time to help

promote that is in a high-tech way. They are already working

on an updated version. I wish that we could

communicate in English. That is it for the short version,

the full version is available on iPlayer. NextWave, we are on the

opposite side of the world in the US. Bodyclock? What bodyclock? You

can follow all the action on Twitter. We will see you soon.