0:00:03 > 0:00:07The Great Wall of China was built by the Han Chinese
0:00:07 > 0:00:11to keep out the nomadic tribes from the North.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17They called these people barbarians,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20and their lands were considered barren and uninhabitable.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28Northern China is indeed a harsh place, of terrible winters,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31ferocious summers,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33parched deserts.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38But it is far from lifeless.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45With colourful places,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48surprising creatures.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50IT TRILLS
0:00:55 > 0:00:56Amazing people...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02..and strange landscapes.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11The further we travel,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13the more extreme it becomes.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21So how do people and wildlife cope
0:01:21 > 0:01:26with the hardships and challenges of life beyond the wall?
0:01:54 > 0:01:59The northern limits of Ancient China were defined by the Great Wall,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03which meanders for nearly 5,000 kilometres from east to west.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11The settled Han people of the Chinese heartland
0:02:11 > 0:02:15were invaded many times by warlike tribes from the north.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21The Great Wall was built to protect the Han Chinese from invasion.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30To meet those fearsome northerners and the wild creatures who share their world,
0:02:30 > 0:02:36we must leave the shelter of the wall, and travel into the unknown.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43North-East China was known historically as Manchuria.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49Its upper reaches are on the same latitude as Paris,
0:02:49 > 0:02:54but in winter, it is one of the coldest, most hostile places on the planet.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05Bitter winds from Siberia regularly bring temperatures of 40 degrees below zero.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18Dense forests of evergreen trees cover these lands.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23And the rugged terrain is made even more difficult by impenetrable ravines.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40We start our journey on a frozen river
0:03:40 > 0:03:43snaking between China's north-easternmost corner
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and Siberia.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The Chinese call it the "Black Dragon River".
0:03:52 > 0:03:56The people who live here aren't exactly fearsome warriors.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00They're too busy coping with the harsh winter conditions,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04and they respond to the challenges in some creative ways.
0:04:08 > 0:04:15The Black Dragon River is home to one of the smallest ethnic groups in China - the Hezhe people.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17TYRES SQUEAK ON ICE
0:04:27 > 0:04:32It's not just bicycles that seem out of place in this icy world -
0:04:32 > 0:04:37fishing boats and nets lie abandoned, a long way from open water.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Underneath a metre of solid ice
0:04:45 > 0:04:51swim a huge variety of fish, including 500 lb sturgeon,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55enough to feed a family of Hezhe for weeks.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02But how can they catch their quarry?
0:05:02 > 0:05:06First, they chisel a hole through the ice to reach the water below.
0:05:10 > 0:05:17Then they need to set their fishing net under the ice - a real challenge.
0:05:18 > 0:05:25A second hole is made, 20 metres away from the first, and a weighted string is dropped in.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Then, a long bamboo pole is used to hook the
0:05:29 > 0:05:32string, and pull the net
0:05:34 > 0:05:37into position beneath the ice.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08After a few days, the nets are checked.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23These days, almost nobody catches a rare giant sturgeon -
0:06:23 > 0:06:28the Black Dragon River has been over-fished like so many others.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35But even these smaller fish are a welcome catch.
0:06:48 > 0:06:54Frozen within seconds, the fish are guaranteed to stay fresh for the wobbly cycle ride home.
0:07:20 > 0:07:28The forests that lie south of the Black Dragon River are bound up in snow for more than half the year.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31It's deathly silent.
0:07:33 > 0:07:40Most of the animals here are either hibernating, or have migrated south for the winter.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43But there is an exception.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50MUNCHING
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Wild boars roam the forests of the north-east.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Like the Hezhe people,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02the boars find it difficult to gather food in winter.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04IT SNUFFLES
0:08:04 > 0:08:07To survive, they follow their noses -
0:08:07 > 0:08:10among the keenest in the animal kingdom.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13QUIET SNORTING
0:08:13 > 0:08:16They will eat almost anything they unearth.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20But one energy-rich food source is particularly valued.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Walnuts.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26SNUFFLING
0:08:26 > 0:08:30When a lucky boar finds a walnut, there's bound to be trouble.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33SNORTING AND SQUEALING
0:08:36 > 0:08:38But despite the squabbles,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41wild boars are social animals and gather in groups.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46Staying close together may help them to keep warm in the extreme cold.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48SNUFFLING
0:08:48 > 0:08:54But there's another reason for group living - more ears to listen out for danger.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56SCUFFLING, PANICKED SNORTING
0:08:56 > 0:08:58SQUEALING
0:09:01 > 0:09:02LOW SNARLING
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Siberian tigers also live in these forests
0:09:11 > 0:09:13But these days,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15only in captivity.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24There may be less than a dozen wild Siberian tigers left in China,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27though there are many more in breeding centres.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29SNARLING
0:09:29 > 0:09:32GROWLING
0:09:32 > 0:09:34THEY ROAR
0:09:38 > 0:09:45This enclosure at Hengdaohezi started breeding tigers in 1986
0:09:45 > 0:09:49to supply bones and body parts for the Chinese medicine market.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Trade in tiger parts was banned in China in the 1990s,
0:09:55 > 0:10:00and the breeding centre is now just a tourist attraction.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16The forests of the north-east stretch
0:10:16 > 0:10:20to where the Chinese, Russian and Mongolian borders meet.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Here, a surprising herd of animals is on the move.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41The reindeer were introduced to China hundreds of years ago
0:10:41 > 0:10:45by the nomadic Ewenki people, who came here from Siberia.
0:10:45 > 0:10:51HERDERS CALL OUT, BELLS TINKLE
0:10:51 > 0:10:53SHE CALLS OUT
0:10:53 > 0:10:57It's late April, and the women are calling in their reindeer,
0:10:57 > 0:11:02which are semi-wild, and have spent all winter away in the forest.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04REINDEER SNORTS
0:11:04 > 0:11:07HERDERS CALL OUT
0:11:07 > 0:11:11SHE RINGS BELL
0:11:12 > 0:11:17This is a very special relationship - each reindeer has its own name,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and many were hand-reared by these women.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26REINDEER SNORT, BIRDS CAW NEARBY
0:11:29 > 0:11:35Finally reunited after months apart, they will now remain together until autumn.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46SHE CALLS OUT REASSURINGLY
0:11:47 > 0:11:51The Ewenki women are anxious to check the condition of their animals
0:11:51 > 0:11:56and to see which of the reindeer might be pregnant.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59THEY CONVERSE IN HANYU DIALECT
0:11:59 > 0:12:02HERDER CHUCKLES
0:12:02 > 0:12:05REINDEER SNORTS
0:12:11 > 0:12:14WOMEN SING
0:12:18 > 0:12:21SHE SINGS
0:12:30 > 0:12:3581-year-old Maliya Suo is one of only 30 Ewenki people
0:12:35 > 0:12:40still living the nomadic life in these cold northern lands.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46Almost all her fellow Ewenki have given up the forest life
0:12:46 > 0:12:51to settle in concrete houses in modern cities.
0:12:52 > 0:12:58The reindeer herders are now almost as rare as wild Siberian tigers.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12There's about to be a new addition to the family.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16LOW SNORTING
0:13:20 > 0:13:22CALF SQUEAKS
0:13:36 > 0:13:40The women act as midwives to the newborn calves,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44helping nurture them through their first precious minutes of life.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51But the world around them is changing fast -
0:13:51 > 0:13:55this could be the last generation this ancient partnership will endure.
0:13:57 > 0:14:04This is hardly the image of the dangerous tribal people that the Great Wall was built to keep at bay.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34Along China's border with North Korea is this region's most famous mountain -
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Changbai Shan.
0:14:37 > 0:14:44Its name means "Ever White", and it harbours the world's highest volcanic lake.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Even in mid-May, there's still ice everywhere.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52But there are signs that the seasons are changing.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55WATER GURGLES
0:14:55 > 0:14:58WATER SPLASHES
0:15:01 > 0:15:09Warmer winds arrive from the south, and within a few short weeks, Changbai mountain is transformed.
0:15:15 > 0:15:22Water begins to flow down the mountainside once more, replenishing the landscape.
0:15:24 > 0:15:30It's June, and insects emerge to take advantage of the abundance of flowers.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57The warm weather sees the arrival of migrant birds.
0:15:57 > 0:16:04Stonechats that have spent the winter in the south of China return here to raise their chicks.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25With so many insects around, the stonechats may have several broods.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33SHRILL TRILLING
0:16:51 > 0:16:57Heading west from Changbai mountain, the forests give way to rolling grasslands.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08The Great Wall stretches off into the distance,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12defining the southern limits of the vast Mongolian steppe.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20North of the wall are huge areas of grassland,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24but one place on our journey is particularly significant.
0:17:32 > 0:17:38In the tall grass, a family of red foxes is raising its cubs.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45Today they have this meadow pretty much to themselves.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50But it wasn't always the case.
0:17:51 > 0:17:57Eight centuries ago, this place would have been teeming with people.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Now, these ruins in a field a short distance from Beijing
0:18:02 > 0:18:06are all that remains of the great city of Xanadu,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09once the summer capital of China.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17Within these walls, it is said that the leader of the Mongolians,
0:18:17 > 0:18:22the mighty Kublai Khan, welcomed Marco Polo to China.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Mongolian warriors established the greatest empire in history,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31stretching to the borders of Europe.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37Fear of this warrior tribe is the main reason the Han Chinese built the Great Wall.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47The cornerstone of the Mongolians' supremacy was their relationship with horses.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51This is what brought them such success in war.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57The Mongolian raiders travelled light, and rode with spare horses,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00so they could move huge distances, strike,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02and then retreat quicker than their opponents.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13At the heart of Mongolian culture is horse racing.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16The annual Nadam festival, held each July,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20is a chance for young Mongolians to show off their horsemanship.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25It's said that Mongolian people are born in the saddle.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Even as children, they are consummate riders.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11EXCITED CONVERSATIONS IN MONGOLIAN
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Horsemanship was the core of the Mongolians' success as warriors
0:20:50 > 0:20:54in the past, and is central to their lives as nomads today.
0:21:00 > 0:21:07In an area of grassland known as Bayanbulak, families of nomadic Mongolians are gathering.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12SHOUTING, SHEEP BLEAT
0:21:12 > 0:21:14BLEATING
0:21:24 > 0:21:32The name Bayanbulak means "Rich Headwaters", and they've come here to set up temporary homes,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35to graze their livestock on the lush summer pastures.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51The search for fresh fodder for their animals keeps them on the go,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and being able to move home so easily is a real advantage.
0:22:01 > 0:22:06It takes only a few minutes for the Mongolian family to set up their yurts.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18But the Mongolians don't have this place all to themselves.
0:22:22 > 0:22:29The rich resources also attract a huge variety of birds.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Demoiselle cranes,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37wading birds and waterfowl migrate here from all over Asia,
0:22:37 > 0:22:44drawn to the rivers and wetlands fed by glacial meltwater from nearby mountains.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55This place is known in China as Swan Lake.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00It's the world's most important breeding site for whooper swans,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02and arguably mosquitoes as well.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05MOSQUITOES BUZZ
0:23:10 > 0:23:14The pastures at Swan Lake provide endless amounts of lush grass
0:23:14 > 0:23:18for birds to nest in and for livestock to eat.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25It would seem there's plenty for everybody,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29but occasionally, they can get too close for comfort.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38800 years ago, the Mongolians were the most feared people on Earth,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42but they have a spiritual side as well.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49The birds of Swan Lake have little cause to worry.
0:23:50 > 0:23:57The Mongolians protect the swans, and venerate them, calling them "Birds of God".
0:24:13 > 0:24:18The Great Wall's journey through Northern China continues westward,
0:24:18 > 0:24:24bisecting a landscape that becomes increasingly parched.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Our journey has brought us halfway across northern China
0:24:43 > 0:24:48and the grasslands are becoming hot, dry and desolate.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03Wandering these wastes are creatures that look more African than Asian.
0:25:06 > 0:25:12These are Goitered gazelles, skittish and easily startled.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18When threatened by danger they're as fast as a racehorse,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22but in this intense heat, they favour a gentler pace.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28There's little standing water here, but the gazelles
0:25:28 > 0:25:32have a remarkable ability to extract moisture from dry grass,
0:25:32 > 0:25:37although finding enough worth eating keeps them constantly on the move.
0:25:51 > 0:25:58Even out here in the semi-deserts, the wall continues its long march.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Here, it's made of little more than compacted earth,
0:26:02 > 0:26:08but with hardly any rain falling, it's suffered very little erosion over the centuries.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives building it,
0:26:14 > 0:26:21yet it seems hard to believe that anyone felt that these distant wastelands needed protecting.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26But the wall still has one final surprise.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35This is Jiayuguan,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39the mighty fortress in the desert.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44Built in the Ming dynasty, over 600 years ago, legend says, the construction of the fortress
0:26:44 > 0:26:47was so meticulously planned
0:26:47 > 0:26:54that 100,000 bricks were specially made, and only one brick was left unused.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02This fortress marks the end of the Great Wall of China,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06the greatest man-made barrier on Earth.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11But ahead lies an even more formidable barrier -
0:27:11 > 0:27:17a vast no-man's land of deserts that stretch westward to the borders of Central Asia.
0:27:23 > 0:27:29Jiayuguan Fortress was considered to be the last outpost of Chinese civilisation.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Beyond this point lay utter desolation.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42China's largest desert, the Taklamakan, lies out here.
0:27:42 > 0:27:49Its name has been translated as, "You go in, and you never come out".
0:27:52 > 0:27:54This is a place of intense heat,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57abrasive wind-blown sand -
0:27:57 > 0:28:00totally hostile to life.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Yet there was a route through the desert,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09for those brave enough to risk their lives for it.
0:28:12 > 0:28:19People were lured into the horrors of the deserts, because the Chinese had a secret so powerful
0:28:19 > 0:28:22that it changed the course of history.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26The key to that secret lies in the distant past.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31Legend has it that around 5,000 years ago,
0:28:31 > 0:28:39a princess was walking in her garden when something unusual fell into her teacup.
0:28:39 > 0:28:46A magical thread was extracted, and it became more prized than gold or jade.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50The thread...
0:28:50 > 0:28:51was silk.
0:28:55 > 0:29:01Incredibly, such a beautiful substance and all the history behind it
0:29:01 > 0:29:04comes from a humble little insect -
0:29:04 > 0:29:05the silk worm.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Silk moths lay several hundred eggs,
0:29:12 > 0:29:19and the tiny caterpillars that emerge eat nothing but mulberry leaves.
0:29:28 > 0:29:34After 50 days of gluttony, they've grown 10,000 times heavier.
0:29:34 > 0:29:40By this stage, 25% of their body mass
0:29:40 > 0:29:42is made up of silk-glands.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48In the process of turning into adult moths, they spin a cocoon
0:29:48 > 0:29:51from a single strand of silk,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54which can be over 1,000 metres long.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59It was the legendary strength and brightness of silk fibres
0:29:59 > 0:30:01that made it so sought-after.
0:30:04 > 0:30:11For over 5,000 years, people built great fortunes and mighty kingdoms on these delicate threads
0:30:11 > 0:30:18and the desert routes those ancient traders took became the fabled Silk Road.
0:30:25 > 0:30:30The principle of extracting raw silk hasn't changed since its discovery.
0:30:32 > 0:30:38Harvested cocoons are dropped into boiling water which unravels the long filaments.
0:30:38 > 0:30:43These are then gathered and spun into raw silk thread.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Here at Hotan on the ancient Silk Road,
0:31:32 > 0:31:39silk-weaving is still a cottage industry, done the old-fashioned way on wooden looms.
0:31:52 > 0:31:58For the ancient Silk Road traders, the problem was still how to get the valuable silk
0:31:58 > 0:32:04from the fortress at Jiayuguan, through the deserts to the markets of Central Asia and beyond.
0:32:18 > 0:32:25Those early travellers heading west on the silk road were setting off on the worst voyage imaginable,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28through some of the most terrible places on Earth...
0:32:31 > 0:32:35..starting with the world's tallest sand dunes.
0:32:38 > 0:32:46Strong winds whipping in from the west blow the sand into ever higher dunes.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Over millennia, mega-dunes build up -
0:32:49 > 0:32:54walls of sand soaring to over 500 metres tall.
0:32:57 > 0:33:03Camels are the only beasts of burden that can tackle these monstrous dunes.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Their feet are wide and splay outwards to stop them sinking in loose sand.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19The wind that whips the sand into dunes
0:33:19 > 0:33:24has created other bizarre shapes in China's western deserts.
0:33:24 > 0:33:32Mysterious giant structures, known as yardangs, were sculpted by flying sand.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46The wind brought other hazards to travellers in these deserts.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48- EERIE HUMMING - Marco Polo wrote,
0:33:48 > 0:33:53"Sometimes the stray travellers will hear the tramp and hum
0:33:53 > 0:33:58"of a great cavalcade of people away from the real line of march,
0:33:58 > 0:34:03"and taking this to be their own company, they will follow the sound
0:34:03 > 0:34:08"and when day breaks they find that a cheat has been put on them
0:34:08 > 0:34:11"and that they are in an ill plight."
0:34:11 > 0:34:15LOW EERIE HUMMING
0:34:18 > 0:34:25To this day, no-one knows what causes the sands in some parts of the desert to sing.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28LOW HUMMING CONTINUES
0:34:29 > 0:34:35No wonder travellers call this place "Fury of God" and "Sea of Death".
0:34:38 > 0:34:43But the most severe problem was lack of water.
0:34:43 > 0:34:51The reason this place is so intensely dry can best be appreciated from a satellite view.
0:34:51 > 0:34:56China's deserts are the farthest place on Earth from any ocean.
0:34:58 > 0:35:04This lack of water is what created the Taklamakan,
0:35:04 > 0:35:10an area the size of Germany, covered in sand dunes through which the Silk Road traversed.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14This is the world's largest shifting sand desert.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Most living creatures would die here,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23but the camel is uniquely equipped for desert survival.
0:35:25 > 0:35:31Its nose humidifies the dry, desert air as it breathes in,
0:35:31 > 0:35:38then dehumidifies it on the way out, conserving precious water.
0:35:38 > 0:35:44The camel's thick fur keeps it warm at night while reflecting sunlight by day
0:35:44 > 0:35:50and its body temperature can rise by six degrees Celsius before it even begins to sweat.
0:35:52 > 0:35:57With these adaptations, it can go for days without drinking.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05For the camel trains,
0:36:05 > 0:36:11travel through the desert is about moving between one life-saving oasis and the next.
0:36:11 > 0:36:17When they finally do reach a drinking hole, camels can drink
0:36:17 > 0:36:21up to 60 litres of water in ten minutes.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26SOFT LAPPING
0:36:37 > 0:36:42Without oases, life in the Taklamakan couldn't exist
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and travel would be impossible.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48But nothing is permanent in the desert.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52The shifting sands and the extreme climate
0:36:52 > 0:36:57mean that these precious water sources can disappear.
0:37:02 > 0:37:07This is exactly what happened at Aydingkol Lake.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The lake bed is the second lowest place on Earth
0:37:13 > 0:37:18at 154 metres below sea level.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22It's the hottest place in China, with air temperatures recorded
0:37:22 > 0:37:28as high as 50 degrees Celsius and ground temperatures up to 80 degrees.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Yet not far from Aydingkol is a surprise -
0:37:35 > 0:37:39a thriving human settlement in the desert.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54This is Turpan oasis
0:37:57 > 0:38:01and it's famous in China for an unexpected product...
0:38:04 > 0:38:05grapes.
0:38:07 > 0:38:13But how on Earth can a water-hungry crop grow in such abundance in a desert?
0:38:17 > 0:38:20The secret lies below ground.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25A subterranean network of canals, known as karez,
0:38:25 > 0:38:31is used to channel water around Turpan's streets and into the vineyards.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34But where does the water come from?
0:38:35 > 0:38:39The clue lies on the desert floor, in these lines of holes
0:38:39 > 0:38:43which mark the course of the subterranean waterways.
0:38:45 > 0:38:46Over two millennia ago,
0:38:46 > 0:38:52local people carved more than 3,000 kilometres of these canals beneath the desert,
0:38:52 > 0:38:57diverting water from the distant mountains.
0:38:57 > 0:39:04Channelling the flow underground means that less water is lost to evaporation in the desert heat.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07WATER BUBBLES
0:39:20 > 0:39:24EXCITED CHATTER
0:39:42 > 0:39:45In August, the grapes are harvested.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02This rich bounty does not go unnoticed.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08In the lush vineyards of Turpan, one animal is thriving.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18Red-tailed gerbils are hardy desert creatures,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22but those in Turpan have never had it so good.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34Once the grapes have been picked, some are sold in the market,
0:40:34 > 0:40:39but most are hung up to dry in special drying-houses.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55This place is far too tempting for any rodent to resist.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05Red-tailed gerbils are excellent climbers, but why bother when
0:41:05 > 0:41:10there's plenty of bounty lying around on the ground, unguarded?
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Rather than suffering the extreme environment in which they live,
0:41:21 > 0:41:24the wildlife and people of Turpan
0:41:24 > 0:41:30have found innovative ways to cope with conditions beyond the wall.
0:41:30 > 0:41:36But not all desert communities were as resourceful as Turpan.
0:41:38 > 0:41:45Between here and China's western borders lie the ruins of many great cities.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54In their day, they were vibrant, thriving places.
0:41:59 > 0:42:06But in the fifth century, the Silk Road's fortunes took a turn for the worse.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Once again, a princess was involved.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15She smuggled silk worm eggs out of China.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19The secret of silk was a secret no more
0:42:19 > 0:42:25and China's stranglehold on this lucrative trade was over.
0:42:25 > 0:42:32Even when Marco Polo passed along the Silk Road in the 13th century,
0:42:32 > 0:42:38many of these cities had been dead for over 500 years.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46But The Silk Road's most famous city managed to survive.
0:42:46 > 0:42:52Where the desert ends beneath vast mountain ranges,
0:42:52 > 0:43:00China's westernmost point is only a stone's throw from the borders of five Central Asia countries.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02This is Kashgar,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04where East meets West.
0:43:09 > 0:43:14The silk that travelled along the Silk Road ended up here,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16where it's still traded today.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36Kashgar is famous for selling everything under the sun.
0:43:38 > 0:43:45The local Sunday market is one of Asia's largest and most exuberant gatherings.
0:44:00 > 0:44:05But looking around the market, it's hard to believe you're actually in China.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Kashgar is a melting pot of non-Chinese ethnic people -
0:44:09 > 0:44:16Uyghurs, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks and many others.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21Here, our journey heads northwards,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24into one of China's wildest places.
0:44:26 > 0:44:34Leaving Kashgar and the Silk Road behind, we travel into the Tian Shan,
0:44:34 > 0:44:37or "Heavenly Mountains".
0:44:37 > 0:44:40This great mountain range defines the border
0:44:40 > 0:44:43between China's most north-western province
0:44:43 > 0:44:48and neighbouring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
0:44:48 > 0:44:54Its majestic peaks are nearly as high as the Himalayas, forming a natural great wall.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04For much of the year, it's bound up in ice,
0:45:04 > 0:45:10but the glacial meltwater allows evergreen forests to grow,
0:45:10 > 0:45:14a far cry from the deserts south of here.
0:45:18 > 0:45:24These mountains are the gateway to some of China's most surprising people and places.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33In the upland valleys, a family of Kazakhs has been grazing
0:45:33 > 0:45:38their livestock all summer on the lush alpine meadows.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44It's autumn.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48In a few weeks' time, winter snows will seal the mountain passes,
0:45:48 > 0:45:54so the Kazakhs have decided to break camp and move while they still can.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16Turning their backs on the mountain pastures,
0:46:16 > 0:46:21they have many long weeks of travel ahead of them along well-worn trails.
0:46:46 > 0:46:52Their destination could hardly be more different from the Heavenly Mountains' lush pastures.
0:46:54 > 0:46:59These paths head into one of China's wildest and least-known places.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15This is the Junggar Basin,
0:47:15 > 0:47:20an arid land that lies at the westernmost edge of the great Gobi Desert.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26The most northerly desert in the world.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39The Junggar is a place of surprises.
0:47:39 > 0:47:46This bizarre landscape is called the "Five-Coloured Hills", and though little lives here now,
0:47:46 > 0:47:51the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus Rex once roamed these hills,
0:47:51 > 0:47:55their fossils only discovered in 2006.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12But the Junggar is not entirely lifeless.
0:48:16 > 0:48:21In the darkness, a little Roborovski's hamster emerges to search for food.
0:48:27 > 0:48:33They're the world's smallest hamsters, the size of a ping-pong ball,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36and they live in family groups of around ten.
0:48:38 > 0:48:45Unlike the Kazakhs, hamsters can't migrate to avoid the severity of winter.
0:48:45 > 0:48:52They have to prepare for difficult times by storing up provisions to spend a season underground.
0:48:57 > 0:49:04Anyone who has kept a pet hamster knows what an energetic little creature it can be.
0:49:09 > 0:49:14In a single night, a hamster may cover the equivalent of four human marathons.
0:49:18 > 0:49:26But foraging far and wide creates a problem - how to carry the harvest back to its nest.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30Here, the hamster's famous flexible cheek pouches come into play.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34They can be stuffed full of seeds for carrying back to the burrow.
0:49:40 > 0:49:45Underground, the family has special food chambers to store the bounty.
0:49:49 > 0:49:54This supply will have to last them through the lean and cold times ahead.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57Winter is on its way.
0:50:08 > 0:50:15Within a few short weeks, the Five-Coloured Hills are blanketed in snow,
0:50:15 > 0:50:18driven by icy winds from Siberia.
0:50:23 > 0:50:31Despite being at the same latitude as Venice, Asia's northern deserts have no nearby sea to warm them
0:50:31 > 0:50:34and so suffer bitterly cold winters.
0:50:36 > 0:50:44When it melts next spring, the snow will provide moisture for grasses and other plants to grow.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Like almost everywhere beyond the wall, the harsh conditions
0:50:51 > 0:50:57force people and wildlife to keep moving to find enough to survive.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03The Kazakhs have arrived from the Tian Shan mountains
0:51:03 > 0:51:08to graze their animals on the meagre pickings in the Junggar.
0:51:08 > 0:51:14But the Kazakhs don't have this place all to themselves.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19Their winter migration routes take them past a fenced enclosure in the desert.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25The horses on this side of the fence aren't domestic animals
0:51:25 > 0:51:28like those belonging to the Mongolians and Kazakhs.
0:51:30 > 0:51:35These are the last wild horses on Earth.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42Millions of them once ranged all the way to Europe,
0:51:42 > 0:51:45but now they barely number in the hundreds.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49For part of the winter, the wild horses are quarantined
0:51:49 > 0:51:52to stop them mating with the Kazakhs' horses.
0:51:55 > 0:52:00That way, the gene pool of the rare wild animals can be kept pure.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07There is a bigger problem, however.
0:52:08 > 0:52:13The livestock and the wild horses compete for the same food.
0:52:14 > 0:52:20Many Kazakh families and their flocks will pass through here over the winter.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32By the time the wild horses can be released from the pen,
0:52:32 > 0:52:35much of the best forage will be gone.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42When there's so little to go round in the first place,
0:52:42 > 0:52:46it doesn't take much for the situation to turn critical.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51Even in the least inhabited parts of China,
0:52:51 > 0:52:56wildlife and people come into conflict in the struggle to survive.
0:53:04 > 0:53:11Yet in this barren landscape, a remarkable association between people and wildlife persists,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15a tradition harking back almost 6,000 years.
0:53:18 > 0:53:2282-year-old Ziya carries on a tradition
0:53:22 > 0:53:26that has made the Kazakhs famous throughout China.
0:53:29 > 0:53:35Every winter for most of his life, Ziya has gone hunting with a golden eagle.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50This eagle is around five-years-old.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55It was taken from the wild as a chick,
0:53:55 > 0:54:00and raised by Ziya, who trained it to return to him after each flight.
0:54:00 > 0:54:05He will keep this bird for a total of ten seasons before setting it free.
0:54:10 > 0:54:15Foxes were once the favourite quarry for eagle hunters.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19These days, they almost never catch anything.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24As in many parts of China, wildlife is far scarcer here than it used to be.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27EAGLE CHIRPS
0:54:33 > 0:54:37When Ziya finally releases this eagle,
0:54:37 > 0:54:41it will be the end of his hunting days.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58Many of the younger generation of China's nomads
0:54:58 > 0:55:02are moving to modern cities and leaving their traditions behind,
0:55:02 > 0:55:07their lives no longer ruled by the changing of the seasons.
0:55:17 > 0:55:24Back in the north-east, in mid-winter, the Great Wall still dominates the landscape.
0:55:24 > 0:55:29Originally built to keep out dangerous warriors,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32today it is little more than a curiosity.
0:55:32 > 0:55:39The Han Chinese, whose ancestors built the wall, now live in great cities like Harbin,
0:55:39 > 0:55:41far to the north.
0:55:44 > 0:55:51Each year, the artists of Harbin get ready for a special winter celebration.
0:55:54 > 0:55:59Giant blocks of ice from nearby rivers undergo a magical transformation.
0:56:02 > 0:56:07Tourists flock to Harbin from all over China to see the spectacular carvings
0:56:07 > 0:56:13and the ice city that has sprung up all around.
0:56:35 > 0:56:41It takes 10,000 people 18 days to construct this icy wonderland.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53It's impressive enough by day.
0:57:00 > 0:57:05But the magic of this place only becomes apparent once the sun goes down.
0:57:40 > 0:57:46Northern China can be a harsh place, but also a place of great beauty.
0:57:50 > 0:57:57The Harbin Ice Festival shows how attitudes have changed since the Great Wall was built.
0:58:00 > 0:58:06No longer are the extremes of life beyond the wall merely to be feared.
0:58:08 > 0:58:13Now it is possible to celebrate them, too.
0:58:43 > 0:58:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:47 > 0:58:50E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk