The New Stories of Zhejiang, a documentary tracing the rapid development of Zhejiang over the past seven decades from the perspective of a British man, made its world premiere in Beijing on Oct 9. 

The documentary records the experience of Michael Bates, member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, and his wife Li Xuelin, a native of Hangzhou, on their recent month-long walking tour in which they trekked over 500 kilometers from Hangzhou to Wenzhou.

Local farmers, workers, entrepreneurs and painters described how they felt about the changes that have taken place in the province over the years. 

The documentary was produced by China Review Studio of the China International Publishing Group under the supervision of the State Council Information Office.

"I hope westerners can learn more about China through the story of Zhejiang," said Bates.

The couple has taken similar tours in China before, in 2015 and 2018, in the pursuit of peace, friendship and charity. They donated all the funds raised during the walk to public-welfare projects in China.

The New Stories of Zhejiang will be broadcast on CNBC, the Wall Street Journal website and CCTV, as well as many new media platforms, from Oct 13.