A functional collective house especially designed for youngsters in New York. [Photo provided to China Daily]

For example, Anirudh Sharma founded the startup Air Ink, to capture black particles from the tailpipes of cars through a device, and then transform them into paint or ink.

"We may have stereotypes toward many countries just as some foreigners have stereotypes toward China. But you can only have an authentic understanding about a place after you actually go there and experience it yourself," she says.

Liu, the series producer, says his team also started a Future Home project to renovate a 44-square-meter apartment in a historic hutong in downtown Beijing. It's a versatile space that satisfies multiple demands of both individuals and families, ranging from daily life to parties and a small home office.

The kitchen and bathroom are of a WikiHouse type.

WikiHouse is a project from London, as was introduced in the documentary, which is about designing and building simplified, sustainable houses.

Users can download different building plans from its website and then create jigsaw-puzzle-like pieces made of plywood, and assemble the house frame in less than a day.

One can simply use the Future Home app on Whaley TV to control all the domestic appliances and even move the furniture and the three walls to reconstruct the house's layout.

"The house is built for youngsters growing up in the digital era, who may not prefer to live a fixed life. Our Future Home being built in Beijing represents just one of the many possibilities," he says.

Who can move into their newly renovated Future Home? Liu says the show is looking to attract young people with interesting stories first: "One can use one's own life stories to exchange for stays in the house."

Contact the writer at xulin@chinadaily.com.cn