Top 3 Silk Road documentaries highlight China’s growth and expansion

The ancient Silk Road connected East and West. Now, the Chinese government wants to open a new Silk Road to link the country with global markets quicker and more efficiently. This new Silk Road is a considerable investment for China, and it reverberates around the world. RTD has produced a series of documentaries looking at the challenges China faces, and the opportunities the new Silk Road will bring.

1. This is China: Chinese Speed

Chinese Speed is one of a series of documentaries looking at modern China. In a little over a decade, China has built the most extensive high-speed rail network in the world. The premier route from Shanghai to Beijing is just over 1,300 kilometres, and the latest generation trains travelling at 350 kph cover the distance in less than four-and-a-half hours. We experience the journey, and look at how high-speed trains are changing the lives of people all across the country.

2. This is China: Yangshan City Port

The new Silk Road focuses on trade, and container shipping is a massive part of that. The film Yangshan City Port looks at the workings of the world’s biggest container port. The flagship port is one of the keys to China’s Belt and Road Initiative to improve trade.

3. Tourism on the Silk Road

The new Silk Road is not just about visible trade in moving goods; it’s also about an invisible business such as tourism, making it easier for visitors to see the splendours of the vast country. Tourism on the Silk Road investigates how the new government initiative will impact famous attractions such as Xi’an’s Terracotta Army, and lesser-known locations in the country’s heartland.

There are lots more fascinating Silk Road documentaries to find below: