Still heading in the right direction

I really am a newbie, just 25 years old, and having completed a degree in anthropology in England less than two years ago.

So I was extremely fortunate to be given the opportunity to direct this documentary as part of a great China Daily team. When I was assigned to the project, I was initially hesitant about how we should approach it, but my determination to do a good job grew stronger as I realized the importance of the story we were about to tell - one spanning a vast country, 1.4 billion people and 40 years.

For the documentary, we interviewed more than 50 people from all walks of life, including those who in the early days helped lay the path for reform and openingup; people who returned home to reunite with their families after spending years overseas; and a father and son who gave their all to set up and run a family business. For me, they reflected the determination of China and its people, its subsequent economic rise and the practical ways in which this has transformed people's lives.