China – a country that combines traditional and modern; young and old; east and west. In China Fast Forward viewers get to experience the many facets of the country with host David Wu as he acts as guide through the modern developments and old traditions of cities including Beijing, Macau, Guangzhou and Qingdao. Premiere episodes of China Fast Forward air every Tuesday beginning July 24 from 10:30 to 11 pm and encore the following Sundays at 1 pm on Discovery Travel & Living channel.
Each episode will delve into the past and present of the different cities. Learn about Qingdao’s unique German heritage which produced the famous Tsingtao Beer and find out how tree bark in Kunming is used to make clothes and cushions. In addition, viewers get the opportunity to enjoy China’s newest attractions such as the world’s largest skate park and European art factory.
China is an exciting landscape of opportunities and entrepreneurs are seizing the day establishing a wide range of lifestyle propositions from bars to galleries in some of the most unexpected spaces. From Shanghai’s legendary dumplings to Chengdu’s volcanic hot pot, this new 10-part travel series will also whet viewers’ appetites by introducing them to the food delights that each city is renowned for, including Chairman Mao’s favorite food, in the following premiere episodes:
Old Shanghai
David Wu is here to rediscover the nostalgia of old Shanghai and to live it up! A walk down Duolun road throws up antique shops and poster beauties. David checks out the city’s legendary dumplings before visiting a bizarre sex museum. He heads to the Peace Hotel for its famous jazz band and hits the dance floor at Shanghai’s classic ballroom, the Paramount.
New Shanghai
Explore one of the city’s hot hangouts, Bar Rouge on the Bund, then experience modern jazz with singer Coco Zhao. As a new day dawns, host David tours the city in a Lamborghini and dives right into the world’s largest skate park. Shanghai-graffiti Frenchman Laurent Ginioux also shows David around the first street art exhibition and David ends his visit with Shanghai’s star shutterbug Ma Liang.
Kunming
David meets Kunming’s tribal tree wear designer, and goes behind-the-scenes to one of China’s biggest musical spectaculars choreographed by Yang Liping, Kunming’s sorceress of dance. His colorful journey continues with a private eye-opening visit to Luo Xu’s museum of the female form, a leading light of Kunming’s growing avant garde art scene.
Chengdu
David visits Chengdu’s living legend – the Giant Panda – and checks out a well-preserved villa of generals long gone. Renowned for its fiery cuisine, David blows his top with Chengdu’s volcanic hot pot, then enters China’s most influential rock club. Moving on to the city outskirts, David meets the man behind the world’s largest private museum dedicated to China’s heroes of war.
Qingdao
David uncovers the city’s unique German heritage and learns how the Germans created China’s first brew: Tsingtao Beer. Along the way, he lives it up at the city’s annual beer festival, explores the region’s hidden vineyards, and treks to Mount Laoshan, the area’s ancient Taoist mountain retreat. Find out how Qingdao’s colonial legacy has made it a fascinating Chinese enclave.
Guangzhou
David makes his first stop in China’s largest jade market and picks up a thing or two about this green gem. For a change of pace, he gets his hands full with white tigers at the Xiangjiang Animal Safari Park before exploring the city’s kinky appetite for wild cuisine – by seeing how snakes bite chickens. He then checks out Canto fashion and gets down with the city’s hip hoppers.
Old Beijing
David walks through the old alleyways to experience how traditional Beijingers lived. He meets Laurence J Brahm, a foreigner who has preserved old hutong courtyards. Following that, the city’s Monkey King gives David a crash course in acting at an ancient opera house. David’s appetite then takes him to a restaurant that has served celebrities and fine dining set in the old Courtyard by the Forbidden City.
New Beijing
David takes a ride in what was once Madame Mao’s limousine through Tiananmen Square, samples Chairman Mao’s favorite food at the Red Capital Club and also uncovers a secret hip hangout. The Great Wall reveals a new China for David as he visits the Commune by the Wall. And of course his tour isn’t complete without meeting Beijing’s avant-garde artists, streetball players and rock icons.
Shenzhen
Bereft of natural wonders, David takes on the city’s man-made attractions: the world’s largest European art factory and a bizarre Soviet Aircraft Carrier theme park. He also hits the waves for Shenzhen surfing and revs it up on China’s first international racetrack in neighboring Zhuhai.
• Macau
Gamble on good times in Macau, officially the world’s most lucrative casino capital. The ex-Portuguese colony has the world’s highest sky-jump, Asia’s most spectacular Grand Prix circuit, and the taste treat that’s impossible to beat’– delicious Portuguese egg tarts. He tracks down historical sites and food delights, tries his luck at the Greyhound track and the Turf Club.
Discovery Travel & Living, a Discovery Lifestyle Network, is an in-home getaway for adults aged 18-45 who want to experience the best the world has to offer. Providing an eclectic mix of programming on travel, food, design and decor, Discovery Travel & Living encourages viewers to live life well and make the most of their free time by pursuing unique interests and experiences.
Launched on January 1, 2005, Discovery Travel & Living is currently distributed to over 100 million subscribers in the region. For more information, visit Discovery Travel & Living at: www.travelandlivingasia.com