China: Race to the Future

"China: Race to the Future" is a five-part documentary series focusing on China's remarkable transformation since the founding of the People's Republic. Broadcast on CGTN and various social media platforms from September 16 to 20, the five episodes turn the lens on different aspects of the changes that have taken place over the past 75 years.

The series is hosted by Emmy Award-winning television news anchor Mike Walter and Singaporean host and Beijing Film Festival award-winner Gasthoori Manickam. They traveled across China, seeking answers to the question: What is driving Chinese modernization?

The Chinese people today are deriving tremendous confidence and inspiration from their country's 5,000 years of uninterrupted civilization. From wedding ceremonies, traditional dress and cultural relics, to architectural design and film production, the country's ancient heritage is being passed on and reshaped into new forms. From a global perspective, Chinese civilization is enriching world culture and contributing to its diversity. As Frances Wood, former curator of the British Library's Chinese Collections, puts it, "China was there, is there and remains the same."

What keeps China moving forward? A key factor is its talent pool. Fearless and aspiring skilled professionals in such fields as aerospace, artificial intelligence and chip-making are, by pursuing innovation with determination and persistence, overcoming the challenges brought by sanctions and technology blockades. As our hosts discover, there is no doubt that the talents at its disposal will sustain China's economic growth into the future.

In visiting the places where the great transformations are taking place, learning first-hand from the people shaping them and meeting experts from different fields and backgrounds, they discovered that China is encouraging greater cultural confidence, pursuing high-quality progress, tackling its challenges, developing highly-skilled talents, protecting the environment and expanding its opening up. Ultimately, "China: Race to the Future" provides a powerful insight into the course of China's rapid modernization and explores ways that it might benefit global development and the well-being of humankind.