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00:02China, industrial powerhouse and urban giant, but beyond the familiar images of bristling
00:11skylines and busy streets is a different China. This is a land of extremes, a land of great
00:25natural beauty, a land where resourceful people have built extraordinary lives against the
00:35odds. The hunters, the gatherers, and the
00:55generations waiting to take their place. On this journey of discovery, we plunge deep into
01:07a remarkable, mysterious and hidden world. Get ready to enter Secret China.
01:30This episode of Secret China journeys to some of the highest and remotest corners of this
01:35diverse nation. Telling the extraordinary stories of the people who make a living and a life
01:47here. Four communities rich in ingenuity and determination to prosper. In places where
01:59nothing comes easy, but the rewards are great.
02:10In eastern China, a village transformed by the discovery of priceless stones tries to balance
02:19its family tradition with its newfound wealth.
02:28Four thousand metres above sea level, on the edge of the wild Tibetan plateau, a thirteen-year-old
02:35jockey seeks to earn his spurs as a master horseman, just as his ancestors did. And amid the icy expanse
02:49of Inner Mongolia's frozen heart, a group of fishermen use an ingenious ancient technique to hunt for
02:56a bounty beneath the ice. But our journey into Secret China begins near the east coast, in the county of
03:09Anji, in
03:10Zhejiang province. With the story of a family business built around one of China's greatest exports and proudest traditions, tea.
03:23Tea.
03:33But this is a tea born of legend, and found in only one valley on earth. This is Anji white
03:42tea, famed for its sweet aroma and
03:50stress-combating properties. Texts dating back over 1,000 years to the Tang dynasty, describe a strange variety of green
04:01tea with jade-white leaves.
04:04The account was thought to be simply legend, until the 1980s, when a lone tea bush with distinctive whitish leaves
04:12was discovered in a corner of Anji Valley.
04:18Experts determined it was indeed a long lost variety, and from this one sapling has grown an industry which now
04:26yields 1,500 tonnes of tea a year, worth over 200 million US dollars.
04:35And here is the fabled mother tree, lovingly tended by its owner, Pan Chunhua. She's one of a small band
04:45of farmers who cultivate Anji white tea at her family's 10 hectare plantation.
05:02It's April, and spring is bringing the valley out of its winter slumber. But the steadily warming weather gives Chunhua
05:11a problem. The unique properties of Anji tea mean that she and her team of pickers are working under intense
05:19pressure.
05:30They have just 30 days to pick and process her entire crop.
05:53The window for picking is so short because Anji tea leaves mature quicker than other varieties. As the temperature climbs
06:03in late April, the light green leaves will be hard.
06:05leaves turn darker. This diminishes the crop's value, so Chunhua sets each of her pickers
06:12the target of collecting 2,000 leaves per day. The hope is 500 kilograms of tea can
06:21be processed this season, worth up to 24,000 US dollars. The ladies must work quickly,
06:30but also accurately selecting only leaves of precisely the right maturity.
06:37This billion-dollar global commodity has been hand-picked like this for millennia.
06:46Back at home, Chunhua prepares a meal for the ladies' return. She must look after her
06:52valuable pickers because many tough days lie ahead. After hours in the field, it's a
07:08welcome sight.
07:18But today's work is not complete. The picked tea must be hand-sorted and then baked to lock
07:27in the flavour, before Chunhua faces a race to get her crop to market ahead of the rival
07:35growers dotted across this secret valley.
07:48Over 1,500 kilometres west, overshadowed by the greatest mountains on Earth, lies the
07:55Tibetan Plateau. This is a land of contrasting extremes, a vast tabletop of sparse grassland
08:054,000 metres above sea level, so wild and unforgiving that only the hardiest of livestock can survive.
08:13Yet it's also a place where spiritual peace is found amid the wilderness.
08:24On the far eastern edge of these plains is the remote Kampa region, and the village of
08:30Shamalung. It's June, and today the village is eerily quiet.
08:46High above the houses, up on their sacred mountain, a celebration is underway.
08:54Shamalung's annual horse festival. A carnival rich in colour and family celebration, it gives
09:06a chance for the villagers to honour their revered horses. This year's festival is particularly
09:16special for 13-year-old Tudang Dwoji. Tomorrow, he will ride as the youngest entrant in the festival's
09:27gruelling showpiece. A five-kilometre race across the plateau. The Dwoji family are gathered for a meal
09:41in the tent they set up on the plains. Tudang's love for horses comes from his father, Ape, who breeds
09:49and sells them.
10:13He hopes that Tudang can become the fourth generation of the family to ride horses at his
10:19elite level. After he's stocked up on energy, Tudang's mother makes final touches to the ceremonial
10:28costume that he'll proudly wear for part of tomorrow's festivities.
10:32Tudang's love for horses.
10:43Outside in the paddock, the horses go through the final stages of grooming. Tomorrow's competitors
10:52trim the manes of their horse so the hares stand perfectly on end. And clip their hooves to protect
11:00the horses from injury whilst they gallop. Final job of the day is to lead the horses down the hillside
11:14to the lush valley for a feed. Tomorrow, Tudang and his horse will put their close bond to the test
11:25on the racetrack. As dusk creeps across the quiet tranquillity of the Tibetan plateau, 2,000 kilometres
11:40due east, a vibrant village community is enjoying an altogether more animated evening. In northwest
11:52Zhejiang province is the village of Yushan. Until recently, this was a quiet traditional community,
12:00but it's been transformed thanks to prosperity from a surprising source.
12:11Yushan has built a formidable economy around a rare and mysterious mineral found only here
12:17and at one other place on the planet.
12:33Tsunghua Stone is commonly known as chicken bloodstone because of its striking red speckled surface.
12:44These unusual stones bring a frenzy of dealers, tourists and collectors to Yushan,
12:51in the hope they too can claim a piece of this marvel of nature.
13:08The buyers are looking for stones with potential to be carved into highly collectible ornamental stamps and seals.
13:19The best examples of this stunning craftsmanship can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
13:28And the lucky red speckling generates the highest prices of all.
13:37This industry is so valuable that it provides a living for nearly everybody in the village.
13:47Like Xiao Lin Zhong. He's on the front line in the search for these precious rocks.
13:53...
14:10But this new prosperity has put Yushan at a crossroads.
14:16In one direction, there's the desire to preserve its deep heritage and shared community values.
14:24In the other, the lure of commerce and wealth is threatening a pace of change out of step with traditional
14:30life here.
14:34Shaolin Zhong manages one of the many mines that riddle Yuyan Mountain, like wormholes.
14:49His daily commute takes him along the same path his father first led him as a 10-year-old, up
14:55to the mountain they call Jade Cliff.
15:05Chicken blood stones were first mined here during the Ming Dynasty more than 500 years ago, but it's only recently
15:12become a huge industry here in Yuyan.
15:17Each day, Shaolin Zhong's team venture deep inside the mountain in the hunt for their prize.
15:31They hack through the endless earth in search of the rare seams of red colouring where the chicken blood stones
15:37may be found.
15:46The red comes from a mercury ore called cinnabar.
15:49It's often found in quartz rock, but in minute quantities.
15:54Here, it occasionally erupts in intense bursts.
16:02Lin Zhong's team bring the mined rocks out into the daylight for a closer inspection.
16:10It's the women's job to sort through the pile, pulling out any rocks that might have enough of the coveted
16:17red markings.
16:21Don't you think it's still a heirloom?
16:22Really?
16:29It's a young man.
16:30Today is one of the lucky ones.
16:32They've made an exciting find.
16:36It's a good idea about the fruit.
16:40There are five more heaths.
16:44If the quality is high, this single rock could raise enough at auction
16:48to even cover the 15,000 US dollars it cost to open this mine.
16:58And it isn't only Lin Jung and the miners who will benefit from the sale,
17:02it's the whole village.
17:07Because Jade Cliff is co-owned by the people of Yushan.
17:10So every penny made from every stone sold is shared by the population.
17:17The villagers hope this policy will keep profiteers and wealthy outsiders
17:22from taking over their unique industry.
17:28Now Lin Jung's thoughts are turning to a huge event.
17:34Yushan's annual chicken blood stone auction,
17:38where villagers will discover if the rocks the miners have unearthed
17:42will sell for enough to keep the coppers full for another year.
17:55Back in the secluded Anji Valley,
18:00Chunhua's team of pickers are sorting through the tens of thousands of leaves
18:04they have harvested today.
18:11To hit her target of producing 500 kilos of processed tea in one month,
18:18Chunhua needs her team to make the most of every day.
18:31The freshly picked leaves are spread out onto bamboo trays,
18:36and the ladies sort through the piles,
18:41meticulously removing any stems or dead leaves.
18:52The monotonous job of sorting by hand is vital.
18:56Chunhua is dedicated to hand processing her tea.
19:00The hard work on the tea plantation
19:02also creates a strong sense of camaraderie.
19:06pastaabord medida
19:27needs that make the grade will then be left to dry in the shade in a process called withering.
19:35As light fades, another day draws to a close for the pickers.
19:45Whilst the ladies return down the valley to their villages,
19:51Chunhua's work will continue.
19:53She faces processing today's tea crop long into the night.
20:10Up on the very fringes of northern China lies Dalai Noor Lake on the great prairies of Inner Mongolia.
20:25These vast expanses of grassland dotted with grazing herds of goats
20:30provide a stunning backdrop for the herders and farmers
20:33who make this place their home.
20:42But when the flowers wither and winter comes,
20:46the temperature here can plummet to minus 30 degrees.
20:54The landscape takes on a far harsher appearance.
21:01And a new species emerges.
21:05The ice fisherman.
21:10At the front line is Meng Shui Chen,
21:13native of the area and ice fisherman of more than 30 years' experience.
21:19Come on!
21:21Today, he and his team of 20 men are at their winter fishing site of Dalai Noor Lake.
21:27The 220 square kilometre lake is frozen.
21:31Even so, they aim to land a bumper catch from beneath the ice.
21:39For this group of local workers, it offers good winter earnings to top up their summer jobs,
21:44protecting the ecological beauty of the area.
21:46But it's no easy shift.
21:52Half a metre beneath their feet, the water is a perishing 4 degrees centigrade.
21:58Bad for swimming, but great for fishing.
22:03Meng knows the Crucian carp found here would normally be spread throughout the whole lake.
22:09But when the chill comes, they pile up together in the warmer channels.
22:14Meng must draw on all his past experience to estimate where those channels are.
22:21And it's a very good place to see the shore!
22:21Come to the river!
22:22Come to the river!
22:23Come, come to the river!
22:24Come, come to the river!
22:26Today, we choose the fishing boat.
22:29The fishing boat is the right for the shore.
22:34The fishing boat is the right for the shore.
22:36Every year we'll feed the shore.
22:40The fishing boat is about 2-3 hundred pounds every year.
22:45But the bitter cold that makes the fish such a clear target also creates a huge challenge.
22:54To even get the net into the water, the men must dig through 50 centimetres of ice.
23:01At least the hard physical work keeps the cold at bay.
23:13With the lake exposed, the men slide a 30-metre-long ice jigger into the water.
23:20This clever contraption will drag the net through the first part of its journey.
23:25And it's not just any net.
23:30To maximise the chance of success, Meng has supersized the operation.
23:36The net is so big it could cover Tiananmen Square three times over.
23:42The length of our range is 25.5 miles.
23:46The length of our range is about 600 or 700 meters.
23:52If we don't catch a fish, we can't catch a fish.
23:57A big net means a big challenge, getting it into the lake in the first place.
24:02One, two, one.
24:04Meng can't simply drag it behind a boat.
24:11They need to rely on brute strength to get it into position.
24:37The enormous net is in fact three nets, stitched together by hand.
24:45Mung hopes this central grey netting will be filled with carp at the end of the day.
24:54The whole thing is submerged under the ice and must now be dragged out to its full length.
25:01The way this is done is ingenious.
25:09Mung positions his men carefully at nine metre intervals across the lake on precisely the
25:14line he wants the net to run.
25:20Working in a relay system, each man carves a hole in the ice through which they can hook
25:25the net and drag it past.
25:53After a few hours, slowly
25:56but surely the entire length of the net has been dragged out along the lake bed.
26:03But fishing here is getting tougher with each passing winter.
26:08Dalinor Lake is shrinking because more and more water upstream is being diverted for factories
26:14and irrigation.
26:17And because the lake bed is so rich in sodium carbonate, thanks to the ash from ancient
26:22volcanic eruptions, the salt concentration of the water is increasing.
26:27And that's bad for fish numbers and catch sizes.
26:32In this changing climate, Mung's team must wait and hope all their efforts have been worthwhile.
26:50High on the Tibetan plateau in southwestern China, it's race day at Shyamalong's horse festival.
27:01The race's youngest competitor, 13-year-old Thudang, is waking up under canvas.
27:07Today, he hopes to join his forefathers on the list of master riders to herald from his family.
27:18He has a lot to do, including working with his father to get his horse ready for the race ahead.
27:30But this festival isn't just about racing.
27:36First, there is an important Buddhist prayer gathering, meaning ceremonial costume is the
27:43order of the day.
27:48The villagers weave their way to the highest point on the mountain.
27:57At the summit is a spot, the nearest they can get to God, where worshipers gather in a site
28:06visible from miles around.
28:29Worshippers throw prayer papers known as Lung Da high into the air and burn cypress branches
28:35to cleanse spirits and placate the mountain gods.
28:51Villagers like Thudang have brought their horses here to be blessed.
28:56They're believed to have been pure bred in the region for over 1,000 years.
29:03These sturdy horses carried Thudang's ancestors into battle, and they've been used to herd yak
29:09since the plateau was first settled.
29:17With the prayer ceremony complete, Thudang's attention now turns to the main event.
29:42Dressed in his bright race colours, he goes through the final calming routine with his horse,
29:47Hongma.
29:49.
29:51.
29:59.
29:59.
29:59.
30:22.
30:22.
30:22.
30:53.
30:53.
30:53.
31:22.
31:52.
32:22.
32:52.
32:53auction with the room filling up the first lots are brought out
33:09it's a frenetic tense environment with buyers fighting to get their hands on each
33:14precious stone hands feel for the texture whilst eyes scan the surface hunting for examples they
33:28think can be carved into the most valuable ornaments soon money is changing hands
33:47behind the scenes lin jung has decided the time is right to open the safe and bring out a stone
33:54of
33:54unimaginable rarity this 30 centimeter wide piece of chung hua stone may look like all the others
34:05but to the trained eye it's a variety known as chen hua meaning yellow field due to its yellow
34:14coloring the stone is already unusual but when laced with chicken blood speckling it's even more precious
34:45if this special rock sells for as much as lin jung hopes the village could be very wealthy indeed by
34:52the
34:52end of the day out in the auction room the big buyers have arrived as the chen huang stone is
35:04brought out
35:05the room hums with anticipation and it's an instant hit with the crowd the bidding opens at a massive 1
35:20.5
35:21million yuan 240,000 US dollars but lin jung believes it's worth more
35:29yes
35:31yes
35:35yes
35:35yes
35:38yes
35:38yes
35:40torrential rain arrives all of a sudden but nothing can stop the flood of bids
36:03the chen huang stone eventually sells for 2.3 million yuan that's more than 350,000 US dollars
36:15it's been a hugely successful day but lin jung knows there are still precious chicken blood stones waiting to be
36:23found
36:26tomorrow he'll lead his men back into the mine in the hope fate will smile on them and they will
36:32unearth the next million yuan rock
36:42back on the icy surface of dalinor lake in inner mongolia fisherman mung and his team are ice fishing on
36:51an epic scale
36:57for eight hours the two and a half kilometer net is set under the ice
37:04it's time to pull it out
37:12thanks to a mix of machine and man the vast net emerges slowly from the freezing depths
37:32it's back breaking work but the men know the more the net weighs the bigger their bounty
37:47mung and his men are about to find out if all today's efforts have been worthwhile
37:55if mung picks the correct location the net will be bulging with crucian car worth up to twelve thousand dollars
38:02per tonne and the team will head home happy
38:12it looks like a decent catch
38:14it looks like a decent catch
38:17but the weight of fish is only around three and a half tons
38:20much less than the ten tons mung was hoping for
38:30from here the haul of carp will be transported to markets as far away as beijing
38:40for generations ingenious and hardy ice fishermen have made a living from the way crucian carp gather beneath the ice
38:48here
38:49next winter mung and his team will be back
39:04back in angie county in eastern china pan chun hua's team of pickers have brought in another harvest of highly
39:12coveted angie white tea
39:17now the race is on to bake tens of thousands of leaves and package the crop for market
39:26it's a mammoth job that'll take much of the night
39:31so during picking season she often calls on her son guai shinsai to help with the workload
39:45takes a lot of the night
39:47the good time
39:51the couple of weeks
39:53the two months later
39:54the time were there
39:56the new ones
39:57the new ones
39:58these new ones
40:03the new one
40:04the new ones
40:05the new ones
40:08Shinsai respects his mother's traditional techniques, but he's also keen to introduce
40:13a few of his own modern ideas into the family business.
40:19Inside the tea factory, Chunhua tackles this demanding process the way she believes works
40:24best – by hand.
40:29The first stage is known as the killgreen step, where the tea leaves are heated in a wok.
40:41It's crucial to control the heating time.
40:44If the leaves are overheated, they turn unappealingly brown.
40:49If they're under-heated, the flavour is not fully baked in.
40:56Then the leaves are rolled into wrinkled strips to allow the juice to seep out of each leaf
41:01evenly.
41:07It adds up to hot, repetitive work for Chunhua, but her son, Shinsai, has invested in what
41:16he believes is a faster and more efficient way to prepare the leaves, without a drop-off
41:21in quality.
41:23In 2013, he bought this tea processing machine, which automates the baking and replaces everything
41:31Chunhua does by hand.
41:37The machine is heated to over 200 degrees C to heat out the moisture from the leaves.
41:47At the right moment, he places wooden pins into the machine.
41:53To grind the leaves and replicate the hand-rolling technique, Chunhua employs.
41:59It's vital that the leaves don't become over-dry, so their texture is constantly checked by
42:05hand.
42:06A much more difficult task for Shinsai.
42:25With the machine work finished, the leaves are ready for the final baking process.
42:32The leaves are carefully checked and tossed before being baked over charcoal.
42:41Chunhua relies on a traditional bamboo basket suspended over the heat.
42:45But once again, Shinsai has innovated.
42:49He's designed a multi-layer drying oven to increase productivity.
43:05Chunhua may still prefer her traditional methods, but finding a balance between the old and
43:10the new has seen the family increase their yield to 500 kilograms of tea per year.
43:19And here's the result, Angie white tea ready to be packaged.
43:39With another valuable crop heading to market, for Chunhua, it's a chance to reflect on the
43:44good fortune that brought Angie white tea to her family.
43:50And how this rare and precious variety of tea continues to bring prosperity to this quiet
43:55corner of rural China.
44:06Far to the west, on the barren expanse of the Tibetan plateau, 13-year-old Tudang is nearing
44:16the end of a five-kilometre horse race.
44:24After a bruising test of horse and rider, the race reaches a steep rocky ride to the finish.
44:37The leaders make it through.
44:41And hot on their heels, Tudang crosses the line.
44:58He's eager to get back to his family to celebrate.
45:03It's a particularly special moment for a proud father who's seen his son come of age.
45:11The crowd flocks to the presentation arena.
45:17Tudang is keen to find out where he placed.
45:22It's great news.
45:23He's been awarded seventh place, which delights his father and brings Tudang a financial reward.
45:35Before the festival draws to a close, the best of the riders are invited to demonstrate their
45:40horsemanship to the crowd.
45:47Resplendent in their traditional costumes, the riders gallop with only feet in stirrups,
45:52dipping their arms as low as they can.
45:58It's a skill not everyone has mastered.
46:03But one that Tudang is at home with, thanks to years of training from his father.
46:17The close bond he and his horse have built is there for all to see.
46:29It's an image that for centuries has graced this awe-inspiring place on the roof of the world.
46:41In the far flung corners of China, traditional communities carve a living in remote and rugged landscapes.
46:55In the icy north, ingenious carp fishermen have worked out how to beat the iron grip of winter together.
47:05In the east, mining families pool the fruits of their labours, so the old community solidarity can flourish.
47:16And in Anji Valley, two generations combine their knowledge of old and new to bring back a long lost treasure.
47:25Innovation and tradition live on side by side in the hidden corners of secret China.
47:59in Anji Valley, one 제가 맘을 볼 수 있습니다.
48:23You
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