- 4 days ago
Discover the sweeping grasslands of Mongolia within China's Inner Mongolia region. Spanning vast, emerald-green steppes, premier destinations like the Hulunbuir and Xilingol Grasslands offer sweeping horizons, nomadic herder cultures, horseback riding, and vibrant flower-filled landscapes....
Category
🏖
TravelTranscript
00:00China is vast, covering 7% of the planet's land surface.
00:07In this series, I'll explore the country's mountains...
00:11I feel on top of the world.
00:14...and grasslands.
00:16I'll cross China's greatest deserts and jungles.
00:21China is the only country with elephants in the south and reindeer in the north.
00:28I'll go in search of them and many other extraordinary and rare creatures.
00:36Join me on my adventures in untamed China.
00:48Big skies and rolling steps.
00:52On this adventure, I'm in the far north of China in Inner Mongolia.
00:57It was from this part of the world in the 13th century that Genghis Khan led his armies of riders
01:03to conquer most of Europe and Asia.
01:06These grasslands have always been famous for their horses and horsemen.
01:17On my mission, I hope to meet the wild creatures that live here in Inner Mongolia.
01:23To do that, I've bought all the traps, nets and other equipment I need.
01:28I'll take to my bike to find micro-mammals in the grass.
01:36I'll pursue flying grass eaters and be on the lookout for Mongolia's deadliest snake.
01:43As well as finding out about Genghis Khan's favourite sport.
01:49Terrific stuff.
01:51I'm excited about meeting all of those, but I'm really determined to see one elegant bird.
01:58The Demozel crane.
02:00It would be tempting fate to tell you why I'm so desperate to see it.
02:04But if we succeed, I'll explain then.
02:07But first off, I'm going to meet an animal that you really wouldn't expect to find in China.
02:14To encounter it, I go towards the Russian border.
02:19The creature walks with such ease through the forests and swamps of northern China,
02:25the local people call it the boat of the forest.
02:30Just over here is the animal that's a surprise to find in China.
02:37Look, a beautiful reindeer.
02:45You'd expect reindeer in Scandinavia.
02:49Father Christmas keeps his herd there.
02:51You'd expect them in Russia, Canada and America.
02:55The same species of deer there is given a different name, caribou.
02:59But in China, you wouldn't think they'd be here.
03:05Semi-domesticated, as you can see, with the bell around its neck.
03:08But there are wild reindeer in China.
03:11There's only a couple of hundred of them left.
03:13They're only found in Inner Mongolia.
03:16This is a big bull, of course.
03:18Look at these tremendous antlers.
03:22Midsummer now.
03:22So these deer are preparing for the rutting season.
03:26Even though they're semi-domesticated, they still fight for the females.
03:40When reindeer walk, they make a really strange sound.
03:44Make a click with every stride.
03:46The clacking noise is made by their ankle tendons sliding over bones in their feet.
03:52So when you're walking with a herd of them like this, it's a cacophony of clicks.
03:57They can be heard up to 30 metres away.
04:00It's thought the sound helps the herd maintain contact during blizzards.
04:04Even when blinded by snow, they can hear each other moving.
04:09He looks really handsome with this dark summer coat.
04:12The coat will be much lighter in the winter to camouflage him against the snow.
04:17These animals are perfectly adapted for extremely cold winters.
04:23See this little tail here? If it was much longer, there'd be a danger of frostbite.
04:29Reindeer have very special hooves.
04:33They use them for swimming, for paddling through the water.
04:37And also, in the winter, they splay out to support the animal's weight as it's moving across snow.
04:46Now I'm going to meet the Iwenki tribe, the guardians of these reindeer.
04:55Less than 200 Iwenki still herd reindeer in the time-honoured way.
05:01They're determined to keep their traditions alive.
05:04Cast down from one generation to the next, some of their songs and dances are centuries old.
05:11Reindeer are so important to the tribe, they feature in many of these songs.
05:18A bell and a bribe keep the free-range reindeer from straying too far.
05:25Salt is the bribe.
05:27Many mammals travel great distances to find this essential mineral.
05:31But these reindeer have come to depend on human handouts.
05:41The salt treats keep nursing females close by so the Iwenkis can get milk
05:47and the young calves can be protected from wolves and bears.
05:53Most animals protect themselves from predators without a helping hand from humans.
06:01In these northern forests, one animal keeps out of harm's way by blending in.
06:11Some other creatures in this forest are so well camouflaged.
06:18You've got to be right on top of them to see them.
06:24Look, there's a bird right in front of me.
06:33This is a hazel grouse, a hen bird.
06:37She is so confident in her camouflage.
06:42She won't leave the nest unless she's really in peril.
06:46And of course, I'm no danger to her.
06:50She could be sitting on a clutch of up to a dozen eggs.
06:59Good luck. I hope you rear your chicks successfully.
07:04It's time to get cracking with my quest for Demozel cranes.
07:09I certainly won't find them here.
07:11They're birds of grasslands, not forests.
07:15The cranes are usually close to water too,
07:18so Dalai Lake is a good place to begin my search.
07:22It's close to Russia and the border town of Manzuli.
07:29Manzuli was established in 1901 as a stop for the Trans-Siberian Railway,
07:35which crosses the border about a kilometre and a half from the station.
07:41This statue of China and Russia's national bears
07:45symbolises the merging of countries and cultures here.
07:54These buildings, the Cyrillic script on the shops,
07:58Manzuli has a real Russian feel about it.
08:02It's like nowhere else in China.
08:06Soon I'll be at the edge of a giant lake
08:09where I hope to lay eyes on Demozel cranes
08:12for the first time in my life.
08:16Coming up...
08:17I take to my bike to find creatures hidden in the grass
08:22and witness a turn-feeding spectacular.
08:30It's summer in Inner Mongolia on China's border with Russia.
08:35On my search for Demozel cranes, I pass through Manzuli.
08:40Now I'm close to a giant lake
08:43that's almost hidden in this sea of grass.
08:50The surprise that really seems to just pop out of the grassland is Dalai Lake.
08:57It's China's fifth largest.
08:59It covers nearly 200,000 square kilometres.
09:03That's the equivalent of half a million football fields.
09:10There are reports of Demozel cranes breeding here.
09:14They usually nest within a few hundred metres of water.
09:17So my best bet is to concentrate my search close to the lake and the surrounding wetlands.
09:28There's certainly plenty of water birds.
09:32Spoonbills are a favourite of mine.
09:34They use their spatula bills to sift out small aquatic creatures from the water.
09:40The grey heron uses its dagger-like beak to stab larger prey, frogs or fish.
09:47Other aquatic birds have babies in tow.
09:54These pot shard ducklings are perfecting the art of diving.
10:06When they're full grown, they'll be able to reach depths of four metres and stay submerged for up to a
10:12minute.
10:15Pot shards are such specialised divers, they rarely venture onto land, as they have great difficulty with walking.
10:28The training session doesn't last long.
10:30Like all babies, the ducklings need their sleep. Mum has a nap too.
10:38Deli Lake and the wetlands that surround it are home to over 200 species of bird.
10:45Many of them only visit in summer to breathe.
10:48What a charming sight. A flock of white-winged and whiskered terns.
10:56There must be some bits of fish in the bottom of the boat.
11:01These international travellers have flown here to breed from as far as Australia or New Zealand.
11:11They're having a feast here.
11:16Back at their nests, which they build on floating lily or lotus leaves, chicks will be waiting to be fed.
11:33Let's see what was attracting the terns.
11:36No wonder they were hovering above this boat.
11:39There's a mass of fish. They look like loach.
11:48So Deli Lake has delivered terns, spoonbills and potches.
11:53But the bird that inspired my quest has yet to put in an appearance.
12:00The terns put on a real spectacular, but so far no sign of any Demozel craze.
12:06The bird I'm determined to see.
12:09Hopefully, I can find them a little further to the east.
12:15I'm heading to a place known as the Pearl of the Grasslands.
12:19The Three Rivers region is a vast area of prairie close to the city of Hala Ur.
12:28First, I'm going to take to the skies above the grasslands.
12:32The flight will only take me a couple of hundred metres up, so there's the possibility of spotting cranes.
12:43This should be superb, a buzzard's eye view of the grassland.
12:50Demozel cranes are a metre tall, with a wingspan of almost twice that.
12:55So if they take off, they'll really stand out.
13:06Floating above them, you can really see the vastness of these grasslands.
13:11They're the dominant landscape in China, covering 40% of the country's land area.
13:17These oxbow lakes and marshy areas seem perfect for nesting cranes.
13:23But there's none to be seen.
13:25Beautiful.
13:25Beautiful.
13:26Yeah, beautiful. Very beautiful.
13:28Very beautiful. Very beautiful.
13:32There's so many people and livestock here in the Three Rivers region.
13:36It's possible the cranes have been pushed out to more remote areas.
13:45Wherever you look, there's domestic animals.
13:57Demozel cranes might not feel comfortable with humans and livestock for neighbours, but some other smaller wild animals thrive in
14:06pastures that have been grazed by horses, although they'll take a little bit of finding.
14:13In these grasslands, an area the size of a football field can have literally hundreds of minuscule mammals.
14:20I'm going to try to show you some of them, but before that, I've been invited in here for a
14:26traditional drink.
14:30Hello.
14:32Hello.
14:43Inside, with its walls of felt and wool, the yurt is airy and comfortable.
14:48This is something I've read about, Mongolian tea, horse milk with salt.
14:58It's very good. It's much nicer than it sounds.
15:07Nowadays, these circular tents are just the summer home for the Mongolians.
15:11They stay in here to look after their livestock.
15:20I can't understand a word.
15:25Probably talking about flocks and herds, state of the summer pasture.
15:29Who knows?
15:36Eat a lot of sheep in Mongolia.
15:40I'm going to stick to Mongolian tea.
15:42I really don't like the look of what's in that bucket down there.
15:45I'm going to make a move before I get a meaty meal.
15:50That was lovely.
15:53Yeah, that wouldn't be for me.
15:55It's a great shame, but with around half a million horses in Inner Mongolia,
16:00there's no room for the wild ass and gazelles that once roamed here.
16:07Although overgrazing by horses can boost the number of some smaller mammals
16:12that appreciate short turf.
16:14And look.
16:15To see them, I'm going to set a trap line.
16:23Bester.
16:24Bye-bye.
16:47The micro mammals I'm in search of will be in burrows underground right now,
16:52but I hope to entice them into my traps when they come out to feed tonight.
16:58Sunflower seed snack.
17:01That should lure them in.
17:07This looks a good spot.
17:10There we go.
17:15With many more scurrying feet than thundering hooves on these undulating pastures,
17:21I'll be surprised if none of my traps are sprung.
17:51The next day, I'm off just after sunrise.
17:59It's a magical time for a cycle ride.
18:03I place the traps near distinctive features.
18:06A yurt, a bend in the river, or a peculiarly shaped mound.
18:11I don't want to misplace any.
18:13Animals caught inside need to be checked and released quickly.
18:21This one hasn't been sprung.
18:26Another empty one.
18:33This trap's been sprung.
18:35I've got a bag here so we can have a look at what's inside.
18:39Some rodents can transmit diseases to people, so I don't want to be bitten.
18:46And there.
18:47I'd have been surprised if we hadn't caught one of these.
18:49I said there were hundreds of these in an area the size of a football field.
18:54But in plague years, there can be up to 10,000 of them.
18:58It's a little vole.
19:02Three or four kinds found here, narrow-headed, reed, could be Mongolian.
19:10Looking at the colour and the length of the tail, I think this is the splendidly named Maximovich's vole.
19:16A single vole can eat 40 grams of vegetation in a day.
19:22That's the equivalent weight of 10 teaspoons of sugar.
19:25But when you've got a lot of them, that really adds up, and Chinese scientists have calculated every year the
19:33voles in the grasslands of China can eat over 200 million tonnes of fresh vegetation.
19:39That's the equivalent weight of 72,000 jumbo jets, or 4 million elephants.
19:46So these little guys can certainly eat a lot.
19:50Let's send you on your way.
19:54Whee!
20:03Ha-ha!
20:04The door on this one is closed.
20:08Let's see what's inside.
20:11I recognise this little rodent.
20:13I've seen them in pet shops at home.
20:16In fact, all around the world, this is the Chinese hamster.
20:19They were first domesticated in 1919.
20:23The ancestors of all the animals kept as pets came from northern China.
20:28These little rodents live in burrows in the grassland.
20:32Four or five live together.
20:34They are prolific breeders.
20:36They can have their first babies as young as five weeks.
20:41Then they can have up to five litters a year, with up to nine babies in each.
20:46Breeding at that rate, you can see why they could be a problem on these grasslands if their numbers weren't
20:52kept in check by predators.
20:55And she's so relaxed, having a good clean.
20:58That's ain't going on.
21:07Go on then, off you go.
21:24Coming up, I meet Mongolia's most venomous snake
21:29and watch the nation's favourite sport.
21:39Albo, a spiritual site for Buddhists, is far out in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia.
21:46I'm hoping my visit here will bring me inspiration and perhaps some luck in my search for Demozel cranes.
21:54So far, these exquisite birds have proved elusive.
21:58I've been searching for over two weeks now and have one last chance to catch up with the cranes.
22:05I'm heading to Hohot, the provincial capital of Inner Mongolia.
22:11The city is surrounded by vast grasslands.
22:15There have been reports of Demozel cranes there.
22:18I'll visit this sea of grass tomorrow.
22:21Now I jump on my bike to search for a special snake.
22:27My destination is a park on the edge of Hohot, which is a famous site for serpents.
22:37I've no time for a snack. I want to be there before the day warms up.
22:45The snakes I'm looking for won't be out and about when it gets too hot.
22:52In summer, temperatures here can soar above 40 degrees centigrade.
22:58If I do get lucky and find Mongolia's most toxic snake, I'll need my hook to handle it.
23:10Temples and pine forests. There's a mix of good snake habitats here.
23:18The reptiles will relish these gullies of cracked soil, and there's permanent pools here too, for drinking and hunting frogs.
23:28The snake!
23:33Not the one I'm looking for.
23:35This is a species found all over China.
23:39It's called the Chinese tiger snake, or the tiger killback.
23:43You can see why it's called a tiger, because of these brilliant orange and black markings.
23:49They're very docile snakes, and only bite if seriously provoked.
23:53But if it did start chewing on me, and could work the teeth at the back of its jaws into
23:57my flesh,
23:58it could inject some venom.
24:00This is a back-fang species of snake.
24:03They use that venom to kill their prey, mainly frogs and fish.
24:07They're nearly always found near water like this.
24:10They are very good swimmers.
24:16The snake species I'm really hoping to find here in the park isn't keen on getting its scales wet.
24:24It prefers to hunt lizards and mice on dry land.
24:32There!
24:34What a little beauty!
24:39This is what I've been searching for.
24:42It's the central Asian pit viper.
24:46See if we can get him to settle down.
24:48I've got to be a little careful here.
24:51Asian pit vipers have got quite virulent venom.
24:56Haemotoxic properties.
24:57That means it breaks down tissue, would liquefy my muscles if I was bitten by it.
25:03It really is not aggressive.
25:08You can see why Asian pit vipers are given their name.
25:12There's a pit between the eye and the tip of the snout for detecting heat.
25:17So these snakes can track small mice, other rodents, in pitch darkness.
25:22They can see a heat image of their prey.
25:26These central Asian pit vipers don't get much larger than this.
25:30The biggest ones are around 40 centimetres.
25:33Now we've had a good look at him.
25:35I'll put him back in his retreat.
25:39Come on then.
25:43There we go.
25:44It's getting quite hot now.
25:46So this little chap will spend most of the day hidden underground where it's cooler.
25:51He'll come out at night looking for food.
25:55Brilliant.
25:59Tomorrow I'll leave Hohot City to head out into the grasslands for a unique Mongolian festival
26:06and my last attempt to find Demozel cranes.
26:16My travels in Inner Mongolia are nearly at an end.
26:20Before I leave, I want to experience a Nadam.
26:24This Nadam is near Shillenhout, a few hours' drive from Hohot.
26:30These midsummer festivals are held wherever there's a large Mongol population.
26:36It's a tradition that goes back hundreds of years with its roots in the training of warriors.
26:42The favourite sport of Mongolians is wrestling.
26:46A group of competitors here getting ready for this afternoon's bout.
26:51The wrestlers wear a colourful two-piece costume.
26:55A shudok, which are shorts, and a vest, the zodok.
27:10Wrestling is the main event at an Adam.
27:14Hundreds of competitors can take part in the tournament.
27:17In this competition, it will be several days before the ultimate champion is decided.
27:24Wrestling has a long tradition in Mongolian culture.
27:28Genghis Khan used to use the sport to keep his troops in tip-top condition.
27:34Genghis Khan used to use the sport to keep his troops in tip-top condition.
27:45This is a knockout competition.
27:47The number of wrestlers is gradually whippened down.
27:53The champion will be the last man standing.
28:09A winner does a dance of victory. He's now a lion or ozlan.
28:16If he wins again, he'll be a titan, or evraga.
28:25A confrontation can be over in seconds, or take much longer.
28:34This is a real battle of wills and tactics.
28:38The bout's gone on for nearly 15 minutes.
28:41It looks like the smaller wrestler has his opponent rattled.
28:52The big man hit the ground first.
28:52Wow, the big man hit the ground first. We have a winner.
28:59Now I'm off to see another important part of this summer festival.
29:04Horses are cherished in Mongolian culture.
29:08There's a traditional saying,
29:10a Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings.
29:15After wrestling, horse racing is the favourite sport of Mongolians.
29:21Long horse races, which are real marathons, are one of the highlights of the Nadam.
29:27You've got a long way to run, boy, haven't you?
29:32A horse is a traditional gift for boys on their third birthday.
29:37If they show promise, they can be chosen and trained as jockeys from the age of five.
29:43A horse!
30:05A horse!
30:08Unlike Western horse races, Mongolian ones are really long.
30:12This one is eight and a half kilometres.
30:15The longest cross-country races for seven-year-old horses can be over 26 kilometres.
30:28A racehorse can gallop for up to 35 kilometres,
30:32and they're trained to continue racing if the jockey falls off.
30:42It's an exciting finish.
30:45Yes!
30:46Gia is the winner. Well done!
30:49Brilliant!
30:51Did the eight and a half kilometres in about 13 minutes.
30:54This is Gia. He's 20 years old, been riding since the age of five.
30:59Excellent win!
31:00Well done, Gia.
31:08I'll be celebrating too, when I at last get to see damazelle cranes.
31:18The beautiful birds are somewhere out there in this sea of grass.
31:30I'm back on my bike to track them and other grass-living creatures down.
31:47There's not much big game on these grasslands, but there's plenty of little game.
31:52I keep seeing them scurrying all around here.
31:55Lizards that talk with their tails.
32:04Oh!
32:05So fast!
32:22I'm missing these lizards by a hair's breadth.
32:26They're so fast.
32:28I see a couple over there displaying to each other.
32:34Coiling their tails, just like clock springs.
32:40Maybe they're distracted and I can catch one of them.
32:56Oh!
33:04At last!
33:06A beautiful grassland toad-headed agama.
33:10As we've seen in the warmth of the sun, these are incredibly fast little lizards.
33:15They need that speed to escape from predators.
33:18These would be a perfect morsel for a bird of prey.
33:21They also need to be fast to catch their food, ants and other small insects.
33:26And they've got a beautiful marking on the side of their body.
33:30If I gently move its leg here, you can see there's a splash of pink scales just behind the front
33:37legs.
33:37That's how you can tell this is a grassland toad-headed agama.
33:42You and your friends really led me on a merry chase.
33:46Off you go.
33:52Still no sign of a Demozel crane though.
33:55It's so frustrating because they're not even rare here.
33:59Thousands breed in Inner Mongolia.
34:02I'd be happy to see just one of them.
34:08Ahead of me now, there's an elegant long-legged bird just as lovely as the cranes I seek.
34:21What a stunning bird.
34:28Oriental plovers are a real speciality on this Inner Mongolian grassland.
34:34The bright chestnut chest shows this is a male.
34:37The females are duller.
34:40They've flown a long way to breed here.
34:42They spend the winters in Northern Australia.
34:46The long journey is worthwhile.
34:49The plovers can provide for their chicks with the glut of juicy insects found on these grasslands in summer.
34:59I'm sure the plovers are much better at catching bugs than I am.
35:08I want to show you an insect that sings from on high.
35:32I want to show you an insect that sings from on high.
35:43I've got one at last.
35:45This is the grasshopper that's been flying around making that characteristic noise as it rubs its leg against its wings.
35:54Chinese scientists have told me that these insects have song flights just like little birds and if you clap in
36:00time with them, if you match the rhythm of the noise that they're making, they think you're an intruder in
36:05their territory and drop down to the ground.
36:08But today it's too windy, so they can't do their song flights.
36:11They're just being blown away, which is why it's been so difficult to catch one.
36:16These grasshoppers don't have a common name.
36:19The Latin name is Briodema luctuosum.
36:22If I gently fan out the wings and look, beautiful blue and black underwing.
36:33They use that to display to the females too.
36:38Chinese people have a special affection for grasshoppers and crickets.
36:43They've been kept as pets in China for over a thousand years and are still very popular today.
36:51Wide affection for these insects means that in every big town or city, there's a section in the market that
36:58buzzes and chirps.
37:02Every summer, tens of thousands are bought from the countryside to the cities.
37:08Here, a new consignment are fed carrots to keep them in good condition.
37:13City dwellers love the songs of grasshoppers and they're often kept in decorative ceramic pots designed to amplify their chirping.
37:30They're not so well-liked in the rural grasslands.
37:37Grasshopper plagues can destroy vast areas of croplands and strip the vegetation to bare soil.
37:50Coming up...
37:52Are my eyes deceiving me?
37:56Is that a mirage?
37:58Or Demazel cranes?
38:11I've journeyed across the grasslands of Inner Mongolia in search of a spectacular bird.
38:18The Demazel crane.
38:21I've finally found what I'm looking for.
38:24And it's not just one of them.
38:26There's a whole flock.
38:36Look, this isn't a mirage.
38:38These are the creatures I've been hoping to see throughout my journey in Inner Mongolia.
38:44Demazel cranes.
38:48They're beautiful birds, but this is such a vicious heat wobble.
38:51It's difficult to see them in detail.
38:54I've got to get closer.
39:01On my journey across Inner Mongolia, this is the real icing on the cake.
39:08There's a couple of hundred Demazel cranes just ahead of me.
39:11And I'm close enough now to see all of the detail.
39:18These cranes pair for life, and their bond is strengthened by dancing and duets.
39:27Demazels are the smallest species of crane in the world.
39:30Only kind with this beautiful plume of white feathers on the head.
39:36This is stupendous.
39:37I'm so close, I can see the colour of their eyes.
39:43The males have bright red ones.
39:46The females are brown.
39:51Now we've got these cracking views.
39:54I'll tell you why I was so keen on seeing these beautiful birds.
39:59There's 15 species of crane in the world.
40:02Until today, I'd seen 14 of them.
40:06The Demazel crane completes the set.
40:12There's a whole mix of birds here.
40:14Ruddy shell duck out of splash of colour.
40:16Bright orange in amongst the cranes.
40:23Curlew sandpiper in front of me too.
40:27Still in breeding plumage.
40:30Brick red feathers.
40:33They're on their way back to Australia after nesting in the Arctic.
40:39European shell duck too.
40:42In this species, the duck and the drake have the same colour pattern.
40:48There's a little family party there.
40:55They're sieving water and mud through their fringed bills for snails and other small animals.
41:06The duckling's running after mum and dad.
41:15Well, this is a big family.
41:18Shell duck can have up to 12 babies in a brood.
41:22The ducklings look so tiny running past the crane's legs.
41:31There's another big flock coming into land.
41:51Beautiful.
42:04Demazel cranes breed on the grasslands, but they're never far from water.
42:09They have to drink every day.
42:13These birds gather in groups of 400 or so before their southward migration to wintering grounds in India.
42:40What a stunning end to my journey across Inner Mongolia.
42:46Next time, I'm off to explore the remarkable high-altitude grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau.
42:54They're home to some real high flyers, bar-headed geese and massive wild yak too.
43:01This is such a surprise.
43:04This is such a surprise.
43:04A very rare animal indeed.
43:07There's pocket-sized cousins of hares, peekers and their predators, the strange Tibetan fox.
43:15There's Kiang Tu, the world's most handsome wild ass.
43:20This is amazing. It's like being on the African plains.
43:26I'll see you soon for more adventures in untamed China.
43:31Wonderful.
43:49Thank you for joining us at the
Comments