Shanghai-based media personality Cameron Anderson may have participated in numerous television projects throughout the past decade, but the one he considers to be the most meaningful is the recently released documentary China on the Move.

Produced by Shanghai Media Group and Lion Television from the United Kingdom, the two-part documentary was aired on channels like Dragon TV, Docu TV and International Channel Shanghai on Feb 25 and 26. The show will also be available abroad in the near future.

The first episode delves into China's poverty alleviation efforts. The second is focused on the nation's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

As well as the fact that the show marks his maiden appearance in an international documentary, China On the Move is also significant to the Australian as it gave him a chance to correct the misconceptions about his adopted home country.

"Having personally been through the pandemic in China, I got to see how misunderstood Wuhan was. There were many news reports by foreign media that were just inaccurate. Some intentionally twisted the facts to make the news juicier," says Anderson.

"What was being reported did not reflect what I experienced. What I saw was amazing cooperation between people. Everyone here banded together to tackle the crisis. People living outside China might find it strange when I say this, but I feel lucky to have gone through the pandemic in China."

To prepare for the show, both the Chinese and British teams performed extensive research, which included studying published governmental documents and news on poverty alleviation, as well as consulting think tanks in China, in April and May.

The film crew then spent July and August traveling to 12 provinces and cities in China including Xiamen in Fujian province and Hangzhou in Zhejiang province to capture the footage.

Because of the documentary, Anderson got to travel to Wuhan in September to learn more about how the city rallied against the virus. There, he had the chance to interview one of the local heroes, Li Fengjie, a delivery rider who, despite having already traveled home for Spring Festival in 2020, decided to return to Wuhan to deliver meals.

The selfless actions of Li later inspired hundreds of others to take up food delivery jobs during the pandemic.

While Anderson considers the story about Wuhan to be the most touching in the documentary, he points out that he was just as fascinated by China's poverty alleviation efforts.

The segment he hosts delves into how the Chinese government helped revive the fortunes of rubber farmers in Hainan province by creating an ecosystem that also involves insurance companies and future risk management firms.

"When you talk about poverty alleviation, what most people immediately think of is charity and donations, but this is simply not sustainable. Instead of just throwing cash at the poor, what the Chinese government did was to create this beautiful system that was not just smart but also sustainable. I was very impressed," he says.

For Anderson, his role in the documentary was also a reminder of how far China has progressed since he first set foot in Shanghai in 2005.

The Australian first worked as a lawyer at a firm that catered to international clients. Three years later, following a guest appearance on a local travel program Getaway, which ignited in him a passion for television, he quit his job to become its host.

"Back then, as a host for Getaway, I was a vessel that took Chinese viewers to the outside world. That was a time when China was fascinated with what was happening overseas. Fast forward to today, I'm helping the world to see China. The way my job scope has changed reflects how China has grown so amazingly," he says.

Another person who was impressed by what she saw is Chen Yinan, the documentary's director.

Despite being Chinese and not unfamiliar with her nation's poverty alleviation efforts, the deep dive into the topic proved to be an eye-opener nonetheless.

"It was a very fulfilling experience. I'm impressed by some of the facts we learned. For example, I didn't know that there is such a wide range of conditions to consider before we can say someone is in the extreme poverty category," says Chen.

"As shown in the documentary, efforts have been made by all sectors of society and not just the government," she adds. "From enterprises to ordinary people, everyone played a part. To be able to lift so many people out of extreme poverty, even during the pandemic, is an astounding feat."

When asked what he would say to critics who doubt the authenticity of the facts presented in the documentary, Anderson, who has lived in China for the past 16 years, has just three words: come to China.

"I guarantee that many of those who doubt the successes of China have never been here before," he says.

"All I have to say to them is that they should come and experience China for themselves. This is the only way they can make an objective assessment. Before they doubt something, they have to understand what they're doubting."