美麗中國第四集 萬里長城的塞外風(fēng)光Beyond the Great Wall

[00:03.76]NARRATOR: The Great Wall of China was built by the Han Chinese [00:07.84] [00:07.92]to keep out the nomadic tribes from the north. [00:11.12] [00:14.08]They called these people barbarians, [00:16.88] [00:16.96]and their lands were considered barren and uninhabitable. [00:20.76] [00:23.04]Northern China is indeed a harsh place of terrible winters, [00:27.88] [00:28.76]ferocious summers, [00:30.44] [00:31.84]parched deserts. [00:33.52] [00:36.28]But it is far from lifeless. [00:38.92] [00:42.76]With colourful places, [00:44.44] [00:45.92]surprising creatures, [00:48.08] [00:54.76]amazing people [00:56.40] [01:00.12]and strange landscapes. [01:02.44] [01:09.36]The further we travel, the more extreme it becomes. [01:13.36] [01:18.32]So how do people and wildlife cope with the hardships and challenges [01:24.32] [01:24.40]of life beyond the Wall? [01:26.40] [01:54.92]The northern limits of Ancient China were defined by the Great Wall [01:58.80] [01:58.88]which meanders for nearly 5,000 kilometres from east to west. [02:03.12] [02:08.52]The settled Han people of the Chinese heartland were invaded many times [02:12.52] [02:12.60]by warlike tribes from the north. [02:15.00] [02:17.36]The Great Wall was built to protect the Han Chinese from invasion. [02:21.32] [02:25.88]To meet those fearsome northerners and the wild creatures [02:29.12] [02:29.20]who share their world, we must leave the shelter of the Wall [02:33.64] [02:33.72]and travel into the unknown. [02:36.16] [02:39.44]Northeast China was known historically as Manchuria. [02:43.28] [02:45.00]Its upper reaches are on the same latitude as Paris [02:48.80] [02:48.88]but in winter it is one of the coldest, most hostile places on the planet. [02:54.28] [02:59.60]Bitter winds from Siberia regularly bring temperatures [03:03.08] [03:03.16]of 40 degrees below zero. [03:05.20] [03:13.84]Dense forests of evergreen trees cover these lands. [03:17.52] [03:18.60]And the rugged terrain is made even more difficult by impenetrable ravines. [03:23.68] [03:37.96]We start our journey on a frozen river [03:40.44] [03:40.52]snaking between China's northeasternmost corner and Siberia. [03:44.92] [03:46.28]The Chinese call it the Black Dragon River. [03:49.64] [03:52.48]The people who live here aren't exactly fearsome warriors. [03:56.32] [03:57.12]They're too busy coping with the harsh winter conditions [04:00.36] [04:00.44]and they respond to the challenge in some creative ways. [04:04.32] [04:04.40](TYRES SQUEAKING) [04:06.04] [04:08.80]The Black Dragon River is home to one of the smallest ethnic groups in China. [04:13.40] [04:13.48]The Hezhe People. [04:15.12] [04:27.48]It's not just bicycles that seem out of place in this icy world. [04:31.84] [04:32.64]Fishing boats and nets lie abandoned, a long way from open water. [04:37.24] [04:40.24](CHATTERING) [04:42.36] [04:44.00]Underneath a metre of solid ice swim a huge variety of fish, [04:48.88] [04:48.96]including 500-pound sturgeon, [04:51.36] [04:52.04]enough to feed a family of Hezhe for weeks. [04:55.24] [04:58.88]But how can they catch their quarry? [05:01.56] [05:02.64]First they must chisel a hole through the ice to reach the water below. [05:07.16] [05:07.24](SPLASHING) [05:09.04] [05:11.16]Then they need to set their fishing net under the ice, [05:14.80] [05:15.48]a real challenge. [05:17.12] [05:19.28]A second hole is made, 20 metres away from the first [05:23.28] [05:23.36]and a weighted string is dropped in. [05:26.12] [05:30.00]Then, a long bamboo pole is used to hook the string [05:33.40] [05:33.96]and pull the net into position beneath the ice. [05:37.04] [06:04.88]After a few days, the nets are checked. [06:08.20] [06:19.12]These days, almost nobody catches a rare giant sturgeon. [06:22.80] [06:23.76]The Black Dragon River has been overfished like so many others. [06:27.80] [06:32.68]But even these smaller fish are a welcome catch. [06:35.92] [06:48.72]Frozen within seconds, the fish are guaranteed to stay fresh [06:52.76] [06:52.88]for the wobbly cycle ride home. [06:55.36] [07:21.12]The forests that lie south of the Black Dragon River [07:24.60] [07:24.68]are bound up in snow for more than half the year. [07:27.92] [07:29.56]It's deathly silent. [07:31.32] [07:34.16]Most of the animals here are either hibernating [07:37.20] [07:37.28]or have migrated south for the winter. [07:39.96] [07:42.08]But there is an exception. [07:44.40] [07:51.36]Wild boars roam the forests of the northeast. [07:54.36] [07:57.24]Like the Hezhe people, the boars find it difficult to gather food in winter. [08:02.12] [08:04.68]To survive, they follow their noses, [08:07.40] [08:07.48]among the keenest in the animal kingdom. [08:10.36] [08:11.00](GRUNTING) [08:12.40] [08:14.08]They will eat almost anything they unearth. [08:17.04] [08:17.12]But one energy-rich food source is particularly valued. [08:20.84] [08:23.08]Walnuts. [08:24.36] [08:26.56]When a lucky boar finds a walnut, there's bound to be trouble. [08:30.40] [08:31.84](SQUEALING) [08:33.76] [08:36.76]But despite the squabbles, wild boars are social animals [08:39.72] [08:39.80]and gather together in groups. [08:42.36] [08:42.44]Staying close together may help them to keep warm in the extreme cold. [08:46.40] [08:48.96]But there is another reason for group living. [08:51.52] [08:51.64]More ears to listen out for danger. [08:54.28] [09:02.88]Siberian tigers also live in these forests. [09:06.16] [09:11.56]But these days, only in captivity. [09:14.44] [09:19.32]There may be less than a dozen wild Siberian tigers left in China. [09:23.64] [09:24.32]Though there are many more in breeding centres. [09:27.56] [09:39.24]This enclosure at Hengdaohezi started breeding tigers in 1986 [09:45.12] [09:45.20]to supply bones and body parts for the Chinese medicine market. [09:49.20] [09:52.52]Trade in tiger parts was banned in China in the 1990s [09:56.76] [09:56.84]and the breeding centre is now just a tourist attraction. [10:00.60] [10:14.28]The forests of the northeast stretch to where the Chinese, [10:17.68] [10:17.76]Russian and Mongolian borders meet. [10:20.48] [10:31.44]Here, a surprising herd of animals is on the move. [10:34.68] [10:38.36]The reindeer were introduced to China hundreds of years ago [10:41.44] [10:41.52]by the nomadic Ewenki people who came here from Siberia. [10:45.64] [10:47.92](WOMAN CALLING) [10:49.20] [10:49.28](BELL DINGING) [10:51.08] [10:51.16](CALLING) [10:53.12] [10:53.76]It's late April, and the women are calling in their reindeer, [10:57.80] [10:57.92]which are semi-wild, and have spent all winter away in the forest. [11:02.00] [11:12.52]This is a very special relationship. [11:15.08] [11:15.68]Each reindeer has its own name [11:18.24] [11:18.32]and many were hand-reared by these women. [11:21.16] [11:29.44]Finally reunited after months apart, [11:32.40] [11:32.48]they will now remain together until autumn. [11:35.28] [11:45.32](SPEAKING CHINESE) [11:47.40] [11:47.48]The Ewenki women are anxious to check the condition of their animals [11:51.72] [11:51.80]and to see which of the reindeer might be pregnant. [11:54.52] [11:54.60](SPEAKING CHINESE) [11:57.08] [11:59.16](LAUGHING) [12:01.36] [12:09.76](WOMAN SINGING) [12:11.44] [12:18.72](SINGING) [12:20.84] [12:30.36]Eighty-one-year-old Maliya Suo is one of only 30 Ewenki people [12:35.60] [12:35.68]still living the nomadic life in these cold northern lands. [12:40.16] [12:42.60]Almost all her fellow Ewenki have given up the forest life [12:47.12] [12:47.24]to settle in concrete houses in modern cities. [12:51.16] [12:53.28]The reindeer herders are now almost as rare as wild Siberian tigers. [12:58.20] [13:08.68]There's about to be a new addition to the family. [13:11.84] [13:36.84]The women act as midwives to the newborn calves, [13:39.96] [13:40.64]helping to nurture them through their first precious minutes of life. [13:45.04] [13:45.12](BELL DINGING) [13:46.80] [13:47.80]But the world around them is changing fast. [13:50.72] [13:51.32]This could be the last generation this ancient partnership will endure. [13:55.80] [13:57.68]This is hardly the image of the dangerous tribal people [14:00.96] [14:01.04]that the Great Wall was built to keep at bay. [14:04.04] [14:28.48]Along China's border with North Korea is this region's most famous mountain, [14:33.80] [14:35.64]Changbaishan. [14:37.36] [14:37.44]Its name means Ever-White, [14:39.68] [14:40.32]and it harbours the world's highest volcanic lake. [14:43.48] [14:44.20]Even in mid-May there is still ice everywhere. [14:47.36] [14:48.56]But there are signs that the seasons are changing. [14:52.08] [15:01.44]Warmer winds arrive from the south, and within a few short weeks [15:05.96] [15:06.04]Changbai Mountain is transformed. [15:08.68] [15:16.12]Water begins to flow down the mountainside once more, [15:19.52] [15:20.16]replenishing the landscape. [15:22.36] [15:25.24]It's June, and insects emerge to take advantage of the abundance of flowers. [15:30.84] [15:52.84]The warm weather sees the arrival of migrant birds. [15:56.40] [15:57.52]Stonechats that have spent the winter in the south of China [16:01.44] [16:01.52]return here to raise their chicks. [16:04.20] [16:20.40]With so many insects around, the stonechats may have several broods. [16:25.20] [16:51.36]Heading west from Changbai Mountain, [16:54.24] [16:54.32]the forests give way to rolling grasslands. [16:57.64] [17:04.92]The Great Wall stretches off into the distance, [17:08.28] [17:08.36]defining the southern limits of the vast Mongolian Steppe. [17:12.04] [17:16.84]North of the Wall are huge areas of grassland [17:19.88] [17:20.72]but one place on our journey is particularly significant. [17:24.72] [17:33.12]In the tall grass, a family of red foxes is raising its cubs. [17:37.88] [17:42.04]Today they have this meadow pretty much to themselves. [17:45.56] [17:46.12](HORSE SNORTING) [17:47.96] [17:48.04]But it wasn't always the case. [17:50.24] [17:52.08]Eight centuries ago, this place would have been teeming with people. [17:56.56] [17:58.16]Now these ruins in a field a short distance from Beijing [18:02.08] [18:02.16]are all that remains of the great city of Xanadu, [18:05.72] [18:06.56]once the summer capital of China. [18:09.24] [18:12.96]Within these walls it is said that the leader of the Mongolians, [18:17.48] [18:17.60]the mighty Kublai Khan, welcomed Marco Polo to China. [18:22.00] [18:24.24]Mongolian warriors established the greatest empire in history, [18:28.08] [18:28.84]stretching to the borders of Europe. [18:31.44] [18:32.04]Fear of this warrior tribe is the main reason [18:34.96] [18:35.04]the Han Chinese built the Great Wall. [18:37.64] [18:42.52]The cornerstone of the Mongolian's supremacy [18:45.44] [18:45.52]was their relationship with horses. [18:47.96] [18:48.04]This is what brought them such success in war. [18:51.20] [18:53.48]The Mongolian raiders travelled light, and rode with spare horses [18:57.48] [18:57.56]so they could move huge distances, [18:59.44] [18:59.52]strike and then retreat quicker than their opponents. [19:02.92] [19:09.16]At the heart of Mongolian culture is horse racing. [19:12.80] [19:13.80]The annual Nadam Festival, held each July, [19:17.24] [19:17.32]is a chance for young Mongolians to show off their horsemanship. [19:21.36] [19:22.64]It's said that Mongolian people are born in the saddle. [19:26.00] [19:26.08]Even as children, they are consummate riders. [19:29.40] [19:55.00](PEOPLE CHEERING) [19:56.88] [20:08.84](CHATTERING EXCITEDLY) [20:10.64] [20:46.48]Horsemanship was the core of the Mongolians' success [20:49.56] [20:49.64]as warriors in the past, [20:51.68] [20:51.76]and is central to their lives as nomads today. [20:54.92] [20:55.00](SHOUTING) [20:56.52] [21:00.96]In an area of grassland known as Bayanbulak, [21:04.56] [21:04.64]families of nomadic Mongolians are gathering. [21:07.64] [21:13.00](BLEATING) [21:14.72] [21:24.68]The name Bayanbulak means "rich headwaters" [21:28.12] [21:28.96]and they've come here to set up temporary homes [21:32.12] [21:32.20]to graze their livestock on the lush summer pastures. [21:35.68] [21:47.64]The search for fresh fodder for their animals keeps them on the go [21:52.04] [21:52.12]and being able to move home so easily is a real advantage. [21:55.88] [21:59.88](COWS MOOING) [22:01.32] [22:01.40]It takes only a few minutes for the Mongolian family [22:04.08] [22:04.16]to set up their yurts. [22:06.08] [22:14.72]But the Mongolians don't have this place all to themselves. [22:18.44] [22:22.80]The rich resources also attract a huge variety of birds. [22:26.64] [22:29.12]Demoiselle cranes, [22:30.92] [22:33.12]wading birds and waterfowl migrate here from all over Asia, [22:37.44] [22:38.40]drawn to the rivers and wetlands fed by glacial meltwater [22:42.28] [22:42.36]from nearby mountains. [22:44.32] [22:44.40](HONKING) [22:45.92] [22:51.20]This place is known in China as Swan Lake. [22:54.92] [22:55.76]It's the world's most important breeding site for whooper swans, [22:59.64] [23:00.28]and arguably, mosquitoes as well. [23:02.68] [23:10.72]The pastures at Swan Lake provide endless amounts of lush grass [23:14.40] [23:14.48]for birds to nest in and for livestock to eat. [23:17.76] [23:22.72]It would seem there's plenty for everybody. [23:26.00] [23:26.08]But occasionally they can get too close for comfort. [23:29.48] [23:34.16]Eight hundred years ago, [23:35.92] [23:36.00]the Mongolians were the most feared people on earth. [23:39.68] [23:39.76]But they have a spiritual side as well. [23:42.48] [23:44.92]The birds of Swan Lake have little cause to worry. [23:48.36] [23:50.76]The Mongolians protect the swans, and venerate them, [23:54.16] [23:54.24]calling them Birds of God. [23:56.72] [24:14.12]The Great Wall's journey through northern China continues westward [24:18.24] [24:19.12]bisecting a landscape that becomes increasingly parched. [24:23.20] [24:40.04]Our journey has brought us halfway across northern China [24:43.80] [24:43.88]and the grasslands are becoming hot, dry and desolate. [24:48.40] [24:58.36]Wandering these wastes are creatures that look more African than Asian. [25:02.68] [25:06.36]These are goitered gazelles, skittish and easily startled. [25:11.20] [25:13.88]When threatened by danger, they're as fast as a racehorse. [25:17.52] [25:18.08]But in this intense heat, they favour a gentler pace. [25:22.16] [25:24.84]There's little standing water here, [25:27.36] [25:27.44]but the gazelles have a remarkable ability [25:29.52] [25:29.60]to extract moisture from dry grass. [25:32.20] [25:33.00]Although finding enough worth eating keeps them constantly on the move. [25:36.84] [25:52.08]Even out here in the semi-deserts, the Wall continues its long march. [25:56.88] [25:58.40]Here, it's made of little more than compacted earth. [26:01.52] [26:02.28]But with hardly any rain falling, [26:04.92] [26:05.00]it's suffered very little erosion over the centuries. [26:08.56] [26:09.96]Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives building it. [26:13.80] [26:14.20]Yet it seems hard to believe that anyone felt [26:17.60] [26:17.72]that these distant wastelands needed protecting. [26:20.96] [26:23.28]But the Wall still has one final surprise. [26:26.36] [26:33.32]This is Jiayuguan, the mighty fortress in the desert. [26:38.08] [26:39.64]Built in the Ming dynasty over 600 years ago, [26:42.80] [26:42.88]legend says that the construction of the fortress was so meticulously planned [26:47.76] [26:47.84]that 100,000 bricks were specially made [26:51.20] [26:51.28]and only one brick was left unused. [26:54.44] [26:58.00]This fortress marks the end of the Great Wall of China. [27:01.84] [27:02.32]The greatest man-made barrier on earth. [27:05.04] [27:06.32]But ahead lies an even more formidable barrier. [27:10.00] [27:10.96]A vast no-man's land of deserts that stretch westward [27:14.84] [27:14.92]to the borders of Central Asia. [27:17.20] [27:23.36]Jiayuguan Fortress was considered [27:25.52] [27:25.60]to be the last outpost of Chinese civilisation. [27:28.80] [27:29.96]Beyond this point lay utter desolation. [27:33.12] [27:38.56]China's largest desert, the Taklamakan, lies out here. [27:43.52] [27:44.00]Its name has been translated as "You go in, and you never come out." [27:49.24] [27:51.96]This is a place of intense heat, [27:54.32] [27:54.96]abrasive wind-blown sand totally hostile to life. [28:00.00] [28:03.12]Yet there was a route through the desert. [28:05.84] [28:06.32]For those brave enough to risk their lives for it. [28:09.56] [28:13.24]People were lured into the horrors of the deserts [28:16.28] [28:16.36]because the Chinese had a secret so powerful [28:19.60] [28:19.68]that it changed the course of history. [28:22.32] [28:23.08]The key to that secret lies in the distant past. [28:26.24] [28:27.76]Legend has it that around 5,000 years ago, [28:31.84] [28:31.92]a princess was walking in her garden [28:34.68] [28:34.76]when something unusual fell into her tea cup. [28:38.24] [28:39.80]A magical thread was extracted [28:42.44] [28:42.52]and it became more prized than gold or jade. [28:46.04] [28:48.20]The thread was silk. [28:51.28] [28:56.16]Incredibly, such a beautiful substance and all the history behind it [29:01.24] [29:01.32]comes from a humble little insect. [29:04.60] [29:04.68]The silkworm. [29:06.20] [29:10.76]Silk moths lay several hundred eggs, and the tiny caterpillars that emerge [29:16.28] [29:16.72]eat nothing but mulberry leaves. [29:19.08] [29:28.80]After 50 days of gluttony [29:31.36] [29:31.44]they've grown 10,000 times heavier. [29:34.44] [29:35.68]By this stage, 25% of their body mass [29:39.80] [29:39.88]is made up of silk glands. [29:42.28] [29:45.44]In the process of turning into adult moths, they spin a cocoon [29:48.84] [29:48.92]from a single strand of silk which can be over 1,000 metres long. [29:53.88] [29:55.96]It was the legendary strength and brightness of silk fibres [29:58.80] [29:58.88]that made it so sought after. [30:01.20] [30:04.84]For over 5,000 years, people built great fortunes [30:08.28] [30:08.36]and mighty kingdoms on these delicate threads. [30:11.40] [30:12.60]And the desert routes those ancient traders took [30:15.96] [30:16.04]became the fabled Silk Road. [30:18.96] [30:25.32]The principle of extracting raw silk hasn't changed since its discovery. [30:30.24] [30:32.48]Harvested cocoons are dropped into boiling water [30:35.48] [30:35.56]which unravels the long filaments. [30:38.12] [30:39.16]These are then gathered and spun into raw silk thread. [30:43.20] [31:28.64]Here at Hotan, on the ancient Silk Road, [31:31.84] [31:32.28]silk weaving is still a cottage industry, [31:35.44] [31:35.52]done the old-fashioned way on wooden looms. [31:38.56] [31:52.80]For the ancient Silk Road traders, [31:55.48] [31:55.56]the problem was still how to get the valuable silk [31:58.28] [31:58.36]from the fortress at Jiayuguan [32:00.64] [32:00.72]through the deserts to the markets of Central Asia and beyond. [32:04.68] [32:08.88](CAMELS GRUNTING) [32:10.56] [32:18.96]Those early travellers heading west on the Silk Road [32:22.36] [32:22.44]were setting off on the worst voyage imaginable [32:25.56] [32:26.12]through some of the most terrible places on earth. [32:29.32] [32:31.60]Starting with the world's tallest sand dunes. [32:34.68] [32:39.20]Strong winds whipping in from the west blow the sand into ever higher dunes. [32:44.72] [32:46.24]Over millennia, mega-dunes build up. [32:49.96] [32:50.04]Walls of sand soaring to over 500 metres tall. [32:54.20] [32:57.96]Camels are the only beasts of burden that can tackle these monstrous dunes. [33:02.64] [33:03.44]Their feet are wide and splay outwards to stop them sinking in loose sand. [33:08.08] [33:09.12](MAN CALLING) [33:10.36] [33:10.44](CAMEL GRUNTING) [33:12.28] [33:16.12]The wind that whips the sand into dunes [33:18.80] [33:18.88]has created other bizarre shapes in China's western deserts. [33:22.88] [33:24.60]Mysterious giant structures, known as Yardangs, [33:28.76] [33:28.84]were sculpted by flying sand. [33:31.24] [33:33.00](WIND WHOOSHING) [33:34.76] [33:42.68]The wind brought other hazards to travellers in these deserts. [33:46.84] [33:46.92]Marco Polo wrote, [33:49.36] [33:49.44]"Sometimes the stray travellers will hear the tramp and hum [33:53.72] [33:53.80]"of a great cavalcade of people away from the real line of march [33:58.52] [33:58.60]"and taking this to be their own company they will follow the sound. [34:02.84] [34:03.56]"And when day breaks, they find that a cheat has been put on them. [34:08.68] [34:08.76]"And that they are in an ill plight." [34:11.48] [34:11.56](HUMMING) [34:13.28] [34:18.96]To this day, no one knows what causes the sands [34:22.36] [34:22.44]in some parts of the desert to sing. [34:25.68] [34:25.80](HUMMING CONTINUES) [34:27.60] [34:28.96]No wonder travellers call this place Fury of God [34:32.80] [34:32.88]and Sea of Death. [34:34.80] [34:38.68]But the most severe problem was lack of water. [34:41.80] [34:42.92]The reason this place is so intensely dry [34:46.20] [34:46.28]can best be appreciated from a satellite view. [34:49.72] [34:51.08]China's deserts are the farthest place on earth from any ocean. [34:55.96] [34:58.68]This lack of water is what created the Taklamakan. [35:02.88] [35:04.08]An area the size of Germany, covered in sand dunes, [35:07.04] [35:07.12]through which the Silk Road traversed, [35:10.28] [35:10.36]this is the world's largest shifting sand desert. [35:13.60] [35:15.68]Most living creatures would die here. [35:18.40] [35:19.04]But the camel is uniquely equipped for desert survival. [35:23.12] [35:26.64]Its nose humidifies the dry desert air as it breathes in, [35:31.20] [35:31.88]then dehumidifies it on the way out, conserving precious water. [35:36.80] [35:38.40]The camel's thick fur keeps it warm at night [35:41.20] [35:41.28]while reflecting sunlight by day [35:43.96] [35:44.04]and its body temperature can rise by six degrees Celsius [35:48.04] [35:48.12]before it even begins to sweat. [35:50.44] [35:51.92]With these adaptations, it can go for days without drinking. [35:56.32] [36:03.68]For the camel trains, travel through the desert is about moving [36:07.20] [36:07.28]between one lifesaving oasis and the next. [36:10.60] [36:11.76](CAMELS GRUNTING) [36:12.92] [36:13.00]When they finally do reach a drinking hole, [36:15.76] [36:15.84]camels can drink up to 60 litres of water in 10 minutes. [36:20.72] [36:37.56]Without oases, life in the Taklamakan couldn't exist [36:43.00] [36:43.08]and travel would be impossible. [36:45.36] [36:46.44]But nothing is permanent in the desert. [36:49.24] [36:49.32]The shifting sands and the extreme climate mean [36:52.56] [36:52.64]that these precious water sources can disappear. [36:56.40] [37:02.64]This is exactly what happened at Aydingkol Lake. [37:06.92] [37:10.56]The lake bed is the second-lowest place on earth [37:13.72] [37:14.40]at 154 metres below sea level. [37:17.84] [37:19.04]It's the hottest place in China [37:21.00] [37:21.08]with air temperatures recorded as high as 50 degrees Celsius [37:25.44] [37:25.52]and ground temperatures up to 80 degrees. [37:28.68] [37:30.64]Yet not far from Aydingkol is a surprise. [37:33.76] [37:35.64]A thriving human settlement in the desert. [37:38.68] [37:51.76]This is Turpan oasis. [37:54.56] [37:57.52]And it's famous in China for an unexpected product. [38:01.08] [38:04.48]Grapes. [38:05.88] [38:08.04]But how on earth can a water-hungry crop grow in such abundance in a desert? [38:13.52] [38:16.80]The secret lies below ground. [38:19.84] [38:21.12]A subterranean network of canals known as karez [38:24.84] [38:24.92]is used to channel water around Turpan's streets and into the vineyards. [38:30.32] [38:32.40]But where does the water come from? [38:35.00] [38:35.96]The clue lies on the desert floor in these lines of holes which mark [38:40.28] [38:40.36]the course of the subterranean waterways. [38:43.28] [38:45.28]Over two millennia ago, local people carved [38:48.60] [38:48.68]more than 3,000 kilometres of these canals [38:51.48] [38:51.56]beneath the desert, diverting water from the distant mountains. [38:56.48] [38:58.40]Channelling the flow underground [39:00.84] [39:00.92]means that less water is lost to evaporation in the desert heat. [39:05.08] [39:22.28](PEOPLE CHATTERING) [39:24.08] [39:43.16]In August, the grapes are harvested. [39:45.80] [39:50.92](MEN SHOUTING) [39:52.64] [39:58.64]This rich bounty does not go unnoticed. [40:02.00] [40:03.60]In the lush vineyards of Turpan, one animal is thriving. [40:08.16] [40:15.04]Red-tailed gerbils are hardy desert creatures, [40:18.48] [40:18.56]but those in Turpan have never had it so good. [40:22.28] [40:22.60](SPEAKING CHINESE) [40:24.56] [40:26.56](MAN SPEAKING CHINESE) [40:28.88] [40:30.96]Once the grapes have been picked, some are sold in the market. [40:35.48] [40:35.56]But most are hung up to dry in special drying houses. [40:39.08] [40:51.00]This place is far too tempting for any rodent to resist. [40:54.96] [41:01.20]Red-tailed gerbils are excellent climbers. [41:04.04] [41:04.80]But why bother when there's plenty of bounty lying around [41:08.36] [41:08.44]on the ground, unguarded? [41:11.12] [41:18.72]Rather than suffering the extreme environment in which they live, [41:22.76] [41:22.84]the wildlife and people of Turpan have found [41:26.24] [41:26.32]innovative ways to cope with conditions beyond the Wall. [41:29.88] [41:32.80]But not all desert communities were as resourceful as Turpan. [41:36.64] [41:39.88]Between here and China's western borders, [41:42.68] [41:42.76]lie the ruins of many great cities. [41:45.60] [41:50.48]In their day they were vibrant, thriving places. [41:54.36] [41:59.48]But in the 5th century, the Silk Road's fortunes [42:03.12] [42:03.20]took a turn for the worse. [42:05.40] [42:06.80]Once again a princess was involved. [42:09.92] [42:10.64]She smuggled silkworm eggs out of China. [42:14.24] [42:15.68]The secret of silk was a secret no more. [42:19.12] [42:20.16]And China's stranglehold on this lucrative trade was over. [42:25.04] [42:27.80]Even when Marco Polo passed along the Silk Road in the 13th century, [42:33.00] [42:33.08]many of these cities had been dead for over 500 years. [42:37.60] [42:42.20]But the Silk Road's most famous city managed to survive. [42:46.24] [42:48.60]Where the desert ends beneath vast mountain ranges, [42:52.00] [42:52.08]China's westernmost point is only a stone's throw from the borders of [42:56.56] [42:56.64]five Central Asian countries. [42:59.20] [43:00.44]This is Kashgar, where east meets west. [43:04.36] [43:10.20]The silk that travelled along the Silk Road ended up here [43:14.44] [43:14.52]where it's still traded today. [43:16.88] [43:16.96](PEOPLE CHATTERING) [43:18.76] [43:20.08](SPEAKING CHINESE) [43:22.48] [43:32.60]NARRATOR: Kashgar is famous for selling everything under the sun. [43:36.52] [43:39.32]The local Sunday market is one of Asia's largest and most exuberant gatherings. [43:44.24] [43:46.56](SPEAKING CHINESE) [43:48.92] [43:59.88]But looking around the market, [44:01.64] [44:01.72]it's hard to believe you're actually in China. [44:04.96] [44:05.04]Kashgar is a melting pot of non-Chinese ethnic people. [44:08.76] [44:09.56]Uyghurs, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and many others. [44:15.52] [44:17.84]Here, our journey heads northwards into one of China's wildest places. [44:24.20] [44:26.88]Leaving Kashgar and the Silk Road behind we travel into the Tian Shan, [44:32.80] [44:33.60]or Heavenly Mountains. [44:36.04] [44:37.36]This great mountain range defines the border between [44:40.40] [44:40.48]China's most north-western province [44:43.00] [44:43.08]and neighbouring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. [44:46.88] [44:48.08]Its majestic peaks are nearly as high as the Himalayas [44:51.92] [44:52.00]forming a natural great wall. [44:54.76] [45:02.16]For much of the year it's bound up in ice. [45:05.24] [45:05.32]But the glacial meltwater allows evergreen forests to grow. [45:09.36] [45:10.04]A far cry from the deserts south of here. [45:13.00] [45:18.68]These mountains are the gateway to some of China's [45:21.16] [45:21.24]most surprising people and places. [45:24.40] [45:30.48]In the upland valleys, a family of Kazakhs [45:33.04] [45:33.12]has been grazing their livestock all summer [45:35.76] [45:35.84]on the lush alpine meadows. [45:38.16] [45:40.96](COWS MOOING) [45:42.56] [45:42.64]It's autumn, in a few weeks' time [45:45.32] [45:45.40]winter snows will seal the mountain passes. [45:48.60] [45:48.68]So the Kazakhs have decided to break camp, [45:51.20] [45:51.28]and move while they still can. [45:53.80] [46:04.44](PEOPLE CHATTERING) [46:06.08] [46:10.92](MAN SPEAKING CHINESE) [46:13.84] [46:13.92]Turning their backs on the mountain pastures, [46:17.12] [46:17.20]they have many long weeks of travel ahead of them [46:19.44] [46:19.52]along well-worn trails. [46:21.76] [46:46.56]Their destination could hardly be more different [46:49.00] [46:49.08]from the Heavenly Mountains' lush pastures. [46:51.92] [46:52.60](MAN WHISTLING) [46:54.28] [46:54.68]These paths head into one of China's wildest and least known places. [46:59.68] [47:12.56]This is the Junggar Basin. [47:15.24] [47:15.32]An arid land that lies [47:17.08] [47:17.16]at the westernmost edge of the great Gobi Desert. [47:20.36] [47:24.12]The most northerly desert in the world. [47:27.00] [47:35.64]The Junggar is a place of surprises. [47:38.64] [47:39.56]This bizarre landscape is called the Five Coloured Hills. [47:43.20] [47:44.00]And though very little lives here now, [47:46.68] [47:46.76]the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus Rex once roamed these hills, [47:51.24] [47:51.80]their fossils only discovered in 2006. [47:55.64] [48:09.24]But the Junggar is not entirely lifeless. [48:12.36] [48:16.20]In the darkness, a little Roborovski's Hamster [48:19.16] [48:19.24]emerges to search for food. [48:21.44] [48:27.88]They're the world's smallest hamsters, the size of a Ping-Pong ball. [48:32.84] [48:33.72]And they live in family groups of around 10. [48:36.64] [48:39.16]Unlike the Kazakhs, hamsters can't migrate to avoid the severity of winter. [48:44.36] [48:45.96]They have to prepare for difficult times by storing up provisions [48:49.92] [48:50.00]to spend the season underground. [48:52.60] [48:57.64]Anyone who has kept a pet hamster [48:59.92] [49:00.00]knows what an energetic little creature it can be. [49:03.28] [49:09.24]In a single night, a hamster may cover the equivalent [49:12.48] [49:12.56]of four human marathons. [49:14.68] [49:18.72]But foraging far and wide creates a problem. [49:21.88] [49:21.96]How to carry the harvest back to its nest. [49:24.88] [49:26.16]Here the hamster's famous flexible cheek pouches come into play. [49:30.24] [49:31.08]They can be stuffed full of seeds for carrying back to the burrow. [49:35.20] [49:40.56]Underground, the family has special food chambers to store the bounty. [49:45.08] [49:49.72]This supply will have to last them through the lean and cold times ahead. [49:53.92] [49:55.20]Winter is on its way. [49:57.32] [50:09.08]Within a few short weeks, the Five Coloured Hills [50:12.64] [50:12.72]are blanketed in snow, driven by icy winds from Siberia. [50:18.36] [50:23.96]Despite being at the same latitude as Venice, [50:27.16] [50:27.24]Asia's northern deserts have no nearby sea to warm them [50:31.16] [50:31.24]and so suffer bitterly cold winters. [50:34.04] [50:36.84]When it melts next spring, [50:38.80] [50:38.88]the snow will provide moisture for grasses [50:41.24] [50:41.32]and other plants to grow. [50:43.44] [50:47.88]Like almost everywhere beyond the Wall, the harsh conditions [50:51.68] [50:51.76]force people and wildlife to keep moving to find enough to survive. [50:56.24] [50:57.32](WOMAN SPEAKING CHINESE) [51:00.32] [51:00.40]The Kazakhs have arrived from the Tian Shan mountains [51:03.60] [51:03.72]to graze their animals on the meagre pickings in the Junggar. [51:07.64] [51:07.72](BLEATING) [51:09.00] [51:09.08]But the Kazakhs don't have this place all to themselves. [51:12.80] [51:14.80]Their winter migration routes take them past a fenced enclosure in the desert. [51:19.68] [51:22.00]The horses on this side of the fence [51:24.08] [51:24.16]aren't domestic animals like those belonging to the Mongolians and Kazakhs. [51:28.76] [51:31.04]These are the last wild horses on earth. [51:35.24] [51:37.92]Millions of them once ranged all the way to Europe. [51:41.12] [51:41.20]But now they barely number in the hundreds. [51:44.20] [51:46.00]For part of the winter the wild horses are quarantined [51:49.28] [51:49.36]to stop them mating with the Kazakhs' horses. [51:52.48] [51:55.72]That way the gene pool of the rare wild animals can be kept pure. [52:00.52] [52:05.08]There is a bigger problem, however. [52:07.60] [52:08.48]The livestock and the wild horses compete for the same food. [52:12.92] [52:15.64]Many Kazakh families and their flocks will pass through here over the winter. [52:20.72] [52:28.52]By the time the wild horses can be released from the pen, [52:32.36] [52:32.44]much of the best forage will be gone. [52:35.56] [52:39.16]When there's so little to go round in the first place, [52:42.68] [52:42.76]it doesn't take much for the situation to turn critical. [52:46.40] [52:48.76]Even in the least inhabited parts of China, [52:51.64] [52:51.72]wildlife and people come into conflict in the struggle to survive. [52:56.12] [53:04.00]Yet in this barren landscape, a remarkable association between [53:07.92] [53:08.00]people and wildlife persists. [53:09.80] [53:09.88](CHIRPING) [53:11.32] [53:11.40]A tradition harking back almost 6,000 years. [53:15.52] [53:19.48]Eighty-two-year-old Ziya carries on a tradition that has made the Kazakhs [53:24.04] [53:24.12]famous throughout China. [53:26.32] [53:28.92]Every winter for most of his life, Ziya has gone hunting [53:33.80] [53:33.88]with a golden eagle. [53:36.08] [53:48.40]This eagle is around five years old. [53:51.00] [53:51.80]It was taken from the wild as a chick and raised by Ziya [53:56.64] [53:56.72]who trained it to return to him after each flight. [53:59.88] [54:01.08]He will keep this bird for a total of 10 seasons before setting it free. [54:05.56] [54:10.88]Foxes were once the favourite quarry for eagle hunters. [54:14.52] [54:15.36]These days they almost never catch anything. [54:18.60] [54:19.40]As in many parts of China, [54:21.12] [54:21.20]wildlife is far scarcer here than it used to be. [54:24.56] [54:33.76]When Ziya finally releases this eagle, [54:36.64] [54:37.52]it will be the end of his hunting days. [54:40.48] [54:56.04]Many of the younger generation of China's nomads [54:59.04] [54:59.12]are moving to modern cities and leaving their traditions behind, [55:03.24] [55:03.32]their lives no longer ruled by the changing of the seasons. [55:07.16] [55:17.68]Back in the northeast, in mid-winter, [55:20.60] [55:20.68]the Great Wall still dominates the landscape. [55:23.56] [55:24.76]Originally built to keep out dangerous warriors, [55:27.96] [55:28.04]today it is little more than a curiosity. [55:31.32] [55:33.16]The Han Chinese, whose ancestors built the wall, [55:36.64] [55:36.72]now live in great cities like Harbin, far to the north. [55:41.08] [55:44.96]Each year, the artists of Harbin get ready for a special winter celebration. [55:50.76] [55:54.72]Giant blocks of ice from nearby rivers undergo a magical transformation. [55:59.60] [56:03.32]Tourists flock to Harbin from all over China [56:06.56] [56:06.64]to see the spectacular carvings, [56:09.40] [56:09.48]and the ice city that has sprung up all around. [56:13.00] [56:26.00](SPEAKING CHINESE) [56:28.04] [56:32.68](SCREAMING GLEEFULLY) [56:34.48] [56:35.24]It takes 10,000 people 18 days to construct this icy wonderland. [56:40.64] [56:50.44]It's impressive enough by day. [56:52.84] [57:00.32]But the magic of this place only becomes apparent once the sun goes down. [57:05.16] [57:40.16]Northern China can be a harsh place, but also a place of great beauty. [57:46.08] [57:51.16]The Harbin Ice Festival shows how attitudes have changed [57:55.08] [57:55.16]since the Great Wall was built. [57:57.56] [58:01.16]No longer are the extremes of life beyond the Wall merely to be feared. [58:06.04] [58:07.44](WOMEN LAUGHING) [58:08.68] [58:08.76]Now it is possible to celebrate them, too. [58:12.88]

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