Seen from the perspective of a window washer who is one of the main characters in “Lost in Beijing,” the Chinese capital is an endless vista of glassy high-rises. Closer to the ground, in the lyrical documentary montages that frame Li Yu’s modern urban melodrama, the city is a hive of human work and pleasure seeking. There are tango clubs and dive bars, car dealerships and open-air markets, nouveau riches in their Mercedes-Benzes and homeless people stretched out on benches.

Comedian Paul Merton ventures into the unknown as he embarks upon a six-week tour of China for Five. Paul s trip will take in the major cities of China, as well some of the most breathtaking countryside and remote backwaters that this vast country has to offer. In his own inimitable style, Paul will attempt to unravel the deep mysteries and baffling contradictions of this ancient country.