CCTV to unveil new documentary series

Following the huge popularity of the CCTV documentary series A Bite of China, which is about Chinese cuisine, the station’s documentary channel is preparing to unveil another production, China’s Mega Projects.

At MIPTV, the audiovisual festival in Cannes this spring, the documentary series, which is about important engineering projects in China, attracted much attention. The series will premiere on Chinese TV in September.

According to general director Li Bing, super projects are changing China and the world’s stereotypes about the country. It’s very important to record what is happening in terms of massive construction projects in the new era, Li said.

It took the crew more than a year to finish the five-episode series, featuring Beijing’s subway network, the skyscraper Shanghai Tower, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, giant wind turbines and a super LNG carrier in Shanghai.

The documentary series uses 3D animation to demonstrate scientific theories and technology in a more direct and vivid way. It also uses special shooting technologies including aerial shooting and underwater shooting. Cameramen sometimes risked their lives to capture some shots, such as shooting in the sky with a safety belt.