International reporter Zhou Yi Jun travels across China to investigate what the ‘Chinese Dream’ means to ordinary people today. Ten years on from New Yorker writer Peter Hessler’s modern classic ‘Country Driving’, Yi Jun follows in his footsteps to probe the meaning of home and happiness; the result of economic growth; the rich-poor divide; and the issue of sustainable development as the people seek to define their Chinese dream.

Running east-to-west along the Great Wall, we visit the villages and cities that have seen tremendous change since the reforms. But how has the inner world of the Chinese been shaped by these changes? Following the high speed railways running north-to-south, we experience the engine of China’s economic development. We move on to the Hu Line, which was first described by geographer Hu Huanyong in 1935, representing China’s stark realities - from an unbalanced population distribution, to the massive rich-poor gap.     

This insightful journey ends along the Yangtze River, where it passes through 11 provinces in China. Along this route from west to east, what do ordinary Chinese think about sustainable development?