On a map of China, find Shanghai, Suzhou and Wuxi.

Using the map, your own research, and what you have learned from the programme, write down three facts about each place.

Imagine you are one of the following:

• a skilled worker in Shanghai
• an unemployed labourer in a small town
• a dispossessed peasant
• a traditional farmer
• a representative of a multinational corporation

Make a list of the benefits and drawbacks that a small township enterprise like the Beibei Shoe Company might bring for you.

How might your working life be affected by such a development?

List some of the factors that are essential to the success of the Beibei Shoe Company. List some of the factors that threaten its continued development.

How many familiar everyday products originate in China or other countries in the Far East? Find out by examining labels and instruction booklets, or by carrying out research on the Internet.

How can it make economic sense to transport goods across the world and still sell them more cheaply than similar goods made in the UK?

Think about the people who have left their home areas to take up work in more prosperous developing places. What are the advantages to them and their families (for example, think about increased prosperity, and the opportunity to see new ways of life and develop new skills)? What are the disadvantages (for example, think about the effect on the stability of the family, and the effect on rural areas of losing so many workers from the local economy)? Is the UK, or any other country in the EU, dependent on migrant workers? Where do they come from? In what kinds of industry are they employed? Are there any social or political problems connected with migration?

Use the ‘development compass rose’ (see the Introduction section of these Net Notes) to organise your knowledge. Are your answers to the questions on the diagram any different after watching the programme? Why?