- 25 minutes ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00:20The first drone display I've ever seen in the country that invented fireworks.
00:00:30It's absolutely mesmerizing.
00:00:32It's a panda. It's a panda!
00:00:37There's about a hundred drones there.
00:00:39And this is just a glimpse into the technology that's evolving and changing by the minute, by the second here
00:00:47in this city.
00:00:51On the final leg of my epic journey through China, I've arrived in Shenzhen, known as China's instant city.
00:00:59Nowhere captures the speed and scale of the country's recent transformation quite like this.
00:01:09China.
00:01:11A land of natural wonders and an economic superpower.
00:01:16We're the innovation capital of the world.
00:01:19I'm experiencing its breathtaking landscapes.
00:01:22If you saw us in a film, you'd think it was CGI.
00:01:25Its rich and historic culture.
00:01:27I want a big fish. Like this size. Hi!
00:01:31And its explosive drive for world-changing innovation.
00:01:36I'm on a mission to look beyond the stereotypes.
00:01:39Of all the things I expected to find, this is one of the most unlikely.
00:01:44Discover the powerful role of China in our fast-changing world and learn what its rise means for us all.
00:01:51There's a lot of people that are fearful that we will be replaced.
00:01:56This time, I'm traveling through the Pearl River Delta, the engine room of China's economic transformation.
00:02:04Absolutely spectacular.
00:02:06I'll explore vast cities.
00:02:08This really is sardine living.
00:02:12Where innovators are building a new world.
00:02:14Incredible.
00:02:15A hot coffee delivered by drone.
00:02:17In thrilling.
00:02:18You've got to get on to this now because we're selling, we're selling, we're selling.
00:02:22And troubling ways.
00:02:24Are we being watched now?
00:02:25Yes. You're going to see camera all over the place.
00:02:27Yeah, we have freedom of speech.
00:02:31But you can only exercise it once.
00:02:34And I'll ask as China races to redefine the future.
00:02:38This is the beginning of a whole new age.
00:02:42What is the cost?
00:02:44Welcome to China.
00:03:10Oh, wow.
00:03:14Look at this.
00:03:15Shenzhen.
00:03:16The city of the future that didn't even exist 40 years ago.
00:03:20And now look at it.
00:03:23This astonishing spectacle, featuring a million LED panels across 40 skyscrapers, was created to celebrate 40 years since communist China
00:03:33opened its doors to the world.
00:03:35The move sparked an economic revolution.
00:03:39Look, it's like people in all the windows.
00:03:42Shenzhen, once just farmland and fishing villages, is now a sprawling metropolis with a population of around 18 million.
00:03:50It has one of the youngest populations in the world for any great city.
00:03:55If you're a creator, if technology is your thing, if you're interested in AI, this is the place to be.
00:04:06Shenzhen is the epicentre of China's drive to become a global tech superpower.
00:04:14It's China's Silicon Valley, home to thousands of startups competing to shape tomorrow's technology.
00:04:22This must be him.
00:04:23This city is producing more millionaires than anywhere else in the world.
00:04:27How are you, brother?
00:04:28Hey, Richard.
00:04:29And one of them is high-tech manufacturing mogul, Richard Chang.
00:04:33Hey, you're gonna show me around Shenzhen?
00:04:36I love to show you.
00:04:37You gotta see it.
00:04:37In your very smart car.
00:04:39Please, you're welcome to join me.
00:04:48How would you describe yourself?
00:04:50What's your business?
00:04:53I made shit happen, is what I call it, right?
00:04:55I'm good at branding.
00:04:57I have become like a bridge between US and China.
00:05:04Richard is a poster boy for China's new state capitalism.
00:05:08And about as far from Chairman Mao's idea of a model communist as you can get.
00:05:14I just came from Los Angeles.
00:05:16Dealing with, you know, a lot of high-profile, like, you know, Will Smith, what I am.
00:05:21And, uh, Akon, my business partner.
00:05:23And my partner, Ice Cube.
00:05:25Who, I don't know, do you know much about hip-hop?
00:05:27I know Ice Cube.
00:05:29That's like my average day.
00:05:34Richard has made his fortune selling Chinese-made products to consumers in the United States,
00:05:40skillfully navigating the rules of China's tightly controlled economy.
00:05:45A lot of my business failed in Beijing.
00:05:48When I came to Shenzhen, at that time I got about $5,000 left.
00:05:535,000 US.
00:05:55And, you know, it made 20, 30 million within two years in Shenzhen.
00:06:01So there's opportunity here?
00:06:03A lot of opportunity here in Shenzhen.
00:06:06China is often called the factory of the world, for good reason.
00:06:10Its manufacturing output exceeds the next nine manufacturing nations combined.
00:06:18So where are you gonna take me first?
00:06:20Guachung Bay.
00:06:21This is the place.
00:06:22Mm-hmm.
00:06:23You can almost find anything.
00:06:27Guachung Bay is the largest electronics hub in the world.
00:06:31Like a rabbit warren.
00:06:33Every given day, 100,000 people here.
00:06:37That's amazing, isn't it?
00:06:37100,000.
00:06:38From all over the world?
00:06:39All over the world.
00:06:44Entrepreneurs, inventors, traders and shoppers stream through this maze of markets,
00:06:48all chasing the next big thing.
00:06:52This is the electronic capital of China.
00:06:55This place made a lot of people rich.
00:07:08You see, a lot of this stuff is going to the US market.
00:07:11Yeah.
00:07:11I'm in Shenzhen, China's booming tech capital.
00:07:16And savvy local entrepreneur Richard Chang is showing me around the world's largest electronics market.
00:07:22What's amazing to me, Richard, is if I was here 46 years ago, there was nothing here.
00:07:28It's a fucking fish farm.
00:07:31You can catch fish over here.
00:07:33You'd be catching fish right here, right now.
00:07:36That's what it is like 47 years ago.
00:07:40Lightning-fast supply chains mean new prototypes can be produced in a day and hit the shelves within a week.
00:07:47A phenomenon called Shenzhen speed.
00:07:52In no way in the US they can do the same.
00:07:55Because with all the component, accessory, accessibility with all the parts, you can't do it.
00:08:01Yeah.
00:08:02That's why Huachangpei plays such a tremendous role.
00:08:04Because everything here, we are one hour away from the factory.
00:08:11Huachangpei gave rise to Shanzhai, China's notorious world of counterfeit tech.
00:08:17Once a backstreet trade in copycat gadgets, it's now a vast, fast-moving manufacturing network.
00:08:23These are 500 pounds in the UK.
00:08:2918 pounds for a 500 pound pair.
00:08:32But that's not real.
00:08:33No.
00:08:34But they look identical.
00:08:36Yeah.
00:08:36Nobody really know the difference.
00:08:38Do you think those are real?
00:08:39Yeah, those are real.
00:08:40Those are real?
00:08:41Yeah.
00:08:41Or maybe not.
00:08:43Or maybe not.
00:08:46In China, Shanzhai is seen as a Robin Hood phenomenon.
00:08:51Ingenious, affordable and open to all.
00:08:54In the United States, it's viewed as intellectual property theft.
00:08:58A bitter dispute in its trade war with China.
00:09:01But how do you feel about this?
00:09:02Because effectively this is stealing someone else's idea.
00:09:05Technically.
00:09:07Right?
00:09:08Yeah.
00:09:08But this has been going on for so long already.
00:09:11Who's winning?
00:09:11Who's losing?
00:09:12Who's missing out?
00:09:13The US is losing big time.
00:09:14Uh-huh.
00:09:20Okay.
00:09:23Don't worry.
00:09:24Well, let's go down here.
00:09:26It's clear not everyone's happy talking business in front of a foreign TV crew.
00:09:31They get a little paranoid.
00:09:32China's been cracking down on all this knockoff shit.
00:09:36Yeah.
00:09:36It gives China a bad reputation to stay in business long term.
00:09:40Yeah.
00:09:41You've got to legitimize everything.
00:09:45Shanzhai now goes beyond imitation.
00:09:47It's a hotbed of homegrown innovation.
00:09:51You know the drone.
00:09:52DJI drone.
00:09:53Over 20 years, DJI has grown from a start-up to the largest drone manufacturer in the world.
00:10:00How is he controlling this?
00:10:02What, the facial identification?
00:10:03Yeah.
00:10:04He's following us right now.
00:10:05Just following you.
00:10:06Oh, goodness me.
00:10:09You want to try us out?
00:10:10I'll have some mango.
00:10:11Give me a wrap.
00:10:12China's drive to crack down on fakes and clean up the economy...
00:10:15It's good mango.
00:10:17...has led to raids on counterfeit goods, tax fraud probes, and a rapid shift towards a cashless society.
00:10:24It's all cashless out here.
00:10:26It's all cashless out here.
00:10:26Is that so that finances can all be tracked and monitored?
00:10:31How does it work with paying taxes out here?
00:10:34Yeah.
00:10:34Any individual businesses, they're going to report a tax, 15 or 20%.
00:10:39Yeah.
00:10:39They will all pay that?
00:10:40They will all pay that, yeah.
00:10:41Yeah?
00:10:41Yeah.
00:10:42Yeah?
00:10:42Yeah, they do.
00:10:43Yeah.
00:10:44I'm asking you because maybe in the UK people might think that it was, you know, that this is the
00:10:50kind of market where people...
00:10:51a legitimate tax-paying business.
00:10:59China is trying to stamp out its counterfeit culture because its tech ambitions lie far beyond fake goods.
00:11:08Fueled by a trillion-dollar government drive, it leads the world in critical future technologies from high-speed rail to
00:11:16electric vehicle batteries.
00:11:19We are the innovation capital of the world.
00:11:21A minimum one year ahead of US.
00:11:26For example, this is a simple lollipop, right?
00:11:30But this can play about a little over an hour of music.
00:11:33Music?
00:11:33I can't hear anything, man.
00:11:34You put your mouth and just bite with your teeth.
00:11:38So now you hear the music.
00:11:40So this is called a bone conduction technology.
00:11:45Yeah, there you go.
00:11:46Now you with the fucking groove.
00:11:47I can't hear shit unless I have one.
00:11:51Richard's bone conduction lollipop transmits vibrations through your teeth and jaw directly to your inner ear.
00:11:58You hear music while your ears are completely free.
00:12:03Isn't that crazy?
00:12:04It is.
00:12:04It's just kind of a weird way of listening to music.
00:12:07Is there much money in this?
00:12:09Yes.
00:12:09I do about $21 million a year right now.
00:12:12Is this Chinese technology?
00:12:13This is technology we trademarked.
00:12:16Let's hypothesize that I head back to the UK next week and in a month's time someone goes,
00:12:21Hey Richard, look at this dude in England.
00:12:23Have you seen?
00:12:24He's come up with this lolly that plays music.
00:12:28What would you think?
00:12:29Would you think good on me?
00:12:30I would say congratulations.
00:12:32My price is going to be fucking half of what they make anymore.
00:12:35Because no way you can make it cheaper.
00:12:37You know why?
00:12:38Because I'm in China.
00:12:40I'm in Shenzhen.
00:12:41You cannot compete with me.
00:12:45A music playing lollipop may seem like a gimmick, but audio innovations like this have helped build Richard's fortune.
00:12:52He works with a string of factories licensed to produce tech products for major global brands.
00:13:03Wow, this is not what I was expecting around a factory.
00:13:07It feels like I'm in the jungle.
00:13:08This is beautiful.
00:13:09I can hear bird life, cicadas.
00:13:15Now this factory creates and sells its own high-end audio gear.
00:13:21Across China and beyond.
00:13:25This is the headphone assembly line.
00:13:27Oh, yeah.
00:13:28It's very clean.
00:13:29Of course.
00:13:30Got to be super clean.
00:13:31What on earth is she doing?
00:13:32This is what?
00:13:38This unit is for communication to talk to on the phone.
00:13:42Yeah.
00:13:43So this is the final unit.
00:13:45How much will you sell that for?
00:13:47$179 to $200 US.
00:13:49We can produce about 80,000 units a month.
00:13:52Are your profit margins good?
00:13:56No, no, we do.
00:13:58Are you okay?
00:13:59We do have $100 million right now.
00:14:01That's still small.
00:14:07It just goes on and on and on.
00:14:09How many employees do you reckon there are on this floor alone?
00:14:12About 800 employees.
00:14:14Wow.
00:14:16Here, workers earn around £170 for a 40-hour week.
00:14:22Low paid by UK standards, jobs like these helped power China's rise,
00:14:28pulling millions into cities and out of poverty.
00:14:32But now these jobs themselves are under threat from the rapid rise of automation.
00:14:38Automation is very important to us.
00:14:40How far away do you reckon you are from replacing
00:14:44all the people here with robots, yeah?
00:14:47Two years.
00:14:47Two years.
00:14:48And then the amount of that merchandise
00:14:51will cut down from 6% to 1% or less.
00:14:56And that's why you have automation.
00:14:58And plus you save so much money on the labour.
00:15:02It's astonishing to hear just how quickly automation
00:15:05could entirely replace the very jobs that built China's economic miracle.
00:15:10As machines take over the line,
00:15:13the future of China's industrial workforce hangs in the balance.
00:15:17And Richard's vision for the future
00:15:19isn't just reshaping how his products are made,
00:15:22but how they're sold.
00:15:23Take a look at our live streaming room.
00:15:25100-hour live streaming here.
00:15:28Live streaming studios like this one
00:15:31allow round-the-clock sales direct to customers on social media.
00:15:45China has over a billion internet users.
00:15:48It's the world's biggest e-commerce market.
00:15:51Live stream shopping has surged into a multi-billion dollar industry
00:15:55with millions of sellers going live every day.
00:15:58But strict government censorship still keeps a tight grip
00:16:01on what hosts can say.
00:16:03We're on TikTok right now.
00:16:07I don't want to distract her.
00:16:09No, she's used to it.
00:16:11She better be fucking trained to use this stuff.
00:16:14What else will fire her?
00:16:21How often do you think about money?
00:16:23I think about money every fucking time.
00:16:25I think about money right now.
00:16:26I'm always telling people,
00:16:27if you don't go out there and get it,
00:16:29nobody's going to give to you.
00:16:31And every single fucking opportunity,
00:16:34you've got to be the one who created it.
00:16:36When you struggle, nobody give a fuck.
00:16:38You've got to have the guts.
00:16:40I always feel like,
00:16:41the moment I walk in a room,
00:16:43I'm the line, bitch.
00:16:44You've got to be ready for me.
00:16:45And that's how it is.
00:16:47I'm going to fucking eat you alive.
00:16:52Richard may be king of the jungle for now,
00:16:55but an army of upstarts are fighting for a place
00:16:58in China's tech-driven future.
00:17:09The internet has become a wildly frenetic marketplace
00:17:12in China's turbocharged economy.
00:17:17I've come to one of Shenzhen's so-called live stream factories,
00:17:21where hyper-competitive influencers
00:17:23sell everything from gadgets to designer fashion.
00:17:33This team of young hustlers are streaming live,
00:17:36pushing corner shop essentials.
00:17:39There's lots of shouting.
00:17:41Sounds quite aggressive.
00:17:49Isn't it amazing that people will all log on to social media
00:17:52to buy sweets, coconut water?
00:17:56If you imagine your corner shop
00:17:58selling all their produce by phone.
00:18:02Hold on.
00:18:02We're going to make it hard today, okay?
00:18:05Hot million.
00:18:06Give me some!
00:18:10It's a glimpse of future online supercapitalism,
00:18:14where success isn't measured by likes or follows,
00:18:17but by sales per minute.
00:18:20Energy checks.
00:18:21There's estimated to be an astonishing 15 million professional
00:18:25online influencers in China.
00:18:27That's one in every hundred people.
00:18:30I'll make it hard.
00:18:30We're coming right now, a million of the boys.
00:18:34We have a Giving-
00:18:35What you're gripping?
00:18:37Are you going to have a go?
00:18:38Hello.
00:18:39Hello.
00:18:40Hello.
00:18:41We bought six.
00:18:43Six.
00:18:44One.
00:18:44OK, I'll do it.
00:18:46Tell me when to go.
00:18:52Do you ever wake up in the morning and you're really, really tired?
00:18:57You're so tired.
00:18:59Well, you need to pick up.
00:19:00You need to wake yourself up.
00:19:02And these are the way to do it.
00:19:04And I'm selling these for six each.
00:19:06But they're going to go quickly.
00:19:08So you've got to get onto this now because we're selling, we're selling, we're selling fast.
00:19:12Are we offering this as well?
00:19:14Milk, look how beautifully packaged this is.
00:19:17You just need to buy this.
00:19:19I'll put my signature on it.
00:19:21It's yours.
00:19:24China's live streaming boom is making a lucky few very rich.
00:19:28But it's a tough business.
00:19:3095% of Chinese live streamers make less than £500 per month.
00:19:35Milk usually comes from cows, but there's obviously other animals that can provide milk.
00:19:40A perfect complement for your fridge.
00:19:45This is the moment I get booted off.
00:19:50Look at me sweating.
00:19:52I felt under huge pressure there.
00:19:55I take my hat off to anyone doing this because you have to have such enthusiasm.
00:20:02It's a huge skill.
00:20:05This new breed of capitalist embodies Shenzhen's daring spirit.
00:20:10But this digital gold rush is strictly controlled.
00:20:14Streamers can't wear revealing clothes or flaunt their wealth.
00:20:18And ethnic minority languages are restricted on some major platforms.
00:20:23It's a sharp reminder innovation can flourish here, but only within state-drawn limits.
00:20:36This is an impressive building, this one.
00:20:38You saw that, right?
00:20:41As China races to embrace new technologies, I wonder how this fits with a state that prohibits dissent and closely
00:20:49monitors daily life.
00:20:52Are we being watched now?
00:20:54Oh, yes.
00:20:55You're going to see cameras all over the place.
00:20:57I've been told that if I walk across the road when the man is red, they have technology here that
00:21:05would capture my face and send me a ticket.
00:21:07Is that true?
00:21:08It's true.
00:21:08It's true.
00:21:09But only if you are registered residents, then we have the data.
00:21:14If you're not, they just say, hey, this whiteboard just crossed the street.
00:21:18We better fucking catch you next time.
00:21:20That's what would happen.
00:21:25China isn't alone in mass surveillance.
00:21:28London also ranks among the world's most watched cities.
00:21:32But here, facial recognition and other AI technologies play a more prominent role in law enforcement, especially in major cities
00:21:42and sensitive areas.
00:21:47The crime rate in China is so low because in Shenzhen alone, we've got over 7.8 million cameras.
00:21:55This is what makes a lot of people very nervous and apprehensive and critical of China, all those cameras.
00:22:02Well, if you don't do anything illegal, it's very beneficial.
00:22:06Like, if you're going to lose your cell phone on a taxi, within 20 minutes, you're going to retrieve it.
00:22:13And, like, would you feel comfortable? That's a pretty big watch you put on there.
00:22:17Would you feel comfortable walking around the streets of the U.S. wearing it?
00:22:21No. Honestly, in the U.S., the moment I arrived in the U.S., I had my assistant send me
00:22:26my gun.
00:22:27I got to carry a gun.
00:22:28You carry a gun in the U.S.?
00:22:30China, you know how to worry about that shit.
00:22:33So you have safety here and low crime, but perhaps one of the sacrifices you make is free speech, let's
00:22:42say.
00:22:42So, like, can you tell me anything? Like, can I ask you anything and you can tell me anything now?
00:22:46Go ahead.
00:22:47Yeah?
00:22:47Anything.
00:22:48Mm-hmm.
00:22:48No problem.
00:22:49And what about freedom of speech here in China?
00:22:51Mm-hmm.
00:22:52Yeah.
00:22:53I mean, as long as you don't talk about the politics.
00:22:58Richard's story shows what's possible in China, if you play by the rules.
00:23:03There's big opportunity here, but it's enforced by strict state control.
00:23:08Questioning the system isn't easy and can be unwise.
00:23:12But is that a price worth paying?
00:23:27I'm in South China's Pearl River Delta, the country's tech and manufacturing nerve centre, where breakneck growth meets strict state
00:23:36control.
00:23:39They love their riot shields here.
00:23:43They have them in shopping centres, train stations, everywhere.
00:23:48It's sort of just to remind everyone not to put on a sudden display of rebellion.
00:23:59Critics of the Chinese government risk arrest and years in prison, often without fair trial.
00:24:06So what's life like for anyone who pushes back against the system?
00:24:10To find out, I'm heading to a part of China which spent over a century under British rule, where free
00:24:16speech once thrived.
00:24:18See you in Hong Kong.
00:24:23It's a 25-mile journey from Shenzhen to Hong Kong.
00:24:27The train connecting them is a modern engineering marvel, travelling almost entirely underground between the two cities in just 14
00:24:35minutes.
00:24:36These tunnels literally punch through all those mountains.
00:24:39It's kind of mind-blowing.
00:24:42We're obviously travelling at about 200 kilometres an hour.
00:24:46Of course we are.
00:24:50Hong Kong is one of China's most iconic cities.
00:24:54But, of course, only a few decades ago, it wasn't under Chinese rule.
00:25:00After defeating China in the First Opium War in 1842, Britain claimed Hong Kong, a coastal outpost they transformed into
00:25:09a global trade hub.
00:25:14This really is an astonishing city.
00:25:16You can imagine, for the Brits, geographically, this was so important.
00:25:24British rule gave Hong Kong rights unknown in mainland China, like freedom to speak out and protest in the streets.
00:25:32But in 1997, it returned to Chinese rule.
00:25:36So, what's happened to those liberties since?
00:25:49Slight change of pace here.
00:25:52Love a bit of slow travel.
00:25:54Doesn't get much slower than this.
00:25:56It's really charming.
00:26:03I'm on a traditional Chinese sandpan, once used for fishing and trading, or as homes for some local people.
00:26:12Boatman Mr Fan has been navigating Hong Kong's waters since he was a young man.
00:26:17It's a very different pace of life on this boat compared to Hong Kong.
00:26:30And local traditions, do they mean a lot to people here?
00:26:35Yes, yes, yes, we have some ideas in our culture, our nature, and plants and plants.
00:26:49This might not be the Hong Kong you were expecting, but it's actually made up of a wider territory of
00:26:54hundreds of islands.
00:26:55and lots of these look almost uninhabited.
00:26:58It's a really wild, natural environment around here,
00:27:02and I'm heading to one of those islands
00:27:04for the biggest day of the year.
00:27:10Chungchao Island was once a sleepy fishing village.
00:27:13It's still quiet and laid back,
00:27:16just not so much today.
00:27:25It's a riot of colours and sounds and noises and smells.
00:27:32This is Chungchao Festival.
00:27:37It's roasting hot today.
00:27:39I'm glad I'm not wearing one of those costumes.
00:27:43And I hope...
00:27:50This festival honours a local Taoist deity
00:27:53to help ward off evil spirits and plagues,
00:27:56a colourful link to China's ancient culture.
00:28:02Oh, thank you very much.
00:28:06Let's start, let's start.
00:28:07Drone the drum.
00:28:08Yeah, yeah.
00:28:09Wow.
00:28:10You're really testing me now.
00:28:12One, two, three, yeah.
00:28:15In Chinese tradition, spirits fear noise,
00:28:18so drums and gongs are pounded to drive them away
00:28:22and bring luck and prosperity.
00:28:29Very good.
00:28:30Oh, my ears.
00:28:32Hello.
00:28:34For me.
00:28:35Woo!
00:28:36Cheers.
00:28:37Cheers.
00:28:37Good luck.
00:28:38I hope you enjoy it later.
00:28:39Yeah, enjoy it.
00:28:40Thank you so much.
00:28:43Everyone's so friendly here.
00:28:46You're very handsome.
00:28:47You're very handsome.
00:28:48You're very handsome.
00:28:49I'm very handsome.
00:28:50I mean, what more can I ask?
00:28:51I get to put on a dragon's head, play a drum,
00:28:53get given a beer and get told I'm very handsome.
00:28:57I am.
00:29:02Hello.
00:29:03As the festivities roll on,
00:29:05children appear floating above the crowd on hidden platforms.
00:29:09Part of the Flying Colors Parade, a local ritual said to bring good fortune.
00:29:14Hello!
00:29:18It's a real carnival-like atmosphere here,
00:29:21but I'm leaving the chaos to try and find a quiet corner,
00:29:26because I'm hoping to meet someone who's going to tell me a bit more
00:29:32about the recent changes that have been happening here in Hong Kong.
00:29:38In 1997, China re-established its sovereignty over Hong Kong.
00:29:45Like many, I remember watching that handover in the pouring rain,
00:29:49the flag being folded up.
00:29:52I think there was probably still great pride at that time in Britain
00:29:57of our possession of Hong Kong and what we did with it.
00:30:02In the handover deal,
00:30:03China vowed to let Hong Kong keep its freedoms for 50 years
00:30:07under the bold slogan,
00:30:09one country, two systems.
00:30:12It would keep its free press, independent courts
00:30:15and the right to protest,
00:30:17rights long suppressed on the mainland.
00:30:22But nearly 30 years on,
00:30:24how much of that promise still holds?
00:30:27I've picked up journalist Lam Yin Pong.
00:30:29He's bravely agreed to speak out about how it's really playing out.
00:30:34Back in the old days, we have all sorts of political parade every weekend.
00:30:40And in the past four to five years, none of them ever happened.
00:30:47Those children that participated in the Flying Color Parade,
00:30:51they're disguised as political figures.
00:30:53They try to make fun of political leaders.
00:30:57Like we would have as a Guy Fawkes character in the UK,
00:31:00almost to ridicule them.
00:31:02But you just can't see it in the Flying Color Parade anymore.
00:31:07No one dares to do so.
00:31:11Obviously, the world became aware of what was going on here in 2019.
00:31:16People are demonstrating against the hand of CCP.
00:31:20The Chinese Communist Party?
00:31:22Yeah.
00:31:25Once peaceful protests demanded democracy and civil rights,
00:31:30but Hong Kong has felt the Chinese government's tightening grip.
00:31:34By 2019, anger boiled over into mass unrest,
00:31:38the fiercest defiance China had seen since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
00:31:46How many people do you think were out on the streets?
00:31:49Well, millions.
00:31:50And the crackdown was pretty hard.
00:31:52They arrested about 10,000 people.
00:32:01I worked in the news organization.
00:32:03My former colleagues was put into behind bars
00:32:06and accused of distributing inappropriate articles.
00:32:10And now, actually, there is no opposition opinion in the city anymore.
00:32:18After the protests, sweeping national security laws were imposed,
00:32:23casting aside the handover promise
00:32:25and turning Hong Kong into what many say is a police state.
00:32:31After the 2019 demonstrations,
00:32:35about half a million of Hong Kong people just leave the city,
00:32:39and most of them went to the UK.
00:32:40But our total population didn't drop.
00:32:44All those newcomers are from mainland China.
00:32:47We are experiencing what happened in Tibet.
00:32:56In 1959, China sent troops into Tibet to put down an uprising.
00:33:02They then encouraged people from the Han Chinese majority
00:33:05to migrate to the region.
00:33:07Tibetan rights groups say it seriously weakened their culture
00:33:10and identity.
00:33:12Many now fear Hong Kong faces the same fate.
00:33:16The government is trying to put us into another city of the Greater Bay Area.
00:33:23It's just being absorbed.
00:33:26Are there ways that people have managed to circumvent the authorities?
00:33:32If you try to do so, you may get arrested.
00:33:36Yeah, we have freedom of speech.
00:33:38But you can only exercise it once.
00:33:42Yeah.
00:33:43And after that, you're done.
00:33:47For you, is it worth the risk of pursuing independent journalism here
00:33:52when you know what the result will inevitably be?
00:33:54I don't want to give up.
00:33:56I just want to try my very best to keep a voice here.
00:34:05So you have freedom of speech here in Hong Kong,
00:34:08but you can only use it once.
00:34:10Because once you step over the boundary
00:34:14that is sort of imperceptible right now,
00:34:18that's you, you're going to prison.
00:34:19And I admire Lam for sticking to his principles,
00:34:23to be an independent journalist and hold the government
00:34:28and hold those in authority to account.
00:34:35While the government is keen to keep issues
00:34:37like freedom of speech out of the spotlight,
00:34:41it readily embraces cultural events
00:34:44like Chung Chao's vibrant festival.
00:34:47So I think this is the tower they're going to be climbing up later on.
00:34:50In a slightly surreal tradition,
00:34:53the festival's centrepiece is a 45-foot-high tower
00:34:56covered in steamed buns.
00:34:58Martin!
00:34:59Wow!
00:35:01This is busy.
00:35:02Very, very busy.
00:35:04For decades, Martin Kwok's family
00:35:06baked the buns that cover the tower.
00:35:09Here is what we produce the bun.
00:35:11Yeah.
00:35:12And then steam it inside.
00:35:13How many buns are you producing for the festival?
00:35:15Like 60,000.
00:35:18Yeah.
00:35:1960,000 of these?
00:35:20Yeah.
00:35:21Try the signature one,
00:35:22and then after you eat it, you'll be blessed.
00:35:26What's in the middle?
00:35:27Sesame paste with the sesame sugar.
00:35:29And how did you end up being a bun maker?
00:35:33My father told me that he wanted to close the shop,
00:35:35so that's why I quit and decided to finance job.
00:35:38You were working in finance?
00:35:40Yeah.
00:35:40Wearing a suit?
00:35:42Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:35:43Which do you enjoy more?
00:35:45Being a banker or a bun maker?
00:35:47A bun maker.
00:35:48Because I get the product into the local supermarket
00:35:51and local department store and even exporting to the UK.
00:35:55Really?
00:35:55Yeah.
00:35:56You can buy these in the UK?
00:35:57Yeah.
00:35:57So you've got plans for global domination?
00:36:00I would like to do so, but it still has a very long way to go.
00:36:07For the festival's bonkers finale,
00:36:10fearless competitors scramble up the bun cupboard tower,
00:36:13grabbing as many as they can before time runs out.
00:36:17We're fast approaching the big event.
00:36:35I'm on Hong Kong's Chung Chao Island,
00:36:38caught up in the colourful traditions of its legendary bun festival.
00:36:42That is quite a tower.
00:36:44The event's madcap climax is a scramble up a 45-foot bun tower,
00:36:49and I'm meeting one of the hopeful contenders.
00:36:51Janet?
00:36:52Hi!
00:36:53Yay!
00:36:54How are you?
00:36:55Janet Jiang is a seasoned mountaineer
00:36:56and as the winner of last year's race,
00:36:58the reigning queen of the buns.
00:37:00Do you eat these buns?
00:37:01Do you like them?
00:37:02Uh, no, actually.
00:37:03You don't?
00:37:04The calories are a little bit high.
00:37:07The calories are too high.
00:37:08You're a professional sportswoman.
00:37:10Yes, exactly.
00:37:10So what does it take to be the bun queen?
00:37:13The upper body is the most important
00:37:15because you have to keep pulling yourself up
00:37:17because the score there is the most highest score.
00:37:27There are literally dozens of film crews here.
00:37:31This is a big deal.
00:37:33Tonight, 12 finalists, men and women,
00:37:35hope to rise to the occasion.
00:37:38So Janet is just over on the far left-hand side.
00:37:43Huge tension around.
00:37:45Let's hope it's not a bun fight.
00:37:48And we're off.
00:37:50Six-time champion Angel Wong Kai Yang
00:37:53takes centre stage in the number 12 shirt
00:37:56with Janet climbing on the far left.
00:38:00Buns falling all over the place.
00:38:04Traditionally, the tower was covered with 6,000 freshly steamed buns
00:38:08made by local bakers.
00:38:11But in 2007, health and safety regulators demanded
00:38:15the sweet treats were replaced with plastic replicas.
00:38:20Janet's up at the top.
00:38:21It's loading up her basket.
00:38:26They are furiously loading those bags.
00:38:30Like they're shoplifters in some supermarket in the UK.
00:38:34And look, they're stripping it there.
00:38:38OK, we've got the countdown clock.
00:38:40I think this is their last call.
00:38:43They've got one minute.
00:38:44Now down to about 50 seconds.
00:38:46And they have to be down at the bottom by that.
00:38:54Everyone has to be down for the round.
00:38:56There we go.
00:38:58In a nail-biting finish, Janet edged out Angel
00:39:01to claim her third victory
00:39:02and retain her crown as Queen of the Buns.
00:39:06Sure, there's lots of puns, but I'm just too tired
00:39:09to find a bun pun.
00:39:12But it does look like fun.
00:39:22I'm on my way into the heart of Hong Kong,
00:39:25along the shores of the Pearl River Delta.
00:39:28Thousands of tonnes of goods are produced
00:39:30and shipped every day.
00:39:33Many heading straight for Hong Kong's busy port.
00:39:36Under British rule, millions of poor migrants
00:39:39from communist China poured into the city
00:39:41in search of a better life.
00:39:43It's that quantity of people combined
00:39:46with all these mountains that forced everyone
00:39:49to live in this tiny little area
00:39:51that has made this one of the high-rise cities
00:39:56of the world.
00:39:59More than 7 million people live crammed
00:40:02into this tiny strip of land,
00:40:04making Hong Kong one of the most crowded places on Earth.
00:40:09But even here, sleek luxury towers keep going up.
00:40:13Symbols of wealth in a city where inequality runs deep
00:40:17and home ownership is out of reach for many.
00:40:21This is one of the more working-class communities here in Hong Kong.
00:40:29Not quite as glitzy as some of those financial buildings.
00:40:32The cost of living here in Hong Kong is higher
00:40:36than some of the other cities in mainland China.
00:40:40So your money doesn't go very far here.
00:40:46Hong Kong has the most expensive real estate in the world.
00:40:50Homes cost 14 times the average salary,
00:40:53and rental rates are around twice what you'd pay in London.
00:40:57This alleyway is being used as a hair salon.
00:41:01Could do with a haircut, actually.
00:41:03Hi, sir. How are you doing?
00:41:05This really is sardine living.
00:41:09I want to find out what life is like
00:41:11for those who've been priced out of the system here.
00:41:14I'm OK to come in?
00:41:15Yeah, please come in.
00:41:18Hello.
00:41:19So I'm joining housing support worker Shi Lai Shan
00:41:23on her daily rounds helping the people the city's left behind.
00:41:27So people...
00:41:28So each of these is someone's bedroom?
00:41:32Yeah, actually, there are eight households.
00:41:34Eight households?
00:41:35Yeah, eight households.
00:41:35Every bed is one household.
00:41:37They are upper and lower.
00:41:39For example, this room, they already have four households.
00:41:42Four households?
00:41:42It's only less than two square metres.
00:41:45Wow.
00:41:45And that is for their bedroom, all of their belongings.
00:41:48Yes.
00:41:49And then they share their kitchen and toilet together.
00:41:52Look, they've got food coming through.
00:41:54Sorry.
00:41:55Sorry.
00:41:56That looks delicious, though.
00:41:58So she's eating on her bed
00:42:00because there's no other space for her to sit.
00:42:04Yeah, only space, yeah.
00:42:05So here is the cooking space.
00:42:07So this is the cooking space, which is in...
00:42:09For all the people.
00:42:10It's in the bathroom as well.
00:42:11You've got the loo right here, right next to it.
00:42:13Yeah.
00:42:13How many people would be sharing this?
00:42:16They are 18.
00:42:1718.
00:42:18Yeah.
00:42:18Who are all sharing this tiny little space?
00:42:20Yeah.
00:42:21This, for me, it's more than just a space issue.
00:42:24This is hygiene.
00:42:26This is safety.
00:42:27What happens if there's a fire?
00:42:28Yeah, there's many problems.
00:42:29Yeah.
00:42:29And is this just one floor or does it continue up?
00:42:32There are many.
00:42:33Hello.
00:42:35Hello.
00:42:36Hello, how are you?
00:42:37Hi.
00:42:37So this floor has been divided into two.
00:42:40Is that what's gone on here?
00:42:41Yeah, yeah.
00:42:42Two levels.
00:42:43Two levels.
00:42:44We're sort of in the rafters here.
00:42:46So how many people live on this floor?
00:42:48Do you know?
00:42:49There are 24 rooms.
00:42:5024 rooms up here.
00:42:55I didn't realise it was this crammed.
00:42:58These are sometimes referred to as coffin apartments.
00:43:01You see why the space is minuscule.
00:43:05I can't even stand up.
00:43:07It's unbelievable, isn't it?
00:43:09I have seen a great deal of inequality and poverty around the world.
00:43:15But we're in Hong Kong, in a city, in a country that is the new powerhouse of the world.
00:43:22And yet there is still all of this vast inequality.
00:43:29Offering little privacy, these cramped quarters are breeding grounds for infectious diseases and harmful pests.
00:43:36Hello, sir.
00:43:41How long has he been here for?
00:43:44And does he have a job?
00:43:47He's waiting for public housing.
00:43:49OK.
00:43:50And for public housing for non-elderly single people, they need to wait a long time.
00:43:54Mm-hm.
00:43:5513 years, 15 years.
00:43:57Mm-hm.
00:43:57Or some of them, they are waiting for 19 years.
00:44:00Mm-hm.
00:44:05So food vouchers.
00:44:06So someone has donated those food vouchers.
00:44:08Yeah, yeah.
00:44:08That's very nice.
00:44:09Yeah.
00:44:09So you have a lot of supporters?
00:44:11Some.
00:44:12Some supporters.
00:44:13Have you got any idea how many people are living here in Hong Kong in these sort of circumstances?
00:44:18Over 220,000 house people.
00:44:22220,000 people here in the city.
00:44:25Yeah, yeah.
00:44:25What's the solution?
00:44:27They need the rents to be affordable.
00:44:30So the only way is we are pushing the government and working with the government to provide the transitional social
00:44:35housing.
00:44:36But still need a long time to wait for the improvement.
00:44:40I think it's too sad, yeah.
00:44:43This is Mr. Wong.
00:44:45Hello, Mr. Wong.
00:44:47How long have you lived here?
00:44:49Eh...
00:44:51How much rent does he pay for this?
00:44:533,500.
00:44:553,500?
00:44:56Yeah, that's really expensive.
00:44:57350 pounds per month.
00:44:59For what?
00:45:00I mean, I think most people could say that looks like a prison cell.
00:45:16I wish you so much luck.
00:45:18Good luck, son.
00:45:20This is no way for people to live.
00:45:22You know, we have a housing problem in the UK.
00:45:24And I know that there are people living in very unhealthy environments.
00:45:32But this is on another level.
00:45:34And it really jars with so much of the progressive side of China that I've seen.
00:45:43In a country that's built entire futuristic cities in a few years, it's hard to comprehend that so many still
00:45:51struggle in the cramped, forgotten poverty of the coffin homes.
00:45:55Despite government drives to modernise housing, it lays bare the cracks that China's rapid development hasn't yet filled.
00:46:12Back in mainland China, I'm travelling through the Pearl River Delta, the engine room of its manufacturing might.
00:46:21The Chinese government has a sweeping vision to reshape this region through the biggest urban infrastructure project the world has
00:46:28ever seen.
00:46:31The delta stretches across 11 major cities.
00:46:35In the years ahead, China plans to weave them into a sprawling super city, home to a predicted 100 million
00:46:42people.
00:46:46What's amazing is they've got this river delta here.
00:46:50That would put most nations off.
00:46:52They would think it an impossibility to link it up, but not here in China.
00:46:56I'm here to see China's latest engineering marvel.
00:47:01I mean, look at this bridge.
00:47:03It's absolutely spectacular.
00:47:11This is the Shenzhen-Jongshan Bridge and Tunnel.
00:47:1715 miles long, it links two of the region's busier cities.
00:47:21A breathtaking fusion of a soaring bridge and one of the world's longest underwater road tunnels.
00:47:29As a statement of China's global power and ambition, it doesn't get much bolder than this.
00:47:36Thrown up in seven years.
00:47:39Four billion pounds, roughly.
00:47:42It just goes on and on and on.
00:47:46They didn't let anything get in their way here.
00:47:50And it's all part of this joined-up thinking here, when it comes from the top down.
00:47:56This is happening all across China regularly, that they're opening bridges that would be the pride of Britain.
00:48:08I remember really coveting America, the American dream.
00:48:13Anything was possible, those high-rise buildings and the sophistication of the technology and Hollywood.
00:48:19All of those things really spoke to me, because they were bold and ambitious and brimming with confidence.
00:48:28And look at this, I mean, I think it's China's time now, whether you like it or not.
00:48:39To discover more about China's vision of the future, I've returned to Shenzhen, the beating heart of its technological revolution.
00:48:48Oh my gosh, look at this, the barista of the future.
00:49:07I'm in Shenzhen, a vast city where technology is transforming the region at breakneck speed.
00:49:14My kids are not going to believe this.
00:49:16Here, at From Mars Coffee, the name says it all.
00:49:20A robot now handles the lattes and cappuccinos with space-age precision.
00:49:29I think the beans are going to be picked up.
00:49:33And, okay, they're going into the grinder.
00:49:39Now this hand is grabbing my cup.
00:49:43This hand is picking up the ground coffee, shaking it.
00:49:48It did, it shook it.
00:49:49Hot water, moving it around, not just in one place.
00:49:55That's what I would do, but it's actually swirling it.
00:49:58I feel like I'm living in a dream right now.
00:50:04Known as Luobot, this robot shows how automation is creeping into everyday life, a taste of China's future.
00:50:13If this was in the UK, it would be filled with people, but this is sort of everyday stuff here.
00:50:21For now, there is still a human cashier.
00:50:26Though they may well be on borrowed time.
00:50:30So this is Guatemalan floor washed.
00:50:37It's good.
00:50:38It's good.
00:50:39Yeah.
00:50:41Baristas better watch out.
00:50:46Luobot is expertly programmed, speedy and precise.
00:50:51And bot baristas are just the start of China's automation drive.
00:50:58I've come to Engine AI, a young start-up where tech-savvy innovators like Evan Yao are building robot prototypes
00:51:06designed to move, sense and respond just like me.
00:51:12So this is a prototype for the hospitality and tourism.
00:51:15The robot can walk in, right?
00:51:16Oh, actually, you see this one?
00:51:18What?
00:51:18Whoa!
00:51:19Oh, this is the PM01.
00:51:22Oh, my...
00:51:23Wow.
00:51:24You can say hello, like...
00:51:27Oh, my goodness.
00:51:29Ni hao!
00:51:31What's he called? PM01.
00:51:32It's not as catchy as, like, Bob or Kevin.
00:51:38PM01 is a humanoid robot designed to move easily through spaces we use every day.
00:51:44Offices, shops, even our homes.
00:51:46He's got a good stride on him.
00:51:48Yeah, he's like the same speed of a human, right?
00:51:51I think he's walking better than I am right now.
00:51:54Crucially, he can be easily programmed to take on a wide range of everyday human tasks.
00:51:59We are using a motion capture to learn a real dancer from a human.
00:52:12It's like my dancing. I dance like this.
00:52:15Has it been learning from me?
00:52:17You can dance with PM01.
00:52:36Wow!
00:52:37Bravo!
00:52:38Oh, I've seen the future now.
00:52:40So, are these on the market now?
00:52:42Yeah. In dollars, 25K.
00:52:45That's about £20,000.
00:52:47Yeah.
00:52:48Oh, well done. Well done.
00:52:50In a more unsettling development, PM01 has already joined police patrolling the streets of Shenzhen.
00:52:57With 3D vision, it could interact with the public and help monitor crowds.
00:53:04We don't limit the role of the robot.
00:53:06Maybe industrial, maybe healthcare, maybe education.
00:53:10In the future, maybe we're doing something like a human, super soft.
00:53:14With skin, maybe even soft skin.
00:53:15Yeah. And the people can talk with the robot, like a human-to-human conversation.
00:53:21That is just amazing.
00:53:23I'm charmed, but there's a lot of people that are fearful of this kind of technology.
00:53:27Yeah.
00:53:27This idea that we will be replaced.
00:53:29I think a lot of the people can do more corrective things, not tedious labor work.
00:53:36Yeah.
00:53:41This is the beginning of a whole new age.
00:53:46Technology like this is being encouraged all across China, you know, incentivized by the government.
00:53:51There are hundreds and hundreds of companies all evolving and developing technology like this.
00:53:57But what is really astonishing is this company is so young.
00:54:02It's just a couple of years old and already this is where they're at.
00:54:07And I think we can safely say in Britain, it's definitely not the advancement and the speed of advancement that
00:54:13they're doing here in China.
00:54:14And when you then look at how that's going to unfold in the years to come, we're going to be
00:54:20left in the vapor trails or in this case the footprints of robots.
00:54:30Seeing Evan's robots in action, it's easy to imagine a future where they're everywhere, from shop floors to care homes,
00:54:37cafes to construction sites.
00:54:39For me, the question isn't if they'll take over jobs, but how many and how fast.
00:54:48This is like an airline stewardess with lipstick.
00:54:51I've caught up again with local tech guru, Richard Chang, to hear his take on the fast approaching robot revolution.
00:54:58You feel that?
00:55:00They make this stuff so real, it's amazing.
00:55:03Do you know the sex doll industry is huge?
00:55:07Yeah.
00:55:07They make sex doll...
00:55:08A sex doll like this?
00:55:10Like a human.
00:55:11Wow.
00:55:11But I never tried that.
00:55:13So...
00:55:13But I've seen it.
00:55:17But there's one job already in the firing line.
00:55:21In China, over 12 million people earn a living as delivery riders.
00:55:25It's a vast industry that Richard believes is on the verge of being transformed by machines.
00:55:32Do you know much about drone delivery in China?
00:55:36Drone delivery?
00:55:37Drone delivery.
00:55:37There's this idea that at some stage they'll deliver it to your house.
00:55:41Well, this is a drone delivery service.
00:55:43Are you hungry?
00:55:45Okay.
00:55:45You want to order a couple of coffee?
00:55:47Yeah.
00:55:47I'm going to say, my driver, where's my assistant?
00:55:51I'm going to order coffee.
00:55:52Yeah.
00:55:52And this is the price.
00:55:54That's the price.
00:55:54Twenty-eight.
00:55:55So that's three pounds in the UK.
00:55:56Yeah, three pounds if I order a couple of coffee.
00:55:58By drone though, can I just say?
00:55:59So this is where the vendor is.
00:56:01So we're going to see how long it will take to get here.
00:56:05I can't help wondering whether Luobot the robot barista is making my coffee.
00:56:10When I heard about it, I know this idea will be implemented.
00:56:15Shenzhen is always the first test ground with any technology.
00:56:23Is that it?
00:56:28That's it.
00:56:29There you go.
00:56:30That is a big drone.
00:56:35Oh, my goodness.
00:56:38So this is dropping off a box.
00:56:49A doorbell just rang.
00:56:51And then what we do...
00:56:53So the box is recycled.
00:56:54And the box is recycled.
00:56:56Now your coffee's here.
00:56:57This is piping hot.
00:56:58It's hot.
00:56:59This country continues to surprise me, Richard.
00:57:02We're in the middle of a city.
00:57:04I think one of the thoughts I'd always had of this notion of drone delivery
00:57:07was that it could never happen in big, busy urban areas.
00:57:10There's too many people.
00:57:11There's too much red tape of having drones flying in and out.
00:57:14But you're already trialing this here.
00:57:16Well, that's why you've got to love the Shenzhen government.
00:57:20It would welcome anyone to come to Shenzhen and use it as a test ground.
00:57:25Shenzhen isn't just a tech hub.
00:57:27It's China's testing ground for urban innovation that could shape the global cities of tomorrow.
00:57:34Over 1,200 launch pads are set to rise across the city by 2026,
00:57:39as Shenzhen prepares for a sky filled with autonomous aircraft.
00:57:44I don't have the heart to tell him I don't like milk.
00:57:48Across Shenzhen, companies are even trialing drone taxis,
00:57:52bringing the era of pilot-free urban air travel one step closer.
00:57:58For Richard, it's all inevitable.
00:58:01And he believes it could bring environmental benefits, too.
00:58:05Right now in Shenzhen alone, we've got 86% of our vehicles are electric.
00:58:11So you don't have to worry about the air quality anymore.
00:58:15Mm-hmm.
00:58:16And, um...
00:58:16Unless you're sitting next to you with your cigar.
00:58:18Well, I'm sorry.
00:58:19That shit will never stop.
00:58:21You gotta get used to it.
00:58:22I love you, though, man.
00:58:23Thank you. I forgive you for it.
00:58:26I've been astonished to see the speed of change in Shenzhen.
00:58:30But I do wonder, as robots take over more of what we do,
00:58:35what will happen to those of us left without work
00:58:37and without purpose?
00:58:54On this final leg of my epic journey across China,
00:58:57I'm in the glittering high-tech city of Shenzhen.
00:59:02Like many Chinese cities, Shenzhen has exploded into life
00:59:06at breakneck speed,
00:59:08fuelled by a manufacturing boom
00:59:09and an endless supply of low-cost labour.
00:59:15I love this.
00:59:17It kind of gives me a real flavour
00:59:19of what goes on behind the scenes here
00:59:21because for every Richard out there,
00:59:24and there are many millionaires and billionaires
00:59:26being made in this city,
00:59:28these are the worker ants
00:59:31working furiously
00:59:32to transform the fortunes of this city and this country.
00:59:37Shenzhen may look like a gleaming modern metropolis,
00:59:40but around 70% of its people are migrant workers
00:59:44from all over China chasing a better life.
00:59:46Many still live in informal neighbourhoods,
00:59:50known as urban villages,
00:59:51places that look more like the poor districts I saw in Hong Kong.
00:59:57Local artist Wu Guo Yong has dedicated his life
01:00:01to documenting the hidden costs of China's rapid industrialisation.
01:00:09Built in a hurry just 30 years ago,
01:00:11these are known locally as handshake buildings.
01:00:14Ha!
01:00:16Really narrow.
01:00:17So tightly packed, neighbours can almost reach out and shake hands.
01:00:22Look, like that.
01:00:24You can do it from all the way up there.
01:00:31Oh, wow.
01:00:32Look at this.
01:00:36Many of these neighbourhoods are now being bulldozed
01:00:38to make way for luxury developments that drive up rents
01:00:42and force many workers out of the city altogether.
01:01:00As an artist, you try to show these changes.
01:01:05That's part of your art?
01:01:06Yeah.
01:01:07Mr Wu has been recording the impact of overproduction here.
01:01:11Oh, my goodness.
01:01:16Look at the quantity of bikes there.
01:01:22Wow.
01:01:23And it's just bicycle after bicycle after bicycle.
01:01:29These mountains of abandoned hire bikes are relics of a mid-2010s boom,
01:01:35when start-ups fuelled by venture capital and state subsidies
01:01:39flooded China's streets with dockless bikes,
01:01:42wildly overestimating demand.
01:01:45Millions of bicycles.
01:01:47As the companies collapsed, cities cleared the chaos,
01:01:52dumping bikes in vast graveyards.
01:01:58Wow, that's a very powerful image.
01:02:01Pulling away like that,
01:02:04with the pile just getting bigger and bigger.
01:02:07Yeah.
01:02:12In an ironic twist,
01:02:14a green transport revolution ended up as mountains of waste,
01:02:17laying there the pitfalls of unchecked growth.
01:02:19It's the scale that is just astonishing.
01:02:22That this is city after city after city.
01:02:26Tens of millions of bikes.
01:02:43And now, history is repeating itself.
01:02:47The collapse of electric car hire companies is having a similar impact.
01:02:52Oh, wow.
01:02:53Wow.
01:02:54Wow.
01:02:55Wow.
01:02:58Wow.
01:03:00Wow.
01:03:01Wow.
01:03:02Wow.
01:03:02Wow.
01:03:03Wow.
01:03:04Wow.
01:03:05Wow.
01:03:08Wow.
01:03:10Wow.
01:03:16I wonder if I come back and visit you in five years,
01:03:19whether you'll show me a third video of graveyards of robots,
01:03:23for example.
01:03:24It's very difficult.
01:03:26It's very difficult.
01:03:27It's very difficult.
01:03:28It's very difficult.
01:03:28It's very difficult to destroy some things.
01:03:35China's next overproduction crisis is already looming.
01:03:39Years of relentless construction and debt-fueled growth
01:03:42have left an estimated 80 million empty homes.
01:03:46Some warn it's a ticking time bomb that could derail the economy.
01:03:53Is there any way that we can continue with progress and innovation
01:03:59without producing huge amounts of waste?
01:04:01I'm a bit depressed.
01:04:02I think this is a,
01:04:03may it be one that is human being We all fight together.
01:04:07I want to be amazed
01:04:34Oh
01:04:34What a city there really are two faces to it. This is a place that once
01:04:40Largely did copycat
01:04:42Products and now it's at the coalface of the technological revolution
01:04:49Oh, I've seen the future now
01:04:52How far away do you reckon you are from replacing?
01:04:56All the people here with robots. Yeah to you two years
01:05:00Yeah, but there is a cautionary tale right now
01:05:03It feels very much like it's all about quantity and making as much money as you can
01:05:08How often do you think about money? I think my money every fucking time I think my money right now
01:05:13to the detriment of
01:05:14future generations
01:05:17350 pounds per month for what looks like a prison cell
01:05:22But luckily there are mr. Woos out there
01:05:25documenting it and reminding us
01:05:27To be careful about the haste
01:05:31At which we advance
01:05:37As that old saying goes society grows
01:05:40Great when it plants trees under the shade of which its ancestors will benefit
01:05:47On my 5,000 mile journey
01:05:51I've discovered a China still rooted in its ancient culture
01:05:56Yet hurtling into the future at breakneck speed
01:06:01It's a country brimming with renewed confidence and pride
01:06:08Ruthless strategic planning has fueled China's extraordinary progress
01:06:14But strict controls means that dissenting voices are suppressed
01:06:21I just hope that in the rush to progress we build a future that belongs to everyone
01:06:27Because China will help shape the path ahead for us all
01:06:37In country music's capital recording her latest album and seeing the sights to join Jane McDonald in Nashville
01:06:44Brand new tomorrow and Friday at 9
01:06:45And see Ben Fogel meet folk who've ditched the daily grind to live off-grid and new lives in the
01:06:51wild
01:06:51Stream now on 5
01:06:53New next a&d after dark
Comments