Asia: Secret Lives, Hidden Places (2013–2015): Season 1, Episode 2 - Mountains of the Gods - full transcript
The man who saved the last colony of Guizhou golden monkeys is getting old. He must pass responsibility on to the next in line. But will his successor be able to keep the monkeys safe? And a Buddhist master needs to replenish her ...
(adventurous music)
[Voice over] A place where
monkeys are the color of gold.
Where goods are made
for the after-life.
And the spirit is free
to fly on ancient peaks.
(adventurous music)
In the world's most
populous country,
nature and peace endure
in the mountains.
Mt. Fanjing is one of the five
holiest mountains in China.
It is said that the Buddha
performed rites to save
the souls of the dead, here
amongst its limestone pinnacles.
Mt. Fanjing means
pure Buddhist land.
The dense forests
that cover its slopes
have never been
touched by humans.
A secretive creature
was found living
inside these woodlands
just four decades ago.
The rarest of monkeys,
the Guizhou golden monkey.
Yang Yeqin has led research
into the monkey since 1975.
But the monkeys managed to avoid
humans before the
scientists arrived.
And seem keen to
keep it that way.
(speaks Mandarin)
[Translation] The
monkeys can sense
humans coming from
a long distance.
So they just retreat.
D on top that, Mt. Fanjing has
thick forests, steep
hills, and deep ravines.
You might see a group of monkeys
on the far side of a
gully, but you have to walk
from morning 'til night
to get over there.
Of course, by the time you reach
the spot, the monkeys
have gone already.
[Voice over] Mt.
Fanjing is in the
province of Guizhou,
in South Central China.
It is in the center of a
567-square-km nature reserve,
covered in some of the world's
last remaining
sub-tropical forests.
For five months of the
year, temperatures fall
below freezing where
the golden monkeys live.
Mt. Fanjing is
their only home, and
there are less than
700 of them left.
Thanks to the effort of Yang
Yeqin, 95% of the reserve
is off-limits to
tourists, so the monkey
still has very little
contact with humans.
Except for researchers, like
Yang's student Niu Kefeng.
He's experimenting with
new methods of observing
the monkeys, so even the
scientists can keep their distance.
We can install the infra-red
cameras on those trees,
and make the cameras
shoot towards this side.
We can get a shot of monkeys
if they come this way.
Be careful. You can step there.
You can stop for a while.
Don't climb in a hurry.
Be careful.
[Voice over] Humans
must return to the trees
to study the Guizhou
golden monkey.
Camera traps are
not usually used
to observe primate behavior.
But these monkeys are
different from other species.
They hide from humans, and
live in a dense wilderness.
Forty cameras will be
set up in the study site.
They will record
around the clock.
It works! Turn the
light off and we can go.
Okay, let's go.
(intense music)
[Voice over] Will the
Guizhou golden monkeys invite
their primate relatives
into their secret world?
It took over a decade for
Yang Yeqin to estimate
the population size
was less than 700.
But the more humans know
about the monkeys' behavior,
the better they can protect it.
(inspirational music)
Northeast of Mt. Fanjing, in
the province of Anhui, another
sacred mountain rises
1,760 meters, Mt. Tianzhu.
The name means heaven's pillar.
Mt. Tianzhu has
45 granite peaks.
Rare and important minerals,
usually found deep beneath
the ocean bed, have
been discovered here.
It's right on a major fault
line, where weathering, erosion,
and collapse have shaped
the rock formations
and boulder fields into
a giant's playground.
Its beauty has drawn
emperors, poets, and sages.
(magestic music)
The quiet of Mt. Tianzhu
attracted Wei Ping.
[Translator] It's so beautiful,
so very peaceful here.
Sitting opposite Mt. Tianzhu.
The emptiness behind me
is so wide and expansive.
Being surrounded
by nature makes me
feel tolerant of
everything in this world.
[Voice over] Wei Ping was born
in the foothills of Mt. Tianzhu.
As a girl, she would climb
the mountain to fetch water,
and would often
sleep on its summit.
Now, she practices
Buddhism on the
slopes of Mt. Tianzhu,
at the Jiuhua convent.
The convent was
established in 1664.
Wei Ping is the fashi,
or master, of Jiuhua.
She gives spiritual
guidance, and
administers day-to-day
convent business.
Rice fields, gardens, fir
trees, and tall bamboo forests
surround the temples
and residence.
Eleven nuns live
here permanently,
working hard to keep
Jiuhua self-sufficient.
They grow their own rice,
and hand-process it.
[Translator] When we grow food,
we try not to use any chemicals,
in order to keep the land,
our water, and
everything else healthy.
I want to protect the land.
I have no real
power to protect it,
but I want to protect
it just the same.
That's all.
(nun chanting)
[Voice over] The mountains
offer the peace and tranquility
most important for the Buddhist
nun's spiritual practice.
Living here helps them avoid the
greed and temptations
of the city.
There's a saying that
only experienced Buddhists
can live in the noisy city
and maintain a peaceful heart.
But lately, the peace of
Jiuhua has been shattered.
(quiet hammering)
(inrceasingly loud
construction noises)
A new building is being erected,
to replace the Great Hall
that once housed Jiuhua's
giant Golden Buddha.
[Translator] We
were worried when
we had to move the Buddha
out of the old building.
And now we're not so confident
we can move him back safely.
We pray every day and believe
that he is powerful enough
to avoid any accident,
but we still feel uneasy.
[Voice over] Wei
Ping has taken on
the role of supervising
the construction.
She's had to learn on the job.
[Translator] If I were to
hire a building contractor,
it would save me a lot of work.
But we would have to pay them
on the contracted pay date.
What if we don't have
enough money then?
[Voice over] So Wei Ping
always makes sure she has
enough cash donations
from the local
Buddhist community before
she asks anyone to work.
And, she does what she can
to move the process along.
There is need for speed.
Soon Wei Ping will leave Jiuhua,
to go on an
important pilgrimage.
She would like to oversee
the pouring of the.
Great Hall's foundations,
before that journey begins.
She plans to visit
the land called
the pure Buddhist
land, Mt. Fanjing.
(intense music)
Mt. Fanjing, where
Buddha once visited,
and where the Guizhou
golden monkey lives.
On slopes where
untouched forests
grow out of limestone rocks.
And where the waters
of nearly 100 streams
still run crystal
clear and clean.
Clean enough for a
critically endangered giant
to find shelter in
slippery rock crevices.
The Chinese giant salamander is
the world's largest amphibian,
close to extinction because
of polluted waterways.
In the remote waters
of Mt. Fanjing,
it can grow to the
size of a human.
It can detect the slightest
vibrations in the water,
which makes it a hunter whose
chief weapon is surprise.
But it's rarely seen any
more in the rest of China.
When the rivers leave the
protected area of Mt. Fanjing,
they flow into
surrounding lowlands.
Some go underground as
they seep right through
the porous limestone rock
that covers the area.
(mysterious music)
In a small village
called Xiushan,
there's a magic blue pond.
Its waters are
exceptionally clean,
and are said to have
youth-giving properties.
No one knows how deep it is.
During droughts, the
water level never drops.
The people of Xiushan have given
the pond thee Shin Lon Tan.
This is Yung Heping.
Like all of the people
who live in Xiushan,
he is Tuija, a minority
group in China,
descendants of the
ancient Ba Kingdom.
They were warrior chieftans,
who once ruled the mountains.
But today, Heping
is a paper maker.
[Translator] Bamboo is the
raw material for making paper.
Once it's mashed, I'll put it in
the tub here, and
turn it into paper.
We cut the bamboo from high
hills, and chop
them into pieces.
The water's from Shin
Lon Tan, the magic pond.
We've dug a ditch to make
sure all of aper makers
can get enough
water to make paper.
[Voice over] The bamboo pulp
must be mixed thoroughly,
so the plant fibers float
evenly throughout the water.
This stops lumps forming.
Heping then catches the
fibers on a special screen.
His actions are now critical.
As he moves the screen
in and out of the water,
he must ensure
that the fibers are
spread uniformly
across its surface.
Because once the water has
drained away, the fibers are set.
He can make thousands of
sheets a day this way.
(upbeat music)
(rhythmic sloshing)
Life in Xiushan revolves
around the waterways.
Strict rules have been put in
place by the Tuija's council
to make sure Shin Lon Tan pond
remains in a pristine state.
The paper-maker's
wife, Xi Fu, takes care
to wash her vegetables
in the right area.
[Translator] If we wash in the
magic pond, we might dirty it.
We must attention to hygiene,
because we drink this water.
So we have specially-built
areas for household work.
[Voice over] A small
dam controls the
water flow into the
domestic-use area.
That water is then filtered, and
sent further downstream, where
ducks can swim and
food can be prepared.
Back at the paper shed,
Yung Heping has just about
used up his supply
of bamboo pulp.
[Translator] This paper
is different from others.
Its quality is very high.
We call it Tujia Paper.
[Voice over] They say
that the Tujia people
learned paper-makin
directly from Cai Lun,
the inventor of paper
in the second century.
When it comes to
squeezing the last drop
of Shian Lon Tan
water from his paper,
Yung Heping uses ancient
hand-made devices
that require the minimum strength
to exert maximum pressure.
(water running)
[Translator] I'm old now,
so I can't make a lot.
Now I make probably around
five tons of paper per year.
So I earn around $4,000 a year.
[Voice over] The paper-maker
lives on a building site.
His old house fell down.
He's gradually
adding rooms as he
makes enough money to
buy building materials.
(child giggles)
Yun Hei Ping and Xi Fu are
typical village grandparents.
They raise their grandchild,
while their sons and daughters
live in the city to earn money.
(scraping)
Yung Heping spends
his days and nights
making paper, so he
can finish his house.
(upbeat music)
To the far North East of
the paper-maker's village,
on the slopes of Mt.
Tianzhu, construction
on the Great Hall has
stopped for the day,
because Wei Ping's
convent has guests.
[Translator] Today
is the first day
of the ninth month of
the lunar calendar,
a feast day in honor of
people who've done good deeds.
[Voice over] The lay
Buddhists who live
in the villages
surrounding Xidian come
to pray for family and career,
to donate money, and
to help the nuns.
That includes volunteering
for some difficult tasks.
Weevils have been found in some
bags of rice from
last year's harvest.
They must be separated
from the grain,
without killing
one single insect.
Because Buddhists respect
all living things.
[Translator] We
believe in Buddhism,
and we're lay Buddhists!
We come here for Buddha
and very one can be good.
(laughing)
[Voice over] And for
the ladies' goodness and
respect for life, the
weevils may be thankful.
Today, the nuns are
asked to bless vehicles,
a ritual led by Wei
Ping to protect drivers
from harm on the
winding mountain roads.
Lunch is at 12 sharp,
and everyone will be fed.
No matter how many
people are present.
The nuns cook using
their convent-grown food,
as well as noodles and spices
brought by the visitors.
The food is
completely vegetarian,
and not a scrap will be wasted.
There were times when Buddhists
were afraid to gather like this.
During the Cultural
Revolution, from 1966 to 1976,
they were persecuted and
sent for reeducation.
Wei Ping's own spiritual
master ran the convent then.
She refused to leave.
[Translator] During the
Cultural Revolution,
my master stayed here,
determined to protect Jiuhua.
(speaks Mandarin)
[Voice over] All across the
sacred Mt. Tianzhu landscape,
where Buddhism had
been practiced for
over a thousand years,
young armed revolutionaries
destroyed temples, and
killed monks and nuns.
But it was a Communist
Party member who managed
to save the 400-year-old
convent, and Wei Ping's master.
[Voice over] There
was an agricultural
production brigade
in the village.
The secretary of
the brigade set up
an office here in the
convent, to protect Jiuh.
That ensured that the people
didn't destroy the convent.
Otherwise Jiuhua would have been
torn down by the Red Guards.
He was the one who saved
this place, with his wisdom.
[Voice over] At the end of
the day, when the visitors
have gone, the oldest nun
at Jiuhua sifts the rice.
She has worked in the fields
around Mt. Tianzhu
all of her life.
Through famine, and revolution.
(slow drumming)
The drum calls for
silence, and sleep.
Tomorrow, constion on the
Great Hall will resume.
(drum beats in time with lights)
While the other nuns dream,
the old nun stays awake.
She has dedicated
the rest of her life
on earth to reading
Buddha's texts.
[Voice over] Back
in Guizhou Province,
at the base of Mt.
Fanjing, Yang Yeqin
is driving Niu Kefeng
to a monkey refuge.
Yeqin is a man of many guises.
He is head of research for
the Fanjing Nature Reserve,
and he's also the commander
of Fanjing's Forest Police.
He has the power to
apprehend and arrest
environmental
law-breakers and poachers.
The monkey refuge is tucked away
inside the Mt. Fanjing reserve.
Many of the monkeys here
are victims of poaching,
or were being kept
illegally as pets.
This Tibetan macaque's mother
was killed for her fur.
Once he is old enough
to feed himself,
he'll be released back
into Mt. Fanjing Reserve.
(mellow music)
This refuge is the
only place where the.
Guizhou golden monkey
can be seen up close.
There's a male
and a female here.
These animals may have to stay
behind bars for the
rest of their lives.
They would probably no
longer survive in the wild.
[Translator] Some
villagers found this male.
Guizhou golden monkey outside
of the Nature Reserve.
He was very weak.
Then we heard about it.
We contacted the villagers, and
we brought him here
to look after him.
(speaks in Mandarin)
Now he's much healthier.
(speaks in Mandarin)
Stop grabbing the food!
(speaks in Mandarin)
We saved his life.
[Voice over] The new
male shares a cage with
a swinging female,
who is ready to mate.
(lively music)
Once the male has become
aroused, it won't be safe
for any other male primate
to be inside the cage.
Mr. Niu has been warned.
[Translator] When a golden
monkey shows its canine teeth,
you know you can't approach him.
If you do, he might
bite or attack you.
See how the male monkey puts his
hands on the female's shoulder?
Although they've only
just moved in together,
it seems they have
affection for each other.
[Voice over] For a vegetarian,
this monkey has
major canine teeth.
[Translator]
They're approaching.
Mm, there's a special odor
when the male ones pass by.
You can smell it.
When we're in the
wild and walking
in the forest, sometimes
it's really strong.
When you smell that
smell, it means
you're quite close
to the monkeys.
[Voice over] Unlike in the
forest, Kefeng doesn't need
to use his nose to know
where the golden monkeys are.
And, what they're up to.
It would be very hard for him to
witness what happens
next, in the wild.
This pair may
never return to the
forest, but their
offspring will.
They'll be released into
reserves outside Mt. Fanjing,
creating new populations
of Guizhou golden monkeys.
(intense music)
Every Sunday, Han Chinese,
the majority group in China,
come to visit the
Tujia minority,
who live in the
village of Xiushan.
But today is Double Nine Day,
an important celebration.
So people have driven
over four hours
from the city of Guiyang,
the capital of Guizhou,
especially to enjoy
Tujia hospitality.
(tiles clank)
While the Han people
play Mah Jong,
traditional Tujia food is
prepared by their hosts.
Eighty-five-year-old Xi
Xangui helps his son,
and owner of this
restaurant, pound
sticky rice until it
forms a glutenous mass.
They're making a
delicacy called ciba.
[Translator] Today is the.
Double Ninth Festival,
also called Senior's Day.
[Voice over] The sticky rice
is squeezed into dumplings,
and dipped into
ground dried beans.
[Translator] The guests are
retired people from Guiyang.
They come here to
sing and dance.
[Voiceo And to enjoy
ciba rice dumplings.
(instrument plays)
(guests sing)
They might be baton-twirling
retirees from the city, but.
Xi Xangui is twenty years
their senior, and still vital.
And because he is
a village person,
retiring is not an option.
Xiushan is filled with
old people and children.
Most of the younger generation
are working in the cities.
They leave their children to be
cared for by their grandparents.
Like Xi Xangui, these old
people are still very fit.
They say they owe their hh
to the still blue waters
of the magic pond.
[Translator] The water in
the magic pond is very good.
It's mineral water.
It comes from Mt. Fanjing.
It's not just normal water.
[Voice over] And Xi Xangui has
heard of other peculiar things.
[Translator] They
say that dragons
once lived here
in the magic pond!
The older generation
told me they
saw them sneaking
into rice paddies!
[Voice over] Were
they real monsters?
The waters of Shin Lon
Tan are so clean, that the
giant salamanders of Mt. Fanjing
may once have lived here.
The paper-maker Yung Heping
and his wife don't celebrate.
Senior's Day; They're in the
process of drying their paper.
They have a ready market for the
paper, in their
village of Xiushan.
The old people like to buy.
Tujia paper, because
of its quality.
(conversation in Tujia)
Xi Xangui uses it to make money.
[Translator] When I punch holes
in the paper, it
turns into money!
(clacking)
It becomes money
which our ancestors
can use in another world.
Buddha can use it as well.
I sell it in the
town, on market day.
People buy it to
make good wishes.
When you buy it, Buddha will
bless you and your family.
Everyone in your family.
(mysterious music)
[Voice over] High up
on Mt. Fanjing, where
the golden monkeys
live, the remote
cameras set up by Niu Kefeng are
retrieved and
transported back to town.
(intense music)
This is one of the last times
Yang Yeqin will
chauffer his student.
He will soon retire from
being head of research
for Mt. Fanjing Nature Reserve.
But he won't be handing in
his police badge, or his car.
The researchers their
offices in Jiangkou County,
thirty kilometers from Fanjing.
This office holds all of
the early handwritten data
Yang Yeqin and his team compiled
during their first years
on Mt. Fanjing, as they
tried to track down and
observe the golden monkeys.
Even though Nou
will now be using
digital data, his work
is still enormous.
Thousands of images must be
downloaded from the
infrared cameras.
Three images were taken every
ten seconds, over
24-hour periods.
Niu has to look at
every one of them.
(computer mouse clicking)
[Translator] Aside from
my immediate family,
one part of my life
belongs to my future wife.
The other belongs to the
Guizhou golden monkey.
But I haven't found
a wife yet, so
I spend almost all of my
life with these monkeys.
(speaks in Mandarin)
(upbeat music)
- [Voice over] Dawn at Mt.
- Tianzhu and the Jiuhua convent.
Today is a very important day.
Wei Ping leads the nuns in
prayer to bless the workers.
(chanting)
[Translator] Today
we are covering
the foundation
beams in concrete.
We're very busy, because some of
the details are below standard.
If everything is well-done,
today will go without a hitch.
But if not, it will cause
problems down the road.
So this process is critical.
[Voice over] Wei Ping could not
have predicted
what would happen.
She has hired an
expensive concrete pump.
Its boom now hangs
over the building site.
But it's not pour concrete.
Because the concrete mixer
is parked too far away
to transfer the wet
concrete to the pump.
The operator has
walked off the job.
The concrete for the foundations
may dry before it
is even poured.
So Wei Ping mobilizes the nuns
in order to get the concrete
from the mixer to
the pump, by hand.
(urgent music)
Only Buddha knows
how Wei Ping managed
to get the concrete truck
operator to resume work.
But when the mixer
is finally connected
to the pump, the concrete flows.
The foundations
for the Great Hall,
where the Golden Buddha
will soon shelter,
will be successfully laid
by the end of the day.
(nuns cheering)
[Translator] So
the work progresses
slowly, but it
will soon be over.
[Voice over] With the
critical work done,
Wei Ping is free to
go on her pilgrimage.
At eight AM the next
morning, she leaves Jiuhua
with a companion, to fly
the 1,000 kilometers.
South-west to Guizhou Province.
(nuns cheer)
Wei Ping will make a pilgrimage
to the mountain known
as the pure Buddhist
land, Mt. Fanjing.
But there is one more
obstacle for Wei Ping.
She has never been
in a chair lift.
She is afraid of the height.
(intercom speaks)
So, instead of listening
to the intercom,
Wei Ping listens
to her inner voice.
(calm singing)
(quiet footsteps)
(emotional music)
Tonight the nuns will stay
here, at the main temple.
Early tomorrow morning,
they will walk the steps
to the middle peak, to witness
their first sunrise
from Mt. Fanjing.
(emotional music)
While reviewing the
remote camera images
from Mt. Fanjing, Niu has
found something highly unusual.
[Translator] Look, this is
a leg, and this is an eye.
Look at this side. They
came from here, slowly.
[Voice over] They're
excited because the images
were taken at 3:40
AM, when other species
of monkeys would be fast asleep.
[Translator] So
that's not a reaction
to a threat, rather
just normal activity.
[Voice over] Niu Kefeng
has collected enough images
to prove conclusively
that the monkeys
eat and play at night, just
like they do during the day.
This unusual behavior
may be an adaptation
to survival high
up on Mt. Fanjing.
Perhaps the golden monkey eats
while it can, when it can,
in case food is scarce
during the winter.
(cheerful conversation
in Mandarin)
Yang Yeqin's long years of tough
field research are behind him.
[Translator] When
you finish your work,
and just think about
all the things you've
been through, it's
extremely satisfying.
And being able to do this work
was a delight, and a comfort.
It was never just a job.
It was a goal, that
must be achieved.
[Voice over] Finding
out more about the.
Guizhou golden monkey is
now Niu Kefeng's goal.
(laughter)
(loping music)
In the village of Xiushan,
the paper-maker Yung Heping
goes about his
painstaking craft.
Xi Xangui turns Yung
Heping's paper, into money.
At an ancestor's grave, the
money leaves this dimension.
It travels to the after-life,
for the ancestors to spend.
But the only way
it can get there,
is to be turned into smoke.
(drumming music)
On the sacred Buddhist mountain,
Wei Ping and her companion
walk the last hundred
steps to the middle peak,
to watch their first
sunrise from Mt. Fanjing.
(intense heartwarming music)
[Translator] I think we
need to protect this place.
Protect our planet.
Everyone has to do that.
(intense music)
[Voice over] A place where
monkeys are the color of gold.
Where goods are made
for the after-life.
And the spirit is free
to fly on ancient peaks.
(adventurous music)
In the world's most
populous country,
nature and peace endure
in the mountains.
Mt. Fanjing is one of the five
holiest mountains in China.
It is said that the Buddha
performed rites to save
the souls of the dead, here
amongst its limestone pinnacles.
Mt. Fanjing means
pure Buddhist land.
The dense forests
that cover its slopes
have never been
touched by humans.
A secretive creature
was found living
inside these woodlands
just four decades ago.
The rarest of monkeys,
the Guizhou golden monkey.
Yang Yeqin has led research
into the monkey since 1975.
But the monkeys managed to avoid
humans before the
scientists arrived.
And seem keen to
keep it that way.
(speaks Mandarin)
[Translation] The
monkeys can sense
humans coming from
a long distance.
So they just retreat.
D on top that, Mt. Fanjing has
thick forests, steep
hills, and deep ravines.
You might see a group of monkeys
on the far side of a
gully, but you have to walk
from morning 'til night
to get over there.
Of course, by the time you reach
the spot, the monkeys
have gone already.
[Voice over] Mt.
Fanjing is in the
province of Guizhou,
in South Central China.
It is in the center of a
567-square-km nature reserve,
covered in some of the world's
last remaining
sub-tropical forests.
For five months of the
year, temperatures fall
below freezing where
the golden monkeys live.
Mt. Fanjing is
their only home, and
there are less than
700 of them left.
Thanks to the effort of Yang
Yeqin, 95% of the reserve
is off-limits to
tourists, so the monkey
still has very little
contact with humans.
Except for researchers, like
Yang's student Niu Kefeng.
He's experimenting with
new methods of observing
the monkeys, so even the
scientists can keep their distance.
We can install the infra-red
cameras on those trees,
and make the cameras
shoot towards this side.
We can get a shot of monkeys
if they come this way.
Be careful. You can step there.
You can stop for a while.
Don't climb in a hurry.
Be careful.
[Voice over] Humans
must return to the trees
to study the Guizhou
golden monkey.
Camera traps are
not usually used
to observe primate behavior.
But these monkeys are
different from other species.
They hide from humans, and
live in a dense wilderness.
Forty cameras will be
set up in the study site.
They will record
around the clock.
It works! Turn the
light off and we can go.
Okay, let's go.
(intense music)
[Voice over] Will the
Guizhou golden monkeys invite
their primate relatives
into their secret world?
It took over a decade for
Yang Yeqin to estimate
the population size
was less than 700.
But the more humans know
about the monkeys' behavior,
the better they can protect it.
(inspirational music)
Northeast of Mt. Fanjing, in
the province of Anhui, another
sacred mountain rises
1,760 meters, Mt. Tianzhu.
The name means heaven's pillar.
Mt. Tianzhu has
45 granite peaks.
Rare and important minerals,
usually found deep beneath
the ocean bed, have
been discovered here.
It's right on a major fault
line, where weathering, erosion,
and collapse have shaped
the rock formations
and boulder fields into
a giant's playground.
Its beauty has drawn
emperors, poets, and sages.
(magestic music)
The quiet of Mt. Tianzhu
attracted Wei Ping.
[Translator] It's so beautiful,
so very peaceful here.
Sitting opposite Mt. Tianzhu.
The emptiness behind me
is so wide and expansive.
Being surrounded
by nature makes me
feel tolerant of
everything in this world.
[Voice over] Wei Ping was born
in the foothills of Mt. Tianzhu.
As a girl, she would climb
the mountain to fetch water,
and would often
sleep on its summit.
Now, she practices
Buddhism on the
slopes of Mt. Tianzhu,
at the Jiuhua convent.
The convent was
established in 1664.
Wei Ping is the fashi,
or master, of Jiuhua.
She gives spiritual
guidance, and
administers day-to-day
convent business.
Rice fields, gardens, fir
trees, and tall bamboo forests
surround the temples
and residence.
Eleven nuns live
here permanently,
working hard to keep
Jiuhua self-sufficient.
They grow their own rice,
and hand-process it.
[Translator] When we grow food,
we try not to use any chemicals,
in order to keep the land,
our water, and
everything else healthy.
I want to protect the land.
I have no real
power to protect it,
but I want to protect
it just the same.
That's all.
(nun chanting)
[Voice over] The mountains
offer the peace and tranquility
most important for the Buddhist
nun's spiritual practice.
Living here helps them avoid the
greed and temptations
of the city.
There's a saying that
only experienced Buddhists
can live in the noisy city
and maintain a peaceful heart.
But lately, the peace of
Jiuhua has been shattered.
(quiet hammering)
(inrceasingly loud
construction noises)
A new building is being erected,
to replace the Great Hall
that once housed Jiuhua's
giant Golden Buddha.
[Translator] We
were worried when
we had to move the Buddha
out of the old building.
And now we're not so confident
we can move him back safely.
We pray every day and believe
that he is powerful enough
to avoid any accident,
but we still feel uneasy.
[Voice over] Wei
Ping has taken on
the role of supervising
the construction.
She's had to learn on the job.
[Translator] If I were to
hire a building contractor,
it would save me a lot of work.
But we would have to pay them
on the contracted pay date.
What if we don't have
enough money then?
[Voice over] So Wei Ping
always makes sure she has
enough cash donations
from the local
Buddhist community before
she asks anyone to work.
And, she does what she can
to move the process along.
There is need for speed.
Soon Wei Ping will leave Jiuhua,
to go on an
important pilgrimage.
She would like to oversee
the pouring of the.
Great Hall's foundations,
before that journey begins.
She plans to visit
the land called
the pure Buddhist
land, Mt. Fanjing.
(intense music)
Mt. Fanjing, where
Buddha once visited,
and where the Guizhou
golden monkey lives.
On slopes where
untouched forests
grow out of limestone rocks.
And where the waters
of nearly 100 streams
still run crystal
clear and clean.
Clean enough for a
critically endangered giant
to find shelter in
slippery rock crevices.
The Chinese giant salamander is
the world's largest amphibian,
close to extinction because
of polluted waterways.
In the remote waters
of Mt. Fanjing,
it can grow to the
size of a human.
It can detect the slightest
vibrations in the water,
which makes it a hunter whose
chief weapon is surprise.
But it's rarely seen any
more in the rest of China.
When the rivers leave the
protected area of Mt. Fanjing,
they flow into
surrounding lowlands.
Some go underground as
they seep right through
the porous limestone rock
that covers the area.
(mysterious music)
In a small village
called Xiushan,
there's a magic blue pond.
Its waters are
exceptionally clean,
and are said to have
youth-giving properties.
No one knows how deep it is.
During droughts, the
water level never drops.
The people of Xiushan have given
the pond thee Shin Lon Tan.
This is Yung Heping.
Like all of the people
who live in Xiushan,
he is Tuija, a minority
group in China,
descendants of the
ancient Ba Kingdom.
They were warrior chieftans,
who once ruled the mountains.
But today, Heping
is a paper maker.
[Translator] Bamboo is the
raw material for making paper.
Once it's mashed, I'll put it in
the tub here, and
turn it into paper.
We cut the bamboo from high
hills, and chop
them into pieces.
The water's from Shin
Lon Tan, the magic pond.
We've dug a ditch to make
sure all of aper makers
can get enough
water to make paper.
[Voice over] The bamboo pulp
must be mixed thoroughly,
so the plant fibers float
evenly throughout the water.
This stops lumps forming.
Heping then catches the
fibers on a special screen.
His actions are now critical.
As he moves the screen
in and out of the water,
he must ensure
that the fibers are
spread uniformly
across its surface.
Because once the water has
drained away, the fibers are set.
He can make thousands of
sheets a day this way.
(upbeat music)
(rhythmic sloshing)
Life in Xiushan revolves
around the waterways.
Strict rules have been put in
place by the Tuija's council
to make sure Shin Lon Tan pond
remains in a pristine state.
The paper-maker's
wife, Xi Fu, takes care
to wash her vegetables
in the right area.
[Translator] If we wash in the
magic pond, we might dirty it.
We must attention to hygiene,
because we drink this water.
So we have specially-built
areas for household work.
[Voice over] A small
dam controls the
water flow into the
domestic-use area.
That water is then filtered, and
sent further downstream, where
ducks can swim and
food can be prepared.
Back at the paper shed,
Yung Heping has just about
used up his supply
of bamboo pulp.
[Translator] This paper
is different from others.
Its quality is very high.
We call it Tujia Paper.
[Voice over] They say
that the Tujia people
learned paper-makin
directly from Cai Lun,
the inventor of paper
in the second century.
When it comes to
squeezing the last drop
of Shian Lon Tan
water from his paper,
Yung Heping uses ancient
hand-made devices
that require the minimum strength
to exert maximum pressure.
(water running)
[Translator] I'm old now,
so I can't make a lot.
Now I make probably around
five tons of paper per year.
So I earn around $4,000 a year.
[Voice over] The paper-maker
lives on a building site.
His old house fell down.
He's gradually
adding rooms as he
makes enough money to
buy building materials.
(child giggles)
Yun Hei Ping and Xi Fu are
typical village grandparents.
They raise their grandchild,
while their sons and daughters
live in the city to earn money.
(scraping)
Yung Heping spends
his days and nights
making paper, so he
can finish his house.
(upbeat music)
To the far North East of
the paper-maker's village,
on the slopes of Mt.
Tianzhu, construction
on the Great Hall has
stopped for the day,
because Wei Ping's
convent has guests.
[Translator] Today
is the first day
of the ninth month of
the lunar calendar,
a feast day in honor of
people who've done good deeds.
[Voice over] The lay
Buddhists who live
in the villages
surrounding Xidian come
to pray for family and career,
to donate money, and
to help the nuns.
That includes volunteering
for some difficult tasks.
Weevils have been found in some
bags of rice from
last year's harvest.
They must be separated
from the grain,
without killing
one single insect.
Because Buddhists respect
all living things.
[Translator] We
believe in Buddhism,
and we're lay Buddhists!
We come here for Buddha
and very one can be good.
(laughing)
[Voice over] And for
the ladies' goodness and
respect for life, the
weevils may be thankful.
Today, the nuns are
asked to bless vehicles,
a ritual led by Wei
Ping to protect drivers
from harm on the
winding mountain roads.
Lunch is at 12 sharp,
and everyone will be fed.
No matter how many
people are present.
The nuns cook using
their convent-grown food,
as well as noodles and spices
brought by the visitors.
The food is
completely vegetarian,
and not a scrap will be wasted.
There were times when Buddhists
were afraid to gather like this.
During the Cultural
Revolution, from 1966 to 1976,
they were persecuted and
sent for reeducation.
Wei Ping's own spiritual
master ran the convent then.
She refused to leave.
[Translator] During the
Cultural Revolution,
my master stayed here,
determined to protect Jiuhua.
(speaks Mandarin)
[Voice over] All across the
sacred Mt. Tianzhu landscape,
where Buddhism had
been practiced for
over a thousand years,
young armed revolutionaries
destroyed temples, and
killed monks and nuns.
But it was a Communist
Party member who managed
to save the 400-year-old
convent, and Wei Ping's master.
[Voice over] There
was an agricultural
production brigade
in the village.
The secretary of
the brigade set up
an office here in the
convent, to protect Jiuh.
That ensured that the people
didn't destroy the convent.
Otherwise Jiuhua would have been
torn down by the Red Guards.
He was the one who saved
this place, with his wisdom.
[Voice over] At the end of
the day, when the visitors
have gone, the oldest nun
at Jiuhua sifts the rice.
She has worked in the fields
around Mt. Tianzhu
all of her life.
Through famine, and revolution.
(slow drumming)
The drum calls for
silence, and sleep.
Tomorrow, constion on the
Great Hall will resume.
(drum beats in time with lights)
While the other nuns dream,
the old nun stays awake.
She has dedicated
the rest of her life
on earth to reading
Buddha's texts.
[Voice over] Back
in Guizhou Province,
at the base of Mt.
Fanjing, Yang Yeqin
is driving Niu Kefeng
to a monkey refuge.
Yeqin is a man of many guises.
He is head of research for
the Fanjing Nature Reserve,
and he's also the commander
of Fanjing's Forest Police.
He has the power to
apprehend and arrest
environmental
law-breakers and poachers.
The monkey refuge is tucked away
inside the Mt. Fanjing reserve.
Many of the monkeys here
are victims of poaching,
or were being kept
illegally as pets.
This Tibetan macaque's mother
was killed for her fur.
Once he is old enough
to feed himself,
he'll be released back
into Mt. Fanjing Reserve.
(mellow music)
This refuge is the
only place where the.
Guizhou golden monkey
can be seen up close.
There's a male
and a female here.
These animals may have to stay
behind bars for the
rest of their lives.
They would probably no
longer survive in the wild.
[Translator] Some
villagers found this male.
Guizhou golden monkey outside
of the Nature Reserve.
He was very weak.
Then we heard about it.
We contacted the villagers, and
we brought him here
to look after him.
(speaks in Mandarin)
Now he's much healthier.
(speaks in Mandarin)
Stop grabbing the food!
(speaks in Mandarin)
We saved his life.
[Voice over] The new
male shares a cage with
a swinging female,
who is ready to mate.
(lively music)
Once the male has become
aroused, it won't be safe
for any other male primate
to be inside the cage.
Mr. Niu has been warned.
[Translator] When a golden
monkey shows its canine teeth,
you know you can't approach him.
If you do, he might
bite or attack you.
See how the male monkey puts his
hands on the female's shoulder?
Although they've only
just moved in together,
it seems they have
affection for each other.
[Voice over] For a vegetarian,
this monkey has
major canine teeth.
[Translator]
They're approaching.
Mm, there's a special odor
when the male ones pass by.
You can smell it.
When we're in the
wild and walking
in the forest, sometimes
it's really strong.
When you smell that
smell, it means
you're quite close
to the monkeys.
[Voice over] Unlike in the
forest, Kefeng doesn't need
to use his nose to know
where the golden monkeys are.
And, what they're up to.
It would be very hard for him to
witness what happens
next, in the wild.
This pair may
never return to the
forest, but their
offspring will.
They'll be released into
reserves outside Mt. Fanjing,
creating new populations
of Guizhou golden monkeys.
(intense music)
Every Sunday, Han Chinese,
the majority group in China,
come to visit the
Tujia minority,
who live in the
village of Xiushan.
But today is Double Nine Day,
an important celebration.
So people have driven
over four hours
from the city of Guiyang,
the capital of Guizhou,
especially to enjoy
Tujia hospitality.
(tiles clank)
While the Han people
play Mah Jong,
traditional Tujia food is
prepared by their hosts.
Eighty-five-year-old Xi
Xangui helps his son,
and owner of this
restaurant, pound
sticky rice until it
forms a glutenous mass.
They're making a
delicacy called ciba.
[Translator] Today is the.
Double Ninth Festival,
also called Senior's Day.
[Voice over] The sticky rice
is squeezed into dumplings,
and dipped into
ground dried beans.
[Translator] The guests are
retired people from Guiyang.
They come here to
sing and dance.
[Voiceo And to enjoy
ciba rice dumplings.
(instrument plays)
(guests sing)
They might be baton-twirling
retirees from the city, but.
Xi Xangui is twenty years
their senior, and still vital.
And because he is
a village person,
retiring is not an option.
Xiushan is filled with
old people and children.
Most of the younger generation
are working in the cities.
They leave their children to be
cared for by their grandparents.
Like Xi Xangui, these old
people are still very fit.
They say they owe their hh
to the still blue waters
of the magic pond.
[Translator] The water in
the magic pond is very good.
It's mineral water.
It comes from Mt. Fanjing.
It's not just normal water.
[Voice over] And Xi Xangui has
heard of other peculiar things.
[Translator] They
say that dragons
once lived here
in the magic pond!
The older generation
told me they
saw them sneaking
into rice paddies!
[Voice over] Were
they real monsters?
The waters of Shin Lon
Tan are so clean, that the
giant salamanders of Mt. Fanjing
may once have lived here.
The paper-maker Yung Heping
and his wife don't celebrate.
Senior's Day; They're in the
process of drying their paper.
They have a ready market for the
paper, in their
village of Xiushan.
The old people like to buy.
Tujia paper, because
of its quality.
(conversation in Tujia)
Xi Xangui uses it to make money.
[Translator] When I punch holes
in the paper, it
turns into money!
(clacking)
It becomes money
which our ancestors
can use in another world.
Buddha can use it as well.
I sell it in the
town, on market day.
People buy it to
make good wishes.
When you buy it, Buddha will
bless you and your family.
Everyone in your family.
(mysterious music)
[Voice over] High up
on Mt. Fanjing, where
the golden monkeys
live, the remote
cameras set up by Niu Kefeng are
retrieved and
transported back to town.
(intense music)
This is one of the last times
Yang Yeqin will
chauffer his student.
He will soon retire from
being head of research
for Mt. Fanjing Nature Reserve.
But he won't be handing in
his police badge, or his car.
The researchers their
offices in Jiangkou County,
thirty kilometers from Fanjing.
This office holds all of
the early handwritten data
Yang Yeqin and his team compiled
during their first years
on Mt. Fanjing, as they
tried to track down and
observe the golden monkeys.
Even though Nou
will now be using
digital data, his work
is still enormous.
Thousands of images must be
downloaded from the
infrared cameras.
Three images were taken every
ten seconds, over
24-hour periods.
Niu has to look at
every one of them.
(computer mouse clicking)
[Translator] Aside from
my immediate family,
one part of my life
belongs to my future wife.
The other belongs to the
Guizhou golden monkey.
But I haven't found
a wife yet, so
I spend almost all of my
life with these monkeys.
(speaks in Mandarin)
(upbeat music)
- [Voice over] Dawn at Mt.
- Tianzhu and the Jiuhua convent.
Today is a very important day.
Wei Ping leads the nuns in
prayer to bless the workers.
(chanting)
[Translator] Today
we are covering
the foundation
beams in concrete.
We're very busy, because some of
the details are below standard.
If everything is well-done,
today will go without a hitch.
But if not, it will cause
problems down the road.
So this process is critical.
[Voice over] Wei Ping could not
have predicted
what would happen.
She has hired an
expensive concrete pump.
Its boom now hangs
over the building site.
But it's not pour concrete.
Because the concrete mixer
is parked too far away
to transfer the wet
concrete to the pump.
The operator has
walked off the job.
The concrete for the foundations
may dry before it
is even poured.
So Wei Ping mobilizes the nuns
in order to get the concrete
from the mixer to
the pump, by hand.
(urgent music)
Only Buddha knows
how Wei Ping managed
to get the concrete truck
operator to resume work.
But when the mixer
is finally connected
to the pump, the concrete flows.
The foundations
for the Great Hall,
where the Golden Buddha
will soon shelter,
will be successfully laid
by the end of the day.
(nuns cheering)
[Translator] So
the work progresses
slowly, but it
will soon be over.
[Voice over] With the
critical work done,
Wei Ping is free to
go on her pilgrimage.
At eight AM the next
morning, she leaves Jiuhua
with a companion, to fly
the 1,000 kilometers.
South-west to Guizhou Province.
(nuns cheer)
Wei Ping will make a pilgrimage
to the mountain known
as the pure Buddhist
land, Mt. Fanjing.
But there is one more
obstacle for Wei Ping.
She has never been
in a chair lift.
She is afraid of the height.
(intercom speaks)
So, instead of listening
to the intercom,
Wei Ping listens
to her inner voice.
(calm singing)
(quiet footsteps)
(emotional music)
Tonight the nuns will stay
here, at the main temple.
Early tomorrow morning,
they will walk the steps
to the middle peak, to witness
their first sunrise
from Mt. Fanjing.
(emotional music)
While reviewing the
remote camera images
from Mt. Fanjing, Niu has
found something highly unusual.
[Translator] Look, this is
a leg, and this is an eye.
Look at this side. They
came from here, slowly.
[Voice over] They're
excited because the images
were taken at 3:40
AM, when other species
of monkeys would be fast asleep.
[Translator] So
that's not a reaction
to a threat, rather
just normal activity.
[Voice over] Niu Kefeng
has collected enough images
to prove conclusively
that the monkeys
eat and play at night, just
like they do during the day.
This unusual behavior
may be an adaptation
to survival high
up on Mt. Fanjing.
Perhaps the golden monkey eats
while it can, when it can,
in case food is scarce
during the winter.
(cheerful conversation
in Mandarin)
Yang Yeqin's long years of tough
field research are behind him.
[Translator] When
you finish your work,
and just think about
all the things you've
been through, it's
extremely satisfying.
And being able to do this work
was a delight, and a comfort.
It was never just a job.
It was a goal, that
must be achieved.
[Voice over] Finding
out more about the.
Guizhou golden monkey is
now Niu Kefeng's goal.
(laughter)
(loping music)
In the village of Xiushan,
the paper-maker Yung Heping
goes about his
painstaking craft.
Xi Xangui turns Yung
Heping's paper, into money.
At an ancestor's grave, the
money leaves this dimension.
It travels to the after-life,
for the ancestors to spend.
But the only way
it can get there,
is to be turned into smoke.
(drumming music)
On the sacred Buddhist mountain,
Wei Ping and her companion
walk the last hundred
steps to the middle peak,
to watch their first
sunrise from Mt. Fanjing.
(intense heartwarming music)
[Translator] I think we
need to protect this place.
Protect our planet.
Everyone has to do that.
(intense music)