Protected by the Great Wall in the north
and fed by the Yellow and Yangtse rivers
China's eastern heartland
is the center of a flourishing civilization
which spends more than 5 000 years
To outsiders
this is a mysterious land
It contains dazzling man-made structures
and it's home to some of China's rarest
and most charismatic creatures
The people who live here
the Han Chinese
comprise the largest ethnic group in the world
and their language
Mandarin
is the world's oldest and most widely spoken language
In the last 50 years
China has seen massive development
bringing many environmental problems
but the relationship of the Chinese
to their environment and its creatures
is in fact deep
complex, and extraordinary
In this program
we'll look for clues to this ancient relationship
and what it means for the future of China
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Our journey starts at the very heart of China
Beijing
China's capital is a vast metropolis
home to 15 million people
This bustling modern city seems an unlikely place
for traditional beliefs and customs
but beneath the contemporary veneer
it's possible to see glimpses of a far older China
Every morning
people head to the parks around the Forbidden City
to continue a custom which is centuries old
Many Chinese keep birds as companions
specifically a type of laughing thrush from southern China
But they know that cooped up indoors
birds may become depressed
so they try to brighten their day
by meeting other birds
This surprising scene in the heart of modern Beijing
is a clue to China's oldest spiritual ambition
the harmonious coexistence of man and nature
But from the 1950s onwards
this ancient belief was to be severely challenged
After a century of humiliation and intervention
by foreign powers
chairman Mao sought to rebuild China's dignity
Mao believed strongly in self-reliance
achieve through using all of nature's resources
Mao's first concern was to feed the Chinese people
by turning as much land as possible
over to grain production
destroying non-cereal crops
and uprooting fruit trees in the process
A campaign to eliminate crop-raiding sparrows backfired
when insect-eating birds were also targeted
causing an increase in insect pests
Efforts to make China self-reliant in steel
resulted in 10% of the country's forests being felled
to feed the furnaces
This had a profound impact on China's environment
with effects in some cases lasting until the present day
Mao's policy towards the countryside
has been described in the phrase
"man must conquer nature"
quite different from the ancient concept
of harmonious co-existence with nature
As modern China engages with the outside world
which of this attitude seems likely to prevail
To find the answers
we'll travel to far reaches of the heartland
to see how its traditional cultures and unique creatures
are faring today
Beijing has always depended on the North China Plain
a rich farm land twice the size of the UK
The fertility of this plain derives from further west
from the Loess Plateau
The mineral-rich soil of the Loess plateau
is incredibly fertile
People have lived here for thousands of years
hollowing their homes out of the soft soil
The caves might lack glamour of Beijing
but people can survive here
warm, secure, but best of all
well fed
As a result of centuries of farming
the landscape has become scarred
with thousands of water-worn gullies
But this spectacular erosion
has had an unexpected benefit
The streams which drain the gullies
carry the fertile yellow soil
into the plateau's major river
known to the Han people
as the mother of Chinese civilization
This is the Yellow River
Each year
the Yellow River carries billions of tons of sediment
from the Loess plateau
eastwards to the crop fields of the Chinese heartland
Historically, the Chinese relationship with the river
has been uneasy
Sediment, building up on the riverbed
has caused the Yellow River to burst its bank periodically
unleashing devastating floods
resulting in millions of deaths
But when tamed with dykes and channels
the river's bounty is legendary
Even today
half of China's wheat
comes from the Yellow River floodplain
For thousands of years, the sediment-rich Yellow River
has underpined the prosperity of the Chinese heartland
But increased demand for water by people and industry
now threaten to run the river dry
And the source of its fertility
the Loess Plateau is also under threat
Loosened by cultivation
its soft soil is blowing away
The North China Plain is choked with dust storms
that even loom over Beijing
So much so
that the Chinese government
has made improving the city's air quality a priority
in the run up to the Beijing Olympics
Heartland China's life-support system is in trouble
yet, in a few places
it's still possible to find landscapes
that appear to have remained untouched
At the southern edge of the North China Plain
lie the Qinling Mountains
At 1500km long
they run like a backbone through the middle of China
Deep within the mountains
is a maze of remote valleys and forests
home to strange and wonderful creatures
These are Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys
a species unique to China
Seldom seen, they are frequently heard
Their strange child-like calls and extraordinary appearance
may have inspired the local tales
of yeti-like wild man of the mountain
As winter temperatures drop to -10°C
their dense fur keeps them warm
Mutual grooming not only keeps that precious fur
in good condition
but also helps to reinforce bonds within the troop
In summer, the monkeys go around in huge bands
but at this lean time of the year
they split up into smaller foraging parties
In the dead of winter
the monkeys are forced to rummage around the rocks
for a few meager morsels of lichen and moss
As the world surrounding their mountain home
has filled up with towns and croplands
the snub-nosed monkeys' habitat
has changed dramatically
Today, there are just 10 000 left in existence
To the people who live in the Qinling mountain
the forest and its wildlife are a resource to be used
the basis of their livelihood
These people share the forest
with an even more illusive inhabitant
It's probably China's most famous animal
but very few have ever seen it
Unlike the monkeys
this cerature has a very specific diet
bamboo
It's a wild Giant Panda
Secret and sensitive to noise
the giant panda is often gone
before anyone going get close to it
The panda has long been known in China
It was mentioned in dictionaries more than 2000 years ago
and the imperial garden is said to have housed one
In the dense bamboo of the forest
one panda rarely sees another
Instead, they communicate by subtle scent signals
At 1.5m long and 135 kilos, the giant panda
is a member of the bear family
But its bear-like digest system
is built for eating meat, not this tough fibrous stuff
And to make matters worse
the bamboo leaves are frozen solid
But the panda has devised a cunning way
of breaking the ice off
It rubs the bamboo over its snout
Unlike other bears
the panda can't fatten itself up and hibernate
through the winter
Bamboo is so low in energy
that the panda must spend most of the day eating
Once it has exhausted one area
it must move on to the next
The panda's paw is surprisingly unbearlike too
It's flexible
with an enlarged wrist bone which allows it to grasp
but maneuver the bamboo with dexterity and precision
that a monkey would be proud of
Twisting the bamboo leaves into a cigar shape
makes them easier to munch
Hungry pandas once roamed
across vast tracks of bamboo-rich forest
that covered much of China's heartland
But since the 1950s
logging has fragmented the Qinling mountain forests
Its remaining wild pandas are now confined
within isolated reserves
In the last 50 years
China's heartland has been subjected
to desertification, drying rivers and deforestation
affecting not only people, but wildlife too
The relationship between the Chinese people
and their environment
appears bo be out of balance
but if we dig a little bit deeper
there are some surprising and intimate connections
even today
Clues to the nature of these links
can be found in everyday life
even in the centre of China's capital city
In the parks of Beijing
mandarin ducks keep a close watch over their young
Believed by the Chinese to pair for life
they have been seen for centuries as a symbol
of love and fidelity
Images of these birds are believed
to improve personal relationships
As a result
Beijing's mandarin ducks are highly protected
The alleyways of the capitals's ancient hutongs
are home to a very different kind of creature
Each day, Zhou Guoguang
tends his brood of pigeons
his chance to escape the pressures of city life
for an hour or two
Up here on the rooftops
Zhou is confident his charges will be safe
but in the streets below
lurk dangerous spirits that scavenge and steal
Deeper into the hutongs
the influence of modern Beijing recedes
These alleys are full of ancient beliefs
As night falls
spirits emerge from their hiding places
The Yellow Weasel
Some people believe
that offending this crafty predator
can bring bad luck
so they turned a blind eye
to the weasel's night-time marauding
Old beliefs
coupled with a rising awareness of conservation
are helping the yellow weasel's survive
in the middle of Beijing
despite killing the odd pigeon
In the south of China
the relationship with nature appears more brutal
Cantonese cuisine is famous for its diversity
summed up in the saying
"we'll eat anything on 4 legs, except a table"
And though the government has banned
the consumption of wildlife in China
and most of the meat here
comes from captive-bred animals
a significant amount is taken illegally from the wild
This restaurant in Hongkong specializes in serpents
Most are harmless rat snakes
but with the odd cobra on the menu
one false move could spell trouble
Chau Ka-Ling has lost count of the number of times
she's been bitten
so she always carries a Chinese herbal remedy
just in case
We might turn our noses up
at such a strange choice of food
but eating snakes is more than just a matter of taste
the Cantonese believe it can help to clean the blood
increase vitality
and beautify the skin
In such a crowded land
a tradition of eating everything with very little waste
could be seen as commendable thrift
The problem is that there are so many people
eating wild food in south China
that the illegal supply chain
stretches well beyond its borders
contributing to the disappearance of wildlife
not only within China
but from other countries too
A visit to a traditional Chinese medicine shop
reveals another aspect of the use of animals and plants
Dr. Song has been practicing for over 20 years
The most important part of his diagnosis is the pulse
examined in several places
Dr. also observes the color of the tongue and eyes
and asks questions about the patient's taste
smell and even dreams
Once satisfied with his diagnosis
he'll write a prescription
using a script unique to doctors
Chinese traditional medicine
uses an incredible array of animals, vegetables and minerals
to treat the individual rather than the illness
aiming to restore the harmony of opposing
but complementary forces
known in China as "yin and yang"
The concept is rooted in the ancient belief
that the universe is harmonious
and that the people are intimately connected to
and affected by their environment
Despite the seemingly bizarre nature of the ingredients
Chinese traditional medicine
has been successfully treating people
for thousands of years
But although the use of endangered wildlife ingredients
in medicine is now banned in China
some wild animals and plants are still used illegally
once again, nature bears the cost
But Chinese tradition has borrowed from nature
in other ways which are not in the least exploitative
In ancient Chinese philosophy
man was considered part of the natural world
and able to benefit from its wisdom
Thousands of years ago
buddhist monks on sacred shaolin mountain
buddhist monks on sacred Shaolin Mountain
incorporated their observations of wild creatures
into a system of exercises
to help the flow of energy and build strength
This animal-inspired art-form
became kung fu
Today, ancient Shaolin Mountain
the place where kung fu began
remains its prime training center
Shi Yanting is a master
Students from all over the country come here to learn
the ancient knowledge derived from the natural world
The emphasis today
is perhaps more on the physical
rather than the philosophical elements
that underlie kungfu
but it's a significant re-awakening
This seven-year-old
is perfecting the devastating punch
of the praying mantis
When combined and perfected
these animal forms
such as mantis
monkey and crane
become an unstoppable force
Ancient Chinese philosophy took nature itself
as the inspiration for its most fabulous creature
Fertile rivers may have shaped this civilization
but the Chinese believed
that the rivers themselves were formed and controlled
by a dragon
Unlike the destructive dragon of the west
the Chinese dragon was benevolent
provided it was treated with respect
The ancient Chinese called themselves
descendants of the dragon
and knew they needed to live harmoniously
in the dragon's realm
This respect for the dragon
has relevance today
for a remarkable creature which lives around
the paddy fields of China's other great river
the Yangtze
This fearsome-looking beast
is a Chinese alligator
known as the Muddy Dragon
Despite its association with the mythical Chinese dragon
the reptile has long been regarded by country people
as a fish-eating pest
and has been persecuted
almost to the point of extinction
There are only around 150 Chinese alligators
left in the wild
and it's mainly down to the care and protection
offered by dedicated people like retired farmer
Chang Jinrong
that any survive at all
Today, most Chinese alligators live in captivity
At this breeding center near Xuancheng
Chinese alligators gather for their extraordinary courtship
The males bellow to attract a mate
As it travels through the water
the sound is both heard and felt by the female
The bellowing
is her cue to investigate
In the alien world of the Chinese alligator
these two will be able to learn much about each other
using the scent glands under their jaws
Satisfied with her choice
the two swim off together before mating
The muddy dragon owes its continued survival
to a government initiative a quarter of a century ago
which created the captive breeding center
at Xuancheng
Having dug a little deeper
it does seem that ancient beliefs about nature
still have resonance in modern China
Far upstream
along one of the Yangtze's mountain tributaries
another ambitious conservation project
is attempting to save China's most famous creature
China's first captive breeding center for the giant panda
opened in 1983
This is Wolong Reserve
a far cry from the bamboo forests
where wild pandas live
Every spring
male and female pandas are ferried around the site
in the hope
that introductions will lead to romance
Scientists
have been trying to encourage the pandas
to breed naturally
but it's difficult to the get the conditions right
since few people have ever seen
how panda courtship happens in the wild
Meanwhile
artificial insemination
has proved highly successful
At just five weeks old
this baby needs 24-hour care
It's simply too precious to be entrusted
to its natural mother
who may have little experience of parenthood
After initial teething problems
Wolong's artificial insemination program
has been remarkably successful
In 2006
the reserve reared 16 cubs
and there're now more captive bred pandas at Wolong
and can be safely released back
into the shrinking wild habitat
In nature
giant pandas learn survival skills from their mother
but have little contact with other pandas
These youngsters may have exceptional social skills
but they wouldn't have a clue how to survive in the wild
All the majority
their future lies in zoos
While the ultimate value
of captive breeding projects like this is debatable
there are places in China
where animals are being successfully protected
in their wild habitat
Right at the top of the Qinling Mountains
lives a rare and mysterious creature
that has inspired legends as far away as ancient Greece
The size of a buffalo and with a temper to match
this is the original owner of the Golden Fleece
the Golden Takin
Golden takin make their way to the top of the mountains
for the breeding season
It's an opportunity for the males to prove their mettle
They are formidable and aggressive creatures
Now victorious
this male will have access to the females
Despite living high on the mountains
golden takin were once hunted to near extinction
for their meat
In a return to the laws of ancient China
there is now a government ban on poaching
and the takin is officially protected
Attitudes towards nature in China
are clearly complex and rooted in tradition
And in the Qinling Mountains there is one story
that shows just how valuable these traditions can be
Every morning
a flock of crested ibis leave
their roost close to the village of Yangxian
in search of food
Traditionally,the birds' departure
marked the start of the farmers' day
Crested ibises need wetlands for feeding
and rice paddys are the perfect place to hunt for
eels, frogs and snails
The birds and farmers
had probably coexisted here for thousands of years
until the 20th century
when in many parts of China
rice was replaced by more profitable wheat production
Crested ibis numbers rapidly declined
At one point
they were even believed to be extinct
Then, in 1981
the last seven crested ibises on Earth
were found here
The Chinese government stepped in
protecting the rice paddies
so the birds could continue to feed
and safeguarding neighboring trees
to enable them to breed
Rescued from the brink of extinction
there are now 500 crested ibis
living around Yangxian town
In modern China
room is being made for nature once again
But the appreciation of nature in China
isn't confined to impressive animals or colorful birds
Mountain landscapes
have held a fascination for Chinese artists
and poets throughout history
Mountains also have religious significance
as places that linked earth with the heavens
One of the most sacred of all
is here at Mount Emei
the site of 2,000-year-old Buddhist temple
China today has the world's largest Buddhist population
These old sacred sites are highly cherished
nearly 2 million people visit Mount Emei each year
But the buddhist temples are not the only attraction
Mountain Emei is home to Tibetan macaques
the biggest of their kind
Their thick coats enable them to thrive in harsh mountain conditions,
at altitudes up to 3,000 metres.
Ancient Chinese people believe
that good deeds towards human looking macaques
were an investment for eternity.
But for these city dwelling tourists
whose everyday lives are far removed from wild life
this encounter is an uneasy mix of reverence and fear
For the macaques,too
it's an awkward relationship.
The monkeys normally forage for fruit,
but the tourists are a much easier source of food.
Constant contact with people
is changing the behavior of the troop
Once wary of humans the macaques are growing bolder
How are tourists suppose to know
that this eyebrow-raising display means trouble
Some of the more assertive monkeys
have to be policed accordingly
While the impacts on wildlife from mass tourism
is not entirely beneficial
the fact the increasing numbers of people
are enjoying nature at first hand
suggests some hope for the future
Despite all the changes in China during the last 50 years
many sacred places like Emei are being protected
Heading west
China's heartland becomes increasingly rugged
Beyond the Qinlin Mountains lies the even higher Minshan
where towering peaks conceal
one of China's most remarkable landscapes
known to the Chinese as fairyland paradise
Jiuzhaigou was virtually unknown until the 1970s
today it's one of China's most famous tourist areas
and it's recognized internationally
as a world heritage site
The limestone mountains
are the source of crystal-clear springs
which are formed over 100 lakes
filled with lime-rich water
of unbelievable colour
Underwater is a pefectly preserved ghostly forest
shrouded in algae
This strange world is home to a species of fish
unique to these lakes
Who would've guessd
that with close to a billion inhabitants
China's heartland could still harbor
a landscape of such pristine beauty.
It's spring in the Qinlin Mountains
As the farmers tend their new crops
the secret life of China's most famous animal
is finally coming to light
In one of the panda's last strongholds
a drama is about to unfold
one which has rarely been witnessed
A young female has ventured into the valley
sparking a flurry of interest among the resident males
A panda's life is mostly solitary
until the spring breeding season
when the brief opportunity to mate arises
the males must be ready to take their chance
but timing is everything
This male's approach is somewhat lacking subtlety
and anyway the female isn't ready for him, yet
her peak receptive time lasts just two days
so he guards her
finding his time with a good supply of bamboo
Unfortunately his hostage must eat too
but she dosen't exactly feel like descending
Another male has been attracted to the scene
He is a veteran of many breeding seasons
He is wary of his rival
because at this time of year
males are transformed from peace-loving bamboo eaters
into potential killers
Despite the danger, he makes a challenge
The defending male rises to meet him
The challenger is chased by the defending male
In the thick bamboo
the battle rages as the males fight for dominance
The female wisely stays clear of trouble
The challenger backs down
The size and strength of the defending male
is just too much
The loser retreats and the exhausted but triumphant victor
returns to the female
This time she is ready for him
instead of running,she waits
This is the first time
this extraordinary courtship behaviour
has ever been filmed in the wild
If mating is successful
the female will produce a single cub
and rear it on her own
Today with improving attitudes
towards wild life conservation
there is hope
that China's 1600 remaining wild pandas
have some chance of survival
In 2003
conservation became an integral part of the curriculum
for China's 200 million school students
For the children of the Qinling Mountains
knowing what a special neighbor they have
may help to protect it for the future
In the midst of headlong change
conducted at a pace unprecedented in human history
can China hold on to its ancient desire
for harmony with nature?
Can it reconcile the aspirations of its people
with a long-term need to protect its environment
Here at the Temple of Heaven in the very heart of Beijing
there are signs of a new attitude towards nature
Every year, as thousands of birds
migrate southwards to escape the winter
One secretive species
seek shelter in the temple grounds
Safeguarded by the temple's tradition
as many as ten owls can be seen in the same tree
The owls' arrival is celebrated
by members of recently formed Beijing Bird Club
Migration can be a dangerous undertaking
and every year many owls
suffer the hazards of power lines, traffic and industry
Some of the more fortunate end up here
at Beijing's Raptor Rescue Centre
Established in 2001
it's the first of it's kind
Here, owls are given medical attention
by Sun Quanhui and his team
The birds are even exercised
to help their rehabilitation
Once deemed fit and healthy
the owls are taken to the hills at the edge of Beijing
Every spring, staff from Beijing's Raptor Rescue Centre
relase dozens the owls
Today, there are over 1500
designated nature reserves in China
covering large tracts
of some of the country's finest landscapes
As China looks to the future
with a renewed sense of direction
ancient traditions are still very much a part of its culture
It's Chinese New Year
All over the country, the people prepare
to appease thier oldest and most venerated creature
the dragon
As night falls
everyone from the neighborhood brings a lantern
And one by one
the lights are added to the dragon's tail
As the procession grows longer, the atmosphere builds
for the spectacle of one of China's oldest
and greatest inventions
The dragon dance is performed all over China
the ceremony itself is thousands of years old,
but it still the hightlight of the Chinese New Year
As the dragon winds it's way through the village
it has grown hundreds of metres long
Every one is part of it
After a century of unprecedented change in China
during which environmental protection
has not been a priority
there are now signs of a new direction
In October 2006
the Communist Party specifically identified
promoting harmony between man and nature
as an important step in their goal of building
a harmonious society
and called on the Chinese people
to accelerate the construction
of an environmentally friendly society
As China's economy continues to grow
it's re-engagement with the ancient ideal
of harmony with nature
provides a glimmer of hope for the future of wild China.
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翻译:居雨丸Jun,小童 赛华佗royweiluo,龙珠
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