New Century Global Center

China is building up a large collection of the biggest things in the world. The latest addition is the world's largest building. It is called the New Century Global Center and it opened this week in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in China's southwest. It is 500 meters long, 400 meters wide and 100 meters high. The area inside covers an amazing 1.76 million square meters. The building is so big that 20 Sydney Opera Houses could fit inside. It is almost three times the size of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. It took thousands of workers just three years to build the enormous structure. The center is an important part of plans to make Chengdu a 21st-century city. It fits with the city's slogan, "Chengdu – Can Do".

The inside of the center is almost like a small city in itself. There are around 400,000 square meters of shopping space, a 15-screen IMAX movie theatre complex and an ice rink big enough to hold international competitions. There are also offices, hotels, a replica Mediterranean village and a water park. The building's owners hope it will attract business and tourists from across China and the world. It is all part of a wider plan to put Chengdu on the global map. Around 14 million people currently live in the city, but that is set to increase. The city is also a magnet for investment and is one of China's most important industrial regions. The area is also home to the world's largest giant panda nature reserve.

Tapescript 8.

Presenter: Good evening. With me on tonight’s edition of Challenge the expert are Julia Ralston and Gareth Webster. Julia is a fully-qualified architect, who works for a well-known architectural practice in London. Facing her is her challenger Gareth Webster, a student at the university of London, who is surrounded by, in his own words, those eyesores that pass for modern buildings. Gareth, over to you.

Gareth: Right, well can I start with 1960s architecture? I walk past some awful 60s concrete blocks every day and I just can’t believe how people were uprooted and forced to live in high-rise buildings against their will. Why was this aver allowed to happen, Julia?

Julia: Gareth, you’re describing a time when many people wanted to be rehoused, because their living conditions were so bad. And this was a policy upheld by government, rather than decided by architects.

Gareth: But why don’t planners and architects talk to the public? It’s as if they feel they have the right to decide what’s best for us.

Julia: The situation has changed and in my view, Jack of consultation over new buildings is rarely an issue with the public. There are much tougher planning regulations nowadays.

Gareth: But the fact is that many people still have ti live in high-rise accommodation. How can you expect people to enjoy life on the 23rd floor with a lift that’s out of order? If we were meant to live up in the sky, we would have been born with wings.

Julia: Well, joking apart, I was in a tower block in a run-down part of Bristol for six years of my childhood, so I don’t know what it’s like. That’s largely what drove me to become an architect, actually/ Yes, some 60s architecture is poor, but the point is, if it hadn’t happen, we would be making similar mistakes today, whereas, as it is, we have been able to learn from the recent past.

Gareth: How, exactly?

Julia: Well, for one thing, the buildings being put up today generally have better materials than in the past, certainly in comparison to the 1960s. A lot more thought goes into this aspect, with the upside that new buildings look more attractive as a result.

Gareth: What about environmental issues, are there any special requirements for architects to meet there?

Julia: Yes, indeed. We have to design buildings that are environmentally efficient, so for us in Britain that means paying particular attention to things like heating. Of course, that particular requirement wouldn’t be an issue for architects in southern Europe.

Gareth: No, I suppose not … So Julia, what do you personally see as today’s main problem?

Julia: Something that really troubles me is ‘urban sprawl’, the suburbs that go on forever, all at a huge cost to the tax-paying public in terms of upkeep.

Gareth: What do you mean by ‘upkeep’?

Julia: Basic services like drainage, road maintenance, that sort of thing. And city expansion isn’t very good news for the countryside either. At the same time, there’s something appalling decay in the middle of our cities as a direct result of this move outwards. Shops in the centre have closed because of out-of-town facilities, and people are forced to drive when once they bought locally.

Gareth: And that’s not sustainable, is it? So, what’s the solution? I mean, any housing in central London that’s nice to live in is so upmarket that it’s completely unaffordable for someone like me.

Julia: Well, that depends, Gareth, on whether you would be prepared to live up in the sky. What I believe in – and what many architects are trying to work towards – is the regeneration of our city centres, but this can only happen if we think vertically - design skyscrapers, in other words. There is no space to do anything else! It’s a really exciting development that could breathe new life into our cities.

Gareth: Back to the 1960s, then?

Julia: Definitely not! Gareth, imagine if your building was a multiuse one, where you just go downstairs to see live music, or across the street to pick up some late-night shopping … this is the housing of the future, where no one will need to own a car.

Gareth: Yes, but again, is that what people want? I mean having a car is every person’s dream, isn’t it?

Julia: Well, the success of the Mayor of London’s congestion charge might prove you wrong! And it may surprise you that in a recent radio phone-in, 67% of callers thought that the car should be banned altogether from central London. I think people are ready for this Gareth, they understand that traffic is slowly killing us. Living in the city has to become a healthier and more acceptable option.

Gareth: Oh, I don’t know, you’re beginning to convince me! You do sound as though you know what you’re talking about …

Tapescript 9.

1. I was giving a talk to about two hundred people in a large hotel room in Poland. About halfway through the talk, I realized that something was flying around the room. At first I just ignored it, as I thought it was probably a bird that had come in through the window, but after a while I noticed that the women in the audience were following its movements with their eyes and were not looking very happy. It was then that I realized that it was a large bat. The next moment I could see from the audience's eyes that it was directly above my head. I'm really frightened of bats, and I just panicked. I tried to carry on, but I couldn't concentrate and I kept forgetting what I was going to say. So I hurried through the last part of the talk and then as soon as I finished, I rushed out of the room. It was awful, I'll never forget it!

2. I get invited to talk to teachers all around the world, and this time I was in Mexico giving a talk to some English teachers. Though I say it myself, I think I'm a good speaker and usually the audiences enjoy my talks and are interested in what I'm saying. But after about ten minutes, I realized that something was wrong. The audience weren't laughing at my jokes and some people were looking very unhappy. Then I saw several people get up and walk out of the hall. I just couldn't work out what was going on. I'd given a presentation there the year before and the audience had been really enthusiastic. In the end, I just stopped and asked them. 'Is anything the matter? You don't seem to be enjoying this.' And one teacher said 'Actually the problem is that you gave exactly the same talk last year, so we've heard it all before'. I didn't really know what to do at this point. I just apologized profusely and invited the people who had already heard the talk to leave, which, unfortunately, was almost everybody.

3. I was giving a presentation to a rather serious group of businessmen in Germany. They listened politely for 45 minutes, and at the end I asked for any questions. Nobody said anything. Then a young man stood up and said to me, 'Sir, you are open.' I looked down at my trousers and realized that I was.

4. I had to give a talk to some students at Imperial College in London. It's the science and technology department of London University, so I didn't think there would be any problems with the equipment. I'd seen the auditorium before and it was a nice room, good sound and screen, etc. But as soon as I began my talk, people started complaining that they couldn't see the slides -there was something wrong with the projector and the screen was too dark. So I started touching keys on my laptop, and I don't know what I did, but I managed to delete the whole presentation. So there I was with no presentation notes at all, nothing, and I had to improvise from what I could remember. It was all very embarrassing, I must say.

5. I had to give a business presentation to a company in Paris, and after I'd got there and checked into my hotel, I thought I'd go for a walk as it was such a beautiful day and I had plenty of time. My talk wasn't until one o'clock and I was well prepared. I was strolling along by the river enjoying the sunshine when I noticed that several people at the cafes were already having lunch. I thought it was a bit early for lunch and I checked my watch - it was only a quarter to twelve. And then I suddenly realized that I'd forgotten to change my watch. The UK is one hour behind France, so that meant it was in fact quarter to one. My presentation was supposed to start in 15 minutes' time. I desperately looked for a taxi to take me first back to my hotel and then to the company's offices where I was going to give the presentation. I finally arrived 20 minutes late and very stressed - and the worst thing of all was that the title of the talk I was giving was 'How to manage your time better!'

Tapescript 10.

I So, Lucy, what do you think of the way Charles has done the room?

L I hate that sofa! If it was up to me I'd burn it. It reminds me of something in a horror movie. I can't believe Charles has kept it. On top of it all, it doesn't go with the rest of the room. And why have a computer in your living room? It just reminds

you of work all the time, and let's face it, a PC and a printer are not the most attractive items of furniture in the world. They make the room look much too practical and technical. I don't like the blinds either. They remind me of a dentist's. I wouldn't mind them in a bathroom or a loo but I'd never put them in a room where I wanted to relax. The silver photo frames look good, though personally I wouldn't have put them on the coffee table. But in general I find the whole room very cold and impersonal. I think Charles's problem is that he's lazy. He hates shopping and always buys the first thing he sees. The room's just a mixture of cheap modern pieces that don't really go together. He hasn't really thought about it at all. That's his biggest failing. I'm sure it's the same with most men. C There's nothing about Lucy's room that I really hate. But I have to say there are certain things that I would never choose myself, for example, the curtains are much too feminine for me. Even if I did choose them I would never have long ones, hanging to the floor; they would look much better shorter, to just below the window. And then those awful branches in the corner, you know those twig things. I think they're a typical woman's thing. I just don't see the point of them. But I love the colour of the walls. And I really like the fireplace. I also think Lucy's shelves are better than mine, and they're more stylish. The sofa is my biggest criticism though. It's completely impractical. Eating or drinking anything on that would be impossible. I couldn't watch football and drink beer on a sofa like that! On the whole my greatest criticism of the room is that I think Lucy's thought more about style than about practicality, though I must admit I find the whole effect relaxing and generally quite tasteful.

Tapescript 10.1

Part 2

Charles's is a very masculine room, with no personality. He's chosen white walls - very unadventurous. I think he should have painted them a softer cream colour. The whole room looks more like an office than a living room. He should have put the computer in a corner somewhere, in a less obtrusive position. A computer reminds you of work and makes it hard to relax. And then electrical items like the huge TV and video are never attractive - they're always difficult to hide. The wooden blinds are fashionable and practical but they do have quite a clinical appearance. I think he should have had curtains. The sofa is also a bit old-fashioned and seems to be out of place in this modern room. He should have got rid of it, I'm afraid, even if it was a present from his mother. I think Lucy has created a more comfortable, more co-ordinated living area. The classic cream curtains go well with the cream sofa; they're both fashionable choices. And she has made the fireplace much more interesting. But she should have put a large picture or a mirror above it. It would make more of a focal point. The large pot with the willow branches is a marvellous idea. I love it. But the rug is too big and rather dark. She should have chosen a smaller, lighter rug. On the whole, I have to say I think Lucy seems to have thought more about the decorating than Charles.

Tapescript 11.

The best thing about my job is that I get to go to the best restaurants in England and sometimes abroad, and I don't get a bill at the end of the evening. I get the chance to eat the most wonderful, exquisite food in restaurants that I wouldn't normally be able to afford and I can order the most expensive dishes and wines without worrying about what it's costing me.

The other great side of the job is that I can take a friend with me so it's a good way of catching up with old friends who I may not have seen for a while. And everyone loves a free meal in a posh restaurant so I rarely have to eat on my own.

The downside? Well, there are several. I often have to eat a lot when I'm not really hungry. To do my job properly, I have to try all the courses - you know starter, main course, dessert, and sometimes I don't feel like eating so much, but I have to do it. I also have a problem with my weight now - it's very easy to put on weight when you eat out several times a week. In fact, most restaurant critics have a weight problem. Another problem is that if I write a bad review of a meal I have, it's difficult for me to ever go to that restaurant again, because the owner of the restaurant will probably recognize me. Another disadvantage of the job is that because I do it so often, eating out has lost a lot of its attraction for me. When the weekend comes I prefer to eat at home rather than go out for a meal.

Tapescript 11.1

Nearly all foreign correspondents and war reporters that I've met are people who were looking for adventure. They're not the kind of people who would be happy with a nine-to-five job. They are people who got into the job precisely because it has very weird hours and involves going to difficult places. I mean to some extent the things which are difficult and potentially dangerous about the job are also the things that made you want to do the job in the first place and the reason why the job is so exciting.

Something else I really like about the job is that I work as part of a team - you sit down and have dinner together at the end of the day and talk things through with other journalists and photographers and you're talking to people who have experienced the same things as you, and seen the same things as you. And that's very important in this kind of work. One of the problems of the job is seeing a lot of horrific things and then going back home to normality. I remember a few years ago coming back from a war zone where I had been for a long time and I'd seen a lot of death and destruction and I went to a friend's wedding in London. It was a beautiful day, everyone was drinking champagne and talking about unimportant things, and I wanted to say, 'Why can't you see that there is something awful happening in the world?'

Another major worry about my job these days is the risk of being killed. Journalists used to get killed by accident, but now there are more and more cases of journalists being killed simply because they are journalists, and they are also becoming the target of kidnappers. Two of my colleagues have been kidnapped recently and a very good friend of mine was killed last year.

Tapescript 12.

I=Interview, C=Caroline and B=Ben

I: And today’ Holiday Programme we have Caroline and Ben to tell us about their experiences backpacking in their gap year. Caroline, if I can start with you, you spent three months in South America. Is that right?

C: Yes, I started in Argentina and then went to Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. I stuck to Spanish speaking countries because my Spanish is good but Portuguese is non-existent. So that is why I didn’t go to Brazil.

I: Did you go on your own?

C: No, I met up with some friends when I got there – they’d been working Buenos Aires, and then we travelled together I don’t think I’d have felt completely safe travelling on my own.

I: How about you, Ben?

B: Yeah, I went on my own round Central and Eastern Europe. Czech Rebuplic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia. Oh and Serbia.

I: Could you speak any of the languages?

B: No, but it wasn’t a problem because everywhere I went I found people spoke really good English, especially the young people I met. I was amazed. Some of them actually sounded like native speakers.

I: And did you ever feel unsafe or lonely travelling on your own?

B: Well, I mean I was safety-conscious obviously, but it was more making sure I never lost anything like my phone, or my passport, or credit card – I am usually not very good at that – but otherwise no it was great just being by myself because I could decide how long I wanted to stay anywhere and where I wanted to go next, I mean I had vaguely planned my route but I was free to change my mind whenever I liked.

C: Yes that is definitely an advantage because sometimes one of us wanted to leave a place earlier or didn’t like the hotel and wanted to move and there were a few arguments, not major ones but you know – arguments.

I: So what kind of places did you both stay in?

B: I stayed mostly in youth hostels I’d thought of camping before I left but I decided the weather would probably be too cold – it was March and April. The hostels were pretty basic but great places to meet people.

C: We stayed mainly either in budget hotels or sometimes in bed and breakfasts. They were all places we’d found on the Internet and generally speaking they were good. In fact we were often pleasantly surprised by how comfortable and clean places were.

Tapescript 13.

Interviewer How did you become the pickpocket consultant for Oliver Twist?

John Well, I'm the director of a company which supplies magicians for live events, and for TV and films. Roman Polanski, the director of the film, he was looking for someone to train the actors - the young boys - to teach them to be pickpockets. He wanted them to be able to pick pockets so fast and so skillfully that it would look like they'd been doing it for years, so that they would look like professional pickpockets. So anyway, the film company got in touch with my company, and then 1 flew to Prague where they were shooting the film, to meet Polanski.

Interviewer What happened when you met him?

John Well, he didn't give me a normal interview. He just asked me to steal his watch, without him noticing.

Interviewer And did you?

John Yes, I did. So he gave me the job!

Interviewer How long did it take the boys to learn to pick pockets?

John Not very long. They learned really quickly. To be a good pickpocket you need confidence and children have that confidence. In the end, they got so good that they were stealing from everybody on the film set, even from me. I started to feel a bit like Fagin myself.

Interviewer So what's the trick of being a pickpocket?

John The real trick is to make people notice some things but not others. Some magicians call it 'misdirection', but I call it 'direction' - you have to direct people towards what you want them to see, and of course away from what you don't want them to see. Let me show you. What do you have in your jeans pockets?

Interviewer Er just keys.

John Can you show me them?

Interviewer Wow! That's amazing! You've stolen my wallet... and my pen. I really didn't notice a thing...

John That's the trick you see. All I had to do was to direct your attention to your jeans pocket and your keys, and you forgot about your jacket pocket and your wallet.

Interviewer That's incredible. I mean I was prepared -1 knew you were going to try to steal from me. And I still didn't see you. So if someone wasn't prepared, it would be even easier.

John That's right. If you know where people are looking, you also know where they're not looking. So for example if someone comes up to you in the street with a map and asks you where something is, they make you look at the map, and perhaps while you're doing that they're stealing your wallet or your phone from your back pocket.

Interviewer Tourists are especially at risk from pickpockets, aren't they?

John Yes, and that's because pickpockets know exactly what they're going to look at; which is usually a building or a monument. For example, take tourists in London. When they come out of Westminster tube station, the first thing people do is look up at Big Ben. And when they look up, it's easy for pickpockets to do their work. And of course, thieves love the posters in the tube that warn people to be careful with their belongings -you know the ones that say 'Watch out! Pickpockets about!' As soon as men read that, they immediately put their hand on the pocket that their wallet is in, to make sure it's still there. The pickpockets see that and so they know exactly where it is.

Interviewer Well, I'm sure that information will be very helpful to everyone and especially to tourists. John Freedman, thank you very much for talking to us this afternoon.

John You're welcome.

Tapescript 14.