美麗中國第一集 Heart of the Dragon 龍之心

[00:01.44](SQUAWKING) [00:03.24] [00:04.00]NARRATOR: The last hidden world, [00:06.08] [00:07.76]China. [00:08.96] [00:11.68]For centuries, travellers to China have told tales of magical landscapes [00:16.40] [00:18.76]and surprising creatures. [00:20.88] [00:25.92]Chinese civilisation is the world's oldest [00:29.56] [00:29.64]and today, its largest, [00:32.04] [00:32.60]with well over a billion people. [00:35.40] [00:36.36]It's home to more than 50 distinct ethnic groups [00:39.56] [00:40.44]and a wide range of traditional lifestyles, [00:43.76] [00:43.84]often in close partnership with nature. [00:46.88] [00:52.32]We know that China faces immense social and environmental problems. [00:57.00] [00:59.60]But there is great beauty here, too. [01:02.24] [01:05.40]China is home to the world's highest mountains, [01:09.00] [01:09.72]vast deserts ranging from searing hot [01:12.52] [01:13.44]to mind-numbing cold. [01:15.56] [01:17.40]Steaming forests harbouring rare creatures. [01:20.92] [01:23.88]Grassy plains beneath vast horizons. [01:26.72] [01:28.80]And rich tropical seas. [01:31.00] [01:35.16]Now for the first time ever, [01:37.96] [01:38.04]we can explore the whole of this great country, [01:41.28] [01:43.20]meet some of the surprising and exotic creatures that live here [01:47.24] [01:50.56]and consider the relationship of the people and wildlife of China [01:55.20] [01:55.80]to the remarkable landscape in which they live. [01:59.04] [02:04.00]This is <i>Wild China.</i> [02:06.32] [02:38.88]Our exploration of China begins in the warm, subtropical south. [02:43.60] [02:45.60]On the Li River, fishermen and birds perch on bamboo rafts, [02:50.28] [02:50.36]a partnership that goes back more than a thousand years. [02:54.00] [03:09.04]This scenery is known throughout the world, [03:11.92] [03:12.52]a recurring motif in Chinese paintings. [03:15.36] [03:18.44]And a major tourist attraction. [03:20.80] [03:24.52]The south of China is a vast area, [03:27.28] [03:27.36]eight times larger than the UK. [03:30.64] [03:31.72]It's a landscape of hills but also of water. [03:35.88] [03:39.44](THUNDER RUMBLING) [03:41.08] [03:44.48]It rains here for up to 250 days a year, [03:47.84] [03:48.40]and standing water is everywhere. [03:50.84] [03:53.92](THUNDER RUMBLING) [03:55.60] [03:55.68]In the floodplain of the Yangtze River, [03:58.40] [03:58.48]black-tailed godwits probe the mud in search of worms. [04:01.80] [04:03.52]But isn't just wildlife that thrives in this environment. [04:07.40] [04:07.48]The swampy ground provides ideal conditions [04:10.64] [04:10.72]for a remarkable member of the grass family. [04:13.76] [04:14.44]Rice. [04:15.76] [04:18.28]The Chinese have been cultivating rice for at least 8,000 years. [04:22.72] [04:25.32]It has transformed the landscape. [04:28.00] [04:31.40]Late winter in southern Yunnan is a busy time for local farmers [04:35.52] [04:35.60]as they prepare the age-old paddy fields ready for the coming spring. [04:40.00] [04:49.12]These hill slopes of the Yuanyang County plunge nearly 2,000 metres [04:54.32] [04:54.40]to the floor of the Red River valley. [04:57.08] [04:58.28]Each contains literally thousands of stacked terraces [05:01.60] [05:01.68]carved out by hand using basic digging tools. [05:05.20] [05:07.48]Yunnan's rice terraces are among the oldest human structures in China. [05:12.08] [05:13.00]Still ploughed, as they always have been, [05:15.64] [05:15.72]by domesticated water buffaloes, [05:18.44] [05:18.52]whose ancestors originated in these very valleys. [05:21.96] [05:53.00]This man-made landscape [05:54.64] [05:54.72]is one of the most amazing engineering feats [05:57.56] [05:57.64]of pre-industrial China. [05:59.96] [06:00.04]It seems as if every square inch of land [06:03.04] [06:03.12]has been pressed into cultivation. [06:05.68] [06:21.52]As evening approaches, an age-old ritual unfolds. [06:25.64] [06:28.36]It's the mating season [06:30.12] [06:30.20]and male paddy frogs are competing for the attention of the females. [06:34.40] [06:42.72]But it doesn't always pay to draw too much attention to yourself. [06:47.08] [06:49.80]The Chinese pond heron is a pitiless predator. [06:53.36] [06:54.60](SQUAWKS) [06:56.04] [06:58.56]Even in the middle of a ploughed paddy field, [07:01.56] [07:01.64]nature is red in beak and claw. [07:04.52] [07:15.52]This may look like a slaughter [07:17.76] [07:17.84]but as each heron can swallow only one frog at a time, [07:21.16] [07:21.24]the vast majority will escape to croak another day. [07:24.80] [07:29.96]Terraced paddies like those of the Yuanyang County [07:32.52] [07:32.60]are found across much of southern China. [07:35.44] [07:37.00]This whole vast landscape is dominated by rice cultivation. [07:40.84] [07:45.12]In hilly Guizhou Province, [07:47.40] [07:47.48]the Miao minority have developed a remarkable rice culture. [07:51.24] [07:53.84]With every inch of fertile land given over to rice cultivation, [07:57.60] [07:58.36]the Miao build their wooden houses [08:00.36] [08:00.44]on the steepest and least productive hillsides. [08:03.20] [08:06.60]In Chinese rural life, everything has a use. [08:09.52] [08:09.60]Dried in the sun, manure from the cow sheds [08:11.80] [08:11.88]will be used as cooking fuel. [08:14.48] [08:19.84](WOMEN CHATTERING IN CHINESE) [08:22.44] [08:24.84]It's midday, and the Song family [08:27.20] [08:27.28]are tucking into a lunch of rice and vegetables. [08:30.44] [08:30.52](SPEAKING IN CHINESE) [08:32.48] [08:38.36]Oblivious to the domestic chit-chat, [08:40.96] [08:41.04]Granddad Gu Yong Xiu has serious matters on his mind. [08:44.88] [08:46.16]Spring is the start of the rice growing season. [08:49.08] [08:49.16]The success of the crop will determine how well the family will eat next year, [08:53.32] [08:53.40]so planting at the right time is critical. [08:56.32] [08:57.20]The ideal date depends on what the weather will do this year, [09:00.92] [09:01.00]never easy to predict. [09:02.92] [09:03.00]But there is some surprising help at hand. [09:05.92] [09:08.00]On the ceiling of the Songs' living room, a pair of red-rumped swallows, [09:12.12] [09:12.20]newly arrived from their winter migration, [09:14.40] [09:14.48]is busy fixing up last year's nest. [09:17.24] [09:20.28]In China, animals are valued as much for their symbolic meaning [09:24.32] [09:24.40]as for any good they may do. [09:26.64] [09:30.08]Miao people believe that swallow pairs remain faithful for life, [09:34.36] [09:34.44]so their presence is a favour and a blessing, [09:37.48] [09:37.56]bringing happiness to a marriage and good luck to a home. [09:41.20] [09:43.04]Like most Miao dwellings, the Songs' living room windows [09:45.92] [09:46.00]look out over the paddy fields. [09:48.44] [09:48.52]From early spring, one of these windows is always left open [09:51.76] [09:51.84]to let the swallows come and go freely. [09:54.36] [09:57.88]Each year, granddad Gu notes the exact day the swallows return. [10:02.80] [10:04.32]Miao people believe the birds' arrival predicts the timing of the season ahead. [10:09.36] [10:09.44]This year, they were late. [10:11.84] [10:11.92]So Gu and the other community elders have agreed [10:15.04] [10:15.12]that rice planting should be delayed accordingly. [10:18.56] [10:29.16]As the Miao prepare their fields for planting, [10:32.28] [10:32.36]the swallows collect mud to repair their nests [10:35.40] [10:35.52]and chase after insects across the newly ploughed paddies. [10:39.28] [11:10.48]Finally, after weeks of preparation, [11:13.12] [11:13.20]the ordained time for planting has arrived. [11:16.48] [11:16.56]But first the seedlings must be uprooted from the nursery beds [11:20.16] [11:20.24]and bundled up ready to be transported to their new paddy [11:23.64] [11:23.72]higher up the hillside. [11:26.24] [11:26.32]All the Songs' neighbours have turned out to help with the transplanting. [11:30.00] [11:30.08]It's how the community has always worked. [11:32.48] [11:32.56]When the time comes, the Songs will return the favour. [11:36.12] [11:41.04]While the farmers are busy in the fields, [11:43.36] [11:43.44]the swallows fly back and forth with material for their nest. [11:47.44] [12:10.04]Many hands make light work. [12:12.12] [12:12.76]Planting the new paddy takes little more than an hour. [12:16.28] [12:33.20]Job done, the villagers can relax, [12:36.48] [12:36.56]at least until tomorrow. [12:39.28] [12:40.84]But for the nesting swallows, the work of raising a family [12:44.24] [12:44.32]has only just begun. [12:46.28] [12:55.60]In the newly planted fields, little egrets hunt for food. [13:00.04] [13:02.12]The rice paddies harbour tadpoles, fish and insects [13:05.96] [13:06.04]and the egrets have chicks to feed. [13:08.56] [13:10.16]This colony in Chongqing Province was established in 1996, [13:14.80] [13:14.88]when a few dozen birds built nests in the bamboo grove [13:17.92] [13:18.00]behind Yang Guang village. [13:20.00] [13:21.16]Believing they were a sign of luck, [13:23.20] [13:23.28]local people initially protected the egrets and the colony grew. [13:27.44] [13:29.92]But their attitude changed when the head of the village fell ill. [13:34.00] [13:35.04]They blamed the birds and were all set to destroy their nests, [13:39.08] [13:39.16]when the local government stepped in to protect them. [13:42.80] [13:52.16]Bendy bamboo may not be the safest nesting place, [13:55.56] [13:56.72]but at least this youngster won't end up as someone's dinner. [14:00.56] [14:12.08]These chicks have just had an eel delivered by their mum, [14:16.04] [14:16.12]quite a challenge for little beaks. [14:18.68] [14:22.56](CHIRPING) [14:23.96] [14:30.40]Providing their colonies are protected, [14:32.64] [14:32.72]wading birds like egrets are among the few wild creatures [14:35.64] [14:35.72]which benefit directly from intensive rice cultivation. [14:39.28] [14:42.52]Growing rice needs lots of water. [14:44.84] [14:44.92]But even in the rainy south, [14:46.40] [14:46.48]there are landscapes where water is surprisingly scarce. [14:50.20] [14:56.00]This vast area of southwest China, [14:58.52] [14:58.60]the size of France and Spain combined, [15:01.16] [15:01.24]is famous for its clusters of conical hills, [15:04.36] [15:04.44]like giant upturned egg cartons, separated by dry empty valleys. [15:09.40] [15:14.52]This is the karst, a limestone terrain [15:17.64] [15:17.72]which has become the defining image of southern China. [15:21.24] [15:26.00]Karst landscapes are often studded with rocky outcrops, [15:29.80] [15:29.88]forcing local farmers to cultivate tiny fields. [15:33.08] [15:38.88]The people who live here are among the poorest in China. [15:42.60] [15:44.76]In neighbouring Yunnan Province, [15:46.60] [15:46.68]limestone rocks have taken over entirely. [15:49.44] [16:00.52]This is the famous Stone Forest, [16:02.92] [16:03.00]the product of countless years of erosion, [16:05.76] [16:05.84]producing a maze of deep gullies and sharp-edged pinnacles. [16:09.72] [16:14.76]Limestone has the strange property that it dissolves in rainwater. [16:18.80] [16:20.88]Over many thousands of years water has corroded its way [16:23.92] [16:24.00]deep into the heart of the bedrock itself. [16:26.88] [16:36.16]This natural wonder is a famous tourist spot, [16:39.68] [16:39.76]receiving close to two million visitors each year. [16:43.12] [16:45.88]The Chinese are fond of curiously-shaped rocks [16:48.68] [16:48.76]and many have been given fanciful names. [16:52.08] [16:52.16]No prizes for guessing what this one is called! [16:55.24] [16:58.24]But there's more to this landscape than meets the eye. [17:01.28] [17:01.40]China has literally thousands of mysterious caverns [17:05.08] [17:05.16]concealed beneath the visible landscape of the karst. [17:08.64] [17:09.16]Much of this hidden world has never been seen by human eyes [17:13.00] [17:13.08]and is only just now being explored. [17:15.92] [17:20.80](MAN SPEAKING CHINESE) [17:23.88] [17:24.60]For a growing band of intrepid young Chinese explorers, [17:28.04] [17:28.12]caves represent the ultimate adventure. [17:31.04] [17:34.88]Exploring a cave is like taking a journey through time. [17:38.40] [17:38.48]Ajourney which endless raindrops will have followed over countless centuries. [17:43.36] [17:53.92]Fed by countless drips and trickles, [17:56.64] [17:56.72]the subterranean river carves ever deeper into the rock. [18:00.36] [18:09.92]The cave river's course is channelled by the beds of limestone. [18:13.88] [18:13.96]A weakness in the rock can allow the river [18:16.08] [18:16.16]to increase its gradient and flow-rate, [18:18.28] [18:18.36]providing a real challenge for the cave explorers. [18:21.68] [19:02.80]The downward rush is halted when the water table is reached. [19:06.88] [19:06.96]Here the slow-flowing river carves tunnels with a more rounded profile. [19:11.48] [19:11.56](MEN CHATTERING) [19:13.24] [19:16.28]This tranquil world is home to specialised cave fishes, [19:20.84] [19:20.92]like the eyeless golden barb. [19:23.32] [19:24.52]China may have more unique kinds of cave-evolved fishes [19:28.12] [19:28.20]than anywhere else on earth. [19:30.36] [19:35.92]Above the water table, [19:37.52] [19:37.60]ancient caverns abandoned by the river slowly fill up [19:41.16] [19:41.24]with stalactites and stalagmites. [19:43.84] [19:48.52]Stalactites form as trickling water deposits tiny quantities of rock [19:53.12] [19:53.20]over hundreds or thousands of years. [19:55.92] [19:57.12]Stalagmites grow up where lime-laden drips hit the cave floor. [20:01.32] [20:06.36]Oi! [20:08.44] [20:08.52]Whoo-hoo! [20:10.48] [20:22.84]So far, only a fraction of China's caves have been thoroughly prospected [20:27.36] [20:27.44]and cavers are constantly discovering new subterranean marvels, [20:31.36] [20:31.44]many of which are subsequently developed into commercial show caves. [20:36.04] [20:44.68]Finally escaping the darkness, [20:47.24] [20:47.32]the cave river and its human explorers emerge in a valley [20:50.72] [20:50.80]far from where their journey began. [20:53.32] [20:54.00]For now, the adventure is over. [20:56.92] [21:00.76]Rivers which issue from caves [21:02.44] [21:02.52]are the key to survival in the karst country. [21:05.36] [21:05.44]This vertical gorge in Guizhou Province [21:08.00] [21:08.08]is a focal point for the region's wildlife. [21:10.96] [21:26.60]This is one of the world's rarest primates, [21:29.32] [21:30.12]Franois' langur. [21:32.32] [21:33.64]In China they survive in just two southern provinces, [21:36.96] [21:37.04]Guizhou and Guangxi, always in rugged limestone terrains. [21:41.96] [21:45.04]Like most monkeys, they are social creatures [21:47.92] [21:48.00]and spend a great deal of time grooming each other. [21:51.44] [21:59.72]Langurs are essentially vegetarian [22:01.60] [22:01.68]with a diet of buds, fruits and tender young leaves. [22:05.40] [22:17.56]Babies are born with ginger fur, [22:19.84] [22:19.92]which gradually turns black from the tail end. [22:22.96] [22:29.92]Young infants have a vice-like grip, used to cling on to mum for dear life. [22:34.80] [22:37.08]As they get older, they get bolder and take more risks. [22:41.16] [22:45.36]Those that survive spend a lot of time travelling. [22:48.80] [22:48.88]The experienced adults know exactly where to find seasonal foods [22:52.84] [22:52.92]in different parts of their range. [22:55.40] [22:59.08]In such steep terrain, travel involves a high level of climbing skill. [23:03.92] [23:04.52]These monkeys are spectacularly good rock climbers [23:07.36] [23:07.44]from the time they learn to walk. [23:09.96] [23:20.36]In langur society, females rule the roost [23:23.76] [23:23.84]and take the lead when the family is on the move. [23:27.04] [23:52.80]One section of cliff oozes a trickle of mineral-rich water [23:57.24] [23:57.32]which the monkeys seem to find irresistible. [24:00.24] [24:15.08]These days there are few predators in the Mayanghe Reserve [24:17.96] [24:18.04]which might pose a risk to a baby monkey. [24:20.76] [24:21.28]But in past centuries, this area of south China [24:24.24] [24:24.32]was home to leopards, pythons and even tigers. [24:27.84] [24:30.44]To survive dangerous night prowlers, the langurs went underground, [24:34.88] [24:35.68]using their rock-climbing skills to seek shelter in inaccessible caverns. [24:40.60] [24:55.84]Filmed in near darkness using a night vision camera, [24:59.56] [24:59.64]the troop clambers along familiar ledges [25:02.88] [25:02.96]worn smooth by generations before them. [25:06.04] [25:13.04]During cold winter weather, the monkeys venture deeper underground [25:17.92] [25:18.00]where the air stays comparatively warm. [25:20.72] [25:37.92]At last, journey's end. [25:40.04] [25:40.12]A cosy niche beyond the reach of even the most enterprising predator. [25:44.68] [25:48.24]But it's not just monkeys that find shelter in caves. [25:51.40] [25:51.48]These children are off to school. [25:53.92] [25:54.80]In rural China that may mean a long trek each morning, [25:58.68] [25:58.76]passing through a cave or two on the way. [26:01.36] [26:03.08]But not all pupils have to walk to school. [26:06.00] [26:06.64]These children are boarders. [26:08.92] [26:09.60](LAUGHING) [26:11.80] [26:11.88]As the day pupils near journey's end, [26:15.04] [26:15.12]the boarders are still making breakfast. [26:17.92] [26:21.28]In the schoolyard, someone seems to have switched the lights off. [26:25.28] [26:28.68]But this is no ordinary playground, and no ordinary school. [26:33.12] [26:37.36]It's housed inside a cave! [26:40.00] [26:43.72]A natural vault of rock keeps out the rain [26:47.00] [26:47.08]so there's no need for a roof on the classroom. [26:50.24] [27:01.32]Zhongdong cave school is made up of six classes, [27:05.08] [27:05.16]with a total of 200 children. [27:07.60] [27:09.76]As well as the school, the cave houses 18 families, [27:13.84] [27:14.84]together with their livestock. [27:16.44] [27:16.52](COW MOOING) [27:17.96] [27:19.00]These could be the only cave-dwelling cows on earth. [27:22.88] [27:22.96](PIG SQUEALS) [27:24.28] [27:27.88]With schoolwork over, it's playtime at last. [27:30.88] [27:43.48]In southern China, caves aren't just used for shelter, [27:46.88] [27:46.96]they can be a source of revenue for the community. [27:50.24] [28:23.00]People have been visiting this cave for generations. [28:26.44] [28:26.52]The cave floor is covered in guano, [28:29.12] [28:29.20]so plentiful that 10 minutes' work can fill these farmer's baskets. [28:33.56] [28:34.08]It's used as a valuable source of fertilizer. [28:37.04] [28:46.88]A clue to the source of the guano can be heard above the noise of the river. [28:51.60] [28:51.68]The sound originates high up in the roof of the cave. [28:55.08] [28:57.32]The entrance is full of swifts. [29:00.56] [29:03.08]They're very sociable birds. [29:05.28] [29:05.36]More than 200,000 of them share this cave [29:08.20] [29:08.28]in southern Guizhou Province, the biggest swift colony in China. [29:12.32] [29:14.36]These days, Chinese house swifts mostly nest in the roofs of buildings, [29:18.76] [29:18.84]but rock crevices like these were their original home, [29:21.96] [29:22.04]long before houses were invented. [29:24.48] [29:29.20]Though the swifts depend on the cave for shelter, [29:32.20] [29:32.28]they never stray further than the limits of daylight, [29:35.28] [29:35.36]as their eyes can't see in the dark. [29:37.92] [29:39.88]However, deep inside the cavern, [29:42.60] [29:42.68]other creatures are better equipped for subterranean life. [29:46.72] [29:51.44]A colony of bats is just waking up, [29:54.16] [29:54.24]using ultrasonic squeaks to orientate themselves in the darkness. [29:58.28] [30:02.88]Night is the time to go hunting. [30:05.56] [30:57.88]Rickett's mouse-eared bat is the only bat in Asia [31:01.48] [31:01.56]which specialises in catching fishes, [31:05.24] [31:05.32]tracking them down from the sound reflection of ripples [31:08.60] [31:08.68]on the water surface. [31:10.52] [31:30.56]This extraordinary behaviour [31:32.16] [31:32.24]was only discovered in the last couple of years, [31:35.64] [31:35.72]and has never been filmed before. [31:38.20] [31:46.40]If catching fish in the dark is impressive, [31:49.40] [31:50.24]imagine eating a slippery minnow with no hands while hanging upside down. [31:54.80] [32:05.08]Dawn over the karst hills of Guilin. [32:08.84] [32:10.92]These remarkable hills owe their peculiar shapes [32:14.40] [32:14.48]to the mildly acid waters of the Li River, [32:17.28] [32:17.36]whose meandering course over eons of time [32:20.04] [32:20.12]has corroded away their bases until only the rocky cores remain. [32:24.96] [32:30.36]The Li is one of the cleanest rivers in China, [32:33.92] [32:34.00]a favourite spot for fishermen with their trained cormorants. [32:37.76] [32:39.96](SPEAKING IN CHINESE) [32:41.24] [32:41.32]The men, all called Huang, come from the same village. [32:44.96] [32:45.04]Now in their 70s and 80s, they've been fishermen all their lives. [32:49.76] [32:55.04]Before they release the birds, they tie a noose loosely around the neck [32:59.08] [32:59.16]to stop them swallowing any fish they may catch. [33:02.08] [33:07.00](SPLASHING) [33:08.88] [33:08.96]Chanting and dancing, [33:10.72] [33:10.80]the Huangs encourage their birds to take the plunge. [33:14.12] [33:18.40]Underwater, the cormorant's hunting instinct kicks in, [33:22.08] [33:22.16]turning them into fish-seeking missiles. [33:24.88] [33:25.80](CHANTING) [33:27.16] [33:48.24]Working together, a good cormorant team [33:51.20] [33:51.28]can catch a couple of dozen decent-sized fish in a morning. [33:55.12] [34:07.96](FISHERMEN EXCLAIMING) [34:10.16] [34:33.40]The birds return to the raft with their fish [34:35.56] [34:35.64]because they've been trained to do so. [34:38.68] [34:38.76]From the time it first hatched, each of these cormorants has been reared [34:42.48] [34:42.56]to a life of obedience to its master. [34:45.08] [34:45.16]The birds are, in effect, slaves. [34:48.04] [34:50.08]But they're not stupid. [34:51.88] [34:51.96]It's said that cormorants can keep a tally of the fish they catch, [34:55.52] [34:55.60]at least up to seven. [34:57.44] [34:57.52]So unless they get a reward now and then they simply withdraw their labour. [35:02.12] [35:02.80]The fishermen, of course, keep the best fish for themselves. [35:06.24] [35:06.32]The cormorants get the leftover tiddlers. [35:09.16] [35:15.08]With its collar removed, the bird at last can swallow its prize. [35:19.96] [35:20.52]Best of all, one it isn't meant to have! [35:23.28] [35:23.88](FISHERMAN SHOUTING) [35:25.72] [35:33.40]These days, competition from modern fishing techniques [35:36.68] [35:36.76]means the Huangs can't make a living [35:38.64] [35:38.72]from traditional cormorant fishing alone. [35:41.32] [35:41.40]And this 1,300-year-old tradition [35:43.76] [35:43.84]is now practised mostly to entertain tourists. [35:46.96] [35:56.76]But on Caohai Lake in nearby Guizhou Province, [36:00.64] [36:00.72]an even more unusual fishing industry is alive and well. [36:04.24] [36:07.96]Geng Zhong Sheng is on his way to set out his nets for the night. [36:11.96] [36:19.48]Geng's net is a strange tubular contraption with a closed-off end. [36:23.56] [36:32.64]More than a hundred fishermen make their living from the lake. [36:36.56] [36:36.64]Its mineral-rich waters are highly productive, [36:39.60] [36:40.36]and there are nets everywhere. [36:42.64] [37:01.60]The next morning, Geng returns with his son to collect his catch. [37:05.60] [37:05.68](SPEAKING CHINESE) [37:07.64] [37:09.92]At first sight, it looks disappointing. [37:12.80] [37:12.88]Tiny fishes, lots of shrimps, and some wriggling bugs. [37:17.04] [37:18.12]Geng doesn't seem too downhearted. [37:20.68] [37:23.04]The larger fish are kept alive, [37:25.04] [37:25.12]the only way they'll stay fresh in the heat. [37:27.48] [37:29.24]Surprisingly, some of the bugs are also singled out for special treatment. [37:33.96] [37:34.04]They're the young stage of dragonflies, [37:36.32] [37:36.40]predators that feed on worms and tadpoles. [37:39.16] [37:39.24]Nowhere else in the world are dragonfly nymphs harvested like this. [37:43.40] [37:49.28]Back home, Geng spreads his catch on the roof to dry. [37:53.08] [37:53.16]This being China, nothing edible will be wasted. [37:56.92] [37:57.00]There's a saying in the far south, [37:59.32] [37:59.40]"We will eat anything with legs except a table, [38:02.72] [38:02.80]"and anything with wings except a plane." [38:06.00] [38:09.12]Within a few hours, the dried insects are ready to be bagged up [38:12.16] [38:12.24]and taken to market. [38:14.12] [38:14.96]It's the dragonfly nymphs that fetch the best price. [38:18.44] [38:25.08]Fortunately, Caohai's dragonflies are abundant and fast-breeding. [38:29.76] [38:30.36]So Geng and his fellow fishermen [38:32.08] [38:32.16]have so far had little impact on their numbers. [38:35.44] [38:36.32]But not all wildlife is so resilient. [38:39.04] [38:42.16](MONKS CHANTING) [38:43.92] [38:48.28]This Buddhist temple near Shanghai has an extraordinary story attached to it. [38:53.04] [38:55.48]In May 2007, a <i>Wild China</i> camera team [38:59.44] [38:59.52]filmed this peculiar Swinhoe's turtle in the temple's fish pond. [39:03.80] [39:10.04]According to the monks, the turtle had been given to the temple [39:13.16] [39:13.24]during the Ming dynasty, over 400 years ago. [39:17.04] [39:18.52]It was thought to be the oldest animal on earth. [39:21.68] [39:30.16]Soft-shelled turtles are considered a gourmet delicacy by many Chinese, [39:34.44] [39:34.96]and when it was filmed, [39:36.80] [39:36.88]this was one of just three Swinhoe's turtles left alive in China, [39:41.28] [39:42.12]the rest of its kind having been rounded up and eaten. [39:46.24] [39:48.80]Sadly, just a few weeks after filming, [39:52.24] [39:52.32]this ancient creature died. [39:54.68] [39:55.16]The remaining individuals of its species are currently kept in separate zoos [39:59.60] [39:59.68]and Swinhoe's turtle is now reckoned extinct in the wild. [40:03.28] [40:05.44]In fact, most of the 25 types of freshwater turtles in China [40:10.04] [40:11.28]are now vanishingly rare. [40:13.64] [40:18.32]The answer to extinction is protection. [40:21.36] [40:22.04]And there is now a growing network of nature reserves [40:24.80] [40:24.88]throughout southern China. [40:27.00] [40:28.40]Of these, the Tianzi Mountain Reserve at Zhangjiajie is perhaps [40:32.88] [40:32.96]the most visited by Chinese nature lovers, [40:35.60] [40:35.68]who come to marvel at the gravity-defying landscape [40:38.48] [40:38.56]of soaring sandstone pinnacles. [40:40.88] [41:56.32]Winding between Zhangjiajie's peaks, crystal clear mountain streams [42:01.24] [42:01.32]are home to what is perhaps China's strangest creature. [42:05.36] [42:20.12]This bizarre animal is a type of newt, [42:23.68] [42:23.76]the Chinese giant salamander. [42:26.08] [42:26.92]In China it is known as the baby fish [42:30.16] [42:30.28]because when distressed it makes a sound like a crying infant. [42:34.60] [42:37.36]It grows up to a metre and a half long, [42:40.16] [42:40.24]making it the world's largest amphibian. [42:42.84] [42:45.20]Under natural conditions, a giant salamander may live for decades. [42:49.04] [42:49.12]But like so many Chinese animals, it is considered delicious to eat. [42:53.76] [42:55.96]Despite being classed as a protected species, [42:58.84] [42:58.92]giant salamanders are still illegally sold for food [43:02.72] [43:02.80]and the baby fish is now rare and endangered in the wild. [43:07.16] [43:08.56]Fortunately, in a few areas like Zhangjiajie, [43:11.80] [43:11.92]giant salamanders still survive under strict official protection. [43:16.00] [43:19.92]The rivers of Zhangjiajie flow north east into the Yangtze floodplain, [43:24.96] [43:25.04]known as The Land of Fish and Rice. [43:27.88] [43:32.00]On an island in a lake in Anhui Province, [43:35.60] [43:35.68]a dragon is stirring. [43:37.68] [43:41.84]This is the ancestral home of China's largest and rarest reptile, [43:46.52] [43:46.60]a creature of mystery and legend. [43:49.24] [43:55.96]Dragon eggs are greatly prized. [43:58.44] [43:59.04]These babies need to hatch out quick! [44:01.76] [44:05.64]It would seem someone is on their trail. [44:08.40] [44:16.16]For a helpless baby reptile, [44:18.44] [44:18.52]imprisoned in a leathery membrane inside a chalky shell, [44:22.60] [44:22.68]the process of hatching is a titanic struggle. [44:26.04] [44:27.44]And time is running out. [44:29.68] [44:33.24](CHIRPING) [44:35.24] [44:36.04]It's taken two hours [44:37.48] [44:37.56]for the little dragon to get its head out of the egg. [44:40.84] [44:40.92]It needs to gather its strength now, [44:43.32] [44:43.40]for one final, massive push. [44:46.28] [44:54.68]Free at last, [44:55.96] [44:56.04]the baby Chinese alligators instinctively head upwards [44:59.20] [44:59.28]towards the surface of the nest and the waiting outside world. [45:03.44] [45:24.48](CHATTERING) [45:26.32] [45:33.16]But the visitors are not what they seem. [45:36.12] [45:40.36](BOTH SPEAKING CHINESE) [45:42.72] [45:44.96]She Shizhen and her son live nearby. [45:48.12] [45:48.20]She has been caring for her local alligators for over 20 years, [45:52.36] [45:52.44]so she had a fair idea when the eggs were likely to hatch. [45:56.08] [46:01.00]Back home, she's built a pond surrounded by netting to keep out predators, [46:05.84] [46:05.92]where her charges will spend the next six months [46:08.48] [46:08.56]until they're big enough to fend for themselves. [46:11.72] [46:24.40]For the past 20 years, [46:26.36] [46:26.44]small-scale conservation projects like this [46:29.36] [46:29.44]are all that have kept China's 150 wild alligators from extinction. [46:34.48] [46:48.56]Just south of the alligator country, [46:50.48] [46:50.56]dawn breaks over a very different landscape. [46:53.52] [46:54.36]The 1,800-metre-high granite peaks of the Huangshan or Yellow Mountain. [46:59.76] [47:04.40]To the Chinese, Huangshan's pines epitomise [47:08.12] [47:08.20]the strength and resilience of nature. [47:11.40] [47:11.48]Some of these trees are thought to be over 1,000 years old. [47:15.72] [47:20.28]Below the granite peaks, [47:21.88] [47:21.96]steep forested valleys shelter surprising inhabitants. [47:25.76] [47:27.68]Huangshan macaques, rare descendants of the Tibetan macaques of western China, [47:32.52] [47:32.60]are unique to these mountain valleys [47:34.40] [47:34.48]where they enjoy strict official protection. [47:37.76] [47:37.84](SCREECHING) [47:39.20] [47:47.24]After a morning spent in the treetops, [47:49.84] [47:49.92]the troop is heading for the shade of the valley. [47:52.44] [47:52.52]A chance for the grown-ups to escape the heat [47:55.12] [47:55.24]and maybe pick up a lunch snack from the stream. [47:58.32] [48:16.00]As in most monkey societies, [48:18.44] [48:18.52]social contact involves a lot of grooming. [48:21.72] [48:30.28]Grooming is all very well for grown-ups, [48:33.36] [48:33.44]but young macaques have energy to burn. [48:36.04] [48:36.12](SCREECHING) [48:37.96] [48:50.88]Like so much monkey business, [48:52.84] [48:52.92]what starts off as a bit of playful rough-and-tumble, [48:56.04] [48:56.12]soon begins to get out of hand. [48:58.44] [49:09.32]The alpha male has seen it all before. [49:12.76] [49:12.84]He's not in the least bothered. [49:14.96] [49:18.08]But someone, or something, is watching, [49:22.60] [49:22.68]with a less than friendly interest. [49:25.28] [49:44.88]The Chinese moccasin is an ambush predator with a deadly bite. [49:48.92] [49:49.48]This is one of China's largest and most feared venomous snakes. [49:53.56] [49:54.92]But the monkeys have lived alongside these dangerous serpents [49:58.04] [49:58.12]for thousands of years. [50:00.00] [50:02.84](MONKEYS SCREECHING) [50:04.68] [50:11.68]They use this specific alarm call to warn each other [50:15.00] [50:15.08]whenever a snake is spotted. [50:16.92] [50:21.28]Once its cover is blown, the viper poses no threat to the monkeys, [50:25.12] [50:25.20]now safe in the treetops. [50:27.20] [50:30.08]And life soon returns to normal. [50:32.68] [50:40.60]By late summer, the rice fields of southern China have turned to gold. [50:45.12] [50:46.28]The time has come to bring in the harvest. [50:49.72] [51:10.00]Nowadays, modern high-yield strains [51:12.48] [51:12.56]are grown throughout much of the rice lands, [51:15.44] [51:15.52]boosted by chemical fertilizers and reaped by combine harvesters. [51:20.32] [51:23.52]This is the great rice bowl of China, [51:26.16] [51:26.92]producing a quarter of the world's rice. [51:29.68] [51:39.84]Insects, stirred up by the noisy machines, [51:42.36] [51:42.44]are snapped up by gangs of red-rumped swallows, [51:46.20] [51:46.28]including this year's youngsters, [51:48.64] [51:48.72]who will have fledged several weeks ago. [51:51.56] [51:52.64]This could be their last good feast before they head south for the winter. [51:57.16] [51:59.60]Mechanized farming works best [52:01.16] [52:01.24]in the flat-bottomed valleys of the lowlands. [52:04.20] [52:04.28]To the south, in the terraced hills of Zhejiang Province, [52:07.76] [52:07.84]an older and simpler lifestyle persists. [52:10.64] [52:13.84]It's 7:00 in the morning [52:15.84] [52:15.92]and Longxian's most successful businessman is off to work. [52:20.20] [52:21.48]In the golden terraces surrounding the village [52:24.12] [52:24.24]the ears of rice are plump and ripe for harvesting. [52:27.60] [52:29.92]But today, rice isn't uppermost in Mr Yang's mind. [52:33.76] [52:34.20]He has bigger fish to fry. [52:36.36] [52:38.36]Further up the valley, the harvest has already begun. [52:41.76] [52:44.04]Yang's fields are ripe, too, but they haven't been drained yet. [52:48.12] [52:48.88]That's because for him, rice is not the main crop. [52:52.68] [52:58.48]The baskets he's carried up the hillside give a clue to Yang's business. [53:02.72] [53:02.80]But before he starts work, [53:04.60] [53:04.68]he needs to let some water out of the system. [53:07.76] [53:11.08]As the water level drops, the mystery is revealed. [53:14.64] [53:15.84]Golden carp. [53:17.80] [53:25.60]Longxian villagers discovered the benefits of transferring [53:28.92] [53:29.00]wild caught carp into their paddy fields long ago. [53:32.24] [53:33.40]The tradition has been going on here for at least 700 years. [53:37.76] [53:40.92]As the water level in the paddy drops, bamboo gates stop the fish escaping. [53:45.76] [53:50.76]The beauty of this farming method [53:52.52] [53:52.60]is that it delivers two crops from the same field at the same time. [53:56.76] [53:57.48]Fish and rice. [53:59.88] [54:02.36]Smart ecology like this is what enables China [54:05.64] [54:05.72]to be largely self-sufficient in food, even today. [54:09.80] [54:38.56]Back in the village, Yang has his own smokehouse [54:42.12] [54:42.20]where he preserves his fish ready for market. [54:45.20] [54:49.52]Longxian carp have unusually soft scales and a very delicate flavour, [54:54.88] [54:54.96]perhaps as a result of the local water. [54:57.68] [55:03.28]Meanwhile, outside the smokehouse, [55:05.68] [55:06.48]there's something fishy going on. [55:08.88] [55:18.24](PEOPLE CHATTERING) [55:20.12] [55:20.68]To mark the harvest, the village is staging a party. [55:24.76] [55:26.96]Children from Longxian school [55:28.84] [55:28.92]have spent weeks preparing for their big moment. [55:32.12] [55:32.20]Everyone from the community is here to support them. [55:35.60] [55:42.48]The rice growing cycle is complete. [55:45.20] [55:52.00]By November, northern China is becoming distinctly chilly. [55:56.44] [55:57.12]But the south is still relatively warm and welcoming. [56:00.64] [56:03.52]Across the vast expanse of Poyang Lake, the birds are gathering. [56:08.16] [56:12.08]Tundra swans are long-distance migrants from northern Siberia. [56:16.64] [56:16.72]To the Chinese, they symbolise the essence of natural beauty. [56:20.96] [56:49.40]The Poyang Lake Nature Reserve offers winter refuge [56:52.80] [56:52.88]to more than a quarter of a million birds [56:55.36] [56:55.44]from more than 100 species, [56:57.96] [56:58.04]creating one of southern China's finest wildlife experiences. [57:02.00] [57:14.48]The last birds to arrive at Poyang [57:16.96] [57:17.04]are those which have made the longest journey to get here, [57:20.44] [57:20.52]all the way from the Arctic coast of Siberia. [57:23.60] [57:28.16]The Siberian crane, known in China as the white crane, [57:32.48] [57:32.56]is seen as a symbol of good luck. [57:35.04] [57:35.96]Each year, almost the entire world population [57:38.60] [57:38.68]of these critically endangered birds [57:41.00] [57:41.08]make a 9,000-kilometre roundtrip [57:44.12] [57:44.20]to spend the winter at Poyang. [57:46.52] [57:49.84]Like the white cranes, many of south China's unique animals [57:53.68] [57:53.76]face pressure from exploitation and competition with people [57:57.04] [57:57.12]over space and resources. [57:59.32] [58:02.32]But if China is living proof of anything, [58:04.76] [58:04.84]it is that wildlife is surprisingly resilient. [58:08.00] [58:09.60]Given the right help, [58:11.20] [58:11.28]even the rarest creatures can return from the brink. [58:15.08] [58:18.04]If we show the will, nature will find the way. [58:22.60]

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