Recording the changes

The six-episode TV documentary China Reinvents Itself is a panoramic exploration of the country's evolving technology scene. Wang Kaihao reports.

When you talk about China's contributions to human development, the first response of many is gunpowder and paper. Or, maybe mobile payment channels and high-speed trains in the modern age. But is that all?

How do Chinese engineers, technicians and scientists make daily life better today?

After filming for one and a half years, a six-episode TV documentary China Reinvents Itself, which was premiered by China Central Television on Jan 22, tries to provide answers through a panoramic exploration of the country's technology scene.

Each episode of the series, which is also being aired through China's major online video platforms like Tencent and iQiyi, is 50 minutes long.

And the coproduction, made by the documentary channel of China Central Television and Shenzhen TV, focuses on six aspects: information technology, energy, manufacturing, bio-technology, space and marine exploration, as well as expectations for the future.

It is rated as high as 9.3 points of total 10 on douban.com, China's major TV and film critic website.

Shi Yan, the director, says: "Viewers may think that this is a scientific technology-themed documentary full of jargon, which is difficult to understand. But when we approach the frontline of scientific research, we follow individual stories, and trace how these researches are accepted by the market."

The documentary is about people's daily routines－from leading scientists of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to couriers who learn how to use delivery drones.

Referring to the people featured in the series, Shi says: "A country looking for scientific achievements and creativity is reflected in these faces, which are full of courage and passion. They pursue their dreams."

Some scenes are rarely seen by the public－like work on the development of an upcoming lunar probe Chang'e V at the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing; the installation of Hualong One (a nuclear reactor in Fujian province), and the "super microscope" in the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, are featured in the documentary.