China hand Robert Kuhn shares his observations in the five-part TV documentary series China's Challenges. Photos provided to China Daily

An award-winning documentary series has shone a light on some of the most troubling issues faced by the nation's leaders and people. He Wei reports.

"To see China as it is, not as we wish or fear it to be" was the catch-cry of well-known US diplomat and China expert Charles W. Freeman, Jr.

But despite Freeman's visionary words, foreigners today are still wary of China's goodwill, no matter how genuine.

While this may frustrate Beijing, old China hand Robert Kuhn believes it is not wise to simply cast blame or conjure conspiracies.

Kuhn, author of How China's Leaders Think and many other books, including a biography of former president Jiang Zemin, intends to depict China "as it is" showing China's candid acceptance of some of its most challenging problems.

He has delivered his observations in a five-part TV documentary series, China's Challenges, which aims to chronicle China's tremendous changes, and show how the problems caused by these changes are shaping the lives and futures of more than 1 billion people.

But the program was not initially designed this way. Kuhn says the documentary was supposed "to honor the achievements of China's previous leaders".