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Tooutsidersthisisamysteriousland.Itcontainsdazzlingman-madestructures.Andit'shometosomeofChina'srarestandmostcharismaticcreatures.(ROARING)Thepeoplewholivehere,theHanChinese,comprisethelargestethnicgroupintheworld,andtheirlanguage,Mandarin,istheworld'soldestandmostwidelyspokenlanguage.(SPEAKINGCHINESE)Inthelast50yearsChinahasseenmassivedevelopment,bringingmanyenvironmentalproblems.ButtherelationshipoftheChinesetotheirenvironmentanditscreaturesisinfactdeep,complexandextraordinary.InthisprogrammewewilllookforcluestothisancientrelationshipandwhatitmeansforthefutureofChina.OurjourneystartsattheveryheartofChina,Beijing.China'scapitalisavastmetropolis,hometo15millionpeople.Thisbustlingmoderncityseemsanunlikelyplacefortraditionalbeliefsandcustoms.Butbeneaththecontemporaryveneer,it'spossibletoseeglimpsesofafarolderChina.Everymorning,peopleheadtotheparksaroundtheForbiddenCity,tocontinueacustomwhichiscenturiesold.ManyChinesekeepbirdsascompanions,specificallyatypeoflaughingthrushfromsouthernChina.Buttheyknowthatcoopedupindoors,birdsmaybecomedepressed.Sotheytrytobrightentheirdaybymeetingotherbirds.(BIRDSTWITTERING)ThissurprisingsceneintheheartofmodernBeijingisacluetoChina'soldestspiritualambition,theharmoniousco-existenceofmanandnature.(WHISTLING)(BIRDSCHIRPING)Butfromthe1950sonwards,thisancientbeliefwastobeseverelychallenged.Afteracenturyofhumiliationandinterventionbyforeignpowers,ChairmanMaosoughttorebuildChina'sdignity.Maobelievedstronglyinself-reliance,achievedthroughusingallofnature'sresources.Mao'sfirstconcernwastofeedtheChinesepeoplebyturningasmuchlandaspossibleovertograinproduction,destroyingnon-cerealcropsanduprootingfruittreesintheprocess.Acampaigntoeliminatecrop-raidingsparrowsbackfiredwheninsect-eatingbirdswerealsotargeted,causinganincreaseininsectpests.EffortstomakeChinaself-reliantinsteelresultedin10%ofthecountry'sforestsbeingfelledtofeedthefurnaces.ThishadaprofoundimpactonChina'senvironment,witheffects,insomecases,lastinguntilthepresentday.Mao'spolicytowardsthecountrysidehasbeendescribedinthephrase,Manmustconquernature.Quitedifferentfromtheancientconceptofharmoniousco-existencewithnature.AsmodernChinaengageswiththeoutsideworld,whichoftheseattitudesseemslikelytoprevail?Tofindtheanswers,we'lltraveltothefarreachesoftheheartlandtoseehowitstraditionalculturesanduniquecreaturesarefaringtoday.BeijinghasalwaysdependedontheNorthChinaPlain,arichfarmlandtwicethesizeoftheUK.Thefertilityofthisplainderivesfromfurtherwest,fromtheLoessPlateau.Themineral-richsoiloftheLoessPlateauisincrediblyfertile.Peoplehavelivedhereforthousandsofyears,hollowingtheirhomesoutofthesoftsoil.(WOMANSPEAKINGCHINESE)ThecavesmightlacktheglamourofBeijing,butpeoplecansurvivehere.Warm,secure,butbestofall,wellfed.(WOMANLAUGHING)Asaresultofcenturiesoffarming,thelandscapehasbecomescarredwiththousandsofwater-worngullies.Butthisspectacularerosionhashadanunexpectedbenefit.Thestreamswhichdrainthegulliescarrythefertileyellowsoilintotheplateau'smajorriver,knowntotheHanpeopleastheMotherofChinesecivilisation.ThisistheYellowRiver.EachyeartheYellowRivercarriesbillionsoftonsofsedimentfromtheLoessPlateaueastwardstothecropfieldsoftheChineseheartland.Historically,theChineserelationshipwiththeriverhasbeenuneasy.Sediment,buildingupontheriverbed,hascausedtheYellowRivertoburstitsbanksperiodically,unleashingdevastatingfloods,resultinginmillionsofdeaths.Butwhentamedwithdykesandchannels,theriver'sbountyislegendary.Eventoday,halfofChina'swheatcomesfromtheYellowRiverfloodplain.Forthousandsofyears,thesediment-richYellowRiverhasunderpinnedtheprosperityoftheChineseheartland.Butincreaseddemandforwaterbypeopleandindustrynowthreatentoruntheriverdry.Andthesourceofitsfertility,theLoessPlateau,isalsounderthreat.Loosenedbycultivation,itssoftsoilisblowingaway.TheNorthChinaPlainischokedwithduststormsthatevenloomoverBeijing,somuchsothattheChinesegovernmenthasmadeimprovingthecity'sairqualityapriorityintherunuptotheBeijingOlympics.HeartlandChina'slife-supportsystemisintrouble.Yetinafewplacesit'sstillpossibletofindlandscapesthatappeartohaveremaineduntouched.AtthesouthernedgeoftheNorthChinaPlainlietheQinlingMountains.At1,500kilometreslong,theyrunlikeabackbonethroughthemiddleofChina.Deepwithinthemountainsisamazeofremotevalleysandforests,hometostrangeandwonderfulcreatures.(MONKEYSCALLING)Thesearegoldensnub-nosedmonkeys,aspeciesuniquetoChina.Seldomseen,theyarefrequentlyheard.Theirstrangechild-likecallsandextraordinaryappearancemayhaveinspiredthelocaltalesofaYeti-likewildmanofthemountains.Aswintertemperaturesdroptominus10degreesCelsius,theirdensefurkeepsthemwarm.Mutualgroomingnotonlykeepstheirpreciousfuringoodcondition,butalsohelpstoreinforcebondswithinthetroop.Insummer,themonkeysgoaroundinhugebands,butatthisleantimeoftheyeartheysplitupintosmallerforagingparties.Inthedeadofwinter,themonkeysareforcedtorummagearoundtherocksforafewmeagremorselsoflichenandmoss.Astheworldsurroundingtheirmountainhomehasfilledupwithtownsandcroplands,thesnub-nosedmonkeys'habitathaschangeddramatically.Todaytherearejust