A documentary called "Under the Dome" that talks about air pollution in China has gained a lot of traction by Internet users across the world.
The last few decades has seen China emerge as a manufacturing super-power. However, the increase in industries in China has also resulted in increase in air pollution in the country. The documentary was viewed by millions of people just within hours of getting posted.
Ms. Chai Jing, a renowned Chinese investigative journalist, is behind the documentary. She has used her own money to make the documentary. Ms. Chai reveals that she has spent over 1 million RMB, or around $159,000, for the documentary. The journalist states that she began work on the documentary when she found that her daughter had developed a tumor while in her womb. Ms. Chai suggests that high air pollution in China is to be blamed for her daughter's tumor.
The 103 minutes documentary shows Ms. Chai talking about air pollution and its effects on China. She has worked on the documentary for over a year and she also got some help from CCTV, her ex-explorer. CCTV confirmed that the video was shot independently but Ms. Chai received assistance from some of its producers. CCTV also suggests that the original documentary was for four hours but Ms. Chai was advised to cut short the documentary for less than two hours.
Chen Jining was named the new Environment Minister of China a day before the release of the documentary. During a press conference the new minister revealed that he has seen the documentary and praised Ms. Chai for her efforts.
"Under the Dome" has also been compared with the former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," which focused on global warming. Al Gore's documentary also won the Oscars.
Ms. Chai's documentary is also expected to get attention at the annual meeting of the National People's Congress, which starts on March 5.
"Every year during the National People's Congress, environmental protection is a heated topic," says Lai Shensheng, Shanghai-based environment analyst at Capital Securities Corp.
Air pollution and environment protection have become a topic of heated debate in China. People of China are in the hope that the government will take appropriate steps to reduce the increasing air pollution in the country.
Environment monitoring companies such as SPC Environment Protection Tech Co. and SDL Technology Co. has also benefited from the latest documentary. The shares of both the companies have risen significantly after the documentary's release. Investors believe that government will draw new initiative for pollution control, which will prove favorable to the companies.
Check out the documentary, which has English subtitles.
Photo: Dai Luo | Flickr
