The documentary captures the growing process of dove tree in Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

However, botany documentaries are the most expensive to produce, followed by those about animals and then ones about people, but in terms of ratings quite the opposite is true, according to Li, 56.

Speaking about the BBC, a global front-runner in nature documentaries, Li says he hopes that Chinese television producers can make a breakthrough in the field as China is the third-largest country in the world in terms of plant species.

Although his previous TV documentaries mostly revolved around financial themes such as Wall Street (2010) and Money (2012), Li decided to make the shift around four years ago. In 2015, he paid a visit to organizers of the International Horticultural Exhibition in Beijing, the initiator of his latest project.

Between 2017 and 2018, Li assigned more than 130 photographers from eight production teams to shoot the 10 episodes, covering a wide range of subjects from rice to bamboo and Chinese herbal medicine.