A poster of the documentary Zhongguancun. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Documentary director Liu Junwei had been planning to make a documentary about Zhongguancun, China's entrepreneurial and innovation hub in Beijing, for years. But he needed a peg for the story. And 2018 provided the perfect opportunity as it was the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up.

Speaking about why he wanted to make the documentary, Liu says: "Everyone has heard of Zhongguancun, but some still think it's a market for electronic goods."

As he researched Zhongguancun, he realized the electronics market was just the outcome of one phase of the area's development.

So what is the secret of Zhongguancun, and what does it mean for the social and economic development of today's society?

With these questions in mind, Liu started to shoot the documentary.

The six-episode documentary named after the area, aired in December on the science and education channel of China Central Television, looks at Chinese entrepreneurs and internet companies such as Baidu, Sohu and Netease.

According to Jin Ling, the producer, the documentary took 18 months to complete.

"Many think that Zhongguancun is just a place in Beijing's Haidian district, but this documentary also includes 17 locations in the city," says Jin.

A special film crew took more than one year to shoot scenes in Zhongguancun in different seasons. And a research team was assigned to collect historical material, including photos, videos, documents and newspapers that would showcase the story of Zhongguancun.