Radio Times: Review by:; David Butcher

A simple premise: two presenters take road trips across China and see very different sides of its economic miracle. Anita Rani takes the high road in one of the new breed of Chinese-made SUVs, while Justin Rowlatt slums it in a tinny people carrier. It’s like a politically correct Top Gear.
The pair did a similar series in India, and it works well as a way to illustrate social inequalities and sweeping change while taking in the scenery.

Rani takes a ride with a property developer who has two Lamborghinis, while Justin eats with a peasant who, when asked about the progress since Mao’s time, says cheerfully: “Life is better… Now we can eat meat three times a month.”

About this programme

1/2. Part one of two. Anita Rani and Justin Rowlatt travel across China to examine how its increasing global power has changed citizens' lives. However, while Anita drives through affluent industrialised cities in the country's most popular luxury off-road vehicle, Justin uses a basic minivan to explore poor regional areas where donkeys are a more common sight than cars. In this first programme, Anita delves into the rich side of Beijing life, meeting young supercar drivers and billionaires, while Justin discovers why a site associated with Mao Tse Tsung's communist revolution has become a popular tourist attraction.