WATCH DOCUMENTARY: Rewi Alley, the Kiwi who spent 60 years in China

New Zealander Rewi Alley first arrived right here in Shanghai on April 21, 1927. He didn't know it at the time, but he would end up living the remaining 60 years of his life in China, playing a major role in the revolution, the education of impoverished children, industrialization, the establishment of the New China, world peace, and so much more.

In 2009, more than three decades after his death in Beijing, Rewi was named one of the Top Ten Foreign Friends Who Have Influenced China.

Fellower New Zealander Andy Boreham, together with his colleagues at Shanghai Daily, embarked on a journey – beginning in the year 2020 – to follow in the footsteps of Rewi Alley.

To date, three chapters of Andy's documentary have been released.

Chapter One and Two: How Shanghai Changed Rewi Alley and his Happiest Years in Shandan

The first chapter, "How Shanghai Changed Rewi Alley," documents his ten years in the city, and the massive transformation he underwent through his experiences and connections here. His time in Shanghai saw him witness the White Terror, hideous conditions in the city's factories, and the resistance of underground Party members, some of whom he protected from the KMT in his home. He also made important friends here, including Soong Ching-Ling and American journalist Edgar Snow.

In chapter two, "Shandan: The Happiest Years," Andy followed Rewi's footsteps out of Shanghai and up to the northeast, via Lanzhou, to the small town of Shandan in China's Gansu province. It was there that Rewi set up his infamous Bailie School, designed to teach impoverished children how to be productive and valuable members of society. Rewi later said that those years in Shandan were the happiest of his life, but soon after the New China was created, the government asked for him to move to Beijing to help with world peace and other projects. Rewi lived there for the remaining thirty years of his life.

Chapter Three: Back Home to New Zealand

Chapter three, titled "Back Home to New Zealand," sees Andy returning to New Zealand for the first time in three years of China being locked off from the outside world. Back in 1960, Rewi also returned to New Zealand for the first time in a long time: 23 years.

Andy traced Rewi's footsteps right back to Springfield, a small town he was born in way back in 1897, then to Christchurch Boys' High School where he studied before heading to World War I. After attending an important event in Rewi's name that was held in the capital city, Wellington, Andy met Rewi's nephew, Maurice, at a remote farm his uncle manned for six years before heading to China. Andy's journey also led him to Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, to chat with Rewi's foster son, Deng Bangzhen, and his wife Lu Bo, both of whom moved to New Zealand decades ago at Rewi's request.

Andy's documentary, Finding Rewi Alley, is not finished just yet, with plans to film another chapter on the icon's three decades living in Beijing.