Monkey Man China Close Up


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Emei Shan in Western Sichuan is one of China's sacred mountains.

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The monasteries and temples that grace its peaks

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are altars to Buddhism.

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The mountain is a National Park,

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boasting a myriad of flora and fauna.

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And it's famous for its tribes of Tibetan macaque monkeys.

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Hao Jian is a film-maker. He knows Mount Emei well.

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He made a name for himself with a Chinese television first,

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a documentary about the mountain's mischievous inhabitants.

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What inspired Hao Jian to make the film?

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When it was shown on Sichuan television,

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Hao Jian's film got higher ratings than any other programme

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and went on to win a string of awards.

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The Tibetan macaque monkeys are one of China's rare species.

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It was the first time any Chinese film-maker

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had observed their lives so closely.

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Most of Mount Emei's monkeys

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survive completely in the wild on remote parts of the mountain.

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For three years and through every season,

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Hao Jian followed one of these tribes with the help of a zoologist,

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a specialist on the monkeys.

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Hao Jian works for Sichuan Television in Chung Do.

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Miss Sun is his boss,

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and she's spearheaded the TV station's advance

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into wildlife broadcasting.

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The unit's top film-makers are having a meeting

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to review their most recent productions.

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In China, wildlife protection is in its infancy.

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Though laws are gradually being put in place,

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ignorance amongst the general public is high.

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Miss Sun feels that television can open people's eyes.

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Since the success of Hao Jian's programme, the Wildlife Unit

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has started to tackle difficult issues, like the conflicts that

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arrive when rapid economic growth becomes a threat to the environment.

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Tourism poses one such conflict.

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It's loudly hailed as one of China's big new money spinners.

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In high season, Mount Emei is deluged.

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The monkeys are one of the main attractions.

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8,000 people a day flock into the monkey reserve

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in search of the ultimate photo-opportunity.

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Seeing the problems, the National Park decided

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to take protective measures for monkeys and tourists.

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They have brought in monkey guardians.

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A bite from a monkey can be dangerous,

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and they are easily aroused.

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All this is meat for Hao Jian's latest film.

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He's looking at the conflict between wildlife and tourism,

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and this time the monkey guardians are centre stage.

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Nowadays tourists are warned not to feed monkeys anything

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but the special food on sale in the reserve.

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Even so, people break the rules, and monkeys, like humans,

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seemed to relish forbidden fruit.

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This is true monkey business.

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Keeping the monkeys away could halve tourist earnings.

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They are, after all, the stars of the show.

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8:00am on a damp and misty morning.

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The guardians try to entice the monkeys into the reserve,

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ready for the tourists.

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Eventually a tasty breakfast is irresistible.

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The guardians are experts on the relationship between humans

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and their counterparts.

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Monkeys apparently have a good memory for misdemeanours.

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They can even get their own back on the guardians.

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Peng tried to stop a tourist feeding a monkey biscuits.

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Hao Jian has watched the number of tourists on Mount Emei double

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over the last few years.

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Most are Chinese city dwellers with more money and more leisure time.

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The guardians are concerned that this tidal wave of tourists

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may soon become unmanageable.

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Restricting the number of tourists would be an unpopular move with the

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many traders and hoteliers who now make a good living on the mountain.

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Hao Jian enjoys getting to know the locals and he has invited

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the guardians back for supper at the guest house where he is staying.

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Half board costs as little as £4 per night here.

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But it's still a much better income for the owners

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than working on the land.

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Early morning on the summit of Emei Shan is a magical experience.

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Mount Emei's temples and monasteries are a favourite retreat.

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Some have been lavishly restored since the damage they suffered

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during Mao's Cultural Revolution.

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Hao Jian has a deep interest in China's ancient philosophies,

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Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.

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In Chinese culture, these beliefs seem to co-exist quite happily

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and each can play a role in spiritual growth.

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The jewel of Mount Emei is the monastery on its summit.

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The huge numbers of tourists here could be seen

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as a distraction from the essence of Buddhism.

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But Abbot Guo Zheng thinks not.

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The filming is over, and now Hao Jian's started editing.

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He's showing Miss Sun some of the scenes he has shot.

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Sichuan Television is a natural convert to wildlife broadcasting.

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With so many native species and wilderness areas,

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they're ideally placed.

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But to convert the whole nation, more Chinese broadcasters

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need to follow their lead.

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Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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