The People's Republic of Capitalism (2009) 1of4

In this in-depth four-part documentary, Ted Koppel examines China's new status as an economic superpower and its complex relationship with the United States. He focuses on Chongqing–a city in Sichuan Province with a burgeoning population and big plans for the future. While peasants in outlying areas eke out a meager living, the rising middle class revels in new riches, challenging traditional ideas about religion, sexuality, and consumerism. All this reverberates here in America, where companies scramble for cheap labor, workers find jobs shipped overseas, and shoppers snap up Chinese-made goods at big box retailers.

A year in the making, The People's Republic of Capitalism shows China's extraordinary changes through the eyes of its industrialists, assembly line workers, coal miners, taxi drivers, and farmers. Along the way, it provides surprising perspectives on a country fast becoming America's greatest economic rival and biggest business partner.

An inductee in the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Ted Koppel has earned 37 Emmys, six Peabodys, and numerous other awards in his decades of broadcast reporting. He served as anchor and managing editor of ABC's Nightline, network television's first late-night news program, for 25 years.

Part 1: Joined at the Hip
"The U.S. would have an easier time disentangling itself from Germany or France than from the Chinese,” says Ted Koppel. “You have to wonder how either country would get along without the other.” Perhaps this is why US leaders expect to get away with so much international aggression - by buying China's consent.

Technical Specs:
Video Codec: XviD
Video Bitrate: 1865 Kbps
Video Resolution: 704x400
Video Aspect Ratio: 1.76 / ~16:9
Video Framerate: 29.97
Video AR error: -0.1%
Quality Factor: 0.22 b/pf
Audio: English (US)
Audio Codec: Dolby AC3
Audio Bitrate: 384 kb/s @ 48KHz CBR
Audio Channels: 6
Subtitles (separate): English (US)
Runtime per Part: 43 minutes, ~3 hours total
Number of Parts: 4
Part Size: 700 Mb x 4, extra 223 Mb
Encoded by: PolarBear

Links to other parts:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4