Monkey Man

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0:00:12 > 0:00:17Emei Shan in Western Sichuan is one of China's sacred mountains.

0:00:23 > 0:00:26The monasteries and temples that grace its peaks

0:00:26 > 0:00:27are altars to Buddhism.

0:00:35 > 0:00:38The mountain is a National Park,

0:00:38 > 0:00:40boasting a myriad of flora and fauna.

0:00:42 > 0:00:45And it's famous for its tribes of Tibetan macaque monkeys.

0:00:47 > 0:00:50Hao Jian is a film-maker. He knows Mount Emei well.

0:00:55 > 0:00:58He made a name for himself with a Chinese television first,

0:00:58 > 0:01:03a documentary about the mountain's mischievous inhabitants.

0:01:11 > 0:01:13What inspired Hao Jian to make the film?

0:01:45 > 0:01:48When it was shown on Sichuan television,

0:01:48 > 0:01:52Hao Jian's film got higher ratings than any other programme

0:01:52 > 0:01:54and went on to win a string of awards.

0:01:58 > 0:02:02The Tibetan macaque monkeys are one of China's rare species.

0:02:02 > 0:02:05It was the first time any Chinese film-maker

0:02:05 > 0:02:07had observed their lives so closely.

0:02:12 > 0:02:14Most of Mount Emei's monkeys

0:02:14 > 0:02:19survive completely in the wild on remote parts of the mountain.

0:02:20 > 0:02:22For three years and through every season,

0:02:22 > 0:02:26Hao Jian followed one of these tribes with the help of a zoologist,

0:02:26 > 0:02:28a specialist on the monkeys.

0:03:24 > 0:03:27Hao Jian works for Sichuan Television in Chung Do.

0:03:27 > 0:03:29Miss Sun is his boss,

0:03:29 > 0:03:32and she's spearheaded the TV station's advance

0:03:32 > 0:03:34into wildlife broadcasting.

0:03:36 > 0:03:39The unit's top film-makers are having a meeting

0:03:39 > 0:03:42to review their most recent productions.

0:03:44 > 0:03:47In China, wildlife protection is in its infancy.

0:03:47 > 0:03:51Though laws are gradually being put in place,

0:03:51 > 0:03:54ignorance amongst the general public is high.

0:03:54 > 0:03:58Miss Sun feels that television can open people's eyes.

0:04:28 > 0:04:31Since the success of Hao Jian's programme, the Wildlife Unit

0:04:31 > 0:04:35has started to tackle difficult issues, like the conflicts that

0:04:35 > 0:04:39arrive when rapid economic growth becomes a threat to the environment.

0:05:08 > 0:05:10Tourism poses one such conflict.

0:05:10 > 0:05:14It's loudly hailed as one of China's big new money spinners.

0:05:16 > 0:05:20In high season, Mount Emei is deluged.

0:05:20 > 0:05:23The monkeys are one of the main attractions.

0:05:24 > 0:05:278,000 people a day flock into the monkey reserve

0:05:27 > 0:05:31in search of the ultimate photo-opportunity.

0:05:33 > 0:05:36Seeing the problems, the National Park decided

0:05:36 > 0:05:40to take protective measures for monkeys and tourists.

0:05:40 > 0:05:42They have brought in monkey guardians.

0:05:49 > 0:05:51A bite from a monkey can be dangerous,

0:05:51 > 0:05:52and they are easily aroused.

0:05:58 > 0:06:01All this is meat for Hao Jian's latest film.

0:06:01 > 0:06:04He's looking at the conflict between wildlife and tourism,

0:06:04 > 0:06:08and this time the monkey guardians are centre stage.

0:06:32 > 0:06:35Nowadays tourists are warned not to feed monkeys anything

0:06:35 > 0:06:38but the special food on sale in the reserve.

0:06:39 > 0:06:42Even so, people break the rules, and monkeys, like humans,

0:06:42 > 0:06:45seemed to relish forbidden fruit.

0:06:50 > 0:06:53This is true monkey business.

0:06:53 > 0:06:56Keeping the monkeys away could halve tourist earnings.

0:06:56 > 0:06:59They are, after all, the stars of the show.

0:07:04 > 0:07:068:00am on a damp and misty morning.

0:07:08 > 0:07:11The guardians try to entice the monkeys into the reserve,

0:07:11 > 0:07:12ready for the tourists.

0:07:14 > 0:07:17Eventually a tasty breakfast is irresistible.

0:07:21 > 0:07:24The guardians are experts on the relationship between humans

0:07:24 > 0:07:26and their counterparts.

0:07:26 > 0:07:30Monkeys apparently have a good memory for misdemeanours.

0:07:53 > 0:07:56They can even get their own back on the guardians.

0:07:56 > 0:07:59Peng tried to stop a tourist feeding a monkey biscuits.

0:08:23 > 0:08:27Hao Jian has watched the number of tourists on Mount Emei double

0:08:27 > 0:08:29over the last few years.

0:08:29 > 0:08:34Most are Chinese city dwellers with more money and more leisure time.

0:08:52 > 0:08:56The guardians are concerned that this tidal wave of tourists

0:08:56 > 0:08:58may soon become unmanageable.

0:09:20 > 0:09:24Restricting the number of tourists would be an unpopular move with the

0:09:24 > 0:09:28many traders and hoteliers who now make a good living on the mountain.

0:09:30 > 0:09:33Hao Jian enjoys getting to know the locals and he has invited

0:09:33 > 0:09:37the guardians back for supper at the guest house where he is staying.

0:09:41 > 0:09:45Half board costs as little as £4 per night here.

0:09:45 > 0:09:48But it's still a much better income for the owners

0:09:48 > 0:09:49than working on the land.

0:09:57 > 0:10:02Early morning on the summit of Emei Shan is a magical experience.

0:10:27 > 0:10:31Mount Emei's temples and monasteries are a favourite retreat.

0:10:31 > 0:10:35Some have been lavishly restored since the damage they suffered

0:10:35 > 0:10:37during Mao's Cultural Revolution.

0:10:55 > 0:10:59Hao Jian has a deep interest in China's ancient philosophies,

0:10:59 > 0:11:04Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.

0:11:04 > 0:11:08In Chinese culture, these beliefs seem to co-exist quite happily

0:11:08 > 0:11:11and each can play a role in spiritual growth.

0:11:36 > 0:11:39The jewel of Mount Emei is the monastery on its summit.

0:11:48 > 0:11:50The huge numbers of tourists here could be seen

0:11:50 > 0:11:54as a distraction from the essence of Buddhism.

0:11:54 > 0:11:56But Abbot Guo Zheng thinks not.

0:12:22 > 0:12:25The filming is over, and now Hao Jian's started editing.

0:12:25 > 0:12:29He's showing Miss Sun some of the scenes he has shot.

0:13:13 > 0:13:17Sichuan Television is a natural convert to wildlife broadcasting.

0:13:17 > 0:13:21With so many native species and wilderness areas,

0:13:21 > 0:13:23they're ideally placed.

0:13:44 > 0:13:49But to convert the whole nation, more Chinese broadcasters

0:13:49 > 0:13:50need to follow their lead.

0:14:12 > 0:14:15Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd