Message from the Director

My fascination for China goes back to childhood memories of Hong Kong in the seventies, followed by my first visit to Guilin in 1981. But it wasn’t until 1985 that I truly had a chance to explore Guangdong Province, this time as an assistant to BBC documentary filmmaker Hugh Gibb on his television production THE CHINA STORY. It was an experience that would stay with me to this day.

 

What I saw back then was so different to what it is like now, and yet the spirit of the people, the historical sights, the sounds, and Guangdong cuisine. None of that has changed, but what has changed has been a real privilege to witness.

 

I have lived in four of the 11 major cities that comprise the Greater Bay Area –– Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau, and Zhuhai. I’ve walked the mountains, travelled the waterways, explored the coastlines, and spent time driving the length and breadth of the Pearl River Delta region.

 

As a writer, producer, and director, I have worked on a wide range of projects that have given me a unique insight into the places and lives of people living in this region, and that’s why I want others to see and hear why the Greater Bay Area is a region––and a project––worth knowing about.  

 

‘China’s Greater Bay’ will also explore the role water has played in shaping the Pearl River Delta by highlighting Guangzhou’s early beginnings as the first global port on China’s Maritime Silk Road; Macau’s early role in exchanging European and Chinese knowledge, Hong Kong’s critical role as a deep-water port and international financial centre, and Shenzhen as a global technology hub. Water has been at the geographical and economic heart of shaping the Greater Bay Area –– connecting people and places within the region and globally.

 

These cities are the steppingstones between China and the West –– all contributing to the area as China’s economic powerhouse and the so-called “factory to the world”.

 

Today, urban growth has created a megalopolis of over 86 million people -- with a vast transport network of roads, railways, and shipping, connecting 11 cities –– all within a 2-hour driving radius.  The growth is not slowing down. It’s evolving.

 

For this series, I plan to film the production crew as they travel the region––from the mountains to the sea––filming vistas and taking snapshots in all 11 cities by foot, boat, train, and car as we explore China’s Greater Bay Area – providing audiences in China and across the globe with bird’s-eye views and local knowledge from people we meet along the way.