China-Urbanization/CGTN Stringer/Vlog

Shotlist

Nanning City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China – Recent (CGTN – No access Chinese mainland)
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Kirk Apesland, Canadian CGTN Stringer (partially overlaid with shots 2-29):
“China has changed a lot in the past 20 years. I’m a Canadian that’s been traveling and living in China for the better part of 19 years. I’ve seen the massive apartment complexes being built. I’ve seen the high-rise skyscrapers, office buildings. I’ve seen the brand new hospitals, the brand new subways. I’ve seen the roads being built. I’ve traveled the country on over 40,000 kilometers of high-speed train. I’ve seen the airport. I’ve seen all of this growth in China.

There’s one thing that has changed China more and had more influence than all of this other stuff put together. Actually, because of this one policy, all of these other things became possible. And that’s the urbanization of the rural people, hundreds of millions of rural people, to the cities of China. And when these people move to the city from the rural areas, now they have access to better education, both primary, secondary, universities. They have higher-paying jobs available to them. They have better health care available to them. Transportation is easier. The housing in the new complexes that they have in the cities is better. It’s just a better lifestyle. And all of this is the outcome of massive urbanization of the people of China from rural China to the cities.

When I initially got to China, back in 2003, our city of Nanning had no subways, had no high-speed trains. The roads were not very good. There were very few high-rise apartments. There was a small airport. There were only 3.5 million people in the city.

Now, there are over eight million people. The roads are amazing. They have, I think, seven subway lines (in plan). They have high speed trains. They have an international airport. All of these infrastructure projects were possible because of urbanization of the rural people of China to the cities. Not just cities like Nanning, but cities like Beijing and Shanghai, cities like Chongqing and Guangzhou, cities like Xi’an.

So when people ask me what’s the biggest change that you’ve seen in the last 19 years in China? I have to tell them: urbanization of the rural people of China to the cities by the hundreds of millions. It’s changed China. It’s changed the face of China. It’s changed the mindset of the Chinese people. One policy has changed the face of an entire country of 1.4 billion people. And let’s not forget, mass urbanization has actually made the people of China richer through better education and better jobs, better business practices. A lot of different things that come from being in a city of anywhere from five to 30 million people in China. When they get richer, they have more expendable cash. They have cars. They have vacations. They have a better apartment. Their children have better curricular activities that they get to partake in after school.

Mass urbanization has made the population of China a richer population, a more educated population, and brought China out of poverty and actually brought it into a world standard. And as urbanization continues – because it’s not over yet, they’re still moving many people from the rural areas into the cities, because it’s better for them and it’s better for the country – as this continues, you’re going to see China growing. You’re going to see the cities growing. You’re going to see more high-rises. You’re going to see more apartment buildings. You’re going to see more high-speed trains. You’re going to see better-educated people. You’re going to see better hospitals. You’re going to see more doctors and you’re going to see more engineers. You’re going to see all of these things. And the only policy that made all of this possible in China is the urbanization of the rural people of China to the cities of China.”

++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
FILE: China – Date Unknown (CGTN – No access Chinese mainland)
2. Various of cityscape
3. Various of people in hospital
4. People in subway
5. Various of railways, trains running
6. People on platforms
7. Various of rural areas, people working
8. Various of students in school
9. Workers
10. Various of people in hospital
11. Train
12. Various of buildings under construction, construction site
13. Various of consumers, shops
14. Passengers in subway
15. Various of old photos
16. Various of cityscape, traffic
17. Various of tourists
18. Traffic
19. Various of passengers in subway, pedestrians
20. Various of people in car, phone showing map
21. People in shopping mall
22. Various of students taking classes, on playground
23. Various of farmers harvesting
24. Various of factory, people working
25. Various of cityscape
26. Various of trains running
27. Nurse in hospital
28. Various of factory
29. Various of cityscape, traffic, workers
++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++

Storyline

China’s leapfrogging urbanization process made over the years have led growing numbers of people to enjoy better infrastructure, housing, transportation, education and medical services, according to Kirk Apesland, a retired Canadian who has lived in Nanning, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, for nearly 20 years.

China’s urbanization rate of permanent residence hit 64.72 percent in 2021 and the country has seen an accelerated trend of rural residents moving to cities over the years, according to the country’s top economic planner earlier this year.

The capacity of city clusters and circles has been enhanced, the quality of urban construction has been improved, and the integrated development of rural and urban areas has also made new strides.

Speaking in a self-made vlog on the urbanization progress in China, Apesland said he believes China’s rapid growth over the past 20 years resulted from massive urbanization.

“I’ve seen the massive apartment complexes being built. I’ve seen the high-rise skyscrapers, office buildings. I’ve seen the brand new hospitals, the brand new subways. I’ve seen the roads being built. I’ve traveled the country on over 40,000 kilometers of high-speed train. I’ve seen the airport. I’ve seen all of this growth in China,” said Apesland.

“There’s one thing that has changed China more and had more influence than all of this other stuff put together. Actually, because of this one policy, all of these other things became possible. And that’s the urbanization of the rural people, hundreds of millions of rural people, to the cities of China,” he said.

Apesland said he has seen first-row how people’s life have been bettered in China in various aspects.

“And when these people move to the city from the rural areas, now they have access to better education, both primary, secondary, universities. They have higher-paying jobs available to them. They have better health care available to them. Transportation is easier. The housing in the new complexes that they have in the cities is better. It’s just a better lifestyle. And all of this is the outcome of massive urbanization of the people of China from rural China to the cities,” said Apesland.

Just as Apesland strolled down the road in a fine park, he recalled the time when he first arrived in China, when Nanning had just been a small, underdeveloped city.

“When I initially got to China, back in 2003, our city of Nanning had no subways, had no high-speed trains. The roads were not very good. There were very few high-rise apartments. There was a small airport. There were only 3.5 million people in the city,” said Apesland.

“Now, there are over eight million people. The roads are amazing. They have, I think, seven subway lines (in plan). They have high speed trains. They have an international airport. All of these infrastructure projects were possible because of urbanization of the rural people of China to the cities. Not just cities like Nanning, but cities like Beijing and Shanghai, cities like Chongqing and Guangzhou, cities like Xi’an,” he said.

“So when people ask me what’s the biggest change that you’ve seen in the last 19 years in China? I have to tell them: urbanization of the rural people of China to the cities by the hundreds of millions,” said Apesland.

Apesland said the changes did not stop at the appearance of the several cities, but the country as a whole, changing its face and transforming the minds of the people.

“It’s changed China. It’s changed the face of China. It’s changed the mindset of the Chinese people. One policy has changed the face of an entire country of 1.4 billion people. And let’s not forget, mass urbanization has actually made the people of China richer through better education and better jobs, better business practices,” said Apesland.

“A lot of different things that come from being in a city of anywhere from five to 30 million people in China. When they get richer, they have more expendable cash. They have cars. They have vacations. They have a better apartment. Their children have better curricular activities that they get to partake in after school. Mass urbanization has made the population of China a richer population, a more educated population, and brought China out of poverty and actually brought it into a world standard,” he said.

According to the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), China aims to raise its urbanization rate to 65 percent in the period, and Apesland said he believes the ambition will further drive growth in the country.

“And as urbanization continues – because it’s not over yet, they’re still moving many people from the rural areas into the cities, because it’s better for them and it’s better for the country – as this continues, you’re going to see China growing,” said Apesland.

“You’re going to see the cities growing. You’re going to see more high-rises. You’re going to see more apartment buildings. You’re going to see more high-speed trains. You’re going to see better-educated people. You’re going to see better hospitals. You’re going to see more doctors and you’re going to see more engineers. You’re going to see all of these things. And the only policy that made all of this possible in China is the urbanization of the rural people of China to the cities of China,” he said.