Genre	Factual | Travel & Adventure
Format	HD
Author	Ariane Reimers
Director	Ariane Reimers
Production	NDR
Duration	30'
Year of production	2015

Major cities, factories, consumer paradises - this is one side of the huge nation. China is in the fast lane to becoming a modern industrial nation. But a large section of the Chinese community still lives rurally and under the most primitive of circumstances, devoid of any comforts. Working with their bare hands in the fields is hard and health care sim-ple at best. Life follows a centuries-old rhythm. On the one side: elec-tricity is available almost everywhere, this also means TV sets and of course, smartphones. Progress has found its way into the most remote of villages, at least virtually and proves to the young that life in their country could have quite different chances in store for them. But just how crass is the difference between high-speed life in the mega cities and everyday life in the countryside today? ARD correspondent Ariane Reimers and cameraman Ronald Schuetze opted for a self-experiment. They moved into the tiny village of Lawu in China's furthermost southwest. They helped in the fields, accompanied the two female village doctors to the elderly and sick and discussed hopes and perspectives with the young.