In what’s supposed to be a communist country we see the widening gap between rich and poor, and what the economic boom means to the people of China, in the third and final episode of Secrets of China.
It’s not surprising to see how many factories are in China, but what is surprising to see in this episode is the millions of people who have moved out of their rural farming homes and come to work 12 hours a day everyday in the factories. Most of China’s cities have sprung up from seemingly nowhere in the last 20 years due to the big economic boom in China, resulting in high levels of pollution which can be seen when Billie travels up a 1/3 mile high tower which overlooks the city of Guangzhou, and we can see that there isn’t much else apart from skyscrapers and the cloudy polluted air.
But what is surprising to see is just how capitalist China really is, with the growing cities, high end malls, luxury resorts, and a great divide between the rich and poor; we see a husband and wife who make £400 a month making car parts and a group of men who buy these cars for £600,000.
China always seemed so far away and so different but in reality people around the world are all the same, and whats so good about BBC’s ‘Secrets of‘ documentaries is that we see exactly that- people from all walks of life trying to make their way in the world, in a insightful, informative and most of all enjoyable way. What really makes this series great is Billie’s down to earth attitude and you can really connect to her experiences as a westerner looking at the strange customs of a place probably most of us will never get to see.
Secrets of China, Available on iPlayer.
See also: Secrets of South America.
Words by Olivia Walsh.