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After decades of being closed off to western pop culture, the pressure is on for China to find a state-endorsed popstar, a fun and cool ambassador who can command the global stage.

Rebecca Kanthor heads inside China’s pop machine, the ‘Earth’s Music Project’, to meet Ruhan Jia - one of the first artists to be actively promoted by the government, and those tasked with transforming her into a global sensation.

In makeshift studios across China, she hears from Ruhan’s rock rivals, who are also hoping to get noticed - with or without support from the state.

Raising questions of identity, ambition and freedom, Rebecca investigates the dizzying world of state-sponsored pop, and the power of pop culture.

Presenter: Rebecca Kanthor
Producer: Georgia Catt

Picture: Ruhan Jia in rehearsal