美麗中國第二集 香格里拉Shangri-La

[00:02.44]NARRATOR: Beneath billowing clouds, [00:04.28] [00:04.40]in China's far south-western Yunnan Province, [00:08.04] [00:08.16]lies a place of mystery and legend, [00:10.92] [00:16.28]of mighty rivers and some of the oldest jungles in the world. [00:20.76] [00:22.40]Here, hidden valleys nurture strange and unique creatures [00:26.64] [00:30.12]and colourful tribal cultures. [00:32.36] [00:38.48]Jungles are rarely found this far north of the tropics. [00:42.16] [00:47.60]So why do they thrive here? [00:49.72] [00:51.44]And how has this rugged landscape [00:53.32] [00:53.44]come to harbour the greatest natural wealth in all China? [00:58.56] [01:38.88]In the remote southwest corner of China a celebration is about to take place. [01:44.16] [01:52.80]Dai people collect water for the most important festival of their year. [01:57.44] [02:07.44]The Dai call themselves the people of the water. [02:10.68] [02:12.88]Yunnan's river valleys have been their home for over 2,000 years. [02:17.04] [02:27.08]By bringing the river water to the temple, [02:29.72] [02:29.84]they honour the two things holiest to them, [02:33.36] [02:33.48]Buddhism and their home. [02:35.56] [02:53.12]The Dai give thanks for the rivers and fertile lands [02:56.28] [02:56.40]which have nurtured their culture. [02:58.80] [03:07.20]Though to some, it might seem just an excuse [03:10.08] [03:10.20]for the biggest water fight of all time. [03:12.92] [03:26.56]Dai lives are changing as towns get bigger and modernise [03:30.16] [03:31.24]but the Water Splashing Festival is still celebrated by all. [03:34.92] [03:51.24]The rivers which lie at the heart of Dai life and culture [03:54.08] [03:54.20]flow from the distant mountains of Tibet, [03:56.76] [03:56.84]southward through central Yunnan in great parallel gorges. [04:00.80] [04:03.08]The Dai now live in the borders of tropical Vietnam and Laos [04:07.96] [04:08.08]but their legends tell of how their ancestors came here [04:10.96] [04:11.08]by following the rivers from mountain lands in the cold far north. [04:15.16] [04:18.44]Lying at the far eastern end of the Himalayas, [04:21.36] [04:21.48]the Hengduan Mountains form Yunnan's northern border with Tibet. [04:25.44] [04:29.12]Kawakarpo, crown of the Hengduan range, is a site of holy pilgrimage. [04:33.72] [04:35.32]Yet its formidable peak remains unconquered. [04:38.16] [04:45.28]Yunnan's mountains are remote, rugged and inaccessible. [04:49.20] [04:59.36]Here the air is thin [05:01.04] [05:01.16]and temperatures can drop below minus 40 degrees. [05:04.08] [05:07.04]This is home to an animal that's found nowhere else on earth. [05:10.80] [05:14.40]The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey. [05:16.60] [05:28.28]It's found only in these few isolated mountain forests. [05:32.16] [05:32.28]No other primate lives at such high altitudes, [05:35.32] [05:36.52]but these are true specialists. [05:38.76] [05:51.72]These ancient mountain dwellers have inspired legends. [05:56.16] [05:56.28]Local Lisu people consider them their ancestors, [05:59.12] [05:59.24]calling them the wild men of the mountains. [06:02.04] [06:08.80]During heavy snowfalls even these specialists cannot feed. [06:12.40] [06:14.76]It seems a strange place for a monkey. [06:17.24] [06:24.24]Between snows, the monkeys waste no time in their search for food. [06:28.28] [06:33.48]At this altitude there are few fruits or tender leaves to eat. [06:37.44] [06:39.52]Ninety percent of their diet [06:41.16] [06:41.28]is made up of the fine dry wisps of a curious organism. [06:44.92] [06:52.92]Half fungus, half plant, it's lichen. [06:56.80] [06:59.80]How have monkeys, normally associated with lowland jungle, [07:04.16] [07:04.28]come to live such a remote mountain existence? [07:07.48] [07:13.44]This is not the only remarkable animal found within these isolated high peaks. [07:18.16] [07:27.44]A Chinese red panda. [07:30.08] [07:30.20]Solitary and quiet, it spends much of its time in the tree tops. [07:34.08] [07:47.76]Despite its name, [07:49.12] [07:49.24]the red panda is only a very distant relative of the giant panda. [07:53.60] [07:53.72]It is actually more closely related to a skunk. [07:56.92] [08:06.76]But it does share the giant panda's taste for bamboo. [08:10.52] [08:14.32]Southwest China's red pandas are known for their very strong facial markings [08:19.20] [08:19.32]which distinguish them from red pandas found anywhere else in the Himalayas. [08:23.88] [08:31.68]Like the monkeys, they were isolated in these high forests [08:35.08] [08:35.20]when the mountains quite literally rose beneath them [08:37.96] [08:38.08]in the greatest mountain-building event in recent geological history. [08:42.24] [08:45.84]Over the last 30 million years, [08:48.28] [08:48.40]the Indian subcontinent has been pushing northwards into Eurasia. [08:52.48] [08:53.84]On the border between India and Tibet, [08:56.16] [08:56.28]the rocks have been raised eight kilometres above sea level [09:00.16] [09:00.24]creating the world's highest mountain range, the Himalayas. [09:04.48] [09:06.36]But to the east [09:07.76] [09:07.84]the rocks have buckled into a series of steep north-south ridges, [09:12.20] [09:12.32]cutting down through the heart of Yunnan, [09:15.08] [09:15.20]the parallel mountains of the Hengduan Shan. [09:18.08] [09:29.24]These natural barriers serve to isolate Yunnan's plants and animals [09:33.68] [09:33.80]in each adjacent valley. [09:35.84] [09:40.84]While the huge temperature range between the snowy peaks [09:43.88] [09:44.00]and the warmer slopes below [09:46.20] [09:46.32]provides a vast array of conditions for life to thrive. [09:49.76] [09:55.04]Through spring [09:56.24] [09:56.36]the Hengduan slopes stage one of China's greatest natural spectacles. [10:00.80] [10:03.16]The forests here are among the most diverse botanical areas in the world. [10:08.00] [10:35.04]Over 18,000 plant species grow here of which 3,000 are found nowhere else. [10:41.44] [10:48.20]Until little more than a century ago, this place was unknown outside China. [10:53.08] [10:55.72]But then news reached the West [10:57.40] [10:57.52]of a mysterious, hidden world of the Orient. [11:00.40] [11:02.16]Hidden among the mountains, a lost Shangri-la paradise. [11:06.80] [11:09.04]Western high society, in the grip of a gardening craze, [11:12.36] [11:12.48]was eager for exotic species from faraway places. [11:16.00] [11:18.72]This gave rise to a new breed of celebrity adventurers, [11:22.20] [11:23.68]intrepid botanist-explorers known as the Plant Hunters. [11:28.60] [11:31.80]Yunnan became their Holy Grail. [11:34.28] [11:36.28]The most famous was Joseph Rock, a real life Indiana Jones. [11:40.48] [11:44.04]Remarkable film footage [11:45.60] [11:45.72]captured his entourage on a series of expeditions [11:48.96] [11:49.08]as they pushed into the deepest corners of Yunnan. [11:52.20] [11:56.36]In glorious colour he recorded the plant life he found [11:59.24] [11:59.36]on special photographic glass plates. [12:01.72] [12:04.52]Sending thousands of specimens back to the West, [12:07.48] [12:07.60]the Plant Hunters changed the gardens of the world forever. [12:11.24] [12:15.12]Rock's success was born of a massive effort. [12:18.68] [12:18.80]For to find his Shangri-la, [12:20.88] [12:21.00]not only had he to traverse endless mountain ranges, [12:24.88] [12:25.00]but some of the deepest gorges in the world. [12:27.96] [12:33.80]The Nujiang is called the Angry River. [12:37.32] [12:37.44]This 300-kilometre stretch of raging rapids [12:40.76] [12:40.88]is as much a barrier to life as are the mountains above. [12:44.60] [12:53.40]But the Plant Hunters weren't the first people to travel here. [12:57.20] [13:34.24]Along the Nujiang, [13:35.92] [13:36.04]less than 30 rope crossings allow locals passage across the torrents. [13:40.28] [13:43.96]Tiny hamlets cling to the slopes. [13:46.44] [13:48.00]This morning it's market day, [13:50.64] [13:50.72]drawing people from up and down the valley. [13:53.52] [14:11.44]Hanging from simple rope slings, [14:13.72] [14:13.84]people have been using the crossings for many hundreds of years. [14:17.44] [14:21.88]In such narrow precipitous gorges, [14:24.24] [14:24.36]it's by far the easiest way to get around. [14:27.16] [14:36.92]Once across, the steep sides mean it's still a hike. [14:40.16] [14:41.40]Many trek for hours by foot before they get to the market. [14:45.00] [14:49.36]The immense valley is home to over a dozen ethnic groups. [14:53.24] [14:53.36]Some, like the Nu people, are found only here. [14:56.32] [15:02.12]The markets bring the mountain tribes together. [15:05.16] [15:23.32]To continue his expeditions, [15:25.36] [15:25.48]Rock had to get his entire entourage across the giant Yunnan rivers. [15:30.32] [15:30.44]He commissioned especially thick ropes made from forest rattan [15:34.52] [15:34.64]and filmed the entire event. [15:36.76] [15:39.04]With yak butter to smooth the ride, 40 men and 15 mules made the journey. [15:44.32] [15:45.36]Not all made it across. [15:47.20] [15:51.64]On the far side of the great Nujiang gorge, [15:54.56] [15:54.68]the Plant Hunters made a remarkable discovery. [15:57.64] [16:01.48]Far from the tropics, [16:03.12] [16:03.24]they seemed to be entering a steamy vibrant tropical jungle, [16:07.72] [16:07.84]the forest of Gaoligongshan. [16:10.40] [16:18.36]The flora here is unlike anywhere else in the world. [16:22.76] [16:22.88]Next to subtropical species, alpine plants grow in giant form. [16:28.56] [16:28.68]Crowning the canopy, rhododendrons, up to 30 metres high. [16:33.20] [16:40.70]In April and May their flowers turn the forests ruby red, [16:45.46] [16:45.58]attracting bird species found only here. [16:48.30] [17:00.22]Constant moisture in the air [17:01.62] [17:01.74]means that the branches are laden with flowering epiphytes, [17:05.42] [17:05.54]fiercely guarded by tiny sunbirds unique to these valleys. [17:09.90] [17:13.54]Nectar feeders, [17:14.94] [17:15.06]these are the hummingbirds of the Old World tropics. [17:18.42] [17:31.22]The forests of Gaoligongshan are home to some of China's rarest wildlife. [17:35.66] [17:49.02]This is a female Temminck's Tragopan. [17:52.30] [17:52.42]She has a colourful male admirer. [17:54.82] [18:24.46]He's hoping to woo her with his peculiar peek-a-boo display [18:28.70] [18:28.82]but she's not about to be rushed. [18:31.18] [18:48.46]His colourful skin wattle reflects more light than feathers do. [18:52.10] [18:52.22]To her, this is like a neon sign. [18:55.10] [19:02.90]Seeing his chance, the male makes his move. [19:05.98] [19:10.70]Constant moisture in the Gaoligongshan forests [19:13.34] [19:13.42]means that throughout the year there are always fruits on the trees. [19:17.26] [19:19.10]Such abundance of food encourages a high diversity of fruit eaters [19:23.02] [19:23.14]more commonly found in the tropics. [19:25.34] [19:28.46]The black giant squirrel is found only in undisturbed rainforest. [19:33.02] [19:33.14]At close to a metre in length, [19:35.06] [19:35.18]it's one of the world's largest squirrels. [19:37.94] [19:44.90]The mystery is that these forests are growing well outside the tropics. [19:49.18] [19:52.58]By rights, none of this jungle, or its animals, should be here. [19:56.90] [20:09.30]These are bear macaques. [20:11.46] [20:13.98]They are found only in tropical and sub-tropical jungle. [20:17.42] [20:28.42]With a tiny home range of just a few square kilometres, [20:32.50] [20:32.62]they depend on the abundant fruit [20:34.82] [20:34.94]that only true rainforests can provide all year round. [20:38.34] [20:46.38]To the European Plant Hunters, these northern rainforests [20:50.30] [20:50.42]must have seemed a fantastic and mysterious lost world. [20:54.46] [20:58.34]Yet when they came here, [21:00.54] [21:00.66]they would have found beautifully constructed ancient stone pathways [21:05.18] [21:05.30]on which the forest could be explored. [21:07.54] [21:17.46]Winding westwards into the hills, [21:20.14] [21:20.26]these were once some of the most important highways in Asia, [21:24.58] [21:24.70]the south-western tea and silk road. [21:27.58] [21:32.54]Built thousands of years ago, the south-western tea and silk road [21:36.30] [21:36.42]gave access to the world beyond China's borders, [21:40.82] [21:40.94]carrying tradesmen and travellers from as far away as Rome. [21:44.90] [21:54.42]Wars were fought over access to this tiny path, [21:58.10] [21:58.22]the only sure route in or out of China [22:00.86] [22:00.98]that was guaranteed to be clear of snow all year round. [22:04.38] [22:09.86]So what causes Gaoligongshan's strange and remarkable climate? [22:14.18] [22:16.86]In late May gusts of wind arrive, [22:19.94] [22:20.06]bringing with them the key to Gaoligongshan's mystery. [22:23.18] [22:26.22]The winds are hot and saturated with water. [22:29.66] [22:29.78]They come all the way from the Indian Ocean. [22:32.62] [22:35.18]Channelled by Yunnan's unique geography, [22:37.90] [22:37.98]they bring with them the moisture of the tropical monsoon. [22:41.58] [22:45.86]The giant river valleys, created millions of years ago, [22:49.38] [22:49.50]act like immense funnels. [22:51.46] [22:52.98]The gorges are so deep and narrow [22:54.66] [22:54.78]that the moist warm air is driven right up into the north of Yunnan. [22:59.02] [22:59.74](THUNDER RUMBLING) [23:01.02] [23:01.14]The result is rain, in torrents! [23:04.42] [23:47.74]Four months of daily rainstorms sustain luxuriant vegetation. [23:52.46] [23:56.50]The arrival of the monsoon awakens [23:58.50] [23:58.62]one of the forest's most extraordinary moisture-loving inhabitants. [24:02.50] [24:15.50]The crocodile newt is one of the most unusual [24:18.34] [24:18.46]of the many amphibian species found here. [24:21.18] [24:30.34]As the rains arrive, they emerge to mate. [24:33.94] [24:48.46]The newts are said to leave an odour trail [24:50.54] [24:50.66]that potential mates can follow. [24:52.98] [24:55.58]The crocodile newt gets its name from the bumps along its back. [24:59.14] [25:00.50]These are its defence. [25:02.50] [25:05.38]If grabbed by a potential predator, [25:07.82] [25:09.02]the tips of its ribs squeeze a deadly poison from the bumps. [25:13.14] [25:23.14]The deluge wakes another forest inhabitant. [25:26.02] [25:34.30]This one is particularly astounding in its vigour. [25:37.94] [25:53.14]It can grow up to a metre a day, [25:56.10] [25:56.22]fast overtaking the other plants around it. [25:59.02] [26:07.90]The taller it grows, the faster its growth rate, [26:12.22] [26:12.34]so that in a matter of days it towers above the undergrowth [26:15.66] [26:15.78]and continues reaching for the sky. [26:18.26] [26:22.58]Not bad for what is essentially a grass. [26:25.86] [26:31.18]It's bamboo. [26:32.66] [26:45.66]Given the chance, bamboo will create immense forests, [26:49.46] [26:49.58]dominating entire areas. [26:51.50] [26:54.42]Bamboo forests occur across southwest China, [26:57.58] [26:57.70]all the way to Shanghai. [26:59.62] [27:02.10]But probably the highest diversity of bamboos in the world [27:05.66] [27:05.78]is found on the hills and valleys of Yunnan. [27:08.94] [27:16.34]Though incredibly strong, bamboos have hollow stems, [27:20.02] [27:20.14]a perfect shelter for any creatures which can find a way in. [27:24.02] [27:27.26]This entrance hole was made by a beetle, [27:30.58] [27:30.70]but it's being used by a very different animal. [27:33.70] [27:42.58]A bamboo bat. [27:43.98] [27:44.10]The size of a bumble bee, [27:45.94] [27:46.06]it's one of the tiniest mammals in the world. [27:48.98] [27:53.74]The entire colony, up to 25 bats, [27:57.10] [27:57.22]fits into a single section of bamboo stem, [28:00.98] [28:01.10]smaller than a tea cup. [28:02.94] [28:04.02]It's quite a squeeze. [28:05.78] [28:08.38]Half the colony are babies. [28:10.18] [28:10.30]Though barely a week old, [28:11.78] [28:11.90]they're already almost as big as their mums. [28:14.82] [28:18.18]Feeding such a fast-growing brood is hard work. [28:21.58] [28:21.70]The mums leave to hunt just after dusk each night. [28:25.34] [29:04.74]Back in the roost the young are left on their own. [29:07.90] [29:09.30]Special pads on their wings help them to grip on the bamboo walls, [29:13.74] [29:13.86]most of the time. [29:15.46] [29:18.82]The young bats use the extra space [29:20.58] [29:20.70]to prepare for a life on the wing by preening and stretching. [29:24.46] [29:32.38]Packed in like sardines, [29:34.54] [29:34.66]they would make an easy target for a snake. [29:37.54] [29:59.98]But the snake has no chance of getting in. [30:03.30] [30:03.42]The entrance is thinner than the width of a pencil. [30:06.58] [30:16.42]When the mothers return, [30:18.06] [30:18.18]they can push through the narrow entrance [30:20.74] [30:20.82]only because of their unusually flattened skulls. [30:23.94] [30:28.94]But it's still a squeeze. [30:30.90] [30:40.82]Bamboos are exploited in a very different way [30:43.38] [30:43.50]by another forest dweller. [30:45.50] [30:58.78]Fresh bamboo shoots are an important forest crop. [31:01.90] [31:09.46]Ai Lao Xiang is of the Hani tribe, from the mountain village of Mengsong. [31:14.18] [31:25.94]Roasted, the tender shoots he gathers will make a tasty dish. [31:29.74] [31:37.50]The Hani have many uses [31:39.06] [31:39.18]for the different bamboos they grow and find in the forest around. [31:43.22] [31:46.82]Though flexible enough to be woven, [31:48.94] [31:49.06]bamboo has a higher tensile strength than steel. [31:52.30] [31:53.78]Succulent when young, in maturity it's tough and durable, [31:58.62] [31:58.74]ideal for making a table, [32:00.70] [32:02.18]and strong enough for a pipe to last a lifetime. [32:05.98] [32:13.18]The people of southwest China have found an extraordinary number of ways [32:16.94] [32:17.06]to exploit this most versatile of plants. [32:19.74] [32:52.14]Part of bamboo's phenomenal success [32:54.78] [32:54.86]is that it's so tough that few animals can tackle it. [32:58.18] [33:00.62]Yet bamboo does come under attack. [33:03.06] [33:26.14]A bamboo rat. [33:27.54] [33:29.86]Feeding almost exclusively on bamboo, [33:32.58] [33:32.70]they live their entire lives in tunnels beneath the forest. [33:36.38] [33:39.74]The thinner species of bamboo are easier to attack and pull below. [33:43.78] [33:49.70]She has a fantastic sense of smell [33:52.26] [33:52.38]and can sniff out the fresh growth through the soil. [33:55.62] [33:59.62]Bamboo spreads along underground stems. [34:02.34] [34:04.78]By following these, new shoots are found. [34:07.94] [34:10.42]Once a shoot is detected, [34:12.46] [34:12.58]she snips it free and drags it down into her burrow. [34:16.02] [34:22.30]This female has a family. [34:24.34] [34:24.46]At just a few weeks old, [34:26.10] [34:26.22]the youngsters can already tackle the hardest bamboo stems [34:29.74] [34:29.86]and are eager to try. [34:31.58] [34:53.06]Bamboo's tough reputation is such that another bamboo specialist [34:57.22] [34:57.34]was known by the Chinese as the iron eating animal. [35:00.90] [35:08.18]The giant panda is famous for its exclusive diet. [35:11.70] [35:20.26]Giant pandas are thought to have originated in southwest China [35:23.58] [35:23.70]millions of years ago, [35:26.14] [35:26.26]but they're no longer found in Yunnan. [35:28.86] [35:31.82]Recently, their specialised diet has had dire consequences. [35:35.82] [35:40.58]Bamboo has a bizarre life cycle. [35:42.86] [35:43.74]Flowering infrequently, [35:45.18] [35:45.30]sometimes only once every hundred years or so. [35:48.02] [35:50.34]But when flowering does occur, it's on a massive scale, [35:54.86] [35:54.98]and is followed by the death of all of the plants. [35:58.14] [36:01.54]Sometimes an entire bamboo forest may die. [36:04.94] [36:11.82]In undisturbed habitat, pandas simply move to another area [36:16.18] [36:16.30]where a different bamboo species grows. [36:19.02] [36:23.58]But as human activity has fragmented their forest home, [36:27.46] [36:27.58]pandas find it increasingly hard to find large enough areas in which to survive. [36:32.46] [36:34.22]Wild pandas are now found only in the forests of central China, [36:38.66] [36:38.78]far to the east. [36:40.34] [36:45.46]But in the hidden pockets of lowland jungle [36:47.66] [36:47.78]in Yunnan's tropical south, [36:49.82] [36:49.94]live one of China's best-kept wildlife secrets. [36:53.42] [37:13.54]The wild Asian elephant. [37:16.10] [37:19.82]Elephants once roamed across China as far north as Beijing. [37:24.70] [37:24.82]But it's only in the hidden valleys of Yunnan that they have survived. [37:29.06] [37:42.98]Elephants are the architects of the forest. [37:45.98] [37:46.10]Bamboos and grasses are their favourite food, [37:48.78] [37:48.90]but saplings, tree leaves and twisted lianas [37:52.22] [37:52.34]are all taken, with little care. [37:54.66] [38:07.34]As they move through the forest, [38:09.06] [38:09.18]the elephants open up clearings, bringing light to the forest floor. [38:13.34] [38:18.38]This has a major impact on their home. [38:21.02] [38:38.42]The richest forests are now known to be those [38:40.82] [38:40.94]which, from time to time, experience change. [38:43.98] [38:57.26]The Jino people are incredibly knowledgeable about their forests [39:01.26] [39:01.42]and claim to have uses for most of the plants that they find there. [39:05.46] [39:10.34]They have names for them all, those good for eating [39:14.22] [39:14.34]and some which even have strong medicinal qualities. [39:17.54] [39:20.42]By working here, [39:21.82] [39:21.94]the Jino play a similar role to the elephants, [39:25.82] [39:25.90]opening up the forest, bringing space, light and diversity. [39:31.42] [39:34.54]Green fast-growing species are encouraged. [39:37.30] [39:37.42]Insects are in high abundance here, [39:39.82] [39:39.94]together with the animals that feed on them. [39:42.78] [39:47.58]Knowledge of the forest enables the Jino to find not just plants [39:51.94] [39:52.06]but other tasty forest food too. [39:54.38] [39:58.38]Forest crabs are common here, feeding on the abundant leaf litter. [40:02.46] [40:03.38]This will be a tasty addition to the evening meal. [40:06.54] [40:15.50]Flowing through Yunnan's southern valleys, [40:17.98] [40:18.10]the once angry rivers are now swollen, [40:21.86] [40:21.98]their waters slow and warm. [40:24.06] [40:27.98]These fertile lowland valleys are the home of the Dai. [40:31.90] [40:36.94]The people of the water live along streams [40:39.66] [40:39.78]which originate in the surrounding hills. [40:42.54] [40:51.54]Each family keeps a kitchen garden, [40:54.26] [40:54.38]modelled on the multi-layered structure of the surrounding forests, [40:57.94] [40:58.06]which the Dai hold sacred. [41:00.02] [41:08.70]The gardens are made more productive by interplanting different crops. [41:13.66] [41:13.78]Tall sun-loving species give shelter to plants which thrive in the shade. [41:18.50] [41:21.86]As companions, the plants grow better. [41:24.42] [41:34.78]Yunnan's forests are home to more than a dozen wild banana species [41:39.10] [41:39.22]and banana crops grow well in most Dai gardens. [41:42.38] [41:46.30]The huge banana flowers are rich in nectar [41:48.86] [41:48.98]for only two hours a day, [41:50.94] [41:52.02]but it's enough to attract a range of forest insects, [41:55.54] [41:55.66]including hornets. [41:57.30] [42:00.46]With their razor sharp mandibles, [42:02.18] [42:02.30]they find it easy to rob the flowers of their nectar. [42:05.66] [42:07.30]But hornets are predators, too. [42:09.54] [42:10.50]They hunt other insects and carry them back to their nest. [42:14.14] [42:19.74]An ideal target. [42:21.86] [42:21.98]But this grasshopper is no easy meal. [42:24.54] [42:25.78]There may be a price to pay. [42:27.90] [42:30.42](HORNET BUZZING) [42:32.06] [42:32.18]The Dai men, Po and Xue Ming, take advantage of a hunter's instincts. [42:36.98] [42:51.94]A hornet sting is agony, [42:54.74] [42:54.86]but for now it's distracted, [42:57.58] [42:57.66]intent on cutting away a piece of grasshopper [43:00.50] [43:00.62]small enough to carry back home. [43:02.94] [43:06.78]Success! [43:08.26] [43:16.90]The white feather hardly slows the hornet, [43:20.18] [43:20.30]and more importantly, it can be seen. [43:23.18] [43:26.38]Now the hunter is the hunted. [43:28.78] [43:31.38]So long as Po and Xue Ming can keep up. [43:34.06] [43:55.26]Back at the nest, [43:56.70] [43:56.82]the other hornets immediately begin to cut the feather free. [44:00.50] [44:01.86]But it's too late, the nest's location has been betrayed. [44:06.38] [44:20.66]The relationship between the forest animals [44:22.58] [44:22.70]and the people who live here was never one of harmony. [44:26.18] [44:32.74]Yet the fact that the Dai and other ethnic groups [44:35.10] [44:35.22]considered these forests to be sacred, has ensured their survival, [44:39.66] [44:39.78]and now many have been given extra protection as nature reserves. [44:43.98] [44:54.14]Ingenuity and hard work pays off at last. [44:57.02] [44:58.18]The fattened larvae are considered a delicacy by the Dai. [45:01.74] [45:10.38]Although these forests have experienced a great deal of change, [45:14.50] [45:14.62]they are still host to some ancient and incredible relationships. [45:18.58] [45:23.22]Almost 60 centimetres high, [45:25.54] [45:25.66]this is the immense flower of the elephant yam. [45:28.98] [45:31.26]Locals call it the witch of the forest. [45:34.02] [45:42.06]As the stars rise, the witch begins to cast her spell. [45:45.98] [45:50.82]The forest temperature drops, but the flower starts to heat up. [45:56.14] [46:02.10]A heat sensitive camera reveals the flower's temperature rising [46:06.06] [46:06.18]by an incredible 10 degrees Celsius. [46:08.74] [46:15.50]At the same time, a noxious stench of rotting flesh fills the forest air. [46:19.90] [46:26.62]As the flower's heat increases, a cloud of odour rises up. [46:31.30] [46:31.42]The foul perfume carries far and wide. [46:34.14] [46:37.26]It doesn't go unnoticed, carrion beetles arrive on the scene. [46:41.46] [46:43.14]The beetles come in search of a feast of warm decaying flesh, [46:47.78] [46:47.90]but they've been tricked. [46:49.94] [46:56.26]Slippery sides ensure they tumble [46:58.26] [46:58.38]straight into the centre of the monster flower. [47:01.42] [47:08.22]There's not enough room to spread their wings [47:09.94] [47:10.06]and the waxy walls ensure that there's no escape. [47:13.42] [47:22.90]But there's nothing sinister in the flower's agenda. [47:26.78] [47:26.86]The beetles will be its unwitting helpers. [47:29.62] [47:35.54]Dawn arrives, but the flower remains unchanged, [47:39.86] [47:39.98]holding its captives through the day. [47:42.54] [47:54.70]As the second night falls, the witch stirs again. [47:58.42] [48:08.18]In a matter of minutes, the flower's precious golden pollen [48:11.58] [48:11.70]squeezes from the stamens and begins to fall, [48:15.10] [48:17.30]showering onto the captive beetles below. [48:19.98] [48:36.26]Now at last the prisoners are free to go. [48:39.22] [48:40.58]The flower's wall changes texture, [48:43.14] [48:43.22]becoming rough to provide the ideal escape ladder. [48:47.50] [48:49.02]Loaded with their pollen parcels, they can now climb to freedom, [48:52.98] [48:54.10]just as other forest witches are beginning to open. [48:57.38] [48:58.42]Seduced by the irresistible perfume, the beetles are sure to pay a visit, [49:03.62] [49:03.74]so ensuring pollination [49:05.90] [49:06.02]and another generation of incredibly big, smelly flowers. [49:10.34] [49:28.06]As dawn arrives, [49:29.42] [49:29.54]forest birds claim their territories in the canopy. [49:32.78] [49:49.86]But there's one call which stands out among the rest, [49:53.90] [49:54.02]virtuoso of the forest symphony. [49:56.46] [49:56.58](ANIMAL SINGING) [49:58.70] [50:09.02]It's a gibbon. [50:10.46] [50:23.70]Living on a remote mountain range in south-central Yunnan [50:27.78] [50:27.90]is one of the few remaining wild gibbon populations in China, [50:32.02] [50:32.14]the black crested gibbons of Wuliangshan. [50:35.18] [50:37.86]They are confined to these forest mountains, [50:40.66] [50:40.78]so remote and steep that few hunters ever come here. [50:44.42] [50:55.06]The Wuliangshan gibbons are unusual for their social structure. [50:58.94] [51:00.50]Most gibbons live in small family groups [51:03.06] [51:03.18]consisting of a mating pair and their offspring. [51:06.26] [51:10.98]But these gibbons exist in troops. [51:14.26] [51:14.38]One male can have two or sometimes three females [51:18.22] [51:18.34]and all of these can have young. [51:20.62] [51:28.30]Often, even the juveniles stay in the community. [51:31.58] [51:40.50]Rarely glimpsed, this baby may be only a day old. [51:44.98] [51:45.10]If it survives infancy, [51:46.98] [51:47.10]then it has a promising future in these few valleys [51:49.86] [51:49.98]with its close-knit family. [51:52.02] [52:05.22](GIBBONS SINGING) [52:07.06] [52:11.34]Gibbon song once inspired the ancient poets of China, [52:15.78] [52:15.90]their glorious calls echoing far across the hills. [52:19.14] [52:29.70]But now, new, strangely quiet forests have come to Yunnan. [52:34.42] [52:39.26]These trees are here to produce an important and valuable crop. [52:43.58] [53:09.34]When the tree bark is scored, it yields copious sticky sap [53:12.78] [53:12.90]so bitter and tacky that nothing can feed on it. [53:16.42] [53:17.74]It's the tree's natural defence against attack. [53:20.70] [53:24.10]It's collected daily, bowl by bowl. [53:27.90] [53:30.74]It will be boiled and processed [53:32.66] [53:32.78]into one of the most important materials to a fast developing nation, rubber. [53:37.82] [53:41.02]The expansion of the rubber forests began in the '50s when China, [53:44.46] [53:44.58]under a world rubber embargo, [53:46.58] [53:46.70]had to become self-sufficient in this vital product. [53:49.98] [53:53.66]Beijing turned to the only place where rubber could grow, [53:57.46] [53:57.58]the tropical south of Yunnan. [53:59.82] [54:04.42]With efficiency and speed, [54:06.10] [54:06.22]some of the world's richest forests were torn up and burnt, [54:09.70] [54:12.26]replaced with mile upon mile of rubber plantation. [54:15.94] [54:20.46]But there was a problem for the rubber-growers. [54:23.94] [54:24.06]While Yunnan's unique natural forests [54:26.62] [54:26.74]can survive on the valley slopes which stretch to the north, [54:30.42] [54:31.94]just one severe frost will kill off these delicate rubber trees. [54:36.38] [54:39.14]So Yunnan's terrain puts a limit on how far the plantations can spread, [54:44.82] [54:44.94]halting at least their northwards advance. [54:47.78] [54:55.42]The jungles of Yunnan are increasingly under pressure. [54:59.10] [55:03.94]New roads criss-cross the tiny remnant forests, [55:07.90] [55:08.02]the infrastructure needed for trade, industry and increasingly, tourism. [55:12.54] [55:17.86]It's a meeting of two very different worlds. [55:20.82] [55:59.98]That elephants still exist in China is remarkable [56:03.78] [56:03.90]considering the immense pressures in the world's most highly-populated country. [56:08.62] [56:17.06](PEOPLE CHATTERING) [56:18.82] [56:21.70]The 250 or so wild elephants which still live here [56:25.42] [56:25.54]are now strictly protected. [56:27.58] [56:29.62]And each year young are born to the small herds. [56:32.70] [56:40.54]If elephants were to survive anywhere in China, [56:43.98] [56:44.10]it could only have been here in Yunnan. [56:46.78] [56:49.66]The same mountains which guide the monsoon rains north, [56:53.30] [56:53.42]and which made Joseph Rock's journey so treacherous, [56:56.86] [56:56.98]also guarded Yunnan's forests and its wildlife. [57:00.46] [57:51.86]For the moment, the mountains are still carpeted in a rich green, [57:56.14] [57:57.66]deceptive in its simplicity. [57:59.62] [58:01.58]Below the canopy lies perhaps China's richest natural treasure. [58:06.78] [58:06.90]Delicate and unique, [58:09.26] [58:09.38]a complex world of intricate relationships [58:12.30] [58:12.42]between animals, plants and people beneath the clouds. [58:17.54]

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