Photo: Courtesy of Youku

On the remote island of Baisha in East China's Zhejiang Province, a community of elderly residents live quietly, far from the bustling cities. As the Chinese New Year approached in 2023, British host Tim Hague and his friend arrived on the island, talking with locals and helping prepare for the festival feast for the elderly.    

Their visit, captured in the ongoing documentary series Towards a Shared Future, highlights the ways in which technology and community care are enabling the elderly in rural China to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.

The documentary, currently airing on domestic video platform Youku, focuses on the broad theme of "common prosperity." Common prosperity, an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese modernization, aims to create a future in which prosperity is shared by everyone in the country, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Directed by Zhang Wei, the series invites Hague - a renowned British television presenter and former BBC host - to explore various parts of Zhejiang Province from a global perspective to tell the real stories of ordinary Chinese people as China continues on its path to modernization..

"After extensive research, we decided to present this story through an international lens to illustrate the relationship between the ordinary people and the concept of common prosperity," Zhang said at the documentary's global premiere in Beijing on Wednesday. 

"Zhejiang, with its balanced urban and rural development, is like a microcosm of China, making it the perfect setting for this documentary," he noted.

In 2021, China introduced guidelines to develop Zhejiang as a demonstration zone for common prosperity, aiming to balance regional and urban-rural development across the country. This initiative is also one of the reasons the documentary was filmed in Zhejiang, showcasing the province's role as a leader in this national effort.

Hague's curiosity and questions drive the narrative of Towards a Shared Future. With a deep interest in Chinese culture and development, Hague, who has visited China multiple times, explores the lives and relationships of people in rural areas. 

According to Zhang, the documentary, presented largely from Hague's perspective, reveals his observations and discoveries about the unique connections between villagers, volunteers, and the broader community.

The three-part series addresses five key issues: healthcare, elderly care, education, environmental protection, and the global promotion of traditional culture. 

"Tim's curiosity about China's customs, the relationships between people, and the everyday joys and struggles of ordinary people is what shapes the storytelling in this documentary," Zhang explained. "We want to uncover the stories behind his questions, and through those stories, reveal a broader theme."

For example, in the recently aired first episode, Hague visited the Jingning She autonomous county in Zhejiang, where he experienced local wedding customs, spoke with a traditional heritage practitioner, and tried his hand at weaving She ethnic ribbons. In Kaihua county, Zhejiang, he interacted with local volunteers, took part in their daily activities, including visiting a boy with a congenital disease, and assisted at an elderly care cafeteria run by the local government.

On Baisha Island, the local government regularly sends medical teams to provide free checkups. For those with limited mobility, doctors will visit their homes for checkups. In addition to medical care, the elderly receive help with haircuts, tailoring, and tool sharpening.

"Common prosperity is not just a concept; it's built on countless small stories of ordinary people," Zhang said. "It's like constructing a building - each of us is a part of the foundation. When all these individual stories come together, the concept of common prosperity truly takes shape."

Towards a Shared Future will also be broadcast on domestic television and translated into multiple languages for global audiences. 

"We hope that through this documentary, viewers around the world who are unfamiliar with China will gain an understanding of the reality of our country - our people's daily lives, their aspirations, and their spirit," Zhang told the Global Times.