Filmmaker zooms in on change

Ole Schell first visited China in 1987 as a teenager and recalls riding a bike through the hutong of Beijing. When he returned in 2007 he was shocked by the enormous changes.

"The Chinese cities, where people once wore Mao suits, suddenly look more like cities in the United States than cities in North Korea," said the 35-year-old during a screening of his documentary about the sweeping cultural and business shifts in the country. The film was shown last Wednesday at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington.

Schell said he is fascinated by the pop culture of China, Beijing's modern music scene and the rapid pace of urban development.