0:00:31 > 0:00:35Breathe.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41Clear your mind.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46Forget everything you have learned.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48China has changed.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Welcome.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Welcome to a country like none other, one that for so long has
0:01:08 > 0:01:10gone its own way, with its own ancient traditions,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13but which is now ready.
0:01:13 > 0:01:20Ready for anything.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29China may be thousands of years old, but...
0:01:29 > 0:01:35It kind of feels quite young.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41There is an energy here, an enthusiasm to welcome the world,
0:01:41 > 0:01:46and also show the world what it has got.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49And what it has got is not just factories churning out
0:01:49 > 0:01:51other people's stuff.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56The Chinese brands themselves are starting to break out.
0:01:56 > 0:02:04"Made in China" has become "Designed in China."
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Yet there are some parts of life here that you may consider
0:02:07 > 0:02:11unpalatable.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Its take on human rights, its control of the media,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15its attempts to censor inconvenient information behind that Great
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Firewall.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21From Facebook and Twitter to the mighty Apple,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23western brands are not given an easy ride here,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26although it is not blanket censorship, and people can
0:02:26 > 0:02:34and do circumvent it.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41But that offer from the Western invasion has allowed Chinese
0:02:41 > 0:02:43innovation to flourish, and that is what we are
0:02:43 > 0:02:49here to discover.
0:02:49 > 0:02:50This is Click's Chinese story, part one.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Let's start with lunch, which on one day looked like this,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05but on other days was consumed on the go, and brought to us
0:03:05 > 0:03:13by an army of scooter-riding food angels like these.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Yet, today in Beijing we are ordering a delivery
0:03:16 > 0:03:18from a local restaurant using WeChat, the social
0:03:18 > 0:03:22network of China.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It is a full-on, multipurpose tool.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Think of a mix between Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32You can do business, you can have fun.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Yes, China is trying to go big on innovation.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40It has over 1,600 accelerators, including the rather nice looking
0:03:40 > 0:03:46Innovation Works, founded by the head of Google China.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48There is a wall here of the billion-dollar projects
0:03:48 > 0:03:50they have backed, including one which has been valued
0:03:50 > 0:03:53at over $3 billion.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Yep, more than 270 million people use this selfie-beautifying app
0:03:56 > 0:04:02every month, and for now this includes me.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Pretty.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07But they don't just use accelerators.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12They have a whole startup street, called Innoway.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17Above each cafe an incubator, and above each of those,
0:04:17 > 0:04:26working space for new companies, which is free for three months.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30And it is here that I met Ganshu Wu, whose own start-up is being talked
0:04:30 > 0:04:36about as potentially revolutionising the autonomous car industry.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38In China, the situation is a little bit different.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43When the government tries to push something, it typically gets enough
0:04:43 > 0:04:55attention, enough resources, enough forces.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58So in China you know that you are always seeing everyone go
0:04:58 > 0:05:00in the same direction.
0:05:00 > 0:05:10It is good, it is bad.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13But sometimes, at this point, everyone goes into this mass
0:05:13 > 0:05:14entrepreneurship and innovation.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15I think it helps.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17But walking around Innoway, it doesn't really look
0:05:17 > 0:05:21like there is that much take-up yet.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Still, if you are really successful, you don't just get your own street,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28you get your own palace.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Welcome to DeepGlint.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It is led by Yong Zhao, a co-founder of Google Glass,
0:05:34 > 0:05:39who today has invited me to take part in this colourful demo.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43What is the purpose of the hula hoops?
0:05:43 > 0:05:46We put it on the body, and no matter where you move,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50it follows you.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55Therefore they understand and behave accordingly.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57DeepGlint specialises in 3-D vision and deep learning,
0:05:57 > 0:06:02and uses this to make sense of how people are moving around.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05One of our most important customers are banks.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08They really want to understand people's behaviour in their space,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10no matter whether you are a customer, or people walking
0:06:10 > 0:06:12casually.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16So if you are casual, you don't want to walk too fast,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18like you are running.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22That might mean something really bad is happening.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24She is upset with you.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27You are stealing the couch.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Or there are some places where they don't want you to get in.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35If I walk on to this mat, they are going to complain.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39This is a sensitive area.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44Or if you stay in this room for too long, it also complains.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48So if I wanted to rob this bank I would have to do it very slowly,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50but also get it done very quickly.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51Yes.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Right.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55If somebody was hurt and falling on the floor,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57the camera will know.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Someone is falling down.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02So I have also not got to injure anyone, while moving
0:07:02 > 0:07:06slowly and quickly.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09You cannot do this!
0:07:09 > 0:07:14I think I will rob somewhere else.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17And it is more than just behaviour that is being monitored here.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19DeepGlint supplies facial recognition systems that can pick
0:07:19 > 0:07:26out hundreds of places at once, and even identify stolen cars,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28not by their number plates, which may have been changed,
0:07:28 > 0:07:33but by their markings, their stickers and their scratches.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Of course, it is not just in Beijing that you find innovation
0:07:36 > 0:07:41start-ups and incubators.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44They are happening all over this vast country.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47And we have been to central China, to Chengdu, where something very
0:07:47 > 0:07:48strange is going on.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Yes, I have travelled to the heart of China's Sichuan Province,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58to the provincial capital, Chengdu.
0:07:58 > 0:08:04It is famous for its pandas and mahjong.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06There are even tables in the countryside.
0:08:06 > 0:08:18I am playing mahjong, I think.
0:08:18 > 0:08:24And it is now building a reputation for hi-tech too.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26The University for Engineering, Science and Technology is one
0:08:26 > 0:08:29of the best in the country for robotics.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32There are 35,000 students here, from all over China.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34And many of them make robots, including these autonomous
0:08:34 > 0:08:46characters.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Kitted out with high-definition cameras, they are designed to carry
0:08:49 > 0:08:51out jobs from neighbourhood watch to monitoring bail conditions.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55They can even keep track of prisoners in jail.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02The theme of surveillance is strong here, as you might expect.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06A team from the university has developed this police car prototype.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10The 360-degree camera mounted on the car's roof can automatically
0:09:10 > 0:09:13scan for faces within a 60-metre radius.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17I tested it out by going for a run, and it did pick out my face.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21It would be matched against a police database to see if I was a criminal
0:09:21 > 0:09:23or suspect, and then send an alert to the car
0:09:23 > 0:09:25if I was a positive match.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29The final version of the car should be able to pick people out at speeds
0:09:29 > 0:09:31of up to 120 kilometres an hour.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Spooky stuff.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39But we have really come to Chengdu to play with this.
0:09:39 > 0:09:46Oh, my goodness, it is actually really intimidating.
0:09:46 > 0:09:52Whoa!
0:09:58 > 0:10:03The robot is designed to be as much like a human player as possible.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Its eyes are the HD cameras at the back of the court.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09These computers send prediction data on where the shuttlecock will fall
0:10:09 > 0:10:12back to the robot via Bluetooth.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Its hands are racquets.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16The information received needs to be millimetre-accurate for it
0:10:16 > 0:10:25to get shots back.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26The robot starts in the central position.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Its brain has a map of the court, and it won't venture
0:10:29 > 0:10:31outside the lines.
0:10:31 > 0:10:39I think I can beat him, but he is...
0:10:39 > 0:10:41So how did you get involved in this project?
0:10:41 > 0:10:44And did you win the competition?
0:10:55 > 0:10:56Yeah, of course!
0:10:56 > 0:10:57Champion!
0:10:57 > 0:11:06No arguing there.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19You don't have to drive far in China's cities
0:11:19 > 0:11:21to hit this.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22HORNS BEEPING
0:11:22 > 0:11:26In fact, this is why you can't really drive far at all.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Not in less than an hour, anyway.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And that might explain why China is working fast to catch up
0:11:32 > 0:11:36with the current talk of the town, autonomous cars.
0:11:36 > 0:11:43Right now everyone owns a private car.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46But down the road, it doesn't need to be this way.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48The car can be shared among many people.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Only 5% of the time the car is driven, 95% of the time
0:11:51 > 0:11:52it is parked.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55So if you have autonomous cars, they can drive off and go away.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Yes, they can go away.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00It is easy.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Yes, when you think about it, there is a good argument for sharing
0:12:03 > 0:12:06autonomous vehicles, and that argument is being made
0:12:06 > 0:12:09by Baidu, China's largest search engine.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13It has developed a plan to design a test area for autonomous cars
0:12:13 > 0:12:18and buses over the next five years.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23This is Baidu's autonomous car.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27It is a BMW, with all the features of any autonomous car.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30You have super-accurate GPS there, lidar, or laser-accurate radar,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33on the top and on all four sides, and on the front, millimetre-wave
0:12:33 > 0:12:36radar, and a ton of cameras in the windscreen, to watch out
0:12:36 > 0:12:38for obstacles and map the roads.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40And inside, possibly the most important feature of any autonomous
0:12:40 > 0:12:43car, an emergency red stop button.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48But is driving in China any different to driving anywhere else
0:12:48 > 0:12:50in the world?
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Well, to get a sense of the actual technology you'd need to navigate
0:12:53 > 0:12:56in Beijing traffic, I was taken for a ride by that famous
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Chinese company...Volvo.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Quite a bit of the technology that we will find in autonomous cars
0:13:07 > 0:13:12already exists and is already in cars that you can buy today.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15This one, for example, can keep a safe distance
0:13:15 > 0:13:17from the car in front and it can keep in lane,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22as long as it can see good lane markings either side of it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:27Not that we have much opportunity to use those features here.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30I wouldn't call it chaos, everyone did seem to know
0:13:30 > 0:13:32what they were doing.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Everyone except me.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I don't even know how many lanes there are here.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40If you are an autonomous car, you need to deal with this,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42you need to deal with this chap.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45You need to deal with the man coming past a few minutes
0:13:45 > 0:13:47ago selling turtles.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59So, a little way to go before we hit this sexy vision of the future.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Chinese video streaming company Letv says it is developing
0:14:01 > 0:14:04its own self-driving car.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Why?
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Because in the future what else will we be doing in our autonomous
0:14:10 > 0:14:16cars than watching its TV and movie service?
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Hmm.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Certainly looks like it will cost a fortune and,
0:14:20 > 0:14:21yes, that is a problem.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Autonomous cars are expensive to develop and will be filled
0:14:23 > 0:14:28with expensive components.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32But, interestingly, this car, developed by Uisee, a company
0:14:32 > 0:14:34founded by our good friend Gansha Wu, is dispensing
0:14:34 > 0:14:38with the very expensive lidar and inertial sensors
0:14:38 > 0:14:45and using cheaper stereo cameras to help it see in a different way.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47We have an interesting metaphor.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50So, Google has pretty good eyesight based on all the censors.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55So it has an eyesight of 2.0.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57So they don't need to be very smart.
0:14:57 > 0:15:09Probably they have an IQ of 120.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12But for us we want to have an eyesight of 1.5,
0:15:12 > 0:15:13with an IQ of 180.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14We actually built a supercomputer in the car.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20All of this traffic is contributing to another big problem here.
0:15:20 > 0:15:36Pollution.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38In 1978 there were just 1.3 million vehicles on China's roads.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Today there are 279 million.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42The smog is sometimes so bad it's breathtaking.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45You can see the haze kind of over there, but you will get a much
0:15:45 > 0:15:48better idea from the top of this building here.
0:15:48 > 0:15:58Right, so, now you can see it, can't you?
0:15:58 > 0:16:03There's the Olympic tower, the Water Cube,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05and the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06There are mountains over there, trust me!
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Not that you've got a chance to see them today.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11It's up here that I'm meeting IBM's chairman in China,
0:16:11 > 0:16:21Liming Chen, who has his eye on a cleaner future.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23We normally use 1978 as a kind of benchmark.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25That's the year China opened up, right?
0:16:25 > 0:16:27If you look at the population in 1978, our population
0:16:27 > 0:16:28was only 960 million.
0:16:28 > 0:16:35Today we have 1.35 billion.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38The net increase is almost 400 million.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41So whenever you have a population increase then you have energy
0:16:41 > 0:16:45consumption, no doubt about that.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Couple that massive growth in population, traffic and industry
0:16:48 > 0:16:51with the fact that China's main fossil fuel is the one that produces
0:16:51 > 0:16:55the most CO2, coal, and you can see why the horizon is so grey.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Previous attempts to turn it blue again have involved shutting down
0:16:57 > 0:17:00everything, factories and traffic, in the whole Beijing area for four
0:17:00 > 0:17:15weeks in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18But IBM has developed a smarter way to manage pollution and turn
0:17:18 > 0:17:19the horizon green.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22This is the home of the Green Horizon Project, a massive
0:17:22 > 0:17:29undertaking to predict where and how bad the pollution will
0:17:29 > 0:17:30be ten days ahead.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Not only does Green Horizon help predict which areas will be hit
0:17:33 > 0:17:36worst, it can help predict the environmental and economic
0:17:36 > 0:17:43effects of different pollution management strategies,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45from shutting down certain factories to banning traffic
0:17:45 > 0:17:51in different areas.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Now, an enormous amount of data is being analysed here,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55coming from ground sensors, satellites, weather forecasts,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57geographic information, traffic data and factory emission monitoring.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Green Horizon is even learning how to read comments and pictures
0:18:00 > 0:18:07on social media.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Social media can help us to quickly locate some of the pollution events.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Leaking, or illegal emissions, so we can use social media data
0:18:13 > 0:18:23to help quickly find out those pollution sources.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25This project is already active in several cities in China and it's
0:18:25 > 0:18:27being piloted in New Delhi and Johannesburg too.
0:18:27 > 0:18:34I've been gobsmacked at just how stunning Beijing is.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38But it's going to take an awful lot of work to keep the air clean enough
0:18:38 > 0:18:48for us all to appreciate it.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51No such problems here - 1,500 kilometres to the south-west
0:18:51 > 0:18:53of the capital in central China, in the mist covered
0:18:53 > 0:19:09mountains of Zhangjiajie.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11I've come to China's oldest national park,
0:19:11 > 0:19:12which holds a very new secret.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Tucked away on the edge of this World Heritage Site,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18someone's decided to build a bridge from the middle of nowhere
0:19:18 > 0:19:19to the middle of nowhere.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Unlike me, they hope the thousands of visitors that will come
0:19:22 > 0:19:25here won't be too scared to look down, 300 metres through the world's
0:19:25 > 0:19:28highest glass walkway.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32These are the final days of construction
0:19:32 > 0:19:33for this three-year project.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35More than 300 engineers have worked through all weather conditions
0:19:35 > 0:19:43to build what's also the world's longest glass-bottomed bridge,
0:19:43 > 0:19:56a breathtaking 430 metres, crossing Zhangjiajie's grand canyon.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59And the bridge, you can see, it opens up to the sky.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Usually bridges are parallel and this one is like that,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04so you feel the sky is coming into the bridge.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06The walkway itself is just 60 centimetres thick,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09so the challenge to keep everything stable has required
0:20:09 > 0:20:16some fresh thinking.
0:20:16 > 0:20:1870 glass balls are to be positioned on springs along the walkway.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21They have been designed to move to counter any swaying.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25These curvy railings will persuade up to 800 visitors to keep changing
0:20:25 > 0:20:27direction, offsetting the resonance caused by hundreds walking
0:20:27 > 0:20:33at a constant speed.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37And then there are the water tanks.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40TRANSLATION: We are going to put four water tanks on the bridge.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43When the bridge vibrates the water inside these tanks will make waves.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46We've calculated the size of the tanks so the frequency
0:20:46 > 0:20:48of the water waves and the bridge's vibration are different.
0:20:48 > 0:21:02So when the bridge vibrates the water tanks can help to stop it.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04They are hoping to sway tourists to stay longer.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07This amphitheatre will host fashion and light shows and next year you'll
0:21:07 > 0:21:11be able to throw yourself off the edge and experience the world's
0:21:11 > 0:21:19highest bungee jump.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21At this altitude you can't afford for anything to go wrong.
0:21:21 > 0:21:30And eight months ago it did.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Pictures showing how a cliff hugging glass walkway had smashed under
0:21:33 > 0:21:36the feet of a tourist after he dropped a mug went viral.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37The walkway was closed.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Our hosts were keen to show me just how safe I was.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Each panel of the walkway has three levels of toughened glass,
0:21:43 > 0:21:48held together by glue.
0:21:48 > 0:21:56Well, the president has given me a hammer and says that even if I get
0:21:56 > 0:22:03through all three layers of glass I won't fall through.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07He also says I will be the toughest man in the world if I can get
0:22:07 > 0:22:08through this lot.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10So this is how they are going to assuage people's
0:22:10 > 0:22:11fears of glass bridges.
0:22:11 > 0:22:21Here goes!
0:22:21 > 0:22:25And it looks like you can see the top glass has shattered here.
0:22:25 > 0:22:25Three!
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Oh!
0:22:29 > 0:22:31We're OK.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Oh!
0:22:35 > 0:22:40PANTS
0:22:42 > 0:22:43Do you know what?
0:22:43 > 0:22:48I think this might be safe!
0:22:49 > 0:22:55OK, guys, we get the point.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58And so at last it was time to welcome the very first specially
0:22:58 > 0:23:03invited tourists onto the glass.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18It is an unnerving experience and it takes a little
0:23:18 > 0:23:28while to get used to.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I have only just begun to be able to do that.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33It's a remarkable feat and it is really something
0:23:33 > 0:23:34for the eyes.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37This entire structure is incredibly impressive and I'm sure we'll get
0:23:37 > 0:23:39very, very similar reactions when it is opened to
0:23:39 > 0:23:42the public next month.
0:23:42 > 0:23:52Dan Simmons, in Zhangjiajie.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56And our China adventure continues later this month with two more shows
0:23:57 > 0:23:58from this amazing country.
0:23:58 > 0:24:04Next week we're in Los Angeles for the world's biggest video
0:24:04 > 0:24:07games expo, E3.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08For now, enjoy the view.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27Hello there.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28All sorts going on this weekend, weatherwise.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Continuing to have huge variety in our weather over the next few
0:24:31 > 0:24:33days, keep your eye on the forecast.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36On Saturday, it was lovely, blue skies and sunshine in Cornwall
0:24:36 > 0:24:42made it feel very warm.