Niall Ferguson presents the documentary

In this Channel 4 documentary series, Niall Ferguson travels the length and breadth of China exploring every aspect of the country. He investigates how a fifth of our worlds population continue to live under a Communist system of government with a capitalist economy.

By looking at aspects of China’s extensive history, Ferguson hopes to understand a little more of their present and possible future.

He examines how far China has come in the few decades, explaining that ‘Thirty years ago when I was seventeen, the word ‘Chinese’ meant takeaway chicken chow mein’.

A Mao worshiper talks to Niall

Niall Ferguson asks how China manages to live under a Communist system of government but with a thriving capitalist economy.

Despite the bloody history of  Mao Zedong, who killed more people than Hitler and Stalin combined, a young Chinese man tells him “I love Chairman Mao with my heart and with my head”. To try understand how this murderer can be considered to be a hero to some, Niall travels from Beijing to the rural areas of Anhui to track down survivors and talk with the people who experienced Chairman Mao’s rule first hand.

‘China: Triumph and Turmoil’ may not be your usual sort of way to unwind after a long day, however sitting down to a programme filled with culture, history and social exploration, may not be a bad thing.

The series begins on Channel 4, Monday 12th March at 8pm.

For more information on ‘China: Triumph and Turmoil’ to catch up on episodes visit http://www.channel4.com/programmes/china-triumph-and-turmoil