Infrastructure solid foundation of well-off Chinese society: expert
China's economic and social achievements over the past five years are the subject of a documentary which began airing Tuesday, boosting patriotism among viewers ahead of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). [Special coverage]
The six-episode documentary, Amazing China, was co-produced by the Publicity Department of the CPC and China Central Television (CCTV), and will be broadcast nightly until Sunday.
The first episode features the country's infrastructure development, with stories of professionals and economic data to show accomplishments in the construction of bridges, roads, high-speed railways, ports and telecommunications.
The documentary contains 65 true stories, 250 infrastructure projects, interviews with 108 people and 200 sets of economic data, a CCTV report said.
Other episodes will feature technological innovation, ecological civilization construction, livelihood projects and China's opening-up to the outside world.
The 55-kilometer-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, shown at the beginning of the first episode, was praised as a project that showcases China's accomplishments in bridge design, building, research and development on materials, and engineering equipment.
The documentary has sparked patriotism among netizens after excerpts from the first episode began circulating online.
Many viewers said they feel a strong sense of pride as the documentary vividly shows China's achievements. "Well done, my country!" has become the most common comment about to the documentary.
"The documentary on economic achievements, which is building momentum for the forthcoming 19th National Congress, is a CPC report to the Chinese people. It helps enhance people's confidence in our social system, our development patterns and the CPC leadership," Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times.
Bai said people applauded the first episode because enhanced infrastructure could help boost people's sense of gain - they could take high-speed trains and enjoy a better life after local industries are driven by infrastructure development.
The documentary shows China's high-speed railways have reached 22,000 kilometers, half of it completed in the past five years. And the country has 131,000 kilometers of highways.
The first episode also showcased China's port accomplishments. It said that the global share of China-made port machinery and equipment has increased from 70 percent to 82 percent.
The Yangshan deep-water port in Shanghai will be the world's largest and most advanced automated port, with only nine people controlling 130 automated transport carts, leading to 30 percent greater efficiency.
"Infrastructure development is the foundation for China to become an all-round well-off society since it helps China's underdeveloped regions in central and western China. And as China's infrastructure expertise extends to overseas markets, especially under the Belt and Road initiative, it could also help meet China's increasing resource needs," said Tian Yun, director of the China Society of Macroeconomics Research Center.
China has aired other patriotic documentaries this year, including Major-Country Diplomacy on the achievements of China's diplomacy in August, and the 10-episode Carrying the Reform through to the End on the progress and achievements of reforms initiated during and after the 18th National Congress.
