Christoph John is a German designer who has embraced local culture since moving with his family to Qingshan, a small mountain village in China’s coastal province of Zhejiang. In collaboration with Tianjin native Zhang Lei, with whom he studied in Europe, he reinvented traditional oil-paper umbrellas, integrating them into contemporary design and daily life. Other creative efforts from the duo have incorporated Chinese cultural heritage and attracted global acclaim.

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

In 1962 the Chinese government established a mechanized forest farm to transform the barren land of Saihanba, with great success. Since then, successive generations have carried that legacy forward, guarding the precious woodland under their charge with pride and diligence. Now, in the new era of development, a new generation of foresters have focused their attention on forest management, ecological protection, and improving people’s livelihoods in the process.

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

Over the span of six decades, three generations of forestry workers in Saihanba have cultivated more than 200 square kilometers of forest made up of over 300 million thriving trees. Continuing in their footsteps, a new generation of workers have also answered the call, assuming vital roles such as fire prevention and pest control. Empowered by cutting-edge technology, they are fully committed to safeguarding the forests they have been entrusted with.

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

2023 marks the 61th anniversary of Saihanba National Forest Park, where expansive woods drape the mountains of northern China in a luxurious cloak of vibrant green. Few people who visit it, however, know that half a century ago they would have been presented, instead, with barren wasteland. The pioneers who restored it were 127 young graduates and 242 forestry workers who, in just a few decades, achieved the almost impossible task of establishing a large-scale mechanized forest farm in the desert.

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

The adventure continues. In Jilin Province, China, French snowboard Olympian Thomas Mermillod-Blondin is having the time of his life in Jilin city - learning to drive a horse-drawn sleigh on Wusong Island before hotfooting it to stay with a Manchu family in the ancient village of Hantun. Meanwhile, over in Savoie, Wang Lei is getting to grips with dog sledding and trying his hand at something he’s never done before - milking and cheese-making!

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

Three intrepid men and an epic winter expedition - one that will take them from the mysterious Changbai Mountains in northeast China to the mighty Alps! In this episode, Chinese national snowboarding team coach Nino de Silvestri travels to Jilin in northeast China’s Jilin Province to pit himself against the winter snow drifts and get a glimpse of the bountiful natural resources of the Changbai Mountains. Meanwhile, over in Savoie, France, top Chinese professional snowboarder Wang Lei takes a deep dive into a frozen lake in Tignes followed by an even deeper one into the warm hospitality of the locals!

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

As an ancient city with a history of over 800 years, Beijing still retains remarkable vigor, the secret of which is the harmonious integration that has taken place along its Central Axis. In episode 3, a foreign architect who participated in the Beijing Olympics and acted as an adviser on Beijing’s urban planning projects shares, from his own experience and understanding of the city, how the Central Axis integrates different people, different periods and different cultures, and bridges tradition and modernity, as well as China with the rest of the world, allowing them to embrace one another and develop together.

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

What does Beijing’s Central Axis really mean to the city and its people? This is a question that has intrigued sound designer Huang Ruogu for years. One day she hit on the idea of recording the various sounds to be found along the axis for an immersive sound experience project, and her Walk Along the Central Axis came into being. Her aim in putting them together has been to rediscover the history, culture and human kindness behind everyday activities along the axis, in an authentic presentation of Beijing.

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

Throughout history, humans have built cities and given each of them a unique character. In this regard, nothing distinguishes Beijing more than its north-south Central Axis. Extending for 7.8 kilometers, the axis bisects the city and defines its layout. In episode one, foreign architects, urban planners, visual artists and sinologists share their interpretation of this meridian, along which the capital’s buildings and urban space are arranged so as to express the Chinese ideal of national order.

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying

Transformation side by side with unchanging values and traditions - that’s how the people of Xinjiang view their traditional culture! So, in Episode 3, we get a close-up of two time-honored and timeless traditions that are still going strong in Xinjiang: the art of falconry and fur skiing. For many Xinjiang locals, falconry is seen as a way of reaching up into the skies and heavens, while fur skiing is emblematic of the wisdom their ancestors made use of to conquer hardship.

Editor: Luo Wen

Operation: Qiu Ruiqi

Producer: Li Xin

Chief Editor: Zhang Wan

Supervisor: Liu Changying