They come from near and far to hear the words of the guru, a man they call 'teacher'.
Man (yelling): Slowly, slowly.
The teacher is an apparently unassuming 32 year old living a dream the whole of China wants to wake to find has become a reality - overnight capitalist style wealth.
Two years ago he left a desk job to sell detergent to China's rising middle class for that entrepreneurial icon, Amway, short for the American Way.
Today he does more than sell products, he sells the dream itself, the promise of a lifestyle far removed from anything China has known before.
Zheng Xinqing: All of you follow us and do it! All of you do it! The people sitting in the first row ... second row ... downstairs, upstairs ... everybody do it!
Zheng Xinqing, an Amway party cadre, doesn't see much of his wife these days, but every two months, they organise a mass gathering, more like a spiritual revival, to share sales secrets with distributors.
This time they're in their home province detailing their personal transformation from rags to riches. In Amway-speak, a philosophy aimed at converting its followers to confident, happy, worldly, and in China's terms extremely rich individuals.
Zheng Xinqing: The Amway meeting place is like a rocket-launching site, and every friend is like a rocket, standing by for orders. We are making all kinds of preparations. Today friends, when we enter this kind of meeting place, we learn and gain experience and methods from successful people.
The Zhengs left their home province four years ago for the city of Guangzhou. A magnet for China's entrepreneurs - a place that for years has lured millions of Chinese to have a go and get rich.
Hutcheon: (to camera): This is where most people arrive in the city of opportunity by train from all across the country. It's not surprising that Quangzhou is the birthplace of China's direct selling industry. There are so many newcomers anxious to make a quick buck.
One of those newcomers was Su Lin. She came here a few years ago after sixteen long years stationed in China's far west, as a soldier.
She met Teacher Zheng on a bus, two days after she arrived. Now she's a convert.
Su Lin: Teacher Zheng is very humble, therefore Amway people must be sincere
... and able to co-operate with each other for a long time. If it wasn't as ideal as I thought I might have followed him for a short time and left. I believe actually, to work for Amway is to improve yourself.
She bought the message and like Mr. Zheng, she's now a full time distributor. As a brick in the Amway pyramid, she earns thirty times what she used to in the Red Army.
Su Lin: We shouldn't assume life overseas is definitely better. We can pursue a better life here in China. It depends on how hard you work. The reason I work so hard for Amway is to have a better life by making a greater effort.Hutcheon: What's your goal in life?Su Lin: My parents have already seen beautiful scenery all over China, but they also want to have a look overseas. I'd also like to. We've seen a lot of scenery on calendars, but we don't want to look at pictures in a calendar, we want to travel instead.
The quest of its disciples for a better life has boosted Amway's China sales to more than 100 million dollars in the first six months of the year - more than double the previous year's total. But even after 20 years of reform, Chinese like Su Lin still remember the hard times.
Su Lin: When I worked for the army I earned almost $100 a month, but I really wanted to buy famous brand clothes because after all it's a kind of dignity. People like to pursue a high quality life and that's the trend. Five to ten years ago, it was hard for a family to have a colour TV, but now every family has one.
Every day Su Lin pitches to as many clients as she can and organises her time to attend Amway lectures. It's a lifestyle that's aimed at reaping the rewards of capitalism in the fastest possible time.
Su Lin: Hello, good evening friends.
At tonight's regular gathering of distributors she's nervous. But she wins over the crowd by paying tribute to the man who brought them all here.
Su Lin: His lectures are full of humour. After attending his class you can learn not only ideas, concepts and theories, but you'll also laugh and clap throughout the lecture.
Su Lin has found a business which is gradually making her rich, and an instant circle of admiring friends far from her life of drudgery in the army.The guru himself still goes on the road flogging the products that made him rich, using sales gimmicks that would make his American masters blush.But the lifestyle doesn't necessarily come cheap. This toothpaste costs more than three times the average tube - not withstanding its near miraculous qualities.
Zheng: Here we used the Amway toothpaste - the colour is still the same, because the bag is well printed and the colour is hard to remove. But you can see this part has turned a little white. You can see the white and lots of residue where we used the other toothpaste. Look, every day our teeth suffer from this.
These days, however, Mr. Zheng is better known for selling the self-made millionaire philosophy.Three days a week, his team gathers together to hear stories of personal change.
Partly confessional, partly motivational, at a time when nothing in China seems certain, these people are looking not to the State but to themselves to find satisfaction.
Woman (speaking to group): I really appreciate the most important people in my life, who've brought me into this environment ... he's the Executive Diamond Distributor in China, Mr. Zheng Xinqing.
Their adoration of the teacher is total, even as he shares unconventional uses for yet another miracle product like this breath freshener.
Zheng: If you cook at home and drop of oil hits you in the face, what do you do? Some might look for sesame oil or toothpaste, but you'll realise it won't hurt if you use this Amway product.
Zheng: Can I use your beautiful hand? This is a ball-point pen ... Look you can see, just wait a minute.
Just wait a minute ... wait a minute.Hutcheon: It's disappearing.Zheng: Now wipe it away. It's gone! And smell it...Hutcheon: It smells good too.
This small gathering takes place at the home of Mr. Wang who joined Mr. Zheng pyramid four months ago. Mr. Wang isn't too worried about being on the bottom tier.For most of his life he worked in a state-owned enterprise, in a job which promised stability, a modest income but not exactly a sparkling future. But when he discovered Teacher Zheng, the potential for getting rich finally became clear.
Mr. Wang: Well, if I worked for a State enterprise, my life would be very stable, because you can get a set salary no matter whether you work or not and that salary is guaranteed every month.
But I've been working for 28 years and I've only saved at most between four and five thousand dollars. But look at our successful teacher - by working for only two years he can earn more than ten thousand dollars in a month.
Most of the money Teacher Zheng makes comes from sales made by the army of distributors who toil under him.
When he's not working the phones or travelling around the country he shops for clothes befitting a man of his new found status. For Mr. Zheng, image is now what it's all about.
Hutcheon: Do you like it?Zheng: Yes, it's very beautiful.
I happen to pick his favourite brand. To him, the label is equally as important as the fit.
Zheng: Does it look good?Hutcheon: Very good, do you like it.Zheng: I really like it.
Zheng: When I was studying at university I wished I could have a wealthy life, but this doesn't just mean wealth. It includes material, spiritual and personal values for instance, looking after my parents in the future, bringing up the children well and providing myself with a comfortable living environment.
But Mr. Zheng is saving most of his money for the future. Next year he and his wife plan to buy their first home. Unlike most first time Chinese home buyers theirs won't be a modest apartment but a luxury multi-story villa - the subject of Mr. Zheng’s daydreams.
Zheng: Well, I think the first floor is a living room, for us to get together and it will have a beautiful hall. In that hall, we can dance together.I'll have a workroom and a beautiful bedroom. Of course, toilets for the host and the guests in this kind of house should be separate. It'll be more convenient.
Hutcheon: You had a good job before, why did you choose to join Amway?
Zheng: Today I have chosen the Amway business and my wife can also work with me. We can rethink our old dreams and wishes. Since we started working with Amway we dare to think. After working with Amway we dare to think, to dream and to have.
Mr. Zheng's team shares everything - including a regular week-night of ten pins. As the ideology of China's past disintegrates by the day, a new one is taking its place - right down to the bowling ball.Teacher Zheng embraces all the latest fads from the US And in December he'll get to experience American life close up, a reward from Amway. Just thinking about it fills him with excitement.
The United States is the most advanced country in the world and it's a very cultured nation as well. I want to have a look to get to know the local people and to learn about their lifestyle to know how they live. It'll be good for my future.
In the same way that China's leaders have redefined socialism to include the free market, so this market leader has found his own way of turning the American dream into a Chinese one.
Zheng: Amway lets us have a good life by making an effort. I think it relates to both socialism and capitalism. Everyone dreams of a good life - it doesn't matter what system it is, I think it's the best system.
And no one here disagrees. It’s China’s latest potion for success. But for all its trappings, it’s still an escape from the drudgery of the past, the uncertainty of the present and fear of the future.
We're really happy to see you. Filled with joy to welcome you. Welcome. Welcome. We welcome you. Yeah!
Man (yelling): Slowly, slowly.
The teacher is an apparently unassuming 32 year old living a dream the whole of China wants to wake to find has become a reality - overnight capitalist style wealth.
Two years ago he left a desk job to sell detergent to China's rising middle class for that entrepreneurial icon, Amway, short for the American Way.
Today he does more than sell products, he sells the dream itself, the promise of a lifestyle far removed from anything China has known before.
Zheng Xinqing: All of you follow us and do it! All of you do it! The people sitting in the first row ... second row ... downstairs, upstairs ... everybody do it!
Zheng Xinqing, an Amway party cadre, doesn't see much of his wife these days, but every two months, they organise a mass gathering, more like a spiritual revival, to share sales secrets with distributors.
This time they're in their home province detailing their personal transformation from rags to riches. In Amway-speak, a philosophy aimed at converting its followers to confident, happy, worldly, and in China's terms extremely rich individuals.
Zheng Xinqing: The Amway meeting place is like a rocket-launching site, and every friend is like a rocket, standing by for orders. We are making all kinds of preparations. Today friends, when we enter this kind of meeting place, we learn and gain experience and methods from successful people.
The Zhengs left their home province four years ago for the city of Guangzhou. A magnet for China's entrepreneurs - a place that for years has lured millions of Chinese to have a go and get rich.
Hutcheon: (to camera): This is where most people arrive in the city of opportunity by train from all across the country. It's not surprising that Quangzhou is the birthplace of China's direct selling industry. There are so many newcomers anxious to make a quick buck.
One of those newcomers was Su Lin. She came here a few years ago after sixteen long years stationed in China's far west, as a soldier.
She met Teacher Zheng on a bus, two days after she arrived. Now she's a convert.
Su Lin: Teacher Zheng is very humble, therefore Amway people must be sincere
... and able to co-operate with each other for a long time. If it wasn't as ideal as I thought I might have followed him for a short time and left. I believe actually, to work for Amway is to improve yourself.
She bought the message and like Mr. Zheng, she's now a full time distributor. As a brick in the Amway pyramid, she earns thirty times what she used to in the Red Army.
Su Lin: We shouldn't assume life overseas is definitely better. We can pursue a better life here in China. It depends on how hard you work. The reason I work so hard for Amway is to have a better life by making a greater effort.Hutcheon: What's your goal in life?Su Lin: My parents have already seen beautiful scenery all over China, but they also want to have a look overseas. I'd also like to. We've seen a lot of scenery on calendars, but we don't want to look at pictures in a calendar, we want to travel instead.
The quest of its disciples for a better life has boosted Amway's China sales to more than 100 million dollars in the first six months of the year - more than double the previous year's total. But even after 20 years of reform, Chinese like Su Lin still remember the hard times.
Su Lin: When I worked for the army I earned almost $100 a month, but I really wanted to buy famous brand clothes because after all it's a kind of dignity. People like to pursue a high quality life and that's the trend. Five to ten years ago, it was hard for a family to have a colour TV, but now every family has one.
Every day Su Lin pitches to as many clients as she can and organises her time to attend Amway lectures. It's a lifestyle that's aimed at reaping the rewards of capitalism in the fastest possible time.
Su Lin: Hello, good evening friends.
At tonight's regular gathering of distributors she's nervous. But she wins over the crowd by paying tribute to the man who brought them all here.
Su Lin: His lectures are full of humour. After attending his class you can learn not only ideas, concepts and theories, but you'll also laugh and clap throughout the lecture.
Su Lin has found a business which is gradually making her rich, and an instant circle of admiring friends far from her life of drudgery in the army.The guru himself still goes on the road flogging the products that made him rich, using sales gimmicks that would make his American masters blush.But the lifestyle doesn't necessarily come cheap. This toothpaste costs more than three times the average tube - not withstanding its near miraculous qualities.
Zheng: Here we used the Amway toothpaste - the colour is still the same, because the bag is well printed and the colour is hard to remove. But you can see this part has turned a little white. You can see the white and lots of residue where we used the other toothpaste. Look, every day our teeth suffer from this.
These days, however, Mr. Zheng is better known for selling the self-made millionaire philosophy.Three days a week, his team gathers together to hear stories of personal change.
Partly confessional, partly motivational, at a time when nothing in China seems certain, these people are looking not to the State but to themselves to find satisfaction.
Woman (speaking to group): I really appreciate the most important people in my life, who've brought me into this environment ... he's the Executive Diamond Distributor in China, Mr. Zheng Xinqing.
Their adoration of the teacher is total, even as he shares unconventional uses for yet another miracle product like this breath freshener.
Zheng: If you cook at home and drop of oil hits you in the face, what do you do? Some might look for sesame oil or toothpaste, but you'll realise it won't hurt if you use this Amway product.
Zheng: Can I use your beautiful hand? This is a ball-point pen ... Look you can see, just wait a minute.
Just wait a minute ... wait a minute.Hutcheon: It's disappearing.Zheng: Now wipe it away. It's gone! And smell it...Hutcheon: It smells good too.
This small gathering takes place at the home of Mr. Wang who joined Mr. Zheng pyramid four months ago. Mr. Wang isn't too worried about being on the bottom tier.For most of his life he worked in a state-owned enterprise, in a job which promised stability, a modest income but not exactly a sparkling future. But when he discovered Teacher Zheng, the potential for getting rich finally became clear.
Mr. Wang: Well, if I worked for a State enterprise, my life would be very stable, because you can get a set salary no matter whether you work or not and that salary is guaranteed every month.
But I've been working for 28 years and I've only saved at most between four and five thousand dollars. But look at our successful teacher - by working for only two years he can earn more than ten thousand dollars in a month.
Most of the money Teacher Zheng makes comes from sales made by the army of distributors who toil under him.
When he's not working the phones or travelling around the country he shops for clothes befitting a man of his new found status. For Mr. Zheng, image is now what it's all about.
Hutcheon: Do you like it?Zheng: Yes, it's very beautiful.
I happen to pick his favourite brand. To him, the label is equally as important as the fit.
Zheng: Does it look good?Hutcheon: Very good, do you like it.Zheng: I really like it.
Zheng: When I was studying at university I wished I could have a wealthy life, but this doesn't just mean wealth. It includes material, spiritual and personal values for instance, looking after my parents in the future, bringing up the children well and providing myself with a comfortable living environment.
But Mr. Zheng is saving most of his money for the future. Next year he and his wife plan to buy their first home. Unlike most first time Chinese home buyers theirs won't be a modest apartment but a luxury multi-story villa - the subject of Mr. Zheng’s daydreams.
Zheng: Well, I think the first floor is a living room, for us to get together and it will have a beautiful hall. In that hall, we can dance together.I'll have a workroom and a beautiful bedroom. Of course, toilets for the host and the guests in this kind of house should be separate. It'll be more convenient.
Hutcheon: You had a good job before, why did you choose to join Amway?
Zheng: Today I have chosen the Amway business and my wife can also work with me. We can rethink our old dreams and wishes. Since we started working with Amway we dare to think. After working with Amway we dare to think, to dream and to have.
Mr. Zheng's team shares everything - including a regular week-night of ten pins. As the ideology of China's past disintegrates by the day, a new one is taking its place - right down to the bowling ball.Teacher Zheng embraces all the latest fads from the US And in December he'll get to experience American life close up, a reward from Amway. Just thinking about it fills him with excitement.
The United States is the most advanced country in the world and it's a very cultured nation as well. I want to have a look to get to know the local people and to learn about their lifestyle to know how they live. It'll be good for my future.
In the same way that China's leaders have redefined socialism to include the free market, so this market leader has found his own way of turning the American dream into a Chinese one.
Zheng: Amway lets us have a good life by making an effort. I think it relates to both socialism and capitalism. Everyone dreams of a good life - it doesn't matter what system it is, I think it's the best system.
And no one here disagrees. It’s China’s latest potion for success. But for all its trappings, it’s still an escape from the drudgery of the past, the uncertainty of the present and fear of the future.
We're really happy to see you. Filled with joy to welcome you. Welcome. Welcome. We welcome you. Yeah!