The Side of China The Media Won't Show You

these are the people that run this country China the final frontier or is that space anyway so far my travels across China have made International headlines why because apparently if you show this country in a positive light you must be making communist propaganda and I'm sick of it it's time to put China to the real test join me as I attempt to hitchhike over 2,000 km rough camp in the strangest of places smoke up with cops and travel with a man that may or may not go on to become the most famous Chinese truck driver

on planet Earth and since China is the freedom denying social credit scoring Western hating country that many believe it is then none of this should be possible should it right then boys and girls we have got a mission on our hands today I've come to the edge of the city jaag Guan and we're going to try to do 500 km today the plan generally is if I can aim for 500 km hello brother how are you nice to meet you nice to meet you nice to meet you brother nice to meet you nice to meet

you where you from England England England I like your car bro nice car BMW German German car yeah yeah so if we can do 500 km per day we can get to Beijing in 4 days that's the plan we might have a rest day we might not be able to do it but let's give it a good old go I've got this piece of paper written in Chinese that basically says who I am and what I'm trying to do and it's really reallying helpful okay okay you got it one person yeah you got it Z

can I come with you as far as J okay yay we made some friends they're going to take me to Jang sh okay no no no no i s the back I the back I H the back okay sh sh thank you right so we've got a lift with these guys they are driving dangerously fast which is uh good and bad I've seen too many videos recently of car crashes so um but we'll get there we'll get there quickly [Music] okay okay okay right they might be driving very dangerously but they have got egg spoiled

eggs to give me which is very nice of them he said I'm sitting in the front so then I'm I'm the waiter so I need to give them the eggs which are in the front Chinese Red Bull I think this is actually illegal in the UK because of how much caffeine it contains so these guys have actually they're actually going to change their route so that they can take me further than they were going to okay so wway so Jang wway Jang wway and I will travel to Beijing this way and they will drop me

around here and they will go down to changu so Wu I will travel this way they're actually taking me about twice as far as they were originally going to take me so nice of them right this is going to be a quick change over here and a Dody one okay [ __ ] hell this is the part where things get a bit dangerous because you're walking on the hard shoulder of aing Highway in China but it has to be done unfortunately I'm out here in the middle of nowhere on the highway and I've just seen

this I don't know if you can see that looks like a cemetery of some kind should we go and check it out so there are just all these I'm literally out in the middle of nowhere all of these Mounds looks like uh this looks like a headstone here and maybe these are gravestones these are the kind of cool things you find when you don't take the trains or the buses wow let me see if I can translate beer and teeth it says here but I'm sure that's I'm sure that's not right Lu wuyu M Shing

Lang next to the character Wang Yan and gave birth to a child it's a family it looks like a family gravestone oh this would be a creepy place to camp at night time wouldn't it right there's a police car here and I think they're probably going to [ __ ] I'm probably going to be in a bit of trouble me how okay sh uh yingan I'm heading east I am trying to make it to Beijing in 4 days beij if you could just drop me off at the next service area that would be amazing okay

okay okay sh sh sh sh sh [Music] okay sh sh sh sh okay bye okay bye-bye bye-bye bye bye thank you and that is how you get a free ride from the Chinese police in China they were so lovely he said to me um he said to me look you're not allowed to be on the highway cuz it's dangerous so just you just flag down the next car but they said look you this this is a service area you can sleep here you can eat here and whatever so I'll take a quick break and then

I'll try and get back on the road what time is it it's 4:00 I'm trying to find somewhere nice to camp tonight nin ali um I'm heading east this way I'm eventually trying to go to Beijing but tonight I will Camp somewhere in a Scenic area where are you going yeah I mean could you drop me here yeah it's okay very nice beautiful very beautiful so again is the the major downsides of um traveling in China CH without speaking the language you um you just get lost in translation over everything I'm trying to say like

I looked at the map the route that they're taking and the place there's a there's a campsite that I can sleep at which is directly on the road but they think I want to go to the national park so they're like we can't take you there it's too far away and I'm like no no no it's okay I'm going to where you're going basically fny [Music] another great thing about China is that everyone gives me cigarettes all the time sha sh okay okay by I will walk thank you bye bye nice people it's the second

time today that we are on the highway let's hope that the police don't stop us again I haven't got a [ __ ] clue where we are but I saw on Google Map that there is a campsite close to here and if there isn't then we'll just Camp here somewhere in that Village right I think this is the place am I going to get robbed and murdered and have my organs harvested uh camping hello sir okay I can camp here okay uh yeah I have uh that's okay I will survive okay uh okay where uh

where is that what I don't understand is the are these places for sleeping just here okay okay sh okay sh thank you bye-bye um I don't understand what's happening I said can I sleep in your campsite over here and he was like you need to go and register I was like okay cool where do I register and then he just took me here and said I can camp here um and I'm just thinking do I like do I just sleep in there there's no one here it's an abandoned Chinese construction yard accommodation he literally just

said he said oh I'll take you to the place where you can register and then I translated it and he said you can sleep here and then he just [ __ ] off ah it's the place where they make wind turbines it's an abandoned wind turbine Factory okay this is officially the creepiest place ever what's the actual where am I I don't want to sleep here I do not want to sleep here oh man hey um first foreign dude just rocked up for the first time in ages should we send him to the abandoned Chinese

wind turbine Factory across the road for a laugh I don't want to sleep here but I don't think I've got much Choice really now fortunately for us there is a petrol station here with food and drinks so hey it's not all that bad it's not all that bad and we can't forget two cold beers there's nothing left to do in this abandoned Chinese wind turbine Factory then crack opener delicious ice cold beer eat some crisps and wait for the morning to come around who knows what tomorrow will bring fck it right then chaps we've left

the weird wind turbine yard and we're heading east to Beijing we're making very good progress I'd say we're bit between a quarter and a third of the way there in one day which is very very good and I've got high hopes for today that was theing worst day ever although we have to go to this we the thing is that the the closer you get to Beijing the more directions there are for people to be traveling it which makes it difficult so we're going to head south to bayin and we'll head E from there the

old old trusty laminated piece of paper byebye so I've come up with a plan this guy's going to the next town right I want to go way further than that I want to go East to Beijing and this is a toll station right so I'm sure there'll be people that are going further or I've just said goodbye to the only ride I'm going to get [Music] today I'm wearing this velvet shirt right for some dumb reason which might be the hottest material in the [Music] world I've just learned it's only taking me 3 weeks to

learn where are you going in Chinese no Al B ah you used to pray for level mind okay I don't understand I don't understand unfortunately so this lovely T this lovely truck driver he's stopping here in the town number one thing you don't want to be when you're hit triking is in the middle of a town so difficult to get out of you end up having to get a taxi to the edge of town it's just a bummer okay shes thank you so much okay okay ah okay byebye [Music] so I ended up having to

get a taxi to the edge of town but Mike you said you were going to hitchhike all the way to Beijing yeah it's extremely difficult when you're in the middle of a fraking city um and she didn't even drop me off where I wanted her to drop me off I find yes I have already eaten thank you that was so nice that guy on the street was just like come over here and then he gave me a bottle of water and then he said is your country better or is my country better when I said

his country was better I will yeah I will just stand here and get some lifts from people I'm at a toll station we love a good toll station this is the thing you get stopped and they're like oh you know I'll help you we come with me and I'm like no it's okay I can do it I just need to be over there hey brother where are you from London exactly I'm from London you speak English in the afternoon I will sit ah okay okay thank you so much I will not walk on the highway

I will just stand here and ask cars if they can give me a lift going east oh yes yes okay thank you so much thank you you are welcome thank [Music] you so I was trying to hit likeke on the um to Road and there's a police station right here so please put me into question me and they went and bought me some lunch which is just incredible we absolutely love Chinese pleas we love Chinese pleas okay sh no problem thank you so much so after buying me a free meal these guys are going to

help me to hit Chik they're going to try and stop some cars for me that are heading in the direction that I want to go in it's just the best right come on we've got a guy that's going an hour up the highway sh it's okay thank you you so much for your help sh sh yese brother bye brother thank you brother byebye brother wow sha thank you so much this guy I was driving with yesterday showed me this really good Chinese song so I'm playing it on his Bluetooth [Music] absolutely d man this is

the worst day of hit TR I've ever had just been stood here for for an hour I'm just going to go and speak to truck drivers try and make some friends okay sh I have no idea bro thank you so much thank you sh share thank you guys goodbye goodbye see you bye these guys just uh stopped they couldn't give me a ride but they've given me loads of snacks juices and milks and strawberry snacks thank you bye-bye see [Music] you right whose fing idea was it to hit hike to Beijing this is absolutely ridiculous

like what if I just can't do you know what I mean what if I just don't get there okay these people are like we'll take you somewhere and then you can get a car and a train and it's a ride so I'm going to take it I have no idea where they're going but it's away from this service station sh thank you sh sh sorry my bag is very big [Music] oops amazing thank you guys thank you so much thank you so much yeah welcome thank you okay see you you helped me so much thank

you bye-bye goodbye people keep giving me drinks and I have quite literally nowhere to put them except inside me so that was a really wicked couple I met really cool Chinese couple they said why don't you come with us and you can take a bus to Beijing and I was like oh that sounds so nice that sounds so nice but I haven't made the most of this tent yet and I said we were going to hit trike we're going to hit trike it might take us a week it can't take me a week I have

to be back in hanai in less than a week also I'm coming up with a new hitch hiking strategy instead of being like hey translate I'm trying to hit I'm from the UK I'm just going to walk up to people and I'm going to say [Music] hey um uh Nali where I from England oh England Nali Nali uh I'm China I know but Nali now you're going uh where are you going um I'm working at here working here very cool very cool okay I need to go I'll see you later so as I was saying

for I was rudely interrupted by that rude Chinese man I'm joking he was lovely I'm just going to walk up to people and I'm just going to say can I have a lift can I have a lift please that's all I'm going to say good the plan is if I can just hang around the service area for a while make some friends and then head east with them that's the new plan jangu jangu jangu jangu jangu jangu jangu jangu jangu here is going to try to help me I don't know how the problem is I

can't get to promise yes he promises to help me no one can drop me off at the junction because it's on the highway and very few people are turning left it's complicated I'll show you on a map but I found another road a secret Road where there might be cars on let's check it out aha the secret road that goes underneath the highway and heads kind of in the direction I want to be going in we are friend yes we are [Applause] friends tell you on a journey in here now rush rush rush R okay

I put my bags here okay he's saying he's going to take me on a journey and as long as if it's off this highway then let's do it uh no idea no idea what's going on no idea what's going on Shanghai Shanghai yes ah you're very very far from home right right why are you so far from home my wife is here your wife is here okay so this trap's helping me out big style he's just picked up his two uh Road building mates my home Yang Yang y uh Chang Chang okay ch ch well

next time I am in Chang okay I'll give you a call okay okay okay okay thank you brother yeah yes thank you brother nice to meet you nice to meet you take care thank you bro thank you thank you thank you okay okay okay okay okay see you do I have everything yes okay byebye bye bye bye right this is um see you later see you later would you bloody believe it there's a toll station here oh we've started another big commotion at the [ __ ] toll booth station again ni everybody I just want

to head West it doesn't really matter where sorry East it is legal because I've done it many times you're so sweet thank you so much no these are good these are good dangerous no no no these are the these are good because they travel very far dangerous what say dangerous dangerous no very safe very safe this all of this attention is detering all of this attention is detering my rid me how everyone's laughing at me okay ah one two 3 four five six people here not doing their jobs where it's from England I appreciate it

but they're just stopping me from working okay I take everything back I love I do love toll booths because we get a whole team of people stopping their own work to help me this man's just said wait a minute I will help you I have I have I have sh sh sh hi he's asking for me hi nice to meet you lovely people here at the old uh polling polling place thing that's really beautiful about China and one thing that's foreigners like me from Western countries are extremely privileged when they come to places like this

is how friend and supportive everybody is to me and and how everyone wants to help me there are so many foreigners in the world that go to certain countries and they are completely alone no one's [ __ ] helping them people even go out of their way to not help them you know so I can't imagine what it would what how it would feel right now to be in a position where I was just completely on my own and these people weren't helping me [Music] now sidan ah okay go to Beijing that was the worst

day ever for hitchhiking um just I'm I've just been in the worst positions they been the worst places everyone's been going the other way the people that have that have stopped are going the other way people that are going the right way haven't stopped or have stopped and then said no and also the language barrier is just getting really difficult the language barrier is getting really really difficult um if tomorrow is the same I might just pack it in and get a bus I might just have to get a bus so I won't lie yesterday

wasn't a very good day and I felt very defeated by the end of the day however I did find the most stunning beautiful place to camp and it all made up for it have a look at this it's the inside of the tolling Booth office yes so the toall booth people let me I was like can I like can I camp my tent around here somewhere and uh they were like just Camp it inside of our [ __ ] playroom which was very very love and they bought me a peach she bought me a peach

which was lovely and I'm feeling a lot better about today and we can give it another go although they did say they said if the shuttle bus comes past we're going to put you on a shuttle bus that goes to about halfway to Beijing right we're back to it onwards and upwards I uh you know what it's difficult after a day like that just to keep faith and not to lose hope and not to want to run to the nearest bus station I mean I don't even know if there is a in my opinion it

is easier to hit Chik almost anywhere in the world I've that I've been to than it is to go and find some bus station in the middle of nowhere and then find the right bus at the right time that's going to the right place hello pavement on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere China that I [ __ ] love okay okay thank you sir wow beautiful picture beautiful m m the lovely men at the tol Booth place are helping me now thank you we've had the best start of the day ever

is he going to Ulin okay okay ah thank you thank you so much okay okay sh sh thank you so much bye I go to Beijing okay this is Mr Chen I didn't know it at the time but Mr Chen and I would go on to form a strong meaningful Bond and a friendship that would lead to him becoming the world's most famous Chinese truck driver thank you so much ming m Hanz M nice to meet you nice to meet you nice to meet you nice to meet you to yay I Chinese you English yes

yes yes yes English English English English English English you Chinese I am English okay what goods are you transporting okay [Music] okay okay so this guy used to be a guard at the British Embassy in China and now he's transporting steel making materials across the country oh thank you thank you you're welcome cool man as is now naal regulation us truckers you wouldn't understand if you're not a trucker we need to stop every 4 hours for a uh 20 minute break there a trucker thing thank you sir sh shw M melon melon melon so there

was a big misunderstanding about where I want to go because I'm traveling to Beijing I've just been saying that I'm going to kind of the next place and then the next place so he said I'll take you to the next place I've just found out he's going basically to Beijing he's going to he Bay or he he Bay which is like 300 km from Beijing so he said just can come with me all the way yes bro we're doing it that's amazing thank you sh ah we got a long day in this truck now boys

we got a long day in this truck now and we're having a very very good day [Applause] [Music] this is the power of Science and Technology human beings will be more and more progress we were born in an era of enjoyment of Science and Technology [Music] iing about 9 hours and for the first time in what feels like months I'm seeing like just Greenery and trees and forests I was in Shing Jang which was a desert I was up in the mountains north of that was just desert everything from there to here has just been

desert and now look at this so when you pay for things in China everything sh everything is done on an app now everything is done on an app so it's pretty convenient cuz you just have one app for everything is it a completely centralized way of doing everything yes does it have all of your data and payments and history in everywhere you've been ever and one app yes it does yeah however it is incredibly convenient oh yeah by the way um my driver's name isn't hungo I thought his name was hungo I've been calling him

hungo all day his name's Mr Chen um which I feel bad about cuz he was like my name's after a [ __ ] 10 hours of us traveling together he's like by the way my name is Mr Chen and I'm like I asked you 8 hours ago what your name was and you said hungo must have got lost in translation so anyway his name is Mr Chen and he's one of my favorite people in the world so last night I slept in Mr Chen's truck with him good night Mr Chen hi I'm sleeping in Mr

Chen's truck with him I said we can you help me find someone to park my tent and he said just sleep in here if he's got a bunk bed [ __ ] amazing I love this man wake up I think you should come down and enjoy the beauty of the mountains okay I'm sorry that I'm so messy oh Tai hang mountain is a very famous mountain in China it is a whole mountain range there are probably from south to North wow they are very very beautiful Mr CH wow the Chinese people fought against Japan and

the Supreme General who died in China comrad Zan died in Zoran Zoran died here here oh yeah I've definitely woke up in worse places before man we're going to have some Brey we're going to have some Brey oh delicious [Music] I'm sweet I'm sweet man thank you I'm happy So the plan is we're going to go with Mr Chen to drop off his load and then he's going to take me to a place about 300 km from Beijing we're going to hitri all the way hopefully be in Beijing time for dinner ah look at the

goat Junctions look at those goat Junctions are those goats on the top of the mountain yeah yeah yeah goats very [Applause] cool ah the truck drivers have coming to drop off there me life of a Chinese truck driver eh never gets easier this job so this stuff is some kind of material that they Ed to make steel and that's what Mr Chen is doing he picks this up one side of the country drops it off in another side of the country travels all this way for a you know drops off a few tons of steel

making stuff look at this place it's completely black this is very this is kind of interesting because you know traveling around a a new country you see the things that all the tourists see now what you don't see is how a truck driver unloads a truck full of steel steel making materials now this is the real china these are the people that run this country so I'm not actually going to go inside the giant air hanger filled with steel making materials because I've just realized it's probably highly highly toxic to inhale you got it nice

so here's what's going to happen now Mr Chen is going to take me very close to Beijing and then I'm going to get a train into Beijing and I'll tell you why number one I feel like helping Mr Chen on his journey has been a really positive and climactic way for me to finish mine I know I wanted to stop at the start at the great wall and finish at the Great Wall we will be doing that on the next one and the other reason is because I absolutely stink I I have not shed I've

not washed my balls for 4 days um my clothes think I haven't changed my underwear it's I'm just gross and having myself having this body having this body in anyone's car would be a punishment to them so I'm going to get a train in 1 hour it's going to be 1 hour training to Beijing so I'll say goodbye to Mr Chen when he drops me off and then will be in Beijing let's go Mr Chen let's go he's picked up his paycheck I'm [ __ ] happy for him let's do it it's so hot Mr

Chen is walking me to the train station as we begin the last hour of our journey into Beijing it's so hot outside that it's yeah it's very hot outside you're correct Mr Chen Jesus and I'm telling you man it's hot here in Beijing wait wait wait wait wait wait wait thank you thank you okay bye see you I love you byebye bye thank you I just said goodbye to Mr Shen Mr Chen his name is Mr Chen as I ventured Into the Heart of the world's most populated Capital City the taste of dried beef on

my tongue and the weight of the journey lingering in the air around me I reflected on the past 4 days I thought about the road I had traveled and the people who made it possible the friendly faces at toll booths the police officers who not only fed me but helped me find my way and of course Mr Chen how fortunate I was to have been granted a window into the lives of these remarkable yet seemingly ordinary individuals in the end it's these wonderful everyday people who restore our faith in humanity