0:00:02 > 0:00:04I'm not very good at steering.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06OK, OK.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07It's hard work.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10This is the Mekong, the mother of water,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13the greatest river in South East Asia.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17It brings life to millions,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19from the paddy fields of Vietnam
0:00:19 > 0:00:21to the mountains of the Tibetan plateau.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24(I think I might be engaged to be married now.)
0:00:24 > 0:00:26I've travelled nearly 2,000 miles upstream,
0:00:26 > 0:00:31exploring landscapes and lives on the point of profound change.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34They might want to stick up a massive sign saying "For Sale".
0:00:36 > 0:00:39When you think of a spiritual experience,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41this is pretty much it, isn't it?
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Finally, I've reached China and the source of this mighty river.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48You get a real sense of it being the turbulent river now.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51It carves its way through China's wildest
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and most spectacular valleys,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56home to some of the country's unique hill tribes...
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Oh, this is sexy hands.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02..but change is sweeping through these places
0:01:02 > 0:01:05faster than any other Mekong nation...
0:01:05 > 0:01:08My head is exploding already with questions.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12..as China's economic miracle transforms this remote region.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15It's £120 a kilo?
0:01:15 > 0:01:16No wonder he's smiling.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18And they say money doesn't grow on trees.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I want to understand how this new revolution
0:01:20 > 0:01:22is changing ways of life here.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Oh! Oh, oh!
0:01:25 > 0:01:28And, as China surges into a brand-new future,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30what it will save of its past.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Oh, hello!
0:01:45 > 0:01:49I have no idea who you are, but it's wonderful to be in a photo with you.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56All of China's 1.3 billion people seem to be on the move,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00charging forwards towards a shiny, new capitalist future.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04In cities all across the land,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07a new skyscraper is built every five days,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11to house the rising middle class and reflect their soaring ambitions.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16It's a far cry from Chairman Mao's communist dream.
0:02:16 > 0:02:22And quite possibly a little different to my own blinkered ideas.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I'm very mindful that I've come to China
0:02:24 > 0:02:26brimful of Western preconceptions,
0:02:26 > 0:02:31namely that China is frightening and austere and...
0:02:31 > 0:02:33impenetrable.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Preconceptions about its people, that they are phlegm-hawking,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40soup-slurping, chain-smoking types who are extremely good at ping-pong.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46And so I suppose China's the place along this journey
0:02:46 > 0:02:48that I've been most frightened of coming to,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51but most excited about visiting,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54because I think that I'm going to get totally shaken up
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and everything that I think is black will suddenly turn out to be white.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03In China, this amazing river has saved its best till last.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09For the next 1,500 miles, the Mekong plunges through deep gorges
0:03:09 > 0:03:13and huge mountains, from its source high on the Tibetan Plateau.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18But I'm starting here in Yunnan's tropical region of Xishuangbanna
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and its capital, Jinghong,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23the centre of a booming tourist industry.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27So this party boat is heading towards
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Xishuangbanna's number one tourist destination.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32And this is a place that the majority of Chinese
0:03:32 > 0:03:33flock to every single year.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35And they're visiting a theme park
0:03:35 > 0:03:38which doesn't have log fumes or roller coasters.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40It has one thing...ethnic people.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45This is the Dai Minority Park.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Just 20 years ago, there were five small traditional villages here,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52home to the indigenous Dai people.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Then China's economy exploded.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Now, tour guides like Wendy and Echo
0:03:59 > 0:04:03show visitors like me what their country used to be like.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06So it's basically Universal Studios.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09You've got the buggies, you've got the boulevards.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12These tourists are Han Chinese.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14They make up 92% of China's population
0:04:14 > 0:04:18and want to spend their new money exploring the riches
0:04:18 > 0:04:19of their vast country.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22After decades of communism,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25when the Chinese were unified under one dreary manifesto,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29there's now renewed interest in the colourful melting pot
0:04:29 > 0:04:32of peoples that actually make up modern China.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Groups like the Dai - people of the water.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Look at you, with your flash car.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49That's one of the Dai people with that swanky car?
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'It's not clear which bits of the park are authentically Dai
0:04:52 > 0:04:56'and which have been fabricated for the tourist market.'
0:04:59 > 0:05:01OK, now I'm clear.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08So every year, the Dai stage a water festival,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10which is incredible symbolic.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12But here in the park,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15tourists can't wait just for one festival once a year.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18So they have regular water splashings at 2pm
0:05:18 > 0:05:21and 4pm daily and that's what I'm going to get involved in.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I think it's fair to say this is the first outfit I've ever worn
0:05:30 > 0:05:32that my mother would actually be happy with.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35She is delighted right now, she's lit up Croydon.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39So these are splashing implements.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42I mean, it seems a shame to ruin such a nice outfit.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Originally, what is the significance of the water festival
0:05:50 > 0:05:51for the Dai people?
0:05:51 > 0:05:53It relates to a story -
0:05:53 > 0:05:56in memory of the seven princesses in the past
0:05:56 > 0:06:00who saved the Dai people from a very bad guy.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04They chop off his head and is on fire.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06I've very glad we don't do that at 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10cos then we'd really reduce visitor numbers massively with that.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11I'm very glad.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29When you think of a spiritual experience,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33this is pretty much it, isn't it, really, when you just boil it down?
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Just a man screaming on a public address system
0:06:37 > 0:06:42and a chained elephant tottering around in the background.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Yeah, I feel relaxed, I feel good!
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Whereas this is seen as a fun day out for the Han Chinese,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11water is considered holy for the Dai people.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16It is their source of life, spiritual and physical.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18During their annual water festival,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22blessed water is poured on family members to wash away
0:07:22 > 0:07:26their dirt and sorrows, ensuring good luck in the coming year.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And I am about to get very lucky.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31That was right up the...
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I was properly blessed then.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Yeah, I was blessed where the sun doesn't shine.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Very complicated place, this park.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57You've got a minority of people living in a very traditional way.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59The Han Chinese have come along
0:07:59 > 0:08:01and want to find out about the minority groups.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04But in doing so, I think, it has sort of started to create
0:08:04 > 0:08:06a slight change.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08You can't come here on mass and not puncture the seal
0:08:08 > 0:08:10and for things to suddenly alter.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Of course, they're going to want what the Han Chinese has got.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15They're going to want fast cars
0:08:15 > 0:08:19and they're going to want everything made of plastic.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24And I wonder how long this community can remain.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28It's in the interest of the Han Chinese that this way of life
0:08:28 > 0:08:30is sort of preserved in aspic.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32But their very venturing into this place
0:08:32 > 0:08:34means that that's very unlikely to happen.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44I'm leaving the theme park and moving north up the Mekong,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47through fertile valleys and terraced fields.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52The unique climate and soil here provide the perfect condition
0:08:52 > 0:08:54for growing a Chinese delicacy...
0:08:54 > 0:08:55pu-erh tea.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01The Aini, keepers of this land, are animists.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07At the heart of their ancient belief system is a harmony with nature.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11They tend the pu-erh tea bushes with love and care and, in doing so,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15keep their ancestral spirits happy.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16It's just a thought,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18but if the water people hooked up with the tea people
0:09:18 > 0:09:22and they met up with the kettle tribe, they could rule the world.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26This is Mr and Mrs Car.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Their families have been processing tea here for generations.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31Ni hao!
0:09:31 > 0:09:33- Ni hao, Mr Car.- Ni hao!
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Ni hao, good to see you.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Ni hao, ni hao.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Look, there it is!
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE - Tea!
0:09:43 > 0:09:46I am a frantic tea drinker and I love it
0:09:46 > 0:09:48and the smell of that...
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Sweet and woody, it's gorgeous.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54Go and pick some?
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Fabulous, I'd love to, I'd love to.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59It's a perforated bag.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03It could be nothing less, surely, for a tea picking excursion.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04Look at this!
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Somebody's making some money out of tea, eh?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Pu-erh tea's popularity is growing.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12China's newly wealthy professionals
0:10:12 > 0:10:16are eager to connect with their traditional past.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's a far cry from your average breakfast cuppa.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22It's the only brew in the world that's aged like fine wine
0:10:22 > 0:10:26and, apparently, it's a marvel for weight loss and reducing stress.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Sounds like my cup of tea.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Yeah, up I come.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35I was never any good at this as a kid
0:10:35 > 0:10:38and suspect I'm going to be even worse as an adult.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39How did you get up, Mr Car?
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Nearly.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Hang on.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49OK.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54OK, no pressure...
0:10:54 > 0:10:56(Don't break it!)
0:10:57 > 0:10:59So for one kilo of tea from this bush,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01how much yuan would you get for that?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07So it £120 a kilo?
0:11:07 > 0:11:08No wonder he's smiling.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11And they say money doesn't grow on trees. Incredible.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14I've seen a good one. I'm going to a higher elevation.
0:11:14 > 0:11:15Don't you be rocking that tree now.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Ancient trees like these provide the very best pu-erh tea sold today.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27It's got a bit of a cult status amongst the connoisseurs.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28I will have a bit of you.
0:11:28 > 0:11:3010p.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32I'll have you.
0:11:32 > 0:11:3430.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35I find it really relaxing,
0:11:35 > 0:11:37but, then, I'm not doing it for eight hours a day.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Oh, hello. He's on the move.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40He's on the move.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46That was pretty ungainly.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I'll lead the way with my rather lighter bag.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54The process is all done by hand and takes a few weeks
0:11:54 > 0:11:57to pick, roast and dry to aromatic perfection.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03You are the master.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Constantly turning it - they are getting quite hot now.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14When you started was there a lot of money in tea picking?
0:12:16 > 0:12:17No? So only now.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Now. You lucked out, haven't you, sunshine?
0:12:27 > 0:12:29The reason you are making so much money now
0:12:29 > 0:12:31is because there is greater demand.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40These roasted leaves will now be dried,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42pressed and then drunk by some lucky person...
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Oh, that'll be me, then.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48If you sit in England and do this...
0:12:48 > 0:12:50SHE SLURPS
0:12:51 > 0:12:52..very bad manners.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55So when did you build this house, this amazing house?
0:13:05 > 0:13:07If it's not too rude a question,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10how much did it cost your family to build?
0:13:15 > 0:13:19So £75,000 from...
0:13:19 > 0:13:21And the money came from tea.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22So in the wrong game.
0:13:24 > 0:13:25If I come back in five years' time,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I think that tea prices will have risen so much
0:13:28 > 0:13:31that you will live in a palace and walk on a gold floor.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37I think so.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Bracing. Quite astringent, quite bitter.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Oh, no, every time I put it down...
0:13:57 > 0:14:01I'm not sure if my drinking is creating the urge to pour more or...
0:14:01 > 0:14:02I don't know any more.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06See, I don't know if it's rude to refuse.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07I've now drank about four gallons.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Literally no moisture left in my mouth.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12So much tongue.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Oh, there's more coming.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Thank you. I am now going to go and run a marathon.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30That was my pleasure and my privilege to have a day with you.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31I really loved it. Thank you.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Well, I'm not going to sleep for another six months, I'm that wired.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38But that's been an extraordinary day,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40in the sense that I've learned that a family can farm
0:14:40 > 0:14:44the same tea bushes for 800 years, getting a steady low income
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and then, suddenly, as the economic boom hits China and the rise
0:14:47 > 0:14:51of the middle class, this huge spike in demand which means they can move
0:14:51 > 0:14:54from that very modest house into this sort of
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Grand Designs house behind me.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59And to put it into context, the middle class, now,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02in terms of numbers in China, is the same as the population
0:15:02 > 0:15:04of the entirety of the United States.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Just think of that many people, sitting around, drinking tea, going,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11"Of course, this is the 2007 Aini terroir."
0:15:11 > 0:15:13So, yeah, very, very interesting.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23As I head further up the valley,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26China's transformation becomes further apparent.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28This vast country is on course
0:15:28 > 0:15:31to become the world's most powerful economy
0:15:31 > 0:15:35and it's racing to modernity at an astonishing pace.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38But for some people, this manic rush towards the future is threatening
0:15:38 > 0:15:43what little is left of China's ancient traditions and beliefs.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48This morning, Wendy is taking me to meet her friend from the Aini tribe,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Li Jin Mei, who is desperately trying to hold back the tide
0:15:50 > 0:15:53of tarmac and preserve what is left of her culture.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00So this is where Li Jin Mei lives.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03she's got this little traditional house
0:16:03 > 0:16:04right on this massive road.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07It's like having Anne Hathaway's Cottage in the middle of the M1.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09CAR HORNS HONK
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It's a construction site.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Ni hao! Ni hao, Li Jin.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Ni hao.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28The Aini are known for their hospitality
0:16:28 > 0:16:30and beautiful embroidered clothes.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Oh, that smells good.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35She is preparing a traditional feast
0:16:35 > 0:16:38and what can only be described as a local delicacy.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Oh, God, what is that?
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Is it there for luck or is it actually a food item?
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Food.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51You eat... Will you eat it?
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- Chuan tong?- Yeah.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56So how many dishes are you doing today?
0:17:06 > 0:17:0812?
0:17:10 > 0:17:11- 14.- 14!
0:17:19 > 0:17:22It's always the women that cook in Aini culture?
0:17:22 > 0:17:24What do the men do? Sit and smoke?
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Hunting and bullshitting?!
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Did she say hunting and bullshitting?
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Tell her it's the same the world over.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45And hunting is illegal, so it's just left them with bullshitting.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54An hour later, lunch is served...
0:17:54 > 0:17:57in what feels a bit like a motorway service station.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04That is an awesome little buffet going on there.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Gosh, what is this? This looks ominous.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12It is moonshine.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Lovely! Aini moonshine, this is what every meal needs.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Let's call it a digestive.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Ah, bless you.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Gibaduo, Sese, Sese.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31- ALL:- Sese!
0:18:31 > 0:18:32Oh, down the hatch, there.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41'I'm not sure if that face means it's a good batch or a bad batch.'
0:18:44 > 0:18:46OK, so I eat this, then the pickles.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Where's the pickles?
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Quite ritualised this -
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I'm being pointed at and you have to eat things in a certain order.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02She's secretly... She's constantly topping up.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05OK, if this is being Aini, then respect.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- Gibaduo. ALL:- Sese!
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Oh, dear.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18'Oh, that's definitely a bad batch.'
0:19:18 > 0:19:21My liver is the size of a pistachio right now.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Oh, God, no.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28OK.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Li Jin Mei's interest in her Aini culture began
0:19:31 > 0:19:34when she was asked about it at a dinner party
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and couldn't provide an answer.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Ashamed, she decided to dedicate her life there and then
0:19:39 > 0:19:42to its preservation, through championing its cuisine
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and, most importantly, its traditional embroidery.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17So, for instance, explain to me the meaning of this pattern.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31- Oh, this is the crab's eyes.- Those are the crab's eyes?- Crab's eyes.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52That is, yeah...
0:20:52 > 0:20:55That's very interesting for me.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58It sort of shifts completely my view of culture.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01It's been very enlightening for me to hear that.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07SHE SINGS:
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Gibaduo.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29- ALL:- Sese!
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Well, I'm not surprised they need to embroider their history,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35because if everyone round here drinks like Li Jin Mei,
0:21:35 > 0:21:36no-one will remember a thing.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Sese!
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Sese, Sese!
0:21:42 > 0:21:46THEY SING TUNELESSLY
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Incredibly, a good night's sleep and two paracetamol later,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02I'm ready to hit the road and head north,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04out of the smoggy city of Jinghong.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11My head is exploding already with questions...
0:22:11 > 0:22:14mainly regarding culture.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16What is culture?
0:22:16 > 0:22:18What's important about culture?
0:22:18 > 0:22:19I know what we've kept in the UK.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22We've kept Shakespeare and Dickens and Morris dancing.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26But it begs the question, if you know what you've kept...
0:22:26 > 0:22:28how do you know what you've lost?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31And that's what China is facing at this precise moment in time.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34It's trying to work out what is significant from the past
0:22:34 > 0:22:36that it can take with into its busy and bustling future.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38And it's looking and saying,
0:22:38 > 0:22:40"Yeah, we can take the roofs from Dai culture,
0:22:40 > 0:22:42"that's nice and that's traditional.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43"We can take the water festivities.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46"We can take pu-erh tea because it's commercially viable."
0:22:46 > 0:22:48But just at the edge of that precipice
0:22:48 > 0:22:51and the edge of everything interesting and diverse being lost,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54you've got someone like Li Jin Mei who's going,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56"I've got this, it's embroidery.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59"I don't have script, I cannot write it down.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02"And if you lose this or consign it to tourist tat,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06"then my culture that's been going for hundreds of years is lost."
0:23:06 > 0:23:08And all that is just blowing my mind!
0:23:16 > 0:23:18I'm travelling 600 miles north
0:23:18 > 0:23:20to the town of Baisha.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23In this region, the Mekong has a new name,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26the Lancang Jiang or "turbulent river".
0:23:29 > 0:23:32And look, there's the Mekong, who'd have thought it?
0:23:32 > 0:23:34I thought someone had drunk it, I haven't seen it for miles.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36But there it is, burbling away.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Baisha nestles in the shadow of the Himalayas
0:23:43 > 0:23:45and is home to the Naxi people.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Far from the concrete jaws of Jinghong,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52it now feels I'm entering a China I didn't even know existed.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54TRADITIONAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:23:54 > 0:23:57I've just stumbled across this fantastic, colourful,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59senior citizens line dance.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And what's magical about this is that it isn't a tourist show.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05This something that these people do every Sunday
0:24:05 > 0:24:06and have done for hundreds of years.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09The fact that I'm here is totally immaterial to them
0:24:09 > 0:24:11and it's just magical to behold.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Hey!
0:24:24 > 0:24:26That was so - mwah! Beautiful.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28This one was great, what is that?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Oh, you've got the...? Oh, hello!
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Oh, there's some sexy hands.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I'm not good enough! You're too good.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE - No, 72?!
0:24:50 > 0:24:52You are...70?
0:24:52 > 0:24:5571? No!
0:24:55 > 0:24:5771!
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- How old are you? - One, two, three, four, five, six.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02- 60?- Six.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05You all look so young! You move...
0:25:05 > 0:25:08I'm surrounded by the most excitable, brilliant,
0:25:08 > 0:25:09robust pensioners.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I love them.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Baisha has been world famous for its botanists and herbalists,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28ever since Victorian plant hunter Joseph Rock passed through here.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34He became friends with renowned Chinese herbalist Dr Ho.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37His son, Dr Ho II, now runs the clinic.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39- Hello.- Hello.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- Ni hao.- Nice to meet you.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- Very nice to meet you, Dr Ho. - I am Dr Ho.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- So very nice to see you. - Nice to meet you.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48It's my pleasure to see you.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50- How are you?- Very well, thank you.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54- Of course you're very well. - All the friends...
0:25:54 > 0:25:56- All the friends are here. - Yeah, you all the friends.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58So is this your garden?
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- My wife.- This is your wife? Of course this is your wife.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I'm 92, she is 91.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05All strong.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07You're 92 years old?!
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Yeah, she's 91.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12- You look very well. Very nice to see you.- All strong.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15- Ni hao.- Ni hao.- Ni hao.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Dr Ho has been practising herbal Chinese medicine
0:26:20 > 0:26:22for over 70 years.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24May I know your age?
0:26:24 > 0:26:2644. 44.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27- Good.- Good?
0:26:27 > 0:26:30You're the first person to say that's good.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Practitioners of Chinese medicine
0:26:32 > 0:26:35believe that in order to heal a sick person,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38you must treat the individual rather than their symptoms
0:26:38 > 0:26:40and restore their natural balance.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44It has long been a fascination of mine.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48If you...very bad day, you have
0:26:48 > 0:26:50a very bad day, massage here.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Lift!
0:26:52 > 0:26:53Suddenly, you go there
0:26:53 > 0:26:54and you, "Wah-hey!"
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Here...
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Oh! Oh!
0:26:58 > 0:26:59Oh, what was that?!
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Feels like being electrocuted.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03- Very bad day.- Yes.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Also made my lips bleed quite badly as well.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE - Yeah, you're a genius.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10You OK?
0:27:10 > 0:27:11Yeah.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14'Dr Ho has hit a pressure point that has immediately made me
0:27:14 > 0:27:17'a little frightened of him, but it has given me mental alertness,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20'which may come in handy when I'm up in the mountains.'
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Now I'm going to go to the herb garden,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26but I'm being taken by the third and fourth Dr Ho,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28cos, as we know, Dr Ho does like to regenerate
0:27:28 > 0:27:30so these are the next reincarnations.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32- So will you take me to the... - Please.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Yeah, I'm going to follow you, OK.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Look, you've got the white coats and everything.
0:27:36 > 0:27:4160% of Yunnan's plants are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45The Ho family are masters and were collecting these powerful herbs
0:27:45 > 0:27:49way before the Victorian plant hunters came trundling through.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- Ah!- It's medicine.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52I want to live here.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55It's medicine. All medicine.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59The Hos have over 1,000 plant species here...
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and that is species, not individual plants!
0:28:02 > 0:28:04What is this one good for?
0:28:04 > 0:28:05It's good for the arthritis.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07But it's the pollen...
0:28:07 > 0:28:09The pollen is good.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14The pollen is good, but some time pollen is, for some people, allergic.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18If you have no allergy, the pollen is good for the energy.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19Good for chi.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22- Pollen.- I shall bear that in mind.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Seeds, flower, root part.
0:28:26 > 0:28:27Can I eat that?
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Yes. Not poison.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33But this you can eat, this is good for...
0:28:33 > 0:28:36It's like cinnamon, it's actually really delicious.
0:28:36 > 0:28:37It's really delicious.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39This is more delicious.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40What is this one?
0:28:40 > 0:28:42More delicious, good for diabetes,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45good for high sugar of the...
0:28:45 > 0:28:47for goat.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49- For GOUT?- Goat, yeah. Big pain.
0:28:49 > 0:28:50Big toe, yeah.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Henry VIII would have loved this. Oh, that's sweet.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58This is our displaying plant species.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01One, two, three, four -
0:29:01 > 0:29:04is all one family, chrysanthemum.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06- These are all chrysanthemum? - Chrysanthemum family.
0:29:06 > 0:29:07One, two, three, four.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10So why are they good for health, chrysanthemums, what do they do?
0:29:10 > 0:29:11Oh, chrysanthemum family.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14The family of chrysanthemum, with chrysanthemums.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18Different plants have different effects.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20So what about this massive one here?
0:29:20 > 0:29:24The Vladimiria beradioidea.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28It's good for cancer, good for stomach-ache, for many things.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30You've got more plants here
0:29:30 > 0:29:32than anywhere else pretty much in the world?
0:29:32 > 0:29:35I'm very sorry to say... I'm very sorry to tell you...
0:29:35 > 0:29:36- Are you out of plants?- Yeah.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40Some plants is maybe lost plants.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Destroyed very fast.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Really fast.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Who's destroying it?
0:29:47 > 0:29:49There are many, many people.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53China's new money has increased demand for herbal medicine.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Now it's a 60 billion industry and still growing.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Businessman use machines!
0:30:01 > 0:30:02They take everything.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04HE IMITATES MACHINE
0:30:04 > 0:30:08It's very easy to destroy, disappear. It's a pity.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10It's a pity.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Ah, this makes me very sad. It's the same everywhere.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Very sad.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18It's a highly competitive market and changing fast,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20like everything else in China.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31I'm leaving Baisha and heading north towards the source of the Mekong.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33The landscape is getting wilder.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37But its beauty is somewhat tainted by this brand spanking new road.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44The river is wild here, too.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48No good for transporting freight or even fishing.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52But there are other uses for turbulent rivers.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Unfortunately, we can't stop here and shoot anything
0:30:55 > 0:30:58because the government have expressly forbidden us from filming
0:30:58 > 0:31:00any of the dams in China on the Mekong.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02But you can see the devastation on the landscape.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04That is a major blot,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07the sort of thing that would give Prince Charles an embolism.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13The six dams already in service here
0:31:13 > 0:31:16generate approximately 15,000 megawatts.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20That's enough to light up London for three years.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23But power like this comes at a cost.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28More than 100,000 ethnic people were displaced to make way for the dams.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31And the ecological damage to people and habitats downstream
0:31:31 > 0:31:36in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam has yet to be calculated.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54The village of Cizhong is home to Tibetan people.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Over the centuries, they have come down from the plateau
0:31:59 > 0:32:00along the ancient horse tea route
0:32:00 > 0:32:03and settled in these Himalayan foothills.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Other travellers have arrived here, too, from further afield,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10bringing different cultures and beliefs.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13SINGING IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:32:20 > 0:32:24It's been a very long time since my last confession.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Slightly feeling it now, I feel bad.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30Once they've got you, they've got you forever.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33SINGING CONTINUES
0:32:35 > 0:32:38French missionaries arrived in Yunnan in the 1850s,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40bringing the Catholic gospel with them.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44And, over time, 80% of this village converted to Catholicism.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50HE SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:32:53 > 0:32:57I was brought up a Catholic, but lost my faith a long time ago.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Maybe it's the altitude, but I rather like this fusion
0:33:02 > 0:33:05between the Bible-bashers and the Buddhists.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Today, I'm visiting Mr Xaio,
0:33:18 > 0:33:22a man I met in church last night with a truly humbling story to tell.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27When the Communist Party came into power in 1949,
0:33:27 > 0:33:30all foreign missionaries were expelled from China.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34Catholicism, along with all other religions, was banned.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39- Ni hao.- Ni hao.- Nice to see you, darling. Nice to see you.
0:33:39 > 0:33:40Ah, look!
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Look at these little beauties.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46They're looking extremely plump.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48Under Chairman Mao's regime,
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Mr Xaio, along with 20 million other Chinese,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54was imprisoned in one of the many "re-education" camps...
0:33:54 > 0:33:57which is the party phrase meaning "hard labour".
0:34:30 > 0:34:32The Bible teaches you to forgive.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36Do you forgive the people involved in your re-education?
0:34:36 > 0:34:38Do you forgive that period of history
0:34:38 > 0:34:40and what it meant to you personally?
0:35:12 > 0:35:16So this is the certificate that exonerates you from all...
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Wow! That's some certificate.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23"Thank you for all your hard labour in prison(!)"
0:35:23 > 0:35:24That speaks volumes.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36THEY SING TOGETHER
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Mr Xaio's faith has carried him through dreadful hardship
0:35:41 > 0:35:44and I'm glad he has finally found his peace.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51HE SINGS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:35:56 > 0:35:58HE COUGHS
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Oh, dear! Please don't let us lose you.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10As well as the Bible and church,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13the missionaries left a very French legacy...
0:36:13 > 0:36:14vineyards.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17- Ni hao!- Ni hao.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22I'm not convinced that modern-day China's legacy
0:36:22 > 0:36:23will be quite so palatable.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Five years ago, construction work along the banks of the Mekong
0:36:29 > 0:36:31made this valley ridge unstable.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20And what would your worst nightmare be?
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Your worst vision of Cizhong in ten years' time,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25what would be the most terrible thing that could happen to it?
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Come on!
0:37:59 > 0:38:04Just looking at this landscape tells the story itself.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Cos it's either terraced farms and vineyards
0:38:06 > 0:38:09of the 19th century French missionaries...
0:38:09 > 0:38:12You can see in the distance the sleek new concrete road
0:38:12 > 0:38:16and the ensuing landslides of modern China.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19And running through it all, despite the change in weather,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22despite falling rocks, despite overfishing...
0:38:22 > 0:38:26the Lancang Jiang, the Mekong River, it just flows timelessly
0:38:26 > 0:38:28and quietly through it all.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30- LITTLE GIRL GIGGLES - Except for you!
0:38:30 > 0:38:32You're not very quiet, you're actually really loud.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34You're infernally loud.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37They can hear you all the way to Cizhong.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Sometimes this journey up the Mekong
0:38:57 > 0:38:59has felt like reading a book backwards.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03I know how it ends 3,000 miles away in Vietnam,
0:39:03 > 0:39:05but I've yet to experience the very first chapter.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10We're climbing higher now, into the Himalayas,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13where the Mekong starts its story.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16That is an awesome drop.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19That is one of the biggest gorges in the entire world
0:39:19 > 0:39:20and that is stunning.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22Look down there!
0:39:22 > 0:39:23It is so spectacular.
0:39:31 > 0:39:32Look at that.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35And you can see an entirely new perspective on the river.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37I've always sort of trundled along it,
0:39:37 > 0:39:40and now, this amazing bird's- eye view.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42- BREATHLESSLY:- You can hear that the altitude
0:39:42 > 0:39:44is just starting to bite now.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47We're about 3,500 meters above sea level.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50And my chest has gone a little Darth Vader.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52But the good news is...
0:39:52 > 0:39:55I've got Dr Ho's special acupressure point here.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56So any point I'm feeling queasy...
0:39:56 > 0:39:58bosh!
0:39:58 > 0:40:00I get that electrocuted feeling.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Ooh, I am really feeling the nip of altitude.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Slight desire to run for no good reason,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13or do a dance, or sing, or cry, or something.
0:40:15 > 0:40:16I'm ready to go to the next level.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18I want to go above 4,000.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20See what happens then.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22I reckon at 4,000, you could put a Jim Davidson DVD on
0:40:22 > 0:40:23and I would cry with laughter.
0:40:25 > 0:40:26Maybe 5,000.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38As we approach Tibet, Buddhist prayer flags fly along every ridge.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42The Tibetans believe they pacify the gods,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45as the wind lifts their prayers to the heavens.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52So, now I've arrived at the threshold, where China meets Tibet,
0:40:52 > 0:40:57but, sadly, due to well-publicised political "differences",
0:40:57 > 0:40:59I'm not allowed to go through.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02It's incredibly frustrating, but I suppose the only good thing
0:41:02 > 0:41:04is I get to see the Khawa Karpo mountains,
0:41:04 > 0:41:07beautifully bathed in sunlight with snowy peaks,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10that have such spiritual significance for Tibetans.
0:41:12 > 0:41:13What do you mean - cloudy?
0:41:19 > 0:41:23The ancient kingdom of Tibet came under Chinese rule in 1951
0:41:23 > 0:41:25when the Communists marched in.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was forced into exile.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35To this day, Tibetans are still persecuted,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38as the Chinese seek to marginalise their unique culture.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44As a result, Tibet is off-limits to foreign film crews.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48So, instead of following the river,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51I have to take three flights, manoeuvring around Tibet -
0:41:51 > 0:41:53which is now officially part of China
0:41:53 > 0:41:56and renamed the Tibet Autonomous Region.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58These flights will take me to Qinghai province,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01where I can rejoin the Mekong and get close to the source.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37So, I heard that there are approximately twelve million yaks
0:42:37 > 0:42:40in this area and six million Tibetans
0:42:40 > 0:42:43- Twelve million!- Twelve million yaks, six million people,
0:42:43 > 0:42:45which means that if the yaks get together...
0:42:45 > 0:42:47it's over for you guys.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52I've come to China's north eastern part of the Tibetan plateau
0:42:52 > 0:42:54and I'll be staying with a family
0:42:54 > 0:42:55that lives by the banks of the river.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00Like most Tibetans in this remote corner, they are yak herders.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04During the winter, they graze their yaks here,
0:43:04 > 0:43:07but in the warmer months, they're nomadic,
0:43:07 > 0:43:09following their animals across the high plateau.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14Will I be the first western face that this family has seen?
0:43:14 > 0:43:15I think so, yeah.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17I feel bad that it's me.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20They could've...I don't know...
0:43:20 > 0:43:22We could have found someone blonder or glossier, maybe.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Ah, tashi delek.
0:43:28 > 0:43:29Ah, demo, demo.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Oh, that's quick. Gosh, hello. Nice to see you.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36'This is Aba and his wife Ama,
0:43:36 > 0:43:38'who live here with their extended family.'
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Hello, darling. Hello.
0:43:40 > 0:43:41Oh, thank you.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44What were you expecting
0:43:44 > 0:43:46when you knew somebody from the west was coming?
0:43:46 > 0:43:47What did you expect?
0:43:49 > 0:43:51What did you think? What did you imagine?
0:43:57 > 0:43:59I think you're thinking of Bonnie Langford,
0:43:59 > 0:44:01but I don't think she's due here for a while.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06The yaks are already on the move.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08They must be brought in for the night,
0:44:08 > 0:44:11safe from the wolves and bears that prowl the mountains.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15These gentle beasts are essential to life at this altitude.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19Perfectly adapted to the thin air and biting cold,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21they provide everything for the family -
0:44:21 > 0:44:25from food and clothing to fuel for their fires.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Their butter is offered to the gods
0:44:27 > 0:44:29and their wool is woven into the prayer flags.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35Of all the experiences I've had,
0:44:35 > 0:44:37this is the one which feels so timeless.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42You come up this mountain and you immediately feel the rhythms
0:44:42 > 0:44:44of thousands of years working through you.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48Of course you'd believe in God.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51Look at it! Look at your office!
0:44:51 > 0:44:52Look at it!
0:44:52 > 0:44:54I want to come and work with you.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04THEY COAX YAK IN TIBETAN
0:45:06 > 0:45:07Deftly done.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10Come on. Oh, you are really strong.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12It's not so bad.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14Come on, it's better than being eaten by a wolf.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23TIBETAN RECITAL
0:45:23 > 0:45:28Every evening before bed, Ama and Aba recite their Buddhist mantras.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35The hypnotic chanting reverberates through the room.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37It's the perfect lullaby.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39TIBETAN RECITAL CONTINUES
0:45:49 > 0:45:50Oh, that's good.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56A faint tang of yak on the mattress, if I'm honest, but...
0:45:56 > 0:45:59I'm that tired, it doesn't matter. Plus, I love the yak.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02This is comfortable. I'm living here, I'm moving here.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06Good night, everyone.
0:46:06 > 0:46:07Demo ni.
0:46:07 > 0:46:08Demo ni, yaks.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13- Demo ni.- Demo ni, demo ni.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15If this goes on all night, there will be no demo ni.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27Believe it or not, this is the start of summer.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52They just know.
0:46:57 > 0:46:58Right.
0:47:00 > 0:47:01I'm not going to be squeamish about this.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Ah, look!
0:47:10 > 0:47:11Yeah. Victory.
0:47:13 > 0:47:14I'm getting there.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16It's a bit slow.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18Oh, my knees went then. Oh.
0:47:19 > 0:47:20Ooh.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26There are very few things I'd enjoy getting up for,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28but this would be one of them. Just...
0:47:29 > 0:47:34..total sense of calm, nothing is rushed, the animals are at peace.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36What an amazing way of life...
0:47:38 > 0:47:40It's hard, though. It's very hard.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42One mustn't romanticise.
0:47:51 > 0:47:52Nothing wasted.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Oh, that's great. That's like a Frisbee, that one.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00'That one needed Imodium, I tell you.'
0:48:01 > 0:48:04Yak dung is the family's main source of fuel
0:48:04 > 0:48:06and has to be spread out on the ground to dry.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Ama has been blessed with seven children,
0:48:43 > 0:48:45but I wonder if they'll want to carry on
0:48:45 > 0:48:47living this ancient way of life.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Do you think they'll want to be yak herders
0:48:49 > 0:48:51when they finish school?
0:49:11 > 0:49:13You look after them very beautifully.
0:49:18 > 0:49:19Hai.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28There's quite a lot of eyes on me for this moment.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30This is a real east-west cultural handshake.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32So, this is yak butter tea.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41It's gravy and then you get the real dairy kick.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46And a sort of faint Assam back note.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48- It's very good. Ya buddha. - Ya buddha.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Ya buddha, ya buddha, ya buddha.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55The landscape here is sacred and revered.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58Tibetan Buddhists, like Ama and Aba,
0:49:58 > 0:50:02believe that everything is alive and has an immortal soul,
0:50:02 > 0:50:06whether it be animals, the rocks, or the land itself.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11The Mekong - now known as Dza Chu or Rocky Waters - is no exception.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15There she is. She's never looked so good.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21When collecting water,
0:50:21 > 0:50:24three blessings must be given to the gods as thanks.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50If you came out onto this river and it was two miles wide,
0:50:50 > 0:50:51black with diesel fumes,
0:50:51 > 0:50:55and everywhere you looked there were plastic bottles
0:50:55 > 0:50:57and food cartons,
0:50:57 > 0:50:58how would that make you feel?
0:51:16 > 0:51:20So, on this trip, I've come down to the river a million times
0:51:20 > 0:51:23and it's really painful to have done this journey this way round.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27It's really painful to know the end before you know the beginning,
0:51:27 > 0:51:29to slowly have that innocence drained from you,
0:51:29 > 0:51:32and then to be confronted by somebody who only knows the start
0:51:32 > 0:51:37and present to them the idea of this river as black and angry,
0:51:37 > 0:51:39and polluted and corrupt.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45There's something so profound about the husbandry of the environment
0:51:45 > 0:51:47in its entirety here...
0:51:47 > 0:51:51that get slowly lost the further you go downstream.
0:51:54 > 0:51:59Wherever I go, it will never be as beautiful as this, in every way.
0:51:59 > 0:52:03Thank you. Bless you.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06I will come back here sometime.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08- Tashi delek.- Tashi delek. Tashi delek.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10- Tashi delek. - Tashi delek.- Tashi delek.
0:52:12 > 0:52:13Bless you.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26My Mekong journey is very nearly at an end,
0:52:26 > 0:52:30but I have one more place to visit before I head for home -
0:52:30 > 0:52:32the river's spiritual source,
0:52:32 > 0:52:35where the water first touches the lives of people.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40As I push higher and higher into this sacred landscape,
0:52:40 > 0:52:43I suddenly realise...
0:52:43 > 0:52:44I've been on a pilgrimage.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00This is Negyama Monastery,
0:53:00 > 0:53:04a spiritual site close to the geographical source of the Mekong -
0:53:04 > 0:53:05and my final destination.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Nuns, like these, have lived here for generations
0:53:09 > 0:53:11under the shadow of these holy mountains,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14chanting and meditating by the waters of this river.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19GONG CRASHES
0:53:21 > 0:53:23GONG CRASHES
0:53:33 > 0:53:36If I say hello to the nuns, will they be able to say hello back?
0:53:45 > 0:53:46Tashi delek. Hello.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54I've never met an shyer group.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Hello, hello. How are you?
0:53:56 > 0:53:57Hello. I'm good, how are you?
0:53:57 > 0:53:58GONG CRASHES
0:54:01 > 0:54:03Welcome to our monastery.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07Thank you for having me in your monastery. Thank you very much.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10I've arrived at a rather auspicious time.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15The nuns are heading to the river to make an offering
0:54:15 > 0:54:18to the water gods, or Nagas.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20The Nagas are worshipped all along the Mekong,
0:54:20 > 0:54:23but here they have a very special significance.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27There's incredible wind.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33If you are going to go all this way
0:54:33 > 0:54:35and see all this magnificence,
0:54:35 > 0:54:38and encounter these once-in-a-lifetime experiences,
0:54:38 > 0:54:41one after another, after another,
0:54:41 > 0:54:45this surely has to be the way
0:54:45 > 0:54:46to end.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51CHANTING IN TIBETAN
0:54:54 > 0:54:55The Naga gods are powerful,
0:54:55 > 0:55:00often depicted as wise and great serpents or dragons.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04But they are also vulnerable to human stupidity and greed,
0:55:04 > 0:55:05and are easily angered.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09Offerings must be made to appease them.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12And, in return, the people are given protection,
0:55:12 > 0:55:17creating an eternal bond between humans, gods and the mighty river.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21CHANTING IN TIBETAN CONTINUES
0:55:42 > 0:55:44BELLS CHIME
0:55:44 > 0:55:48HE CHANTS IN TIBETAN
0:55:54 > 0:55:56This is genuinely one of the most
0:55:56 > 0:56:00overwhelming experiences of my life, in every sense.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04It feels like so many whirling questions I had about myself...
0:56:06 > 0:56:07..don't matter any more.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10It's about experience and joy and peace,
0:56:10 > 0:56:12and community and landscape
0:56:12 > 0:56:14and sky and whatever you perceive God to be
0:56:14 > 0:56:17and that's all come together...
0:56:17 > 0:56:19here with these total strangers.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44My journey up the Mekong
0:56:44 > 0:56:45has come to an end.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49I've travelled more than 3,000 miles
0:56:49 > 0:56:50through four countries
0:56:50 > 0:56:52along a river that's on the point
0:56:52 > 0:56:54of extraordinary change.
0:56:55 > 0:57:00If I'm honest, I never expected to be so very moved by this trip...
0:57:00 > 0:57:02which perhaps says more about me than I'd like.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05But I feel blessed to have been so profoundly affected
0:57:05 > 0:57:07by the Mekong and its people.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09- Number one!- No, you are number one.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11You are the Queen.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16Yeah. She's saying I'm weak.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Moy, moy, moy!
0:57:19 > 0:57:21You could lose the entirety of your arm.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23Hup. Oh, yeah!
0:57:23 > 0:57:25CROWD CHEERS
0:57:25 > 0:57:28- ALL:- Whoo!
0:57:28 > 0:57:30These people are so poor.
0:57:30 > 0:57:31I just feel really torn!
0:57:35 > 0:57:37She's saying someone has farted and they have.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39I was too polite to say anything,
0:57:39 > 0:57:41but she just went like that and was like, "Yeah."
0:57:41 > 0:57:45I have not felt this profoundly peaceful in such a long time.
0:57:48 > 0:57:50The Mekong is about to change for ever,
0:57:50 > 0:57:53as the dams take hold and the wild river is tamed.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57I'm a great fan of green energy,
0:57:57 > 0:57:59but if it's at the expense
0:57:59 > 0:58:00of nearly 50 million people,
0:58:00 > 0:58:03you've got to wonder where the balance is.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08If I've learned anything on this trip,
0:58:08 > 0:58:12it's that the people of the Mekong are all in this together...
0:58:12 > 0:58:15and it's their stories that bring this great river to life.
0:58:18 > 0:58:19It's not just thanks to the Mekong
0:58:19 > 0:58:22that I've had this extraordinary adventure,
0:58:22 > 0:58:24but it's thanks to them, so thank you.
0:58:24 > 0:58:28Tam biet, cam on, khop chai lai lai,
0:58:28 > 0:58:30xie xie, gai daan jai...
0:58:31 > 0:58:32..tashi delek.