The Cars That Ate China

China is in the midst of an automotive revolution that has not been witnessed since the halcyon days of Henry Ford. Cars are now the ultimate symbol of status and prosperity in a country that is well on its way to becoming the biggest economy in the world.
But car culture is also bringing about volatile class divisions, the world’s worst air pollution, and fierce global competition for limited resources. And it’s only just begun.
Today, car culture is everywhere - in television ads, glossy magazines, glitzy showrooms and international auto shows with scantily clad models. For China’s rising middle class, the new prosperity symbolised by the car is intoxicating. For the future of Chinese society, the environment and the world, some of the prospects are chilling.
The film is set in Beijing, once called the ‘Bicycle Kingdom’ and now the epicentre of China’s exploding car culture. The story is a poignant and surprising parable about a world that has profound repercussions for our own.