1、第一集 龙之心第一部分Part IThe last hidden world, China. For centuries, travellers to China have told tales of magical landscapes and surprising creatures. Chinese civilization is the worlds oldest and today; its the largest, with well over a billion people.Its home to more than 50 distinct ethnic groups and
2、a wide range of traditional lifestyles, often in close partnership with nature. We know that China faces immense social and environmental problems. But there is great beauty here, too. China is home to the worlds highest mountains, vast deserts ranging from searing hot to mind-numbing cold. Steaming
3、 forests harbouring rare creatures. Grassy plains beneath vast horizons. And rich tropical seas. Now for the first time ever, we can explore the whole of this great country, meet some of the surprising and exotic creatures that live here and consider the relationship of the people and wildlife of Ch
4、ina to the remarkable landscape in which they live. This is Wild China.Our exploration of China begins in the warm, subtropical south. On the Li River, fishermen and birds perch on bamboo rafts, a partnership that goes back more than a thousand years. This scenery is known throughout the world, a re
5、curring motif in Chinese paintings. And a major tourist attraction.The south of China is a vast area, eight times larger than the UK. Its a landscape of hills but also of water. It rains here for up to 250 days a year, and standing water is everywhere. In the floodplain of the Yangtze River, black-t
6、ailed godwits probe the mud in search of worms. But isnt just wildlife that thrives in this environment. The swampy ground provides ideal conditions for a remarkable member of the grass family. Rice. The Chinese have been cultivating rice for at least 8,000 years. It has transformed the landscape. L
7、ate winter in southern Yunnan is a busy time for local farmers as they prepare the age-old paddy fields ready for the coming 最后的隐世净土，中国。数世纪来，去过中国的旅人传诵着关于这片神奇土地，以及那些神奇生物的传说。中国文明是世界最古老的文明，而如今是最大的，拥有超过十亿的人口。它不仅是超过五十个民族在此生活，以及各式各样贴近自然的传统生活方式我们都知道中国面对着着众多社会、环境问题。但这里也存在着令人窒息的美丽：中国有着世界最高峰从无垠的炙热沙漠到麻木大脑的寒冷地带
8、，以及那蒸笼般的森林中隐匿的各种珍稀生物，天际下广阔无垠的草原以及富饶的热带海洋。现在，我们第一次有机会深入探索这片伟大的土，接触栖息于此的珍奇生物，目睹中国这片神奇土地上人与野生世界的关系。这就是美丽中国。我们的中国探索之旅始于亚热带中国南方。漓江的渔夫和鸬鹚栖坐在竹筏上，而这种组合已延续千年之久。这景致已为世人所熟悉。那是中国水墨永恒的主题，和旅人永远的胜地。中国南部是片有英国国土九倍之大的广阔土地。这里是山雨的国度。这里一年之中有 250 天在降雨，处处都是积水。在扬子江的涝原，黑尾鹬在泥泞中寻找着虫子。并非只有野生动物在这样的环境下茁壮成长。沼泽般湿润肥沃的土地为作物家族最显著的成员提
9、供了最理想的环境稻米。中国有着至少 8000 年的稻米种植历史，它改变了这块土地。对云南南部的农民而言，冬末是个繁忙的季节，因为他们要为即将来临的春天整顿这片古老的稻田。spring. These hill slopes of the Yuanyang County plunge nearly 2,000 metres to the floor of the Red River valley. Each contains literally thousands of stacked terraces carved out by hand using basic digging tools. Y
10、unnans rice terraces are among the oldest human structures in China. Still ploughed, as they always have been, by domesticated water buffaloes, whose ancestors originated in these very valleys. This man-made landscape is one of the most amazing engineering feats of pre-industrial China. It seems as
11、if every square inch of land has been pressed into cultivation. As evening approaches, an age-old ritual unfolds. Its the mating season and male paddy frogs are competing for the attention of the females. But it doesnt always pay to draw too much attention to yourself. The Chinese pond heron is a pi
12、tiless predator. Even in the middle of a ploughed paddy field, nature is red in beak and claw. This may look like a slaughter but as each heron can swallow only one frog at a time, the vast majority will escape to croak another day. Terraced paddies like those of the Yuanyang County are found across
13、 much of southern China. This whole vast landscape is dominated by rice cultivation. In hilly Guizhou Province, the Miao minority have developed a remarkable rice culture. With every inch of fertile land given over to rice cultivation, the Miao build their wooden houses on the steepest and least pro
14、ductive hillsides. In Chinese rural life, everything has a use. Dried in the sun, manure from the cow sheds will be used as cooking fuel. Its midday, and the Song family are tucking into a lunch of rice and vegetables. Oblivious to the domestic chit-chat, Granddad Gu Yong Xiu has serious matters on
15、his mind. Spring is the start of the rice growing season. The success of the crop will determine how well the family will eat next year, so planting at the right time is critical. The ideal date depends on what the weather will do this year, never easy to predict. But there is some surprising help a
16、t hand. On the ceiling of the Songs living room, a pair of red-rumped swallows, newly arrived from their winter migration, is busy fixing up last years nest. In China, animals are valued as much for their symbolic meaning as for any good they may do. Miao people believe that swallow pairs remain fai
17、thful for life, so their presence is a favour and a blessing, bringing happiness to a marriage and good luck to a home. Like 元阳县的山坡以 2000 米之势斜插于红河谷地的河床。每个山坡都真正地有上千由原始刨掘工具所创造出的梯田。云南的水稻梯田是中国最古老人类工程。但这些土地仍然，正如千百年来的习俗一样，用源自云南河谷的家养水牛耕种。这片人力开拓的土地是工业化前中国最惊奇宏伟的壮景。似乎这里的每一寸土地都被打上了农耕的痕迹。当薄暮降临，另一场古老的仪式开始上演。现在是交
18、配的季节，雄田蛙们为了吸引异性而卖力高鸣。但这并非总能为你吸引来关注的目光，中国池鹭是个饕餮掠食者。就算在耕作过的稻田中，也会上演喙与爪的血腥剧目。或许这看上去像一场屠杀，但每只池鹭一次只能吞噬一只蛙，此时剩余的多数田蛙得以逃生并获得了明日再度高歌的机会。像元阳县这样广泛种植水稻的梯田横贯中国南部。苗族人在山峰林立的贵州省发展了高度发达的水稻种植。苗族人把木屋建立在陡峭低产的山壁上，用其余每寸丰饶的土地来种植水稻。所有东西在中国农村都自有其用处。牛棚里的粪便在太阳下晒干用作煮饭的燃料。中午时分， 宋家人正饱餐以米和蔬菜为主的中饭，老祖父宋古永置身于天伦之乐外，寻思着重要的事情。春季是稻禾生长的
19、伊始时节。庄稼的长势决定了来年宋家人的生计，因而选择合适的时机进行耕作是至关重要的。时机的选择取决于当年的天气情况，而这些却是永难估料的。但是身边就有令人惊叹的帮手。宋家厅堂房梁上的是一对刚从冬季迁徙中归来的金腰燕，他们正在为修理去年的巢而忙碌着。在中国，动物们被赋予独特的象征意义并被细心呵护。苗族人笃信成双成对的燕子终身相伴对方，不离不弃，因此他们的存在被视为幸福生活与美满婚姻的象征。如大多数苗人一样，透过宋家客厅的窗户可以看见成片的梯田。从早春起，一扇窗子most Miao dwellings, the Songs living room windows look out over the
20、 paddy fields. From early spring, one of these windows is always left open to let the swallows come and go freely. Each year, granddad Gu notes the exact day the swallows return. Miao people believe the birds arrival predicts the timing of the season ahead. This year, they were late. So Gu and the o
21、ther community elders have agreed that rice planting should be delayed accordingly. As the Miao prepare their fields for planting, the swallows collect mud to repair their nests and chase after insects across the newly ploughed paddies. Finally, after weeks of preparation, the ordained time for plan
22、ting has arrived. But first the seedlings must be uprooted from the nursery beds and bundled up ready to be transported to their new paddy higher up the hillside. All the Songs neighbours have turned out to help with the transplanting. Its how the community has always worked. When the time comes, th
23、e Songs will return the favour. While the farmers are busy in the fields, the swallows fly back and forth with material for their nest. Many hands make light work. Planting the new paddy takes little more than an hour. Job done, the villagers can relax, at least until tomorrow. But for the nesting s
24、wallows, the work of raising a family has only just begun. In the newly planted fields, little egrets hunt for food. The rice paddies harbour tadpoles, fish and insects and the egrets have chicks to feed. This colony in Chongqing Province was established in 1996, when a few dozen birds built nests i
25、n the bamboo grove behind Yang Guang village. Believing they were a sign of luck, local people initially protected the egrets and the colony grew. But their attitude changed when the head of the village fell ill. They blamed the birds and were all set to destroy their nests, when the local governmen
26、t stepped in to protect them. Bendy bamboo may not be the safest nesting place, but at least this youngster wont end up as someones dinner. These chicks have just had an eel delivered by their mum, quite a challenge for little beaks. Providing their colonies are protected, wading birds like egrets a
27、re among the few wild creatures which benefit directly from intensive rice cultivation. Growing rice needs lots of water. But even in the rainy south, there are landscapes where water is surprisingly 便为了方便燕子往返穿飞而敞开。古老爹知晓每年燕子归来的确切时间。苗族人坚信这些鸟儿的归来预示着春季的来临。然而今年，它们姗姗来迟。因而古老爹和其他族中长老一致认为今年的插秧应当推迟。当苗族人为了插秧而
28、整备田地时，燕子们或搜集修整巢穴用的泥巴，或穿越新耕的稻田追逐昆虫。最终，经过了几周的准备，这个预定种植的时刻来临了。首先，秧苗必须从苗床上连根拔起扎成捆移植到高处山地。那崭新的苗床上，宋家邻里乡亲全员出动帮助插秧。这是一直来他们的集体协作方式。当然如果其他人家也要插秧，宋家人也会做出相同行为来作为回报。当农户们忙碌在田埂间时，飞燕们则衔着修整巢穴的材料来来往往。人多力量大，插秧的整个过程只持续了仅一个多小时当工作完成，农户们得以休息，至少在明天来临之前。然而对这些筑巢的飞鸟而言，修筑家园的宏大工程才刚刚开始。新耕种的田地里白鹭在寻找食物，稻田成了虫、鱼、蝌蚪的乐园。而白鹭正好以此哺育幼鸟。重
29、庆自然保护区建立于1996 年，当成群的鸟儿安家在阳光村后方的小竹林，当地人将其视为幸运的使者。他们最初小心保护这些白鹭和他们的栖息地，但当村长病重后他们的态度发生了转变，他们开始敌视鸟群并着手摧毁巢穴。当政府开始介入保护鸟群时，易弯曲的竹子或许并非安家的最佳场所，但至少这些小家伙们不会成为捕食者的腹中餐。这些小家伙刚从母亲嘴里分得美食，对新生的小嘴着实是一大挑战。介于他们的栖息地是受保护的，像白鹭这样的候鸟是少数直接从发达的水稻种植中获益的鸟类。水稻生长需要大量的水。但即便是在多雨的南方，有些土地也面临缺水的危机。scarce. This vast area of southwest Chi
30、na, the size of France and Spain combined, is famous for its clusters of conical hills, like giant upturned egg cartons, separated by dry empty valleys. This is the karst, a limestone terrain, which has become the defining image of southern China. Karst landscapes are often studded with rocky outcro
31、ps, forcing local farmers to cultivate tiny fields. The people who live here are among the poorest in China. In neighbouring Yunnan Province, limestone rocks have taken over entirely. This is the famous Stone Forest, the product of countless years of erosion, producing a maze of deep gullies and sha
32、rp-edged pinnacles. Limestone has the strange property that it dissolves in rainwater. Over many thousands of years water has corroded its way deep into the heart of the bedrock itself. This natural wonder is a famous tourist spot, receiving close to two million visitors each year. The Chinese are f
33、ond of curiously-shaped rocks and many have been given fanciful names. No prizes for guessing what this one is called! But theres more to this landscape than meets the eye. China has literally thousands of mysterious caverns concealed beneath the visible landscape of the karst. Much of this hidden w
34、orld has never been seen by human eyes and is only just now being explored. For a growing band of intrepid young Chinese explorers, caves represent the ultimate adventure. Exploring a cave is like taking a journey through time. A journey which endless raindrops will have followed over countless cent
35、uries. Fed by countless drips and trickles, the subterranean river carves ever deeper into the rock. The cave rivers course is channeled by the beds of limestone. A weakness in the rock can allow the river to increase its gradient and flow-rate, providing a real challenge for the cave explorers. The
36、 downward rush is halted when the water table is reached. Here the slow-flowing river carves tunnels with a more rounded profile. This tranquil world is home to specialised cave fishes, like the eyeless golden barb. China may have more unique kinds of cave-evolved fishes than anywhere else on earth.
37、 Above the water table, ancient caverns abandoned by the river slowly fill up with stalactites and stalagmites. Stalactites form as trickling water deposits tiny quantities of rock over hundreds or thousands of years. Stalagmites grow up where lime-laden drips hit the cave floor. So far, only a frac
38、tion of 相当于法国和西班牙国土加起来那么大的中国西南的广阔土地。因为宛如被干燥中空的谷地隔离开来的巨大蛋盒般连绵的锥形山脉而闻名于世。这就是喀斯特地貌。石灰石地貌俨然成为南部中国的标志性特征。喀斯特地貌通常以突起的裸岩状态分布，这迫使当地农民只得在破碎的小块土地上耕作。当地人是中国最贫穷的居民之一。在毗邻的云南省，遍布着石灰石。这就是著名的石林。无数年侵蚀作用的产物，造就了无数的狭道与巅峰。石灰石有一个独性，那就是能被雨水分解。在数千年的漫长光阴中，水的侵蚀深入到岩床的心脏地带。这一自然奇观成为了著名的旅游景点，每年的访客数量多达 200 万人。中国人特别喜好奇形怪状的岩石，并以为嶙峋
39、怪石冠上千奇百怪的名字为乐。猜出这个块怪石的名字可是不会有什么奖品的。但百闻不如置身这片奇妙山地亲身一见。在中国醒目的喀斯特地貌下，隐匿着无数的神秘洞穴。这些隐秘世界大多不为世人所知。而现在他们将被展现在世人眼前，奇险洞穴中再现了一场终极的探险。几个日渐成长，初生牛犊般的年轻探险家，探索一个洞穴，犹如一场穿越时空的探险。常年积水叮咚伴随着无止境般的旅途，水滴潺潺落下。地下河流深切入岩，石灰岩河床将洞穴的河道分割成千沟万壑。石灰岩薄弱处被河水冲刷差距的陡坡处水量激增，为洞穴探险带来相当的挑战。水流到达地下水位后便停止下流。这里缓缓流动的河流切割出一条圆形隧道。这静谧的世界是穴居鱼的家，比如无目金
40、鲃。中国或许拥有地球上种类最为繁多的洞穴进化鱼。在地下水位线之上，远古洞穴溢满的河水中充斥着石笋和钟乳石,含有沉积物的水流, 在千万年间 “滴水成石” ，含有石灰质的水滴落石床形成石笋。迄今为止被探索发掘的中国洞穴是中国大地上的九牛一毛，而被发掘的洞穴不断为我们展现地底奇观，许多在后来被开发成了商业景点。探索者沿着洞穴河流出山谷的轨迹逃离了黑暗，在远离出发地的河谷。这场冒险拉上了帷幕。源自洞穴的河流为喀斯特地区Chinas caves have been thoroughly prospected and cavers are constantly discovering new subter
41、ranean marvels, many of which are subsequently developed into commercial show caves. Finally escaping the darkness, the cave river and its human explorers emerge in a valley far from where their journey began. For now, the adventure is over. Rivers which issue from caves are the key to survival in t
42、he karst country. 提供了生命之泉。第二部分Part IIThis vertical gorge in Guizhou Province is a focal point for the regions wildlife. This is one of the worlds rarest primates, Francois langur. In China they survive in just two southern provinces, Guizhou and Guangxi, always in rugged limestone terrains. Like mos
43、t monkeys, they are social creatures and spend a great deal of time grooming each other. Langurs are essentially vegetarian with a diet of buds, fruits and tender young leaves. Babies are born with ginger fur, which gradually turns black from the tail end. Young infants have a vice-like grip, used t
44、o cling on to mum for dear life. As they get older, they get bolder and take more risks. Those that survive spend a lot of time travelling.The experienced adults know exactly where to find seasonal foods in different parts of their range. In such steep terrain, travel involves a high level of climbi
45、ng skill. These monkeys are spectacularly good rock climbers from the time they learn to walk. In langur society, females rule the roost and take the lead when the family is on the move. One section of cliff oozes a trickle of mineral-rich water which the monkeys seem to find irresistible. These day
46、s there are few predators in the Mayanghe Reserve which might pose a risk to a baby monkey. But in past centuries, this area of south China was home to leopards, pythons and even tigers. To survive dangerous night prowlers, the langurs went underground, using their rock-climbing skills to seek shelt
47、er in inaccessible caverns. Filmed in near darkness using a night vision camera, the troop clambers along familiar ledges worn smooth by generations before them. During cold winter weather, the monkeys venture deeper underground where the air stays comparatively warm. At last, journeys end. A cosy n
48、iche beyond the reach of even the most enterprising predator.But its not just monkeys that find shelter in caves. These children are off to school. In rural China that may mean a long trek each morning, passing through a cave or two on the way. But not all pupils have to walk to school. These childr
49、en are boarders. As the day pupils 贵州的垂直峡谷，成为了当地野生动物的密集焦点。这是世界上最珍稀的灵长类之一白颊黑叶猴。在中国他们只残存于两个南部省份，贵州与广西。它们多半栖息于崎岖的石灰岩地貌地带。正如大多数猴子一样，他们是社会性生物。并且他们乐于耗费大把时间为彼此整理仪容。叶猴是个不折不扣以嫩芽、嫩叶、水果为食的素食主义者。叶猴宝宝裹着姜黄色的毛发出生，这些毛发随着生长逐渐从尾部开始变成黑色。叶猴宝宝虎钳般的爪，帮助他们附着在妈妈身上以保证安全。随着年龄的增长，他们越发胆大，并开始常识更多刺激。这些是经历诸多冒险后的幸存者。尽管经验丰富的成年叶猴深知，到守备范围内不同区域的哪里去寻觅当季的食物。在如此陡峭的地带，旅途顺利包含了高超的攀爬技巧。这些猴子打会走路起就是卓越的攀岩专家。叶猴族群是母系社会，并且是举家迁徙的领队人物。峭壁一侧，流出是富含矿物质的水。这对猴子们而言是不可抗拒的诱惑。如今麻阳河自然保护区已鲜有危及猴宝宝的捕食者，然而在过去的数个世纪，中国南部的这个地区是豹子、巨蟒、甚至老虎的家。为了在暗夜潜行者的利爪下存活，叶猴们前往地底，用他们的高超的攀爬技巧爬到洞穴上方寻找庇护所。夜视镜在近乎黑暗的坏境下记录下，叶猴一家爬上了被数代猴族磨蚀光润的石壁的情景。当冬日寒冷
