Life Upclose

Qingdao aims to become a rising world financial center; Shenzhen cultivates the power of technology to help the nation's most disadvantageous residents; Chongqing offers a great variety of spicy delicacies, bringing out energy and passion of the diners. (This program is hosted by Sam Duckett, written and produced by Yin Xiuqi)

Football, or soccer, is one of the most popular sports in the world. Simple rules and cheap kits have made this sport accessible to almost every corner of the planet, no matter how disadvantaged they are. And unlike the more luxury sports like golf, football can easily ignite the passion of youngsters and even a whole nation. In this regard, China, the world's most populous nation, is now chasing a national dream of becoming a world football power. Its government has set a timeline for meeting this goal; top-down support policies are being laid out; huge public investment and resources are being spent on building facilities and cultivating young football talent; and domestic business tycoons are being encouraged to contribute to this national drive. (This program is hosted by Sam Duckett, written and produced by Yin Xiuqi)

In China, there are hundreds of millions of smokers. It's extremely likely that in a public place you will suffer secondhand smoke, especially in the less developed smaller towns and in the countryside. This seemingly-incurable addiction to smoking has led the World Health Organization to urge the Chinese government to step up its anti-tobacco efforts; and now, with intensified government and public work, a smoking-ban in indoor public places has been widely enforced in some big cities, especially the nation's capital city, Beijing. The authorities are also reportedly trying to expand Beijing's stringent smoking-ban to the whole country in the hope of fulfilling its anti-tobacco obligations. But the fight is never easy and opposing sides of the tobacco debate have yet to reach a consensus. (This program is hosted by Sam Duckett, written and produced by Yin Xiuqi)

Every year on June the 7th, millions of youngsters across China begin their two-day national college entrance examinations, better known as the Gaokao in Chinese. While the examinees are sweating in the test rooms, their parents and even grandparents wait quietly and anxiously outside. On these usually very hot summer days in China, all hearts are beating faster, as the students pin their deepest hopes on the highly-competitive Gaokao. This make-or-break exam has been the most effective, fair and competitive channel allowing upward social mobility for hundreds of millions of ordinary Chinese people. (This edition is hosted by Manling, written and produced by Yin Xiuqi)

It's said that music is the soul of society. And the world's fastest-growing economy has seen an ever-rising pursuit of this soul in recent years. With the growing affluence of the urban middle class, millions of Chinese children and teenagers are avidly learning and practicing Western classical music. This relatively new phenomenon is not only being driven by their parents' increasing wealth; it's also been boosted by a social ambition to look for recognition and fame on the international stage. The high-profile image of young Chinese pianist Lang Lang has served as a great inspiration for many Chinese parents who can find music potential in their loved ones. At the same time, wealthy urban people's passion for classical music is one way of searching for spiritual peace and happiness amidst their increasing anxieties. These widespread anxieties have come with the intense, rapid transformation of the Chinese society in recent decades. (This program is hosted by Sam Duckett, written and produced by Yin Xiuqi)

Space exploration might be thought of as a kind of game played by the world powers. But the space science and technology behind it should belong to mankind as a whole. As the major world powers of the United States, Russia and the European Union continue to reach into outer space, latecomer China is making intensive efforts to catch up and add to mankind's knowledge of the universe and beyond. At the same time, the country's vast population, particularly the younger generation, is becoming increasingly curious about what's out there. This vast talent pool together with the cultivation of science-loving professionals are set to make China occupy a leading position in the risky endeavor to further explore the seemingly mysterious outer space. (This program is hosted by Sam Duckett, written and produced by Yin Xiuqi)

Sparkling skyscrapers, well-designed neighborhoods, spectacular limousines driving down the roads—all this may typify the modernity of mega cities in China like Shanghai and Beijing. But this dazzling modernity and prosperity can never represent the economic and social landscapes of the whole country, especially its vast rural regions. The education gap is one of the many noticeable disparities in the world's largest developing country, a phrase highlighted by Chinese leaders on various international occasions. But how did the gap come about? What measures is the country taking to tackle this problem? (This program is hosted by Sam Duckett, written and produced by Yin Xiuqi)

Chen Zhongshi is regarded as an iconic

writer of the life and tradition in rural China. His masterpiece "White Deer

Plain" draws on his decades of rural life, poverty, solitude, China's

traditions and his own observations. A heavy smoker and a big drinker, his own

life was as intense as the cigars he smoked and the liquor he drank. These two

habits once faithfully accompanied his solitary writing days. Now belonging to

history, the iconic writer left a huge legacy for us to review and renew. (This program is hosted by Sam Duckett, written and produced by Yin Xiuqi)

In China, the most populous nation on Earth, twenty-two

cinema screens are opening every single day, and box offices recorded

phenomenal growth of 50 per cent last year. The growth momentum hasn't slowed

down in the first quarter of this year either, and this booming film market has

become the envy of both domestic movie makers and Hollywood.