In 2007 Rupert Wingfield-Hayes with cameraman Alek Grigorian took a road trip from Moscow to Russia's Far East. A former BBC-Beijing correspondent, and a Mandarin-speaker, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes explores in this film Russia's demography, its relation with China and their XXth century legacy.
A sparsely populated bit of Russia has seen an influx of neighbouring Chinese. For China, this part of Russia is an empty land of opportunity rich in minerals and trading possibilities. But is its destiny 'Asian'? And how do the Russians feel about the presence of so many Chinese traders, just across from China?
Shot and edited by Alek Grigorian.