British comedian Paul Merton leaves his home in the UK and embarks on a tour of China in the four-part series Paul Merton in China, which will air Wednesdays at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, beginning Jan. 9.

Merton checks out the ancient and modern cultural offerings and tastings of a country that’s poised to become the world’s next superpower. He visits a peasant who makes robots, a businessman who restores crumbling buildings and the Nanje commune – the last bastion of Communism in China. He also lands a cameo in a kung fu movie, goes line dancing, samples deep-fried scorpion kebab and visits the street best-known for restaurants that serve canine cuisine.