Wild China - S01E02
0’ - 10‘-------------------
Beneath billowing clouds in China’s far southwest Yunnan Province lies a place of mystery and legend. Off the mighty rivers are some of the oldest jungles in the world. Here hidden valleys nurtures strange and unique creatures and colorful tribe cultures. Jungles rarely found this far north of the tropics, so why did they thrive here? And how has the rocky landscape harbor the greatest natural wealth in all China?
In the remote southwest corner of China a celebration is about to take place. Dai people collect water for the most important festival of the year. The Dai call themselves the people of the water. Yunnan’s water valleys have been their home for over 2000 years. By bringing the river water to the temple they honor the two things holiest to them: Buddhism and their home.
The Dai gives thanks for the rivers and the fertile lands which have nurtured their culture. Though it’s sound they might be just an excuse for the biggest water fight all of the time. Dai’s life is changed as the towns get bigger and modernized, but the water splashing festival is still celebrated by all.
The rivers which lie in the heart of the Dai life and culture flow from the distant mountains of Tibet, south through the central Yunnan in great parallel gorges. The Dai now live in the borders of tropic Vietnam and Laos. But their legends tell them how their ancestor came here by following the rivers from the mountain lands to the cold far north.
Lie in the far east end of the Himalayas the Hengduan mountains form the northern border of Yunnan and Tibet. *** , crown of the Hengduan range is the sight of holy peak image yet its formidable peak remains unconquered. Yunnan’s mountains are remote, rocked and inaccessible.
Here the air is thing and the temperatures can drop to minus 40 centigrade degrees. This is home to an animal found nowhere else on Earth: the Yunnan *** nose monkey. It’s found in only these few isolated mountain forests, no other primate lives in such high altitudes. But these are true specialists. This ancient dwells have inspired legends. Local Lishu People consider them their ancestors, calling them the wild men of the mountains. During heavy snowfalls even these specialists can not feed. It seems a strange place for a monkey.
Between snows the monkeys waste no time in their search for food. At his altitude there are few soft tender leaves to eat. 90% of their diet is made up of the fine dry ***** organism. Half fungus half plants is liken. How have monkeys normally associated ** low and jungles come to live in such remote mountainous systems?
This is not the only remarkable animal found within these isolated peaks. A Chinese red panda, solitary in quiet spends much of its time in the tree tops. Despite of its name, the red panda is only a very distant relative of the giant panda. It’s actually more closely related to a skunk. But it does share the giant panda’s taste for bamboo. Southwest China’s red pandas are well known for their very strong facial markings which distinguish them from red pandas found anywhere else in the Himalayas.
Like the monkeys they’re isolated in these high forests, when the mountains quiet literally rose beneath them in the greatest mountain building event in recent geological history. Over the last 30 million years the Indian subcontinent has been pushing north sweeps into Eurasia. On the border of India and Tibet, the rock has been raised 8 kilometers above sea level, creating the world’s highest mountains ranges – the Himalayas. But to the east the rocks are buckled into a series of a steep north-south ridges cutting down through the heart of Yunnan, the parallel mountains of Hengduan Shan. These natural barriers serve to isolate Yunnan’s plants and animals in each adjacent valley. While the huge temperature range between the snowy peaks and the warmer slopes below provides a vast *** of conditions for life to thrive. Through spring the Hengduan slopes state one of the China’s greatest natural spectacles. very 好$高$ 10‘ - 20’
The forests here are among the most diverse botanical areas of the world. Over 18 thousand plant species grow here, of which 3000 are found nowhere else. Until a little more than a century ago, this place was unknown outside China. But then news reached the west of the mysterious hidden world of the orient: hidden among the mountains, a lost Shangri-la paradise. Western high society in the grip of gardening craze was eager for exotic species from far away places. This gave rise to a new breed of celebrity adventures, entrapped **** explorers, known as the plant hunters. Yunnan became their holy grail. The most famous was Joseph Rock, the real life Indiana Jones. Remarkable film footage captured his hunter rush on the series of expeditions as they pushed into the deepest corners of Yunnan.
In glorious color he recorded the plant life he found on special photographic glass plates. Sending thousands of specimens back to the west, the plant hunters changed the gardens of the world for ever. Rock’s success was born on the messy method. For defining his Shangri-la not only had he to *** Anglas mountains ranges but some of the deepest gorges in the world.
The Nu Jiang is called the angry river. This 300-kilometer stretch of raging *** is as much a barrier to life as how the mountains ***. But the plant hunters weren't the first people to travel here. Along the Nu Jiang less than 30 rope crossings allows local’s passage across the torrents. Tiny *** cling to the slopes. This morning is market day, join people from up and down the valley. Hanging from simple rope slings, people have been using the crossing for many hundreds of years. In such narrow *** gorges, it’s by far the easiest way to get around. Once across the steep sides meaning still a hike, many track for hours by foot before they get to the market.
The immense valley is home to over a dozen ethnic groups, some but the Nu people are found only here. The markets bring the mountain tribes together. To continue his expeditions Rock had to get his entire *** across the giant Yunnan rivers. He commissioned specially thick ropes made from forest rattan and film the entire event. With *** butter to smooth the ride 40 men and 15 mules made the journey, not all made it across.
On the far side of the great Nu Jiang gorge, the plant hunters made a remarkable discovery. Far from the tropics, they seemed to be entering a steamy, vibrant tropic jungle: the forests of Gaoligong Shan. The flora here is unlike anywhere else in the world, next to subtropical species alpine plants grow in giant form, crowning the canopy *** up to 30 meters high. In April and May their flowers turn the forests ruby red, attracting birds species found only here.
Constant moisture in the air means that the branches are laid with flowering ***, disregarded by tiny sun birds unique to this valley. Necked feeders these are the harming birds to the old world tropics. The forests of Gaoligong Shan are home to some of the Chinese rarest wild lives.
This is a female temmick’s tragopan, she has a colorful male admirer. He’s hoping to woo her with his *** *** display, but she’s not about to be rushed. His colorful skin wattle reflects more light that feathers do. To her this is like a knee on side. Seeing his chance the male makes his move.
Constant moisture in the Gaoligong Shan forests means that though out the year there’re always fruits on the trees. Such abundant of fruit encourages a high diversity of fruit-eaters more commonly found in the tropics. The black giant squirrel is found only in undisturbed *** forest. At close to a meter in length it’s one of the world’s largest squirrels. The mystery is that these forests are growing well outside tropics. By rights non of these jungles or animals should be here. 20‘ - 25’
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These are bell macaques. They are found only in tropical and subtropical jungles. With a tiny home range with just a few square kilometers, they depend on the abundant fruit that only true train forest can provide all year round. To the European plant hunters this northern rain forests must haven seen the fantastic and mysterious lost world. Yet when they came here they would haven found beautifully constructed Asian stone pathways on which the forest could be explored. Winding westwards into the hills, these were some of the most important high ways in Asia: the south-western tea-and-silk road. Built thousands of years ago the south-western tea-and-silk road gave access to the world beyond China’s borders, carrying trades men and travelers from as far away as will.
Wars were fought over access to this tiny path, the only sure root in or out of China that was guaranteed to be cleared off snow all year round. So what causes Gaoligong Shan’s strange and remarkable climate? In late May gusts of wind arrive, bringing with them the key to Gaoligong Shan’s mystery. The winds are hot and saturated with water, they come all the way from the Indian Ocean. Channeled by Yunnan’s unique geography they bring with them the moisture of tropical monsoon. The giant river valleys created millions of years ago act like funnels. The gorges are so narrow that the moisture is driven right up into the north of Yunnan. The result is rain and torrents.
For months of daily rain storms sustain *** vegetation. The arrival of the monsoon awakens one of the forest’s most extraordinarily moisture-loving inhabitants. The *** newt is one of the most unusual of the many amphibian species found here. When the rains arrive they emerge to mate. The newts are set to leave an odor trail that potential mates can follow. The *** newt gets its name from the *** along its back. 10'-20‘
Through spring, the Hengduan slope stays one of China's natural spectacles. The forests here are among the most diverse botanical areas in the world. Over 18,000 plant species grow here, of which 3,000 are found nowhere else. Until a little more than a century ago, this place was unkown outside of China. But then news reached the West of the mysterious hidden world of the Orient, hidden among the mountains, a lost Shangri-La paradise. Western high society in the grip of gardening craze was eager for exotic species from faraway places. This gave rise to a new breed of celebrity adventures, intrepid botanist explorers known as the plant hunters. Yunnan became the holy grail. The most famous was Joseph Rock, a real life Indiana Jones. Remarkable film footage captured his * on a series of expeditions as they pushed into the deepest corners of Yunnan. In glorious color he recorded the plant life he found on the special photographic glass plates. Sending thousands of specimens back to the West, the plant hunters changed the gardens of the world forever. Rock's success was born of a massive effort. For to find his Shangri-La not only had he to traverse endless mountain ranges but some of the deepest gorges of the world.
The Nu JIang is called the Angry River. This 300-kilometer-stretch of raging rapids is as much a barrier to life as are the mountains above. But the plant hunters were not the first people to travel here. Along the Nu Jiang, less than 30 rope crossings allow locals passage across the torrents. Tiny hamlets cling to the slopes. This morning is market day, drawing people from up and down the valley. Hanging from single *, people have been using the crossings for many hundred of years. In such narrow * gorges, it's by far the easiest way to get around. Once across, the steep sides mean that there is still a hike. Many trek for hours by foot before they get to the market. The immense valley is home to over a dozen ethnic groups. some, like the Nu people, are found only here. The markets bring the mountain tribes together. To continue his expeditions, Rock had to get his * across the giant Yunnan rivers. He commissioned the specially thick ropes made from forest * and filmed the entire event. With * butter to smooth the ride, 40 men and 50 mules made the journey. Not all made it across.
On the far side of the great Nu Jiang gorge, the plant hunters made a remarkable discovery. Far from the tropics, they seemed to be entering a steamy, vibrant tropical jungle, the forest of Gaoligongshan. The flora here is unlike anywhere else in the world. Next to subtropical species, alpine plants grow in giant form, * the canopy ** up to 30 meters high. In April and May their flowers turn into forests ruby red, attracting bird species found only here. Constant moisture in the air means that the branches are laid with flowing epifies, fiercely guarded by tiny sunbirds unique to these valleys. Nectar feeders, these are the humming birds of the old world tropics. The forests of Gaoligongshan are home to some of China's rarest wildlife.
This is a female **, she has a colorful male admirer. He is hoping to woo her with his peculiar peekaboo display, but she is not about to be rushed. His colorful skin * reflects more light than feathers do. To her this is like ** sign. Seeing his chance, the male makes his move. Constant moisture in the Gaoligongshan forest means that throughout the year there are always fruits on the trees. such abundance of fruits encourage a high diversity of fruit eaters more commonly found in the tropics. The black giant squirrel in undisturbed rain forest, up close to a meter in length, is one of the world's largest squirrels. The mystery is that these forests are growing well outside the tropics. By rights, none of this jungle or its animals should be here. $支持$ $支持$ $支持$
等普特的整理稿出来了
我一起搬过来
就可以对对答案了 $x8$ 25‘ - 30’
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These are its defense. If grabbed by potential predator the tips of its rips squeeze a deadly poison from the bumps.
The deluge wakes another forest inhabitant. This one is particularly astounding in its figure. It can grow up to a meter per day, fast overtaking the other plants surround it. The taller it grows the faster its growth rate. So that in *** of days it towers far beyond the growth and continues reaching for the sky. Not bad for what is essentially a grass. It’s bamboo. Given the chance bamboo will create immense forests, dominating entire areas. Bamboo forests occur across southwest of China all the way to Shanghai. But probably the highest diversity of bamboos in the world is found in the hills and valleys of Yunnan.
Though incredibly strong bamboos have hollow stems, a perfect shelter for any creatures that can find a way in. This entrance is made by a beetle, but it’s being used by a very different animal. A bamboo bat, the size of a bumblebee, is one of the tiniest mammals in the world. The entire colony of 25 bats fits to a single section of bamboo stem – smaller than a tea cup, it’s quite a squeeze. Half the colony are babies, though barely a week old they’re almost as big as their mums. Feeding such a fast growing brood is a hard work, the mums leave to hunt just after dark each night. Back in the roost the young are left on their own. Special pads on their wings help them to grip on the bamboo walls most of the time. The young bats use the extra space to prepare for a *** from the wing by preening and stretching. Packed in like sardines they will make an easy target for a snake. But the snake has no chance to get in, the entrance’s thinner that the width of a pencil. 30‘ - 35’
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When the mothers return they can push through the narrow entrance, only because of their unusually flattened ***. But it’s still a squeeze.
Bamboos are exploited in a very different way by another forest dweller. Fresh bamboo shoots are very important forest crop. Ailaoxiang is of the Hani tribe from the mountain village of Mengsong. Roasted the tender shoots he gathers will make a tasted dish. The Hani have many uses for the different bamboos they grow and find in the forest around. Though flexible enough to be woven bamboo has a high tensile strength than steal. *** when young, in maturity it’s tough and durable, ideal for making a table, and strong enough for a pipe to last a life time. The people of the southwest of China have found an extraordinary number of ways to exploit these most *** plants.
Part of bamboo’s phenomenal success is that it’s so tough that few animals can tack it. *** bamboo does come ****. A bamboo rat, feeding almost exclusively on bamboo, they live their entire lives in tunnels beneath the forest. The *** species of bamboo are easy to be attacked in pool below. She has a fantastic sense of smell and can *** out the fresh growth through the soil. Bamboo spreads along underground stems. By following these new shoots are found. When a shoot is detected, she snips it free and drags it down to ***. This female has a family. Just a few weeks old the youngsters can already tackle the hardest bamboo stems and are eager to try it. Bamboo’s tough reputation is such that another bamboo specialist is known by the Chinese as the iron eating animal. 35‘ - 40’
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The giant panda is famous for its exclusive diet. Giant pandas are thought to have originated in the southwest of China millions of years ago. But they are no longer found in Yunnan. Recently their specialize diet has had *** consequences. Bamboo has a bizarre life cycle, flowering infrequently, some times only once hundreds of years or so. But when flowering does occur it *** massive scale and it’s followed by the death of all of the plants. Some times an entire bamboo forest may die.
In undisturbed habitat pandas simply move to another area where a different bamboo species grows. But as human activity has fragmented their forest home, pandas find it increasingly hard to find large areas in which to survive. Wild pandas are now found only in the forests of central China, far to the east. But in the hidden pocket slow and jungle in Yunnan’s tropical south they’ve one of China’s best kept wild life secrets.
The wild Asian elephant. Elephants once *** across China as far north as Beijing. But it’s only in the hidden valleys of Yunnan that they have survived. Elephants are the architects of the forest, bamboos and grasses are their favorite food, but saplings, tree leaves and twisted *** are all take with little care. When they move through forest the elephants open up clearings, bring light to the forest floor. This has a major impact on their home.
The richest forests are now known to be those which from time to time experience change. The Jino people are incredibly knowledgable about their forests and claim to have uses for most of the plants that they find there. They have names for them all, those good for eating and some which even have strong medicinal qualities. By working here the Jino play a similar role to the elephants, opening up the forest, bringing in space, light and diversity. Green, fast growing species are encouraged, insects are in higher abundant here, together with the animals that are fed on them. Knowledge of the forest enables the Jino to find not just plants, but other tasted forest food too. Forest crabs are common here, feeding on the abundant leave ***. This will be a tasted addition to the evening even.
20'-30'
These are bear macaques. They're only found in tropical and subtropical jungles. With a tiny home range of just a few square kilometers, they depend on the abundant fruit that only true rain forest can provide all year around. To the European plant hunters, these northern rain forests must have seen the fantastic and mysterious lost world. Yet when they came here, they would have found beautifully constructed ancient stone pathways on which the forests could be explored. Winding westwards into the hills, these were once some of the important highways in Asia- the southwestern tea and silk road. Built thousand of years ago, the southwestern tea and silk road gave access to the world beyond China's borders, carrying tradesmen and travellers from as faraway as Rome. Wars were fought over access to this tiny path. The only sure route in or out of China that was guaranteed to be clear of snow all year around. So what causes Gaoligongshan's strang and remarkable climate? In late May, gusts of wind arrive, bringing with them the key to Gaoligongshan's mystery. The winds are hot and saturated with water. They come all the way from the Indian Ocean. Channelled by Yunnan's unique geography, they bring with them the moisture of tropical monsoon. The giant river valleys created millions of years ago act like immense funnels. The gorges are so deep and narrow that the moist warm air is driven right up into the north of Yunnan. The result is rain in torrents. Four months' daily rain storms sustain *** vegetation. The arrival of the monsoon awakens one of the forest's most extraordinary inhabitants. The crocodile newt is one of the most unusual of the many *** species found here. As the rains arrive, they emerge too late.The newts are said to leave an odour on trail that potential mates can follow. The crocodile newt gets its name from the bumps along its back. These are its defense. If grapped by potential predator, the tips of the ribs squeeze a deadly poison from the bumps. The *** wakes another forest inhabitant. This one is particularly astounding in its vigor. It can grow up to a meter a day, fast overtaking the other plants around it. The taller it grows, the faster its growth rate. So that in a matter of a day, it towers above other undergrowth and continues reaching for the sky. Not bad for what is essentially a grass. It's bamboo. Given the chance, bamboo will create immense forests, dominating entire areas. Bamboo forests occur across Southwest China all the way to Shanghai. But probably the highest diversity of bamboos in the world is found in the hills and valleys of Yunnan. Though incredibly strong, bamboos have hollow stems, a perfect shelter for any creature which can find a way in. This entrance hole was made by a beatle, but is being used by a very different animal, a bamboo bat, the size of a bamboobee. It's one of the tiniest mammals in the world. The entire colony up to 25 bats fits into a single section of bamboo stem, smaller than a tea cup. It's quite a squeeze. Half of the colony are babies. Though barely a week old, they are already as big as their moms. Feeding such a fast-growing brood is hard work. The moms leave to hunt just after dusk each night. Back in the roost, the young are left on their own. Special pads on their wings help them to grip on the bamboo walls most of the time. The young bats use the extra space to prepare for a life on the wing by *** and stretching. Packed in like sardines, they will make an easy target for a snake. But the snake has no chance of getting in.30'-40'
The entrance is thinner than the width of a pencil. When the mothers return, they can push through the narrow entrance only because of their unusually flat skulls. But it's still a squeeze. Bamboos are exploited in a very different way by another forest dweller. Fresh bamboo shoots are an important forest crop. Ailaoxiang is of the Hani tribe from the mountain village of Mongsong. Roasted, the tender shoots he gathered will make a tasty dish. The Hani have many uses for the different bamboos they grow and find in the forest around. Though flexible enough to be woven, bamboo has a higher tensile of strength than steel. *** when young, in maturity it's tough and durable, ideal for making a table and strong enough for a pipe to last a lifetime. The people in Southwest China have found an extraordinary number of ways to exploit those most versatile plants. Part of the bamboo's phenomenal success is that it's so tough that few animals can tackle it. Yet bamboo does come under attack. A bamboo rat. Feeding almost exclusively on bamboo, they live their entire lives in tunnels beneath the forest. The thinner species of bamboo are easy to tackle and pull along. She has a fantastic sense of smell and can sniff out the fresh growth through the soil. Bamboo spreads along underground stems. By following this, new shoots are found. Once a shoot is detected, she snips it free and drags it to her burrow. This female has a family. At just a few weeks old, the youngsters can already tackle the hardest bamboo stems and are eager to try.Bamboo's tough reputation is such that another bamboo specialist was known by the Chinese as the "iron-eating" animal. The giant panda is famous for its exclusive diet. Giant pandas are thought to have originated in Southwest China millions of years ago, but they are no longer found in Yunnan. Recently, their specialized diet has had dire consequences. Bamboo has y bizaar life cycle, flowering infrequently, sometimes only once every hundred years or so. But when flowering does occur, it's on a massive scale and it's followed by the death of all of the plants. Sometimes an entire bamboo forest may die. In undisturbed habitat, pandas simply move to another area where a different bamboo species grows. But as human activity has fregmented their forest home, pandas find it increasingly hard to find large enough areas in which to survive. Wild pandas are now found only in the forests of Central China, for to the east. But in the hidden pockets of lowland jungle in Yunnan's tropical south live one of China's best kept wildlife secrets, the wild ancient elephant. Elephants once roamed across China as far north as Beijing. It's only in the hidden valleys of Yunnan that they have survived. Elephants are the architects of the forest. Bamboos and grasses are their favorite food, but saplings, tree leaves and twisted ** are all taken with little care. As they move through the forest, the elephants open up clearance, bringing light to the forest floor. This has a major effect on their home. The richest forests are now known to be those from time to time experiencing change.
The Jinou people are incredibly knowledgable about their forests and claim to have uses for most of the plants that they find there. They have names for them all, those good for eating and some which even have strong medicinal qualities. By working here, the Jinou play a similar role to the elephants, opening up the forest, bringing space, light and diversity. Green, fast-growing species are encouraged, insects are in high abundance here together with the animals that feed on them. Knowledge of the forest enables the Jinou to find not just plants but other tasty forest food too. Forest crabs are common here. 40‘ - 50’
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Flowing through Yunnan’s southern valleys, the once angry rivers are now swollen, their water slow and warm. These fertile lowland valleys are the home to the Dai. The people of water live along the streams which originate in the surrounding hills. Each family keeps a kitchen garden, model the multilayer structure of the surrounding forests which the Dai holds sacred. The gardens are made more productive by inter-planting different crops. Tall, sun-loving species give shelter to the plants which thrive in the shade. As companions the plants grow better.
Yunnan’s forests are home to more than a dozen wild banana species and banana crops grow well in most Dai gardens. The huge banana flowers are rich in nectar for only two hours a day. But it’s enough to attract *** forest insects, including hornets. With their razor sharp mandibles they find it easy to rob the flowers of their nectar. But hornets are predators too. They hunt other insects and carry them back to their nest.
An ideal target, but this grasshopper is no easy meal, there may be price to pay. The Dai men Po and Xueming take advantage of a hunter’s instinct. A hornet’s sting is agony. But now it’s distracted, intent on cutting away a piece of grasshopper small enough to carry back home. Success.
The white feather hardly slows the hornet and most important it can be seen. Now the hunter is the hunted. So long Po and Xueming can keep up. Back in the nest the other hornets immediately begin to cut the feather free. But it’s too late, the nest’s location has been betrayed.
The relationship between the forest animals and the people who live here is never one of harmony. The fact that the Dai and other ethnic groups consider these forests to be sacred as they ensure their survival and now many have been given extra protection as nature reserves. Ingenuity and hard work pays off at last. The fatten larvae are considered *** delicacy by the Dai.
Although these forests have experienced a great deal of change, they are still hosts to some ancient and incredible relationships. Almost 60 centimeters high this is the immense flower of the elephant yam. Locals call it the witch of the forest.
As the stars rise the witch begins to cast her spell. The forest’s temperature drops but the flower starts to heat up. A heat sensitive camera reveals the flower’s temperature rising by incredible 10 degree Celsius. At the time a noxious stench of rotting flesh fills the forest air. As the flower’s heating increases a cloud of odor rises up, the foul perfume carries far and wide. It doesn’t go unnoticed. Carrion beetles arrive on the scene. The beetles come in search of a fiesta of warm, decaying flesh, but they are being tricked.
Slippery sides ensure they tumble straight into the center of the monster flower. There’s no extra space for them to stretch their wings and the waxy walls ensure that there’s no escape. But there’s nothing sinister in the flower’s agenda. The beetles will be its unwitting helpers. Dawn arrives but the flower remains unchanged, holding its captives through the day.
As the second night falls the witch stirs again. In a matter of few minutes the flower’s precious golden pollens squeezes from the stamens and begins to fall, showering onto the captive beetles below. Now at last the prisoners are free to go. The flower’s wall changes texture, becoming rough to provide the ideal escape ladder. Loaded with their pollen parcels they can now climb to freedom. Just as other forest witches are beginning to open, seduced by the irresistible perfume the beetles are sure to pay a visit, so ensuring pollination and another generation of incredibly big smelly flowers.
As dawn arrives forest birds claim their territories in the canopy. But there’s one call which stands out among the rest, *** of the forest symphony
40'-50'
Forest crabs are common here, feeding on the abundant leaf litter. This will be a tasty dish to the evening meal.Flowing through Yunnan's southern valleys, the once angry rivers are now swollen, their water slow,warm. These fertile lowland valleys are the home of the Dai. The people of the water live along streams which originate in the sorrounding hills. Each family keeps a kitchen in garden, modelled on the multilayered structure of the surrounding forests which the Dai hold sacred. The gardens are made more productive by interplanting different crops. Tall, sun-loving species give shelter to plants that thrive in the shade. As companies, the plants grow better.Yunnan's forests are home to more than a dozen of wild banana species and banana crops grow well in most Dai gardens. The huge banana flowers are rich in nectar for only two hours a day, but it's enough to attract a range of forest insects, including hornets. With their razer-sharp ** , they find it easy to rob the flowers of their nectar. But hornets are predators too. They hunt other insects and carry them back to their nest. An ideal target,but this grasshopper is no easy meal. There may be a price to pay. The Dai people, Po and Shuiming, take advantage of a hunter's instincts. A hornet sting is agony, but for now it's distracted, intent on cutting away a piece of grasshopper small enough to carry back home. Success! A white feather, hardly slows the hornet and more importantly, it can be seen. Now the hunter is the hunted, so long as Po and Shuiming can keep on. Back in the nest, the other hornets immediately begin to cut the feather free, but it's too late. The nest's location has been betrayed. The relationship between the forest animals and people who live here was never one of harmony. Yet the fact that the Dai and other ethnic groups consider this forest to be sacred has ensured their survival. And now many have been given extra protection as nature reserves. Ingenuity and hard work pays off at last. The fattened larvae are considered a delicacy by the Dai.
Although these forests have experienced a great deal of change, they are still host to some ancient and incredible relationships. Almost 60 centimeters high, this is the immense flower of the elephant yarn, locals call it the witch of the forest. As the stars rise, the witch begins to cast its spell. The forest temperature drops, but the flower starts to heat up. A heat-sensitive camera reveals the flower's temperature, rising by incredible 10 degree celsius.At the same time, a nauseous stench of rotting flesh fills the forest's air. As a flower's heat increases, a cloud of odor rises up. The flower perfume carries far and wide. It doesn't go unnoticed. Carion beetles arrive on the scene. The beetles come in search for a feast of warm, decaying flesh, but they've been tricked. Slippery sides ensure that they tumble straight into the center of the monster flower. There isn't enough room to spread their wings and the waxy walls ensure there is no escape. But there is nothing sinister on the flower's agenda. The beetles will be its unwitting helpers. Dawn arrives, the flower remains unchanged, holding its captives through the day. As a second night folds, the witch stirs again. In a matter of minutes, the flower's precious golden pollen squeezes from the stamens and begins to fall, showering onto the captive beetles below. Now at last the prisoners are free to go. The flower's wall changes its texture, becoming rough, to provide the ideal escape ladder. Loaded with their pollen parcels, they can now climb to freedom, just as other forest witches are beginning to open. seduced by the irresistable perfume, the beetles are sure to pay a visit ,so ensuring pollination and another generation of incredibly big, smelly flowers.
As dawn arrives, forest birds claim their territories in the canopy. But there is one call which stands out among the rest, virtuoso of a forest symphony. 50‘ - end
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Often even the juvenal stay in the community. Rarely glimpsed this baby may be just a day old. If it survives infancy then it has a promising future in these few valleys with its close net family. Gibbon song once inspired the ancient poet of China, their glorious call echoing far across the hills.
But now new strangely quiet forests have come to Yunnan. These trees are here to produce an important and valuable crop. When the tree bark is *** it *** copious sticky sap so bitter and tacky that nothing can feed on it. It’s the tree’s natural defense against attack. It’s collected daily, bowl by bowl. It will be boiled and processed into one of the most important materials to a fast developing nation, rubber. The expansion of the rubber forests began in the 50’s when China under a worldwide rubber embargo, had to become self sufficient in this *** product. Beijing turn to the only place where the rubber could grow, the tropical south of Yunnan.
With efficiency and speed some of the world’s richest forest species was torn up and burned, replaced with mile upon mile rubber plantation. But there was a problem for the rubber growers. While Yunnan’s unique natural forests can survive on the valley slopes which stretch to the north, just one severe frost will kill off these delicate rubber trees. So Yunnan’s terrain puts a limit on how far the plantations can spread, halting at least the north with advance.
The jungles in Yunnan are increasingly under pressure. New roads *** cross the tiny remnant forests. The infra structure is needed for trade, industry and increasingly tourism. It’s a meeting of two very different worlds. That elephants still exist in China is remarkable, considering the immense pressures in the world’s most highly populated country. The 250 or so wild elephants which still live here are now strictly protected. And each year younger bores in the small herds. If elephants survive anywhere in China it could be only here, in Yunnan. The same mountains which guide the monsoon rains north and which make Joseph Rock’s journey so treacherous also guard the Yunnan’s forests and this wild life.
For the moment the mountains are still *** and rich in green, decepted its simplicity. Below the canopy lies perhaps China’s richest natural treasure, delicate and unique, a complex world of intricate relationships between animals, plants and people beneath the clouds.
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50' -end
It's a gibbon. Living in a remote mountain range in south central Yunnan, this is one of the few remaining wild gibbon populations in China, the black-crested gibbons of Wuliangshan. They're confined to these forest mountains, so remote and steep that few hunters ever come here. The Wuliangshan gibbons are unusual for their social structure. Most gibbons live in small family groups, consisting of a mating pair and their offspring. But these gibbons exist in troops. One male can have two or sometimes three female and all of them can have young. Often even the juvenile stay in the community. Rarely glimpsed, this baby may be only a day old. If it survives infancy, then it has a promising future in these few valleys with its close-knit family. Gibbons' song once inspired the ancient poets of China, their glorious calls echoing far across the hills. But now new, strangely quiet forests have come to Yunnan.These treees are here to produce an important and valuable crop. When the tree bark is scored, it yields ** sticky sirup so bitter and tacky that nothing can feed on it. It's the tree's natural defence against attack. It's collected daily, bowl by bowl. It will be boiled and processed into one of the most important materials to a fast developing nation- rubber. The expansion of the rubber forests began in the 50s when China, under a world rubber embargo, had to become self-sufficient in this vital product. Beijing turned to the only place where rubber could grow, the tropical south of Yunnan. With efficiency and speed, some of the world's richest forests were torn up and burnt, replaced with mile upon mile of rubber plantation. But there's also problem for the rubber growers. While Yunnan's unique natural forests can survive on the valley slopes which stretch to the north, just one severe frost will kill off these delicate rubber trees. So Yunnan's terrain puts a limit on how far the plantations can spread, holding at least the northwards advance.
The jungles of Yunnan are increasingly under pressure. New roads crisscross the tiny remnant forests, the infrastructure needed for trade, industry and increasingly tourism. It's a meeting of two very different worlds. That elephants still exist in China is remarkable, considering the immense pressures in the world's most highly populated country. The 250 or so wild elephants which still live here are now strictly protec ted. At each year, young are born to the small herds. If elephants are to survive anywhere in China, it could only have been here in Yunnan. The same mountains which guide the monsoon rains north, and which made Joseph Rock's journey so treacherous, also got Yunnan's forests and its wildlife. For the moment, the mountains are still *** in a rich green, decepted in its simplicity. Beneath the canopy lies perhaps China's richest natural treasure, delicate and unique, a complex world of intricate relationships between animals, plants and people beneath the clouds.
[ 本帖最后由 janny2008 于 2008-7-30 13:36 编辑 ]
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