'The Big Picture' Season 7, Episode 3: 'Industrial Titan'

The seventh season of "The Big Picture" turns its attention to north China's Hebei Province. Through the stories of cities, businesses and ordinary people, the program explores how the province surrounding Beijing is drawing on its manufacturing base, specialized industrial clusters and continually improving infrastructure to connect with China's domestic market and the wider international business network.

The third episode, "Industrial Titan," opens in Botou, Cangzhou. In its squares, residents still practice six harmonies fist, a defensive style of Kung Fu that is over 400 years old and a living reminder that ancient traditions can thrive in modern life. From there, host Mark Llewellyn and his team head into the countryside of the "hometown of Chinese Ya pears," where pears have been cultivated for around two millennia.

At the heart of the episode is Guo Zhongtao, known locally as the "Prince of Pears." His family's business began with his grandfather pushing a handcart to market, with his father trotting along behind as a small boy. Three generations on, the family orchard has grown to eight times the size of a typical Australian orchard, and its harvest now reaches more than 100 countries and regions, with 10 million pears a year going to Australia. Every pear is still wrapped by hand in a paper bag to guard against pests, but overhead, AI-guided drones now spray the trees with precision. Old wisdom and new technology tend the same orchard.

At a steelworks 340 kilometers north of Botou, Australian iron ore is turned into green steel used in electric vehicle manufacturing, with artificial intelligence optimizing production and cutting emissions. The team speaks with Vaughn Barber, chair of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, about how the China-Australia economic relationship is expanding beyond traditional trade into new fields such as green energy and green steel.

"The Big Picture" is a business documentary series produced by People's Daily Online Australia and Sticky Toffee Media, highlighting collaborations between China and Australia in economics, science, education, and business. With in-depth reporting and on-site insights, it delivers authoritative analysis while promoting cross-culture understanding.

Season seven of "The Big Picture" airs in September 2026 on the global news website Ticker News, People's Daily Online, and international podcast platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.