In a meritocracy, education is one sure route out of poverty. But can everybody succeed in modern China? Watch the documentary now or download it from our Vimeo channel.

How do you choose a college when you’re the first person in your family who can read? Or pay for it when 4 years of schooling costs sixty years of income? What is it like to join the “ant-tribe”, the 2 million newly graduated Chinese who, every year, can’t find work?  And what if the only job you could find involved selling education to other students, even if you knew it was worthless?

Find out more about other routes out of poverty. Explore our dataviz tool to find out about how education in your country compares with the rest of the world. Watch Colours in the Dust, a beautiful story about a boy who uses art to escape poverty. Share the trailer.

Tell us what you think. Nelson Mandela once said "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world" but is its value undermined when, like in China, it becomes a commodity? 

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Directed by: Weijun Chen
Produced by: Don Edkins
Production company: Steps International