>> charlie: welcome to our program. we continue this summer recess with composite program which we entitle different women, different professions. and we begin with the actress, keira knightley. >> i think it's a huge privilege to be able to play characters where iget to learn something new for atonement and i got to read all about the second world war and immerse myself in that at the time and read books i wouldn't have necessarily read if i hadn't been dng that piece. i've got a film coming out later

this year about freud and jung and psycho analysis. i wouldn't have done that had it not been for that piece of work. >> charlie: we continue with the model and filmmaker christ rlington. by being present and visiting the rural community of el salvador which is where my won was from originally meeting with women who just had their babies. i wassing this opportunity for postnatal care and that situation. it was there really that i looked around and i thought if i was here when i had my complication with grace i would have been dead. i think that was the moment wheri thought this is the issue i want to really focus on but the film then came out of the idea that people feel so disconnected around the world, women in the west. and i thought this is one of those universal experiences, pregnancy and child birth and i could help to bring these stories in the homes of women

who might not feel that connection that we could actually come together and help to make some solutions. >> charlie: we continue a look at different women from different pros with rula jebreal, the journalist and author. >> it has many layers. a lot of thing that affected me psychologically and emotionally. i needed some distance to process it so i wrote it really as a third person. to go that great story of my mother, my mother was raped by her stepfather. she ran away and she committed suicide when i was five. to go through these painful moments of my life, i needed not only the distance, i needed also to put it out i can heal myself. >> charlie: we conclues our compose it with the chinese billionaire and entrepreneur. >> from the outside, i hear friends talk about the rise of china, the confidence, the

politicians seem to be knowing what they do. in fact someone who lived, workedn china see a very different picture. chinese ar complaining about the government. the government seems to be running out of the policies and managing the every day problems. and you know, in terms of the confidence of becoming a super power i just don't see that. >> charlie: four women from different places and different occupations when we continue. >> every story needs a hero we can all root for, who beats the odds and comes out on top. this isn't just a hollywood story line, it's happening every

day all across america. every time a storefront oils or the midnight oil is burned or someone chases a dream not just a dollar, they are small business owners, so if you want to root for a real hero support small business, shop small. captioning sponsored by rose communications from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. >> charlie: keira knightley is here well-known for roles in films that transport us to another era. here's a look at some of her work.

>> will you marry me. >> it's not time. you chose your allegiance to rome to those who take what does not belong to them. that same rome who took their men from their homeland. >> do not pretend you know anything about me or my men. >> how many have you killed. >> as many have tried to kill me. >> animals live, it' a natural state of any man. >> this is your opinion of me. thank you. it's my honesty and admitting scruples about our relationship. >> those are the words of a gentleman? from the first moment i met you, your arrogance made me realize you re the last man in the world iould ever prevailpon to marry.

>> you ow what i'm talking about, don't you? >> why are you crying? >> don't you know? >> yes, i know exactly. you don't me knowe in the least do you. >> yes, i do. we're a bad match. >> i ask for two things, loyalty and a male heir. >> same as your dog. don't touch me, don't touch me. get out. >> it's funny i think about you every day. it's nice to see you again.

>> charlie: i am pleased to have keira knightley back at this table. welcome. >> thank you. >> charlie: we were just starting to talk b you just came off stage. >> i did just come off stage, yes. >> charlie: what was the production. >> the play was the children's hour. >> charlie: yes. did you enjoy it? was it somethingou wanted to do? >> the play or just theatre in general. >> charlie: both. >> the may i thought was extraordinary and it' very diffult to find female roles like the ones in that particular piece. and so the director's a man calledan who has his production jerusalem is on brdway at the moment an i loved s work so ieally wanted to work with him. yes, i did one theatre production the year before which was my first, and just it was so interesting and you can learn such a lot from it that i thought i really want to do it again. >> charlie: one of the hallmarks reading about you is

the idea of learning and growing. >> mm-mm. i think expansion and trying to get better and growth is very important. >> charlie: your favorite growth and expansion. >> it would be a big shame if you stopped doing the same thing. >> charlie: so how do you grow by the people associated th. >> absolutely, looking out. the people you meet, the experiences you v i think it's one of the major bonuses of my job and play someone new. i got to read all about the second world war and immerse myself in that and the film at the time and read books i wouldn't necessarily have reads if i hadn't been doing that piece. the film is coming out later this year about freud and jung and psychonalysis and that was months reading about psycho analysis. i never would have gotten the opportunity to do that had it not been for that piece of work. >> charlie: someone said to me the great thing about acting beyond the challenge, the art of

it all is that you get to go to interesting places you get to associate with interesting people and you get to learn about something different that has nothing to do with anything you've known in the past. >> yes it's wonderful. it's really the best part of the job actually, the learning. >> charlie: so tell me about actresses that you admire. we talked about vanessa red grave. >> yes. >> charlie: we talked about elyn bernstein and -- >> yes. >> charlie: what do they share that came out to you as a ... >> passion, i think. >> charlie: yes, passion. >> complete passion. >> charlie: obsession. >> obsession. >> charlie: because you said that before. >> have i? >> charlie: obssion with the craft that you have. you have to otherwise i don't know whether it's relevant. i just worked with elyn bernstein and the obsession of the craft it's phenomenal and it's inspiring and she's

constantly seeking and trying to get better. >> charlie: you talk about life and the craft you both share the busines you're in. >> yes. >> charlie: what do you ask them? >> i don't know. i me, i'm not even quite sure, just generally about approaches. i mean elyn uses a method i don't know abo so i was asking her a bit about that. >> charlie: are you still in search of the whole technique doing what you do. >> yes. i think going on stage the technique of it suddenly bomes very obvious if you don't have it which i didn't which is simply the muscle with the voice i don't have because i never trained it. so it was interesting from that standpoint to actually take it from a very technical point of view. but yes, i'm constantly thinking about how i can work in the best way, what is the way that i like to work. andy method of working constantly changes because i like it to change, i like it to change with the people i work with, i don't want to be strict about it. but when you get an opportunity to work with somebody like elyn

who is copresident of the actress studio, i picked her brains about it. what's the secret. i find it fascinating. >> charlie: what would be a dening risk you would take. >> as far as the work goes i try to take rigs. i don't know whether i manage to do that because my taste comes to it and if i fall in love with a project other people will say you'll do that very well i won't say no because i don't think it's riskily enough. doing theatre for the first time last year when i hnd trained was a risky move. >> charlie: what did you have to learn? >> projection quiteiterally. and also overcoming stage frigh very quickly. >> charlie: you have stage fright. >> yes, it's quite interesting i only have stage fright but not on film. it didn't make any since because

i never was on stage. it wasn't until i got on stage the role i kept hitting when i was on a film set was pure stage fright. it was a helpful process to be on stage and be in front of a live audience and go okay that's what that is and find a way of dealing with it. >> charlie: did the audience need you. >> yes. >> charlie: you were able to reach levels. >> hugely. it completely changes every night depending on the mood of the audience and the audience has a completely different character every single night. it's very strange but you know, stay buoyant and you're buoyant stay flat -- >> charlie: and you can tell quickly. >> yes, as soon as you stip on. >> chaie: you can tell by the applause when they first see you. >> no, it's england, there isnt any applause. it's likmeeting a new person you get the energy from them as soon as you walk in. >> charlie: on film, how wouldhe fear manifest itself?

you would never forget your lines. >> no,othing like that. but i can't descbe it. not being able to reach that emotional place that you'd want to reach, not being eaged, trying to forget there are a million people watching you. literally self csciousness and you try to fight against it and that mains the performance goes that wrong direction because you have to pass fear. it was something i was very aware of and trying to find a way to battle it but i didn't know what it was. >> charlie: beyond that, what's the hardest thing for you to overcome in terms of this remarkable diversity of roles that you play. >> fear is it. >> charlie: fear is it. >> fear is a big one. that's the one i'm working on. >> your father's an actor. >> yes. >> charlie: you were born, i remember this story, you were

born because your father said to your mother if you go sell a play we'll have anoth child. >> yes. >> charlie: and lo and behold here you are. >> yes. >> charlie: she told the play. >> yes. >> charlie: heontinues to act. >> yes. doing checkoff but i don't remember which one. >> charlie: and your mother continues to write plays. >> my mother continues to write play. >> charlie: it's inevitable you would do this. did you ever thinkbout anything else. >> no. >> charlie: ever. >> no, never. >> charlie: you had no idea what you what do if you didn't do this. >> noment i took a year off three years ago maybe to actually go away wait a minute is this a part you want. >> charlie: this is great you took a year off and what did you do? >> i traveled a lot. >> charlie: did you do this by yourself or a significant other. >> with myself and various others. >> charlie: you don't want to characterize any of them as

significant. >> absolutely not. >> charlie: because they will all be watching. >> i just took a bit of time and space. >> i got very fired and again as far as grace goes i hit a real brick wall. >> charlie: plateaued as you say. >> i plateaued and i was very aware of not being able to move forward and i don't know why. this comes into where the fair thing came from. >> -- >> charlie: you in a sense went off and didn't kn. >> it didn't have anend,es. i was very luc, how privileged i was able todo that. i was 22. >> charlie: what are you 26 now. >> i'm 26 now. very old for an actress. >> charlie: yes it is. you only have a few good years left my dear. >> i know.

>> charlie: tell me what you found out. >> i want to a. that's what i found out. >> that's portant. you're beginning to say i don't feel the same motivation. >> it's what i le about my job and how i can get out of it. >> charlie: what did you find out. >> that's the learning side. and what i love is doing thing that challenge me and that confront that fear whatever that fear is. and i don't like being safe with the work i do and i don't like doing the same thing again and again and again. i want to be constantly changed by i >> charlie: it's my impression you can choose about anything you want. >> i wouldn't go that far. >> charlie: how far would you go. look at what you've done. period pieces. >> yes, lots of period pieces. tons of period pieces. >> charlie: what's it about you and period pieces. >> i love it because it's fantasy. i find it easier when i wah films to dive into them and be

completely tnsported if there's nothing i recognize. at's why as a kid one of my fa subcts was history because itas another time and another place. my imagination could see, i ways loved it and i always loved it and i will continue to make period films becaus i get excited. >> charlie: anything else you have great passion to do. >> keep looking out and keep looking at it and unrstand it. and empathi think. that's very important. i think judgment is very easy. empathy very difficult. >> charlie: are you becoming more empathetic. >> trying to. i'm very judgmental, i'm trying to work on that. >> charlie: having to do with food, having to do with people? >> i think being judgmental is very difficult and it's something people should work on. >> charlie: thank you. >> thank you. >> charlie: christy turlington is here, she's a moth, a long time health

advocate, a model and now a director. her film no woman no cry follows four women in now different countries. it presents the challenges pregnant women face which too often result in death. here is a look. >> janet was at the clinic for a full daynd night. there are only four beds. thnurse had to make room r other patients arriving. she had no cice but to go home. and it's a five mile walk.

>> charlie: i am please to do have christy turlington at the table for theirst time. welcome. >> thank you. >> charlie: tell me how you got so involved in this subject that we ought to know about this subject. >> okay. it's a pretty personal reason. i had a compilation when i delivered my daughter grace seven and-a-half years ago. a compilation that was fairly easily managed in a hospital in new york city but one that i learned shortly ereafter was the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide and this was postpartum bleeding. i wanted to understand why more women weren't getting that care. i understood that 90% of those deaths were preventible. that gave me some hope that we

would be doing a better job if 90% was preventing. so i delved in to understand and explore and figure out solutions. >> charlie: when did it become a film. >> it became a film about a year after i delivered grace, i went back travel around with care and i was pregnant th second time. by being pregnant and visiting a rural community in el salvor which is where my mom was originally i spent the day with women who were pregnant and just had their babies. it was a water project so they were using this opportunity of opportuny to educate and to give a little bit of postnatal care and it was there really that i looked around and i thought if i was here when i had my compilation with grace, i would have bn dead. i definitely would have been dead. and i think that was the moment where i thought this is the sue i want to focus on but the film came out of the idea that people felt so disconnected with women around the world, women in the west. i thought this is one of those

universal experiences, pregnancy and child birth and if i could help to bring these stories into the homes of women who might not feel that connection that we could actually come together and hip -- help to make some solutions. >> charlie: tanzania, got ma got, and bangladesh. we saw janet from tanzania. why did you choose these stories. what were you trying to tell by the selection of these women and these stories. >> i wanted to show this is a global problem. mortality is in some sun trees they say sixegrees. the highest of course was in south africa and i chose tanzania because it was the countries with the highest rate of mortality inhe world. the president there have been very vocal as a leader amongst the african union on this issue. and so i thought let me choose a country with high burden but

also with the political piece in order. i looked to address barriers in each of those territories, in each of these regions and obviously in tanzania thlack of human resources is a big probm but also just the fact that so many women live in rural areas like janet. >> charlie: five miles to a clinic. and the clinic was inadequate that she first went to. >> yes. in those scenarios where you have compilations if you dot have access to emgency obstetric care they really can't do anything for you. they can refer you and then there's a wle other problem which is transport. >> charlie: in bangladesh there was monica. >> monica yes. there's a lot of pressure to coeive in this culture and so much shame to get to that stage. the moment she's pregnan she's sort of shunned and made to stay at her home and embarrassed to be seen in her state and it's quite ironic. >> charlie: and you had some questions. >> i felt it was important to

look at america not only because i live here and because i had my children here but also because i learned we were doing so poorly in those undeveloped countries. at the time of the film when we finished we were going 40 first. we have actually fallen back and now are at 50. so that was a shocking fact. in fact when i show this film around the world, people are most shocked by the u.s. the fact that one in five women do not have insurance, that soil women fall through the cracks in a state of -- >> charlie: this is a country that has more income, more percentage of the gdp spent on healthcare than any other single. >> exactly, by far. so that's a shocking fact and the fact that so many women are put at risk because of that and that they're denied care i our country where three indepeent states. each is different in every place. even when it comes to reporting,

there is no consistent structure to do that. so it's actually a new act that has been introduced by senator conyers from michigan. it's called the health accountability act. it's one of those things that will help to make sure there is a consistent way to review these deaths and to look at them and try to prevent them. you look at disparities and healthcare and there's incredible disper tease of women who access health here in america. >> charlie: why you? >> i've always had a real desire to make a difference and to have some sort of impact. and i've, you know, i've tried my best in whatever opportunities i've had to do that. but i really felt like this is one of those issues that at the time that i became aware of the statistics, there was not a lot of conversation on this topic. and i felt that it needed one to be out there talking about it and i was willing to do it.

i had the time, i had the resources to bring to the table and i've gone back to school as well and i'm getting a masters in public health at columbia university. >> charlie: and nyu befor that. >> i was at a time in my life where i could contribute in a meaningful way to this issue and i have been and i felt the sort of satisfaction of being able to contribute. and i see how hungry peoplere for the tool that i made in the film and how useful it is in those different dialogues that happen at so many different levels. and it gives me so much, i don't know, encouragement to do more, to connue to do wt i can and to try to inspi others to try to join in this movement. >> charlie: hat's everymothercounts.com. >> when i was editing last year for tribeca i wanted people to feel not just to be aware but i wanted t give them things they could do with this information.

so i created everythercounts campaign and the win site so people could go tre and get the next level of information and education. and also only options that they could take actions. i think it's people when they feel they want to do something and it makes you feel overflemed when -- overwhelmed when you don't have the ability to do that. people can feel like they can contribute in a meaning until way and that might be recycling your cell phones to an organization where give them and they can get reprogrammed. any number of things that are really needed and that any of us have the ability to do ando partake in. >> crlie: what's the dream now? >> well, the dream is toake an impact. i really, i wanted this film out in 2010 because it was very important. with the first year maternal health was on the agenda at the g8 so i really wanted it to be out then because i thought if i could use it to the best of my

ability r the next five years for the development goals, mbg5 is the one having this progress so to be able to use this film and use my advocacy he was as a way to make some head way towards those goals. in some country there has been some progress but in 147, there hasn't. ane u.s. is part of one of those, the 23 countries that have really fallen behi. so yes, to do all that i can in the ne couple years to make some impact. >> it's a different kind of success. the other kinds of success you've had in terms of modeling on other books on ye -- yoga ad things like that. is it a different satisfaction. >> absolutely. to think you can make an impact in the well being of children's lives and their family not just for today or tomorrow but foregenerations that come, knitting more meaningful i can imagine to participate in. so it's incredible to think that that even a possibility and i

feel that we've already made progress, tremendous progrs by sharing the stories and by illuminating them and getting people to talk about the issue that has been under report and not known very widely. i think we can do so much more. >> charlie: the thing i want to note is that, and you can tell me, it's on i think may 7th on the open raw winfrey netwo. good luck. >> thank you very much. >> charlie: rula jebreal is here. she gr up in a jerusalem orphanage. in 2003 she wrote an auto biographical novel and she met with an artist and filmed an adaptation of her life. it's a pleasure to welcome you to this table. >> thank you charlie. >> charlie: wn did you decide to write this. >> i decided to write the story of the iraq war more or less.

the iraq war i saw something and i felt that part of my memory in a way and i was losing it. and that was kicked the my history and my story before i left joobz lump. so decided it's time for me to write it before i start losing it forever and i felt that i eded to honor the people that saved my life. my teacher my faer. i felt that washappening in otr areas in the middle east that would affect girls lives and maybe through my simple story they can see something and how to survive in a w zone. that's why i wrote it. >> charlie: ts is an auto biographic novel. >> absolutely yes. >> charlie: why not just write it as autobiography. >> i was too young to do it as an autobiography. at the same time it has many layers and a lot of things that

affected me psychologically and emotionally. i needed some distance to process it so i wrote it reallies a third person. took that rate story of my mother. my mother was raped by her stepfather. she ran away and she commit suicide when i was five. took through these painful moments of my life, i needed not only the distance, i needed also to put it out so i can heal myself through writing. i didn't years before when i arrived at the orphanage, with my sister, i was five, she was four. the only way i could put her to shape was to tell her stories. i didn't realize i was becoming a writer thin. i became the storyteller of the whole class of the whole school. i discovered i was a writer reading other stories. i always wanted to do that in a lot of ways. writing it and putting the whole story and the truth on paper was reading easy especially my own

story. it was easier to talk about fiction. and whoever read the story not to be influenced by my point of view. i wanted to be honest and objective. it was really a way of handing the things in a very journalistic way. you put it out. they read it and they will figure out why it w made like this. because there are certain things that affects people. and i'm not talking only about the violence the pain the rape, i'm talking about the way people live their le and thehoices. and it's not my choice you know. you have nadia and fatima. it's their life and their choices. i wanted to write it in a subtle way so whoever read it can enjoy it but can also understand the dynamic and underground. an the pace of the east. >> charlie: tell me about him. >> he was my teacher in 1948, a very sophisticated rich woman decide to open a school for girls. she's going to her school, she finds in the streets 55

children. they were in the surspriefers of the you're survivors of various scenes. the biggest was 12 the smallest was 2. she took them to her homend her home became an orphanage. she became my mentor. she saved thousands of life. she understood that the key solution for them is education. the only alternative in the middle east today especially in war zones is to, for a girl to marry at 13-14. to be left behind and ma in laid through fanatics. through education you can reach a solution in the middle east and arife at a solution. >> charlie: she's a simple character her. >> she is. >> charlie: from her life to her death. >> absolutely.

>> charlie: what would she feel about the uprising goingon today. >> she would feel what everybody is feeling today. this is what's been waiting. >> charlie: freedom and opportunity. >> this is what's been waiting all our life. what we are singing is we are in my book has been talking about, how dignity and freedom was a necessity in the middle east. it's not only an option you can have it or not visit. it's not true that the middle east nds a stron man and there are a bunch of people who obey a strong man. it's a little girls that throuh education and through peaceful march and very peaceful manifestation make their voice heard not only in our country. >> charlie: also through defiance. >> absolutely. >> charlie: did yountend to go back. >> it's very painful for me sometimes to go back. but yes i always went back because my teacher, the last time i saw her was in 1993 and i

was taking a cab leaving and went to the airport. i never saw her again because she died a year later. she told me remember this place. remember the girls that you left behind. i didn't understand what she was trying to tell me. i thought for years she's trying to tell me not to forget my memory. what she was trying to tell me was take care of them. that'she ssagand that's thmessenger that she spent her whole life fighting for. the big ones take care of the small ones. so when i go back tod and i see the school is almost empty it breaks my heart. because we have a beautiful project, a beautiful school that can really empower our women. it teaches them the non-violent solution, teach them that peace is the only alternative for the middle east and people go there not because there's less orphans simply there's a wall today that forbid thing from going to gaza to the school. they're not allowed to go to jerusalem and be educated. one of these girls was 14 year

old amina. she wrote on her facebook from gaza. i will marry off a guy that is 48 years old simply bause he can guarantee fo for me and my grandmother. is that serity foromebody? i'm asking these qstions. m trying to share not only my life but my vision with people but asking. really fact there's a wall and these children cannot go to scol. is that security for a state for anybody. what do you think will happen to these kids in ten years. >> charlie what do you think? >> i know what will happen. to keep them behind walls ignorant is simply do you know what, gives ammunition foo extremists. they become bumrs. the first opti for these girls is t marry off somebody that will takecare of them. is that really what we want from the middle east? after seeing these scenes in

television in tunisia, in egypt and even in oman, are we telling people now do you know what, you stay behind walls and stay ignorant, don't go to school because do you know what, you're not allowed. you cannot tell people anymore this. >> charlie: so you go to italy and you have a television, successful television career as a journalist. and then you come to rome. what happened? >> what happened? i had lunch with the mayor of rome and he's a friend of mine. and as usual i go to ask him -- >> charlie: you were writing the book at that time and there was conversations about making this book into film. >> i already sold the right of the book to an italian company. and i was telling him that i uld like him to give it me so i can show av show inside. and he said you know, we are

people coming to ask me every day especially today and he said he met this guy he's an artist he was wearing pa jawa and he turns the light in his office and i said who is that and he said you should go see his show. i went to see the show. he said something very aski, if i was indian. and i said i'm from israel. he says u're jewish. i said no i'm palestinian. i you thought he needed to rd the book because that knee jerk reaction made me think there's something he doesn't know -- >> charlie: did you see the book or the screen play is. >> i didn't think he would like directly the book. >> charlie: he liked the screenlay. >> he didn't exactly like it. >> charlie: but he liked the story. >> there was something in the story that he liked that he kickedith because his mother history and the president. i sent him the book. i didn't think he would call me. three weeks later he called me

and he said there'something very powerful about this story. this is not hurng america, i remember the words. this story has never en heard in my country in america. you need to bring it to the big reen. and i thought it's very interesting. so i started working on it, i wrote the screen pl and he directed the movie. we went to israel d palestine together. >> charlie: what did he understand about the politics of the middle east at this tim >> ihink not much but he understood tha he wrote the story, i understood the desire of these wen to have their voice heard. he understood the desire of him to build a school for these kids and save their lives. he understood the desire of my father who was not even my father to protect me and to create in a way an oasis around us so we can be safe in a very complex environment. he understood even nadia who was

rained and committed suicide. that kind of sensibility really bombed us. the politics is in the ckground. you don't need to -- my feeling is if you don't need to understand much, whatyou need to understand is it fair here, fair for other people. do they have the same rights. if you understand that basic thing, you will see clearly the situation. >> charlie: when did you to fall in love. >> i didn't expect this question. during the making of the movie. something happened. i felt he was portraying my life with a lot of dignity and with the sensibility i never -- i saw him one day crying when they were shooting a scene when they were talking to each other and after one of her friends was killed and i saw him crying and

his tears is what made me fall in love with him because i felt that kind of sensibility which is a female sensibility almost is what touched my hear i saw the way he talked to the community, with the people. he used to go there and say to the people shalom. he would humble himself. i love that since plickity of a great artist. when i saw on the big screen the way he respected not only my story he respected peach story and he put it and portrayed in such a poetic way i thought do you know what, this is a master of piece as a movie but i love who made it. >> chaie: thank you for coming. >> thank you vy much for having me. >> charlie: zhang xin is here. she's the ceo of conof the largest realist state developers

that has made her a billionaire and one of the wealthiest women in children. she's in humble beginnings from a textil factory to cambridge toall street k her company went public in 2007, it is a remark many sucss story so i'm pleased to have her at this table for the first title. well annual. >> thank you charlie. >> charlie: are you at all surprised you've been able to do this. >> i am. today i am but do you know of course 20 years ago when i started, when i left china in 1980, who would have thought china would be where it is today. >> charlie: even today people say go to china it's like the wild wild west. and it still have that feeling to do. >> it still, especially coming to this country you see things that are so well established and there's a certain ways of doing things and it's very hard to break it. whereas in china no matter what industry you're in, you are able to just put your thoughts int

and try something new. i've been in real estate for 16 years. it still feels like anything is possible. >> charlie: how did you make the transitionrom the job that you had to the world that you ve in now. >> you know charlie i started as a faory worker in hong kong. when hong kong was the manufacturing center back in the 80's. so five years i was just hopping between factory to factory. that's how i started. >> charlie: what did you do. >> i was going to the factory during the day. at night i would go to night school. so five yearsater i decided this is really enough and i saved about 3,000 pounds and i decided to leave hong kong and went to england. that was a time hong kong was still the colony.

england was the obvious place took. i remember i packed a blanket, a wok, that you can cook, a chopper and a dictionary and that's how i started. i went to england. i was always ready to go back to china. in the 80's when i was a student in england, china was the exciting moment. someone who wanted to grow up in cultural evolution, the idea of china can change, can reform, can move on to something exciting, it was unthinkable. i was all e time thinking how do i get back. >> charlie: is there today in china a sense that a great, a sense that we have come this remarkable distance and that we will be the most powerful country economically and otherwise in the world in a short time. that sense of confidence and self respect. >> i don't think so. i think it's far from that.

from the outside, i hear friends talk about the rise of china, the confidence, the politicians em to be, knowing what they do. in ft, when someewho lives or works in china sees a very different picture. chinese are complaining about the government, the government seems to be running out of the polici and demanding every day problems. in terms of the confidence of becoming a super power, i see, i just don't see that. charlie you would have met a lot of the chinese politicians and you don't see that. >> charlie: what is it that you think china is becoming? >> i think china is becoming a far freer place than. >> charlie: is it a level playing field for men and women in china. >> i think women have more freedom in china than elshere. that's how i feel. >> charlie: why do you say

that. >> i see my friends in this country, for instance. won need to attend so many things with family and children and so on. very littlhelp. where in china you would typically have three generations live together. i have children and my parents would be there to help. for urban middle classamil nearly every family would have domestic help. so you have a vast infrastructure in ina because china has such a high population there's always people from rural china coming to the city to look for jobs and therefore they ended up mostly as domestic help. >> charlie: that's e of the great stories of china migration from the rural to urban. >> and that has really freed up women in the city to do, put sursue intellectual purpose they

have in life. i see soil chinese women in boardrooms, less with government-owned companies, less in politics. >> charlie: but in entrepreneurship. >> entrepreneurship. >> charlie: we thinabout the expanse of the country and how populated it is in most of the other cities that most people don't know about. >> there's population more than 10 million. >> charlie: can you imagine a time in which you would do something other than what you do now? >> i am already beginning to spend a bit more time onharity work, for instance. as i look forward -- >> charlie: were you there when bill gates and warren buffett came to china. >> i was there, yes. >> charlie: whatever the response to the idea of the giving pledge. >> they didn't talk bit. contrary to what the media reports theyidn't talk about

it at all. warren was very g he shared his exmarines how he started his charity work. very personal. >> charlie: kind of a folk hero in china. >> oh, you know people, warren. >> charlie: that's amazing, isn't it. >> bilis very well known but i think they're just there to share their personal stories. they put no pressure on anybody to pledge. >> charlie: they open up the idea which exsites them about it which is not pressure but more of an explanation. is there developing philanthropic tradition in china. >> philanthropy is very new. when you look at it there are two state-owned charities. they don'treally know what project they p money to.

so what we do is we decided because there's no charity to put ney to. there are things that we want to do. we decided just to, rather than just give a check, write a check, we do it we train teachers in rural china and to teach children's virtues that's what we do. and we build toiletsin rural china in schools where there's hardly any sanitary infrastructure. so every year, i would go and visit l these schools and sit through these classes and listen to them. and just to hear how the children respond to the virtuous program. >> charlie: you think you've been so successful because you worked harder or smarter or used your combination of assets better? >> what i think was important

was the right timing and right place. china is being where it is now and that's the most important. >> charlie: would you say today to a young man or woman gradting from a university come to china and you can still find unparallel opportunities that will rival anywhere in the world. >> i had dinner wi a friend of mine. he was sharing with me these children are graduating and cannot get ajob. i said why don't they come to china, there are plenty of jobs. but they dot speak chinese. i said they will by the time they come. i didn't speak english but by the time you come you will pick it up. >> charlie: so you think they should come to china. there is opportunity in china. >> yes, definitely. if they cannotget jobs re why not. >> charlie: will china be le to build universities over the next 20, 30 years. >> this is one of the i think the most pressing issues for

china is education. as china ascends, we realize our education system is very much stick in the old days. when i go into a school today everything in china has change bud school is exactly the same when i was a student there. in this country people talk about how many engineers chinese are producing. but actually the truth is that engine indication is where china really needs -- education is where china really needs to reform. >> charlie: my qstions, is there the will, the intent. is therethe plan because china i think about 20/50, they would like to have two of the great universities in the world. the rival, cambrie and oxford

and harvard, yale, duke. >> china has the talent simply by having the biggest population. it'sot the will that counts the most. it the system has to allow the talents to be educated. right now we d't have that system because our education system has stayed controlled. china gets to where it is, not by being stayed controlled but by being entrepreneurial by being privatized and the education has to be privatized. >> charlie: and everybody understands that from the top down? >> i don't think so. >> charlie: they don't. >> i don't think so. people are still thinking we've done great in getting rid of e illiteracy. and yet the quality of the education is still not there. >> charlie: people talk about bubbles. one is a real estate bubble. do you worry about that? >> i don't. you will laugh because i'm a

developer and of course i would say that. if you look at where china is today, the chinese government a year ago, i would be quite worried about the bubbles because so much money is going into the chinese real estate and soany buildings are being built and yet the utility of the buildings are not as good as the speed of the utility of the buildings. >> charlie: does that mean occupants, the occupancy is 75-80, 100%. >> in major cities like beijing and shanghai you will see very high occupancy. but in out skirts, less established cities you would have lower occupancy. i'm talking about office. and so thatas worry some. so many go into real estate to build. in the end they all get digested because china is growing and

homes will be taken pop. but you still worry temporarily it's too much unoccupied buildings. but what happened this year is th government has come up with an austerity measure. that measure has stopped people to buy. u.s. family, we can only buy one apartment. i cannot take on a second mortgage because no buying, therefore no selling. therefore no building. therefore no land trans action so a year ago that was building up of the real estate bubble, by now it's all ing frozen. is it being ozen by the governnt youave to ask. in fact what happened is the government has decided they want to build low income housing to take care of the lower encompass group. and that would take at least a year and-a-half to two years to build while waiting. they don't want to see the price goes up so they freeze the

market. >> charlie: what makes you optimistic about china and what makes you guarded about china's future? >> i think ten years from now you will feel auntistic about china. >> charlie: but you can't see beyond ten years. >> or even longer. if you take a longer time, long term deal thin you will see really -- then you will see really the rise of china and it will continue. if you take a short term deal you will see so many problems. >> charlie: these are mainly what kind of problems? >> well all kinds of problems, you see the economic problems you see income disparity. you talked about the bubbles of real estate, urban and all that. >> charlie: there is a new openness because lots of people look at the internet and there's

a whole range of censorship and they couldn't access it like googleor example. will that change. >> i heard this from bill gates that in a few years time given the technology, none of that matters because the technology will be so advanced that nothing with block it. >> charlie: it's great to have you here. >> thank you charlie. >> charlie: thank you.