The Great Eastern looks at modern-day China against the background of its massive high-speed rail expansion. This infrastructure project is a domestic strand of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the New Silk Road. Conarroe calls the high-speed network a “time machine”, connecting China's futuristic cities in the East with the rest of the country. The project explores the changing landscapes, and ponders the effects for the future of a nation poised to dominate the coming decades.