Migration Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth


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Transcript


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This programme contains scenes of Repetitive Flashing Images.

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Welcome to China.

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We are here at the Snow And Ice Festival

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in the northern city of Harbin, where many families come

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to start their celebrations of Chinese New Year.

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This time of year sees the largest annual mass migration of people on

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the planet, when a sixth of the worlds population travels home

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to celebrate with their families.

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That's around a billion people

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making over three and a half billion journeys in a 40 day period.

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Join us over the next three nights, as we'll be finding out

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what it's like to be at the world's biggest party.

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Yes, get your party poppers ready, here's what's coming up.

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Three, two, one, go!

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Over the next three nights we'll be based here in icy Harbin,

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and way down south in tropical Hong Kong,

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exploring how the Chinese experience the most important festival in their calendar.

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It's like watching a magic trick.

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We'll uncover this extraordinary annual event

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and experience the richness of Chinese culture.

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Whoa, whoa, we're pulling it out, we're pulling it out.

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Sorry!

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From how families prepare for festivities...

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..to the celebrations on the day itself.

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Across the series, I'll be focusing on

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New Year technology and traditions.

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Happy New Year. Ganbei.

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I'll discover the amazing way

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that rural China used to celebrate New Year.

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And tonight the Hairy Bikers will be helping out at the world's largest

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motor bike migration.

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Let's see if we can cut the congee.

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HE SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

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Happy New Year!

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And I will be journeying to the remotest corner of south-west China

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to track down a living, breathing symbol of New Year 2016...

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Oh, my goodness!

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..the Year of the Monkey.

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Xinnian kuaile! Welcome to China.

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-BOTH:

-Xinnian kuaile!

-Xinnian kuaile!

-Xinnian kuaile!

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-ALL:

-Xinnian kuaile!

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-ALL:

-Xinnian kuaile!

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Happy Chinese New Year!

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Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, or Chun Jie.

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-Is that the right pronunciation?

-Close enough.

-OK. Thanks.

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It lasts 15 days and it's the

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most important holiday in the Chinese calendar.

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The start of the festival falls on a different day in either

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January or February and it's dictated by the lunar calendar,

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with New Year's Day 2016 falling on February 8th.

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And in the run-up to it, the whole country is on the move,

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seeing the sights and travelling home to be with their families.

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China is truly vast.

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You can fly for six and a half hours and still be in the same country.

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Harbin is in the north-eastern corner of this huge country,

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that's home to 1.3 billion people.

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As well as having some of the fastest-growing modern cities,

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the landscapes are truly diverse.

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They range from vast deserts to expansive grasslands,

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tropical jungles and the highest mountain range in the world.

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China's written history dates back

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over 3,000 years and through the reigns of over 500 emperors.

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Its economy is the largest on Earth and it makes and exports more goods

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than anywhere else on the globe.

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Chinese food is as rich and varied as any on Earth,

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with thousands of dishes to choose from, all cooked in a variety

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of ways using a host of different ingredients grown right across

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this vast nation.

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And it's changing astonishingly fast. By 2030 it's estimated

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that 1 billion people will be living in Chinese cities -

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just like here in Beijing.

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Many of these new people flocking to the cities were migrant workers in

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search of a better life for themselves and their families.

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And at Chinese New Year, the modern

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and the traditional

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are brought together as the Chinese prepare for a celebration even older

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than the Great Wall itself.

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The Great Wall of China snakes for over 5,000 miles

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across Northern and Western China.

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And the oldest parts date back over 2,500 years.

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This is Harbin's great ice wall.

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Not quite as long at 450 metres, and sadly not as enduring, either.

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When the thaw comes this will be transformed

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into the great puddle of China!

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As the day goes on this place will start to fill up.

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Queues for attractions here can last up to three hours,

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but that's nothing compared to the pressure

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on the Chinese transport system,

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when around a billion people want to travel home for New Year,

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and all at the same time.

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The Chinese have a phrase for it - Chunyun -

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which translates as spring migration.

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We went to Beijing to find out how they cope with the biggest movement

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of people on Earth.

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Beijing is one of the most densely populated cities on the planet.

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Around 21 million people live and work here, but at Chinese New Year

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millions flood out of the city

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and head to their home towns across China.

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The total number of trips made by road in China in and around New Year

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is an eye watering 3.2 billion.

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And a lot of them are made in this very city of Beijing.

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And like cabbies all over the world,

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my taxi driver, Ma Yingqi, enjoys a

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good old moan about the city's traffic.

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TRANSLATION:

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Managing this flow of vehicles takes a huge amount of technology.

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This state-of-the-art monitoring hub

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is the responsibility of Gongsun Lin.

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The traffic is very, very busy.

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It's busier than Shanghai or Chonqing,

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and because we have a really big rural network,

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it's a very big job moving all the persons to their home town.

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The roads are monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Seven days. Everyday we have to be here.

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And it's cabs, like the one I'm in,

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that provide the data needed to keep the traffic flowing.

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You have 67,000 taxis in Beijing,

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and every one of them equipped with GPS.

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Every 30 seconds each taxi relays its position and speed back to the

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control room. This information helps to construct an overall picture of

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the city's traffic flow in real-time.

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HORN HONKS, HE LAUGHS

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The data can then be used to let drivers know where the hotspots are

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so they can try to avoid the jams.

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TRANSLATION:

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We're getting nowhere.

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For those who want to travel further afield for Chinese New Year,

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there's another option - they fly.

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Across China

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a staggering 54 million trips are by air during the Festival.

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This is Beijing Capital Airport.

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And it is always busy, but during Spring Festival

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this becomes the busiest airport in the world.

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As you can see, it feels like the whole country is on the move.

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During the New Year rush, almost 10 million people pass through

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this airport, mostly flying home to China.

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Li Tongyu lives in Surrey.

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She is preparing to fly to Beijing with her family.

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We haven't been spending Chinese New Year with my family back in China

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for about nine years now.

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Mary, my eldest daughter, was only three years old and little Harry

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not even born yet. So I think it will be a great opportunity for them

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to experience the whole thing.

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-Hello.

-Hello.

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I have one elder brother in Beijing, along with my parents.

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And particularly at the Chinese New Year's celebration time

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is the most time we miss them.

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Hello!

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Especially when your parent's not well, like my father,

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been struggling with Parkinson's,

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and it has been quite difficult.

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My father always miss me, especially in the Chinese New Year.

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So this time, I think, will make him extremely happy.

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There's me. And we did, like, the long hair, kind of...

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In traditional Chinese family,

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having a family portrait is very important,

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so this year I'm going to give my father a surprise.

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We are going to have the children draw a portrait,

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and that will be a big surprise for them. It will be wonderful.

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-JING:

-Meanwhile, over 250 million rail journeys are made across China

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during the festival.

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Last year, 5.6 million rail tickets were sold in a single day.

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One of the busiest stations in the country is Beijing West.

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In the fortnight leading up to New Year's Eve,

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over three million people will pass through these ticket barriers

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to get a train from here. That's over 200,000 people a day!

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For some, the days they take off now

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are the only holiday they get all year, so they are prepared to travel

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a long way for a long time to get home.

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TRANSLATION:

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He's got a 16-hour journey!

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I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

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He's going to get on a train for 31 hours!

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With so many people on the move, things can get complicated,

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especially when the weather intervenes.

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This year, Chinese television reported queues of up to 100,000

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people at Guangdong train station when heavy snow caused delays.

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To keep everything running smoothly requires precision organisation.

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Compared to the bustle outside,

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the Railway Bureau Control Centre is an oasis of calm.

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This place is incredible. It is huge.

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I feel like I'm in the control room of Apollo 13.

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And you can see that everyone is so focused,

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and the concentration, I can feel the buzz in the room.

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Because I guess they have to.

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They are ultimately responsible for every train that passes through.

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In charge of keeping the system moving is this man.

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TRANSLATION:

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The station also takes on an extra 1,000 workers on the ground

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to help ease the load. There's one group which is easy to spot

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by the way they're always shifting suitcases.

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TRANSLATION:

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One familiar sight to anyone who uses Beijing rail is the Red Caps.

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Their job is to help people load their luggage onto trains,

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and at this time of year, with everyone bearing gifts,

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they've truly got their work cut out for them.

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TRANSLATION:

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Oh, that's so sad! Makes me cry.

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Oh! He really misses his home!

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I'll let him get back to it. I think I'm adding to his workload.

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Back at Beijing Airport,

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the concourse is full of arriving passengers and waiting families.

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There is the most amazing atmosphere down here.

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It's just full of kind of anticipation and excitement.

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I'm surrounded by people who are being reunited with their families,

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and there are just these lovely scenes happening all around me,

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sort of tiny little dramas of people coming together.

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It's just lovely.

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The parents and brother of Li Tongyu,

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who's travelled from Surrey, are waiting for her flight to land.

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TRANSLATION:

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A monkey.

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You like this?

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That's for you!

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The children present their special surprise.

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Well, this is certainly one family

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that's going to have a very, very happy New Year.

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It is astonishing, isn't it?

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The lengths that people will go to, to be with their family.

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-A lot of people.

-I don't think I've ever seen so many people in my life.

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But what about Chinese families in the UK, for example,

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like your family? Will you make a big effort to be together?

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We make an effort, but nothing on that kind of scale because we are in

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the UK and there's no holidays.

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Of course, yeah. So you don't get your 15 days off?

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No, we don't. I've tried, but, yeah,

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-I've had a word and they're not buying it.

-So what will you do?

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I go home. My parents cook a shed-load of food and I eat it.

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-Perfect.

-Yeah.

-Well, as we said right at the top of the show,

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this extraordinary ice city is built from scratch every single year,

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and Ant has been finding out how it all began.

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In Harbin,

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the winter temperatures drop as low as -30 degrees centigrade.

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But for the people who live here,

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this frozen world is just a way of life.

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Tucked away in the frozen north-east of China,

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Harbin was originally a tiny rural settlement.

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Until the railways arrived.

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The Chinese Eastern Railway

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connected eastern Siberia, via Harbin, to Russia.

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It transformed the city

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into the beating heart of commerce and industry in this region.

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And the Russian connection is everywhere.

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The people who built the railways and settled here

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were made of pretty strong stuff. Looking around, I'm the only one

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that's quite so kitted up for the cold.

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Even the kids here, they look hardier than me.

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The people here aren't just surviving.

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They've embraced the sub-zero temperatures.

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In fact, five million people are happy to call Harbin their home.

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By far and away the most extreme example of this city's passion

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for the cold is the local tradition of ice swimming.

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With an average temperature of -13 degrees outside,

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this is a showcase for the strong physique

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and the iron will of the Harbin locals.

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INDISTINCT CHATTER

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During the winter months, these brave swimmers head to the river

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to take a plunge in this special pool cut out of the ice.

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It's a truly local pastime.

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-OK!

-The river water is a painful 1 degree Celsius.

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Without these motors to keep the water constantly moving,

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it's would simply freeze over.

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This isn't the type of pool you want to take a relaxing dip in.

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Just for a second, if I take my glove off, put my whole hand in...

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Ah! I can assure you, that is absolutely freezing!

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Phew!

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Some of the regulars have been coming here for over 20 years.

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Mr Yu, why do you do this?

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TRANSLATION:

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Stretches.

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Definitely.

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Oh, my God!

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Yeah. Ni hao.

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Even if I was tempted to take the plunge - and I assure you I'm not -

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jumping into the water unacclimatized,

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I'd run the risk of a heart attack.

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-LAUGHING:

-What is going on?

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It's bonkers!

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Incredibly, the average age here is 70.

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TRANSLATION:

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Ice swimming is more about resilience than, shall we say,

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graceful technique.

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TRANSLATION:

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But this icy river isn't just for extreme sports.

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All the building materials for the festival at Harbin

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are taken from this spot to create the city of ice.

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In just one week, 8,000 workers cut out the 180,000 cubic metres

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of ice needed.

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It's only when you get closer you realise just how thick this ice is.

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That's around 20 inches.

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This is a proper construction project on an industrial scale.

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For nearly 60 years, this humble patch of earth on the outskirts

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of town has been transformed into a frozen fantasyland.

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125,000 tonnes of ice is cut,

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shifted and painstakingly crafted.

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In just three weeks, an entire city has emerged,

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and here it is in all its frosty glory.

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Every year there's a different theme

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reflecting on a period of Chinese history.

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And this year it's the Silk Road.

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The Silk Road was an ancient trade route

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linking China to the Mediterranean Sea.

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Dating from the 2nd century BC,

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Chinese merchants used to use it to unite the East and the West.

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Looking back to the past has long been a part of Chinese culture.

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This is a Chinese tower, inspired by the Pavilion of Prince Teng,

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it's a classic Chinese design

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and it's built to represent the country where the Silk Road began.

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Over here in the distance, the Hagia Sophia of Istanbul.

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It's a Byzantine masterpiece in ice.

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Now, slightly off-track but over here in the distance,

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a nod to our Russian neighbours.

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This ice version of the cathedral from Moscow's Red Square

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by the Kremlin towers 34 metres high.

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But typically for the people of Harbin,

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this festival goes from extreme beauty to extreme adrenaline.

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Take a look down there. 320 metres.

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You do about 10 metres a second,

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which puts it into Olympic sprinter territory.

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-Ha-ha!

-And speaking of sprinters...

-Here you are.

-Humble.

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We're going to have a race, what do you think?

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-I think you're going to come second, so prepare that silver medal.

-No!

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-Not so fast.

-I'm not losing this.

-Ready...

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-OK, you say go.

-Three, two, one. Go!

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-Whoohoo!

-Go on!

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Whoo-hoo-hoo!

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Winner!

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Oh, you're not even close.

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It's cos you've been eating so many dumplings!

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Oh, this is easy.

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Now, this festival is all about celebration,

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with people here up for as much fun as possible.

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And that's the spirit of Chinese New Year.

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Days off here are truly precious, with public official holidays

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being the only time most people get off away from work,

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and one family making the most of it are the Hans.

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-Hello.

-ALL: Hello! Ni hao!

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TRANSLATION:

0:24:570:24:58

They're from Nantong.

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They have never in their whole history

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not gone home for Chinese New Year.

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They've always celebrated together.

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Well, thank you so much for talking with us today. Are you guys ready?

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Well, inevitably, Ant has been busy and has organised and ice tug-of-war

0:25:540:25:58

and asked me to be ref. So, is everybody ready?

0:25:580:26:00

-Ready!

-You ready, that side?

-Ready?

-Ready, that side?

0:26:000:26:04

Three, two, one, pull!

0:26:040:26:08

And as Ant takes on the locals, we're going to take you

0:26:100:26:13

on one of the spectacular journeys of this time of year.

0:26:130:26:17

Every Chinese New Year,

0:26:170:26:19

a giant motorbike flotilla takes to the road as migrant workers

0:26:190:26:24

head home to be with their families.

0:26:240:26:26

And we have the perfect duo to go along with for the ride -

0:26:260:26:30

Si and Dave, the Hairy Bikers.

0:26:300:26:32

Come on, this team!

0:26:320:26:35

Come on!

0:26:350:26:36

Every New Year, in the heartland of industrial China,

0:26:410:26:44

thousands upon thousands of motorcyclists brave the weather

0:26:440:26:48

and take to the road, determined to make it home to their families.

0:26:480:26:53

These workers are employed in the largest urban area in the world,

0:27:030:27:07

Guangdong Province in southern China,

0:27:070:27:09

where many of them live the entire year.

0:27:090:27:12

The factories that line this huge river delta employee migrants

0:27:130:27:16

who have often come from villages hundreds of miles away.

0:27:160:27:20

The journey home is long, cold and exhausting.

0:27:220:27:26

Around the city of Zhaoqing, aid stations have been set up

0:27:260:27:30

for the bikers to shake out their soaking ponchos

0:27:300:27:32

and stop for food.

0:27:320:27:34

We are at an aid station

0:27:380:27:40

which is one of several that runs inland from Zhaoqing.

0:27:400:27:43

Now, it's a bit of a bottleneck here,

0:27:430:27:46

and more than 50,000 motorcycles

0:27:460:27:47

will pass through on their way home for the festivities.

0:27:470:27:51

I can't tell you how amazing it is to see so many bikes in one place.

0:27:540:27:59

I'm tickled pink with excitement.

0:27:590:28:01

Yeah, bikes are an important form of transport in China.

0:28:010:28:05

Planes and trains can be too expensive for people,

0:28:050:28:08

so the humble bike is often the only way thousands of workers

0:28:080:28:11

can get home.

0:28:110:28:14

There's a whole team of volunteers helping here.

0:28:140:28:17

One of them is Danny.

0:28:170:28:19

Danny, what exactly is happening?

0:28:190:28:22

In every station, we provide hot water, ginger porridge...

0:28:220:28:26

-Ginger porridge?

-Ginger porridge, yeah.

0:28:260:28:28

-Perfect.

-Motorcycle repairmen, and all of them are free.

0:28:280:28:32

We ride motorcycles a lot, and the amount of times where we would have

0:28:320:28:37

loved to be able to come in here

0:28:370:28:39

for something to eat, something to drink,

0:28:390:28:41

somebody to have a look at the bike...

0:28:410:28:43

Well, it's kind of a comradery that's going on as well, isn't it?

0:28:430:28:45

Everybody's going home for the big Chinese New Year's Eve.

0:28:450:28:48

-Yeah.

-I'll tell you what I think is a lovely, lovely touch.

0:28:480:28:51

Over there, there's lovely heaters for people to warm their feet

0:28:510:28:55

-cos it is pretty miserable and cold.

-Yeah.

0:28:550:28:59

Far and away the busiest part of the pit stop is the food tent,

0:28:590:29:03

and the house speciality every day is ginger porridge.

0:29:030:29:07

But there are no Scottish oats in here.

0:29:070:29:09

Instead, its rice.

0:29:090:29:11

So, and interestingly enough,

0:29:110:29:13

it's savoury with a little bit of pork. It's good.

0:29:130:29:16

Yeah. Heavy ginger.

0:29:160:29:18

How many of these do you go through a day, these big pots of porridge?

0:29:180:29:22

About ten.

0:29:220:29:24

-Ten!

-Ten?

-Gosh.

-Wow!

0:29:240:29:26

Well, we wanted to find out the secrets of such a popular porridge,

0:29:290:29:33

so we followed our noses to the back streets Shashan and to a volunteer

0:29:330:29:38

known simply as Auntie Porridge.

0:29:380:29:41

You are Auntie Porridge,

0:29:410:29:43

the person who provides all that porridge at the aid station.

0:29:430:29:46

We've had your porridge, your congee, it's good.

0:29:460:29:51

It's so good, it's so good.

0:29:510:29:54

-Oh.

-How do you make it?

0:29:540:29:56

TRANSLATION:

0:29:560:29:58

She wants you to chop those.

0:30:040:30:06

I'm in my element, chopping up ginger, spring onion,

0:30:060:30:09

radish and pork under the gaze of some keen critics.

0:30:090:30:14

I've got to constantly stir now. I'm here for three days.

0:30:140:30:17

Auntie!

0:30:170:30:18

Auntie Porridge?

0:30:190:30:21

Not with that one, with this one. OK.

0:30:230:30:26

The pork is coated in cornflour and popped into the pot.

0:30:260:30:29

I'll tell you what it's like.

0:30:290:30:31

You know when you stir wallpaper paste, when it goes really thick?

0:30:310:30:34

It's like that sort of consistency.

0:30:340:30:37

I think sometimes your food tastes like that.

0:30:370:30:40

Go away.

0:30:400:30:41

Oh! It's like that, is it?

0:30:470:30:49

Well, the proof is in the pudding.

0:30:490:30:52

Or should we say the porridge?

0:30:520:30:54

It's time to find out what our fellow bikers

0:30:550:30:57

make of our ginger porridge.

0:30:570:30:59

And to try out our best Mandarin and Cantonese.

0:30:590:31:03

-HE SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

-Happy New Year!

0:31:030:31:06

Oh, look at that!

0:31:060:31:08

Some of these people have been on the road since three o'clock in the

0:31:080:31:11

morning, and this is the first thing they've had to eat.

0:31:110:31:14

HE SPEAKS LOCAL LANGUAGE

0:31:140:31:16

Well, it seems to be going down well with the connoisseurs.

0:31:160:31:19

-It is! Do you know what?

-What?

0:31:190:31:21

I think Auntie Porridge has taught us well.

0:31:210:31:24

Do you know what I mean? It's great, isn't it?

0:31:240:31:27

Many of the migrant travellers are young parents returning home to see

0:31:270:31:31

their children, often for the first time in many months,

0:31:310:31:34

like Liang Yongxian and Li Bingling

0:31:340:31:37

Do you have a family waiting at home?

0:31:380:31:41

TRANSLATION:

0:31:410:31:45

What do you do when you get home?

0:31:540:31:57

-That would be an absolute honour.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

0:32:060:32:10

We want to take up Yongxian's kind offer, but there's one big problem.

0:32:110:32:15

Would you believe it, one of the greatest motorcycle happenings

0:32:150:32:18

in the world and we can't ride a motorcycle!

0:32:180:32:21

Well, that's because we don't have a Chinese motorcycle licence

0:32:210:32:24

and the laws are strictly enforced at this time of the year

0:32:240:32:26

because there are so many motorcyclists on the road.

0:32:260:32:28

-Anyway, I've got a surprise for you.

-What?

0:32:280:32:31

A ride in the back of a Chinese police car!

0:32:340:32:36

And it's not your first time, is it?

0:32:360:32:39

How dare you!

0:32:390:32:40

Because of the huge numbers of bikes on the road during Chinese New Year,

0:32:450:32:49

the local police provide an escort.

0:32:490:32:52

As the workers near their home towns and villages,

0:33:010:33:03

the flotilla breaks up.

0:33:030:33:05

Yongxian and Bingling are now on the familiar roads near their home.

0:33:120:33:15

After hours of travelling,

0:33:220:33:23

they are returned to the warm welcome of their family.

0:33:230:33:26

Like so many migrant workers,

0:33:320:33:34

Yongxian has sacrificed family life

0:33:340:33:37

to bring them all a better standard of living.

0:33:370:33:40

And as night falls, we join them around the dinner table

0:33:400:33:43

for one of the oldest traditions on Earth...

0:33:430:33:46

..the international icebreaker of hospitality, food and great company.

0:33:480:33:54

TRANSLATION:

0:33:540:33:56

Hot pot?

0:33:560:33:58

Cheers!

0:34:060:34:07

Well, mate, that is what it's all about.

0:34:160:34:18

Yeah. I mean, the feeling of joy around that table makes that journey

0:34:180:34:22

worthwhile, and that's happening all over China.

0:34:220:34:26

-Fantastic.

-Yeah.

0:34:260:34:28

Once the hairy bikers left the flotilla they headed for Beijing,

0:34:330:34:36

and that's where we'll be joining them again tomorrow evening.

0:34:360:34:39

Now, so far you've just seen the Harbin ice city in the daytime,

0:34:390:34:43

but when darkness falls it becomes even more magical.

0:34:430:34:47

The sun is about to set any minute now and the temperature is about to

0:34:470:34:51

drop another 10 degrees. It's about -20 now,

0:34:510:34:55

and we're expecting temperatures of -30 or even lower tonight,

0:34:550:34:59

so I'm going to go put on some extra layers and I'm going to leave you

0:34:590:35:02

to witness the spectacular transformation that happens

0:35:020:35:05

when darkness falls.

0:35:050:35:07

It's this that makes the Harbin Ice Festival famous the world over

0:35:230:35:27

and brings in visitors from all over China.

0:35:270:35:30

China is also becoming a popular destination

0:35:320:35:35

for international tourists,

0:35:350:35:37

especially from South Korea, Japan, the US and Russia.

0:35:370:35:41

In fact, in 2014 it was the fourth most visited country in the world.

0:35:410:35:47

This increase in tourism has meant that the festival designers

0:35:490:35:52

have had to challenge themselves to become ever more inventive.

0:35:520:35:56

This year they've really gone to town with this magnificent

0:35:560:36:00

fairy tale castle.

0:36:000:36:02

But this is this year's star attraction.

0:36:080:36:12

It is the biggest ice sculpture that has ever been attempted here at

0:36:120:36:17

Harbin. It stands at 46.6 - very important, that .6 - metres high,

0:36:170:36:23

standing proud in the sky and it's lit up by over a million lights.

0:36:230:36:28

And as you can see, it's lights that really bring the Festival to life.

0:36:280:36:33

And it looks very hi-tech and modern, but actually this is

0:36:330:36:37

a really ancient tradition that goes back centuries,

0:36:370:36:40

as Ant has been discovering.

0:36:400:36:42

The red lantern is the classic emblem of China.

0:36:470:36:50

In ancient times,

0:36:530:36:55

they were used to mark the entrances of houses and they soon became

0:36:550:36:59

a sign of joy and festivity.

0:36:590:37:01

At Chinese New Year, lanterns represent the light of hope.

0:37:030:37:08

Back in the 1960s, the people of Harbin couldn't afford traditional

0:37:120:37:15

lanterns to celebrate New Year,

0:37:150:37:17

so they froze water in buckets, put candles inside,

0:37:170:37:20

and the ice Festival was born.

0:37:200:37:22

Using light as a symbol of celebration has continued through

0:37:250:37:28

to the modern festival today.

0:37:280:37:30

Almost every one of over 2,000 buildings here

0:37:390:37:42

has its very own light display.

0:37:420:37:44

The lighting design is almost as epic an endeavour as building the

0:37:500:37:53

festival itself.

0:37:530:37:55

The logistics involved in making this happen are staggering.

0:37:550:37:58

The sheer scale of the operation

0:38:000:38:02

means the Festival needs 230,000 metres of electrical cables.

0:38:020:38:06

That's 13.8 million individual lights.

0:38:080:38:12

But creating such a vast electrical system demands meticulous attention

0:38:150:38:19

to detail to withstand such extreme conditions.

0:38:190:38:22

And this is how they do it.

0:38:240:38:25

The lights are actually individual LEDs

0:38:250:38:28

housed within a resilient silicon strip.

0:38:280:38:31

These aren't your standard household LEDs.

0:38:320:38:35

A team of engineers have specifically designed ones

0:38:350:38:38

to withstand the freezing temperatures.

0:38:380:38:40

OK, it's more expensive than a conventional light bulb,

0:38:410:38:44

but it is more eco-friendly. Plus, can you imagine

0:38:440:38:46

the bill to pay the electricity at this place?

0:38:460:38:49

Each block of the ice is hand chiselled to create a groove

0:38:520:38:55

for the LED strip.

0:38:550:38:57

The blocks are then lined up in a brick wall pattern.

0:38:570:39:00

The great thing about LEDs is they emit less heat.

0:39:010:39:04

What you don't want within an ice block is a block melting.

0:39:040:39:07

Now, you need to join the bricks together. Traditionally,

0:39:070:39:10

and especially in your home, you'd use something like cement.

0:39:100:39:13

But here in Harbin they use something completely different.

0:39:130:39:16

Water. I've kept it in my coat to try and keep it liquid.

0:39:180:39:21

Very simply, pour the water on,

0:39:210:39:24

and I literally only have a few seconds to get the next brick on top

0:39:240:39:28

before the water freezes.

0:39:280:39:30

The idea being that those two then fuse together and it becomes a solid

0:39:300:39:33

structure. A bit more Harbin cement...

0:39:330:39:36

Now the moment of truth. Hook some batteries up to my LEDs

0:39:400:39:43

and in theory I'll be able to illuminate

0:39:430:39:46

this beautiful piece of work.

0:39:460:39:47

Of course, there's a slightly bigger switchbox for the main event.

0:39:520:39:55

Each individual light is painstakingly turned on by hand,

0:39:590:40:02

row by row,

0:40:020:40:03

building by building, and I get to turn on the very last building.

0:40:030:40:06

So, which switch is it? This one here?

0:40:060:40:09

Three, two, OK!

0:40:090:40:11

There it is. A little bit of Russia in the middle of China.

0:40:240:40:27

The ice city is developed across an entire year by a team of architects,

0:40:350:40:39

and lasts just three months.

0:40:390:40:40

This is the chief designer.

0:40:450:40:47

How does it make you feel that everything that you've created

0:40:490:40:51

is going to melt?

0:40:510:40:53

TRANSLATION:

0:40:530:40:56

Harbin is following a tradition

0:41:130:41:15

that has put light at the heart of Chinese celebrations

0:41:150:41:18

for thousands of years.

0:41:180:41:20

I travelled west of the Beijing to a town that has preserved one of

0:41:240:41:28

China's most extraordinary ancient light shows.

0:41:280:41:30

If you want to see a centuries old slice of China,

0:41:340:41:37

Nuan Quan is a good place to start.

0:41:370:41:39

It's name means "warm spring town" and it's called that

0:41:390:41:41

because it has a geothermal spring which never freezes.

0:41:410:41:45

A bit of a bonus, really, here in winter,

0:41:450:41:46

when the temperature drops to -20 degrees.

0:41:460:41:49

Because of this, Nuan Quan has been inhabited for over 20,000 years.

0:41:500:41:55

Much of what you can see here

0:41:550:41:57

dates back to the Ming dynasty and is over 500 years old.

0:41:570:42:00

But it's not just these magnificent ancient buildings I've come to see.

0:42:020:42:05

I'm here because Nuan Quan is a place where some of China's oldest

0:42:050:42:08

New Year traditions have also been perfectly preserved.

0:42:080:42:11

One of the most spectacular, and most dangerous of them,

0:42:110:42:15

is called Da Shuhua,

0:42:150:42:16

which basically means creating a canopy of flowers.

0:42:160:42:19

A canopy of flowers made from flying shards of molten metal.

0:42:210:42:26

This tradition was started here 500 years ago as a cheap alternative

0:42:280:42:33

to fireworks by a blacksmith like Mr Xue.

0:42:330:42:37

His family have been blacksmiths here in Nuan Quan

0:42:370:42:40

for an incredible 14 generations,

0:42:400:42:42

and he is the last in a long line of Da Shuhua masters.

0:42:420:42:47

TRANSLATION:

0:42:470:42:48

The tradition has been that the art is passed down from fathers to sons,

0:43:190:43:23

and Mr Xue has two daughters.

0:43:230:43:25

Who is next, who is going to take over from you?

0:43:250:43:28

Creating a light show out of molten iron is a dangerous business,

0:43:440:43:48

but he has agreed to show me how it's done.

0:43:480:43:52

The molten iron has now been cooking for about 45 minutes,

0:43:520:43:54

and it's looking pretty hot, but before we let any sparks fly,

0:43:540:43:57

Mr Xue has to get into some protective clothing.

0:43:570:44:00

Now, if you think he is going to don a full asbestos suit with some

0:44:000:44:03

goggles and a helmet, think again.

0:44:030:44:05

Ready to go in the most flammable protective gear I've ever seen,

0:44:200:44:23

Mr Xue gives me my first ever demonstration of Da Shuhua.

0:44:230:44:27

So that was just a small-scale demonstration.

0:44:300:44:33

So if you want to see the full version,

0:44:330:44:35

we've got to go inside tonight into the theatre.

0:44:350:44:38

Traditionally, Da Shuhua was performed outside,

0:44:380:44:42

but the demand is so big today

0:44:420:44:44

that a specially built venue packs in 1,500 each night.

0:44:440:44:49

The old city walls have been recreated,

0:44:490:44:52

as throwing the molten iron onto those ancient walls

0:44:520:44:54

is where his ancestors forefathers invented the art.

0:44:540:44:58

The dancing and singing are just the warm-up

0:44:580:45:01

before the massive Da Shuhua finale.

0:45:010:45:04

And now for his big moment.

0:45:040:45:07

Protected only by his grandfather's sheepskin and a straw hat,

0:45:140:45:18

he is the eye of a storm of molten metal.

0:45:180:45:22

SHE MOUTHS

0:45:230:45:25

That was amazing.

0:45:260:45:28

And the effect is beautiful.

0:45:280:45:31

I know fireworks have come a long way in 500 years, but for me,

0:45:310:45:34

Da Shuhua still holds its own.

0:45:340:45:37

I feel really privileged to have witnessed an ancient tradition

0:45:380:45:42

performed by the last of the Da Shuhua masters.

0:45:420:45:45

And if you want to see what modern day fireworks are capable of,

0:45:470:45:50

then join me and Ant in Hong Kong in a couple of nights' time,

0:45:500:45:54

when we'll be at one of the most spectacular fireworks displays

0:45:540:45:57

on Earth. But from fireworks to ice works,

0:45:570:46:01

and these incredibly intricate ice sculptures,

0:46:010:46:04

which are all part of an international competition.

0:46:040:46:09

This year, there are 25 teams competing to take part,

0:46:090:46:11

with ten countries represented.

0:46:110:46:13

This is an expert who has crafted for the Festival in the past.

0:46:130:46:16

TRANSLATION:

0:46:190:46:21

So he's telling us about his tools,

0:46:340:46:35

and a tool like this one, a flat one, is for just to chip away...

0:46:350:46:39

And this tool is for doing details like the fish fins.

0:46:500:46:53

He doesn't get cold hands.

0:46:580:46:59

It was made by his wife!

0:47:040:47:05

One thing you will find all over China

0:47:090:47:11

in the lead up to Spring Festival are these, monkeys.

0:47:110:47:15

That's because 2016 is the Year of the Monkey,

0:47:150:47:18

one of the animals from the Chinese Zodiac.

0:47:180:47:20

I travelled to downtown Beijing

0:47:230:47:25

to discover how the Chinese Zodiac works and how New Year's shoppers

0:47:250:47:28

are preparing for the Year of the Monkey.

0:47:280:47:31

It's a bit like December in Britain.

0:47:340:47:36

If I was to go to my home town,

0:47:390:47:41

the shops would be full of tinsel and snowmen

0:47:410:47:44

and people would be rushing around buying gifts, cards

0:47:440:47:46

and decorations, and they'd be doing it for one specific day -

0:47:460:47:50

25th of December, Christmas Day.

0:47:500:47:52

But Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

0:47:540:47:57

According to the lunar calendar,

0:48:010:48:02

it's dictated by the first new moon closest to the beginning of spring.

0:48:020:48:07

To help me understand how this works is cultural expert Yang Lihui

0:48:100:48:15

In China, the New Year can start from, like,

0:48:180:48:21

the middle of January then to the end of February.

0:48:210:48:25

And this lunar cycle repeats itself every 12 years.

0:48:260:48:30

One animal represents each year,

0:48:310:48:34

so totally 12 animals represents 12 years.

0:48:340:48:38

The animals include the horse, goat,

0:48:420:48:46

tiger, rooster, dog, pig,

0:48:460:48:50

and, of course, the monkey.

0:48:500:48:52

I was born in March 1979, what does that make me?

0:48:540:48:58

Your Zodiac animal is the goat.

0:48:580:49:00

Well, I eat a lot, so I'm like a goat.

0:49:000:49:03

That means you are very gentle and very patient.

0:49:030:49:09

Well, my wife won't tell me I'm patient!

0:49:090:49:11

OK! You are very persistent.

0:49:110:49:13

Yeah.

0:49:130:49:15

Depending on what animal you are,

0:49:160:49:18

the New Year ahead could bring good or bad news.

0:49:180:49:21

So, what will the Year of the Monkey bring?

0:49:240:49:26

The Monkey year is generally believed to be really good,

0:49:260:49:31

and every people have different ambitions

0:49:310:49:34

-and different dreams will all come true this year.

-Oh, wow!

0:49:340:49:37

-So it's a really positive year?

-A really good year.

0:49:370:49:40

Life in China is changing fast, but despite all this modernisation,

0:49:420:49:47

at this time of year, people still seem to care about

0:49:470:49:51

the ancient philosophy of the Chinese Zodiac.

0:49:510:49:54

-I am a monkey.

-Right.

-So this is my year.

0:49:570:50:00

So I am guessing that I am going to have a pretty lucky year this year.

0:50:000:50:04

Ah, not so quick, Humble. Actually, when it's your year

0:50:040:50:07

-it's believed you are going to get more bad luck.

-Really?

-Yeah.

0:50:070:50:10

-How come?

-It's because the Chinese think that's this year you are going

0:50:100:50:13

to offend the God of Age, Tai Sui.

0:50:130:50:15

Is there something you can do to appease the God Of Age,

0:50:150:50:18

-to make him less...

-To protect yourself?

-Yes, exactly!

0:50:180:50:21

-There's a few things you can do.

-Right.

-Just wear red.

-Oh, OK.

0:50:210:50:24

-I like red.

-Deck yourself out with the red. That's good, that's good.

0:50:240:50:27

In China right now you will see so much red. Red is a very auspicious colour.

0:50:270:50:30

I was going to say, it is really the colour of New Year, isn't it?

0:50:300:50:33

It is. It marks happiness, joy, luck. Actually, we've done you

0:50:330:50:36

a bit of a favour, I've got my personal shopping assistant. Hey!

0:50:360:50:39

Mr Ant.

0:50:390:50:41

-Stylist!

-Sorry, stylist!

0:50:410:50:44

Evidently. We've been busy.

0:50:440:50:46

-What have we got?

-Well, I've got Kate a hat, red hat.

0:50:460:50:49

-Lovely, yeah.

-This is good, a scarf.

-Loving the scarf.

-Look at that.

0:50:490:50:54

Hold on... Very nice, OK.

0:50:540:50:56

The piece de resistance...

0:50:560:50:59

Seriously?

0:50:590:51:01

Look at those! Lucky pants.

0:51:010:51:04

What girl can fail to be lucky in a pair of pants like these?

0:51:040:51:08

Well, actually, I have to say

0:51:080:51:10

I have already been extremely lucky because I went to the mountains

0:51:100:51:14

of Yunnan Province down in the southwest and saw one of the

0:51:140:51:18

rarest animals in the world,

0:51:180:51:20

and it was particularly pertinent for this year.

0:51:200:51:23

In the southwest of the country lies Yunnan Province,

0:51:260:51:30

a magnificent blend of striking landscapes and incredibly diverse

0:51:300:51:34

cultural heritage.

0:51:340:51:36

Half of China's 55 ethnic minorities call this area home.

0:51:390:51:43

And high up in the remote Yunling Mountains

0:51:460:51:49

lies the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve,

0:51:490:51:52

home to the iconic snub-nosed monkey.

0:51:520:51:55

They are one of China's most elusive animals,

0:51:570:51:59

with only 2,000 of them left in the wild.

0:51:590:52:02

I'm going to try and find these rare creatures that live far higher than

0:52:030:52:07

any other monkey on Earth, on mountains that reach 5,000 metres.

0:52:070:52:13

Sharing the mountainous land up here

0:52:160:52:19

with the monkeys are the Lisu people.

0:52:190:52:22

Traditionally a mountain tribe,

0:52:220:52:24

they are the rangers who take care of these special primates.

0:52:240:52:28

We've followed the rangers up. It's quite... You lose your breath!

0:52:280:52:32

You suddenly realise how high up you are.

0:52:320:52:35

ANIMALS WHISTLE

0:52:350:52:37

You might be able to hear whistling from within the forest.

0:52:370:52:40

That is some of the rangers from the reserve,

0:52:400:52:43

and every morning they come out here to feed...

0:52:430:52:46

Oh, my goodness!

0:52:460:52:48

SHE LAUGHS

0:52:480:52:49

And I have just seen my very first

0:52:490:52:53

Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.

0:52:530:52:55

There's only about 2,000 or 3,000

0:52:570:52:59

of these animals left in the whole of China.

0:52:590:53:01

Mr Yu has been working at the reserve for over 20 years.

0:53:030:53:07

He has a unique bond with the monkeys and is responsible

0:53:070:53:10

for their daily feed.

0:53:100:53:12

He is now accepted almost as family.

0:53:150:53:18

But anyone else, like me, has to keep their distance,

0:53:180:53:21

so as not to pass on infections.

0:53:210:53:23

The reason that they feed these monkeys is to be able to monitor

0:53:250:53:30

the population. And that allows the rangers to see how healthy they are

0:53:300:53:35

and, crucially, to protect them.

0:53:350:53:39

The reason that these monkeys' numbers dropped

0:53:390:53:42

to such critical levels was because they were hunted.

0:53:420:53:45

There is a lovely story that connects the Lisu

0:53:460:53:49

with this particular monkey.

0:53:490:53:52

The legend has it that a small Lisu boy got lost in the forest

0:53:520:53:58

and couldn't find his out, and the longer he stayed in the forest,

0:53:580:54:02

he started to grow hair to keep him warm.

0:54:020:54:05

And the hairier he got,

0:54:050:54:07

the more embarrassed he became to approach people.

0:54:070:54:11

And so he stayed in the forest and turned into a snub-nosed monkey.

0:54:110:54:16

TRANSLATION:

0:54:220:54:25

There's a very first special relationship, I think,

0:54:340:54:36

between the Lisu people and these monkeys.

0:54:360:54:39

Since you've been working here,

0:54:490:54:51

have you seen the population here grow and get healthier?

0:54:510:54:55

Wow! That's amazing. That's a really good job.

0:55:030:55:05

Part of the Lisu rangers' job on the preserve is to monitor

0:55:070:55:10

the health of these primates,

0:55:100:55:12

which means collecting their poo at regular interviews.

0:55:120:55:16

Mr Yu and his colleagues collect this every day and analyse it,

0:55:170:55:24

and by doing so they can tell a lot about the health of the monkeys

0:55:240:55:28

and also about the population density.

0:55:280:55:31

But it's not that easy to find.

0:55:310:55:34

Aha!

0:55:400:55:42

I found some, here.

0:55:420:55:43

Never has a girl been so excited to find a bit of poo.

0:55:480:55:52

Mr Yu knows each individual monkey and is able to label up the bags.

0:55:520:55:58

So you know which monkey did this?

0:55:580:56:02

That's amazing!

0:56:080:56:10

The monkey faeces are examined in a special study centre.

0:56:150:56:19

One of the purposes of this centre is to check the health of the

0:56:190:56:23

snub-nosed monkeys.

0:56:230:56:25

So, what is the scientist testing for?

0:56:250:56:30

TRANSLATION:

0:56:300:56:32

So, it's good news? Fantastic.

0:56:590:57:02

I have to say, seeing those monkeys in the wild - and they are so rare -

0:57:060:57:11

definitely a highlight for me.

0:57:110:57:12

-How about you?

-Well, it feels like I crammed so much in,

0:57:120:57:15

and turning on the Kremlin was really special,

0:57:150:57:17

but the highlight has to be being victorious the ice slide.

0:57:170:57:20

I knew you were going to say that!

0:57:200:57:22

-What about you?

-It's got to be the ancient fireworks.

0:57:220:57:25

To see bits of metal turn into something so amazing and huge

0:57:250:57:29

and to be showered in it - yeah, it was insane.

0:57:290:57:31

It was absolutely spectacular. And talking of fireworks,

0:57:310:57:35

Ant and I are heading south to Hong Kong for a parade

0:57:350:57:38

and what promises to be the most spectacular fireworks display

0:57:380:57:42

either of us have either ever seen. But for now, from the three of us,

0:57:420:57:46

it's goodbye from Harbin and hello to the Hairy Bikers in Beijing.

0:57:460:57:51

Yeah. Thanks, Kate. Tomorrow we'll be in the Chinese capital

0:57:510:57:54

to bring you the hustle, the bustle

0:57:540:57:56

and even the gristle of the Spring Festival in Beijing.

0:57:560:58:00

And we'll be focusing on New Year's Eve.

0:58:000:58:02

New Year's Eve in China is about family and food

0:58:020:58:06

and we've been honoured to be invited by a lovely Chinese family

0:58:060:58:09

to spend it in their home with them.

0:58:090:58:11

We'll be helping prepare the most important meal of the year,

0:58:110:58:15

and spending the day gathering the ingredients for a healthy, wealthy,

0:58:150:58:20

lucky and prosperous 2016.

0:58:200:58:24

So join us tomorrow for more Chinese New Year celebrations.

0:58:240:58:28

-BOTH:

-Hey! Hey!

0:58:280:58:30

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