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Shanghai – life in the megacity

Almost everything in the Chinese megacity of Shanghai is bigger and faster than anywhere else. Shanghai has the world’s biggest port and the longest underground railway system. Its skyline is soaring to ever-new heights. How can its 24 million inhabitants keep up? A driving force behind China’s rapid change, Shanghai is a city of superlatives and eventful history. The documentary follows people there through their everyday lives. Li Langbin is a dock worker; Li Yinfeng a security officer in the subway; and 25-year-old Dai Meng a singer rising to fame. These are some of the faces behind this dynamic metropolis. Entrepreneurs from all over the world also see the potential here in Shanghai. David Li has returned from the USA to launch a cutting edge start-up for autonomous driving. The skyscrapers in the Pudong district are a symbol of China's burgeoning economic growth. Not far away, old districts that still bear the traces of European colonialism, Japanese occupation and Mao's Cultural Revolution are disappearing. We meet people like Mr. Xi, who is opposed to this wave of modernization and refuses to leave his 100-year-old Shikumen house, even though most of his neighbors have already gone. Shanghai’s breakneck pace affects everything and everyone.

English
  • Originally Aired April 28, 2018
  • Runtime 30 minutes
  • Content Rating United States of America TV-PG
  • Network Deutsche Welle TV
  • Created May 4, 2018 by
    Administrator admin
  • Modified May 4, 2018 by
    Administrator admin