China's Hidden Worlds: Unveiling the Secrets of Yunnan, Tibet, and Xinjiang | Extra Long Documentary

Half of China's population lives in large eastern coastal cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. But away from the densely populated east and heading west toward the outer provinces of Tibet, Xinjiang and Yunnan, this country becomes more diverse and mysterious. Here, the harsh, unforgiving landscapes form strong, resourceful people with unique lifestyles and heritage. Even in these remote regions, the winds of change are blowing strongly. The future is coming fast...as the secret lands of China are revealed. Far southwest of Beijing, China touches the Himalayas. An empire of mountains, carved by enormous rivers into steep valleys and dense subtropical jungles.

This is the lush province of Yunnan. It covers an area even larger than Germany and supports a population of 48 million. They may all share the same home, but here, at the crossroads of six nations, the people are as diverse as they come. Twenty-five different ethnicities live here, more than anywhere else in China. For thousands of years, natural barriers on this remote southwestern frontier have created isolated cultural strongholds, incubating some of the world's most

extra

ordinary life forms. Nestled in the rugged mountains near the border with Myanmar lies Cangyuan, a small county of 180,000 people...home to the mysterious Wa people.

Wa means "mountain people." Living secretly among these steep slopes, they nurtured a unique culture. The worship of many gods, primary rituals, buffalo sacrifice and even head hunting. Today, these

secrets

are being discovered little by little. Modern Cangyuan is opening its doors and Tian Kaizheng is unraveling the mysteries of the elusive history of the Wa. Until 1957, the Wa people had no written script for their language. Therefore, the exact location of Sigangli, the original cave of the Wa people, was never recorded. Only rumors remain. They say Cangyuan is close to where it could be found. But a substantial record has survived.

Prehistoric cave paintings, discovered on the outskirts of the city by a Chinese archaeologist in 1965. The ancestors of the Wa in Cangyuan may have been one of the first to grow rice using buffaloes. But these abundant, well-irrigated fields are only a recent phenomenon. In the past, the Wa were slash-and-burn farmers. They did not use fertilizers and the little that grew was dry hill rice. After the 1950s, the Chinese government reformed feudal tribes into agricultural communes, providing peasants with seeds, tools, and command of water. Today, farmers like Chen Aige lease land owned by village collectives and reap the benefits.

Chen remembers the rapid change that occurred in his life. He occasionally takes his old friend to plow the fields, but only to stay in shape. Decades of modern development are proudly displayed in downtown Cangyuan. Water is channeled here for a different reason. A party is brewing. This cloudy concoction will be the centerpiece of the Monihei Carnival. But this is not mud from the rice field. Twenty metric tons of this raw material will be mixed with 20,000 liters of water. In just a few hours, these vessels of good fortune will be emptied. Before the main event, Cangyuan's Monihei Square hosts a village-to-town performing arts competition.

The numerous Wa clans were once separated by rugged mountain ridges. With little contact, the isolated peoples created their own distinctive clothing, songs and dances. Like many on stage, Li Yigai, 42, is not a professional dancer. He has taken the day off to work his family's land, where he grows rice, corn and tobacco. Li knows that this friendly competition is just a warm-up. The villagers take their places, awaiting the climax of the Monihei Carnival. The wooden drum is the most sacred symbol of the Wa culture. They believe that he sends his wishes to the gods. It is accompanied by the fascinating dance of hair, a celebration of female beauty and maturity.

Before the dancers finish... someone rushes... - -...and opens the floodgates. Oh! Today's Monihei is accompanied by synthetic drums and amplified DJs, but its traditional meaning has not been lost. Mud in a child provides security and health. For grandfather, the mud wishes them a

long

life. Young lovers can wear it to show their affection, and for women, black is a sign of beauty. But only one rule applies: the dirtier, the crazier, the better. Yunnan was once considered a rural backwater of China. Memories of isolated, remote and poor ethnic minorities are already disappearing. Modern Yunnan is harnessing its cultural and biological diversity in a new era of high-tech and sustainable development.

The provincial capital, Kunming, is one of China's fastest growing cities, with a population of 6.7 million. It is located almost 2,000 meters above sea level on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau. The temperate climate of Kunming's highlands has earned it the nickname "Spring City." Here flowers bloom all year round, an opportunity that astute merchants have taken advantage of. The Dounan Flower Center. Under this roof, six billion flowers are sold a year. Around 12,000 every minute. After sunset, shoppers make their move. Flowers stay fresher at night and can be prepared for shipping in time for morning flights. After examining today's harvest, Hao heads to the auction hall.

But it's not the type of auction that first comes to mind. Three digital watches drop in price. The first person to press the button wins the lot. Every deal closes in seconds. With three offers to view simultaneously and new requests arriving on his phone, Hao seems remarkably relaxed. While traders around the world make split-second decisions in the stock market, here in Yunnan the most lucrative

secrets

are living things. In southern Yunnan, Hekai, a village of only 4,000 inhabitants, guards a natural treasure more precious than gold, which grows in the Bulang Mountains. The Lahu are a nomadic mountain people, a minority in China of approximately half a million people.

They were once known for their ability to hunt tigers. But today, their goals are immobile and much more valuable. Na Wa is the Lahu guardian of the ancient tea trees. The king of tea trees lives here. They say he is more than a thousand years old. In the late 1990s there was a wave of wealthy connoisseurs willing to pay more for such a rare provenance. In two decades, tea prices have increased a hundredfold. Unlike harvesting tea from young plantations, this work requires a greater skill set. Lahu society is remarkably egalitarian. Men and women share the same social position.

Only one thing commands respect... age. Na Ge, 91, has been walking three kilometers a day and climbing tea trees since before World War II. Na Ge still harvests the same trees and returns to the same humble home he has had for 80 years, and has rarely left this village. The bustle of construction runs through Hekai. Dirt roads are paved, old shacks give way to mansions, but for Na Ge, happiness is still a cup of tea and an open fire. Raw leaves collected in the Bulang Mountains are made into a prized variety of tea: Pu'er tea... named after the nearby town where it was first brewed.

The fresh leaves are roasted in giant woks, then pressed into cakes and left to age, developing complex flavors over time. Like the best single malt whiskeys, Pu'er tea can take a decade to reach its full potential. Nakeli township in Pu'er was the important stop in a vast trading network. The ancient route of the tea horses. It spanned 3,000 kilometers through the Sichuan Mountains to Tibet and beyond. The Tea Horse Route is named after the ancient Chinese tea trade for Tibetan war horses, not, unsurprisingly, because tea was transported by horse. In fact, as recently as 70 years ago, human tea bearers could still be seen on these narrow mountain trails.

Some carried up to 160 kilos on their backs. After a thousand years of use, nature has reclaimed most of the ancient tea horse route. Now, tea is advancing at a much faster pace and a new dark brew is taking over in Pu'er. Coffee. Pu'er's humid climate and fertile environment rival the best coffee-producing regions in the world. But coffee is a relatively young stranger in the land of tea. Dong Shuxiang has seen the industry expand rapidly over the past 20 years. Almost all of China's coffee is grown in Pu'er. Since 2009, coffee consumption in the country has more than quadrupled, driven by a younger, cosmopolitan generation.

In Pu'er, the flourishing industry now involves more than a million people. South of Pu'er, the mountains descend into rainforests, where a vibrant ethnic minority is quickly making itself known to the world. There are 1.2 million Dai people in China, a Buddhist ethnic group closely related to the people of Laos and Thailand. Since the 6th century BC, these successful rice farmers have lived in the lush lowlands and river valleys of Yunnan. The Dai believe that water is the source of all life. Each new year in the unique Dai calendar is marked with the famous Water Splashing Festival. But

hidden

in Menglian, a small, unknown county of 135,000 people, a unique version of the festival is about to begin.

Here, the Nanlei River will be the focal point of the Sacred Fish Festival. Legend has it that the inhabitants of Menglianonce angered the grain god, who punished them with a severe famine. The fish god took pity and sacrificed himself as food for the people. Around 50,000 visitors came to see the highlight of the festival, a fishing competition that will break the balance. The Sacred Fish Festival begins with a traditional dragon boat race. Brothers Sanmeng and Yizhang are the local team and represent Dai City of Nayun. - - Nayun's team is far behind. But in this atmosphere, it is difficult to separate the winners from the losers.

Back at home, the children's father is preparing for the main event. Bo is no stranger to fishing. In his youth, he used traditional Dai fishing techniques to make a living. The fish he caught were smoked and sold in the market for only five cents a box. Bo fought his way out of poverty. But he soon benefited from the government's numerous agricultural reforms. In 2006, farmers and fishermen no

long

er needed to pay taxes to the government, ending a 2,500-year-old practice. Bo was able to save for this house in the heart of Nayun... ...and raise three healthy children. Bo Ai Han Bian no longer needs to fish to survive.

Today, it's about reaping the fruits of a lifetime of hard work. But it seems he's late to the party. The fishing frenzy has already begun. More than 10,000 people swarm a two-kilometer stretch of the Nanlei River. There's no time for fishing rods here. Men and women come face to face with their prey, baskets and nets prepared. Some are here to bring home as much fish as possible; others do it for the prestige of catching a big fish. There are many professionals. As for beginners, Bo is more than happy to show you how it's done. Luck is something you lack today.

But he has something the masses don't: an intimate knowledge of the Nanlei River, where he has been fishing for half a century. Oh! Here, deep down, Bo feels at home. After a long day, the monks lead the Ceremony of the 1,000 lights... ...that illuminate the city's Golden Temple. The Holy Fish Festival marks the passing of the Dai Buddhist New Year. People flock to the river, lotus flower lanterns in hand... praying for the future... or remembering the past. They release their floating candles and light the way towards another year. One last ritual closes the Sacred Fish Festival, a chance for everyone to bring Nanlei back to life.

Beginning in the 10th century AD, fertile rivers like this fostered the rise of powerful Dai kingdoms. Further east, straddling the banks of the Mekong, known in China as the Lancang River, lies the heart of what was once a sprawling domain. Xishuangbanna. Jinghong City was the center of the Xishuangbanna Dai kingdom for almost 800 years. Although the Dai still make up the majority of the region's 1.1 million people, a huge influx of Han Chinese since the 1950s is rapidly changing the face of the city. Professor Zhu Liangwen has made it his life's mission to protect the traditional spirit of the Dai.

His weapon from him? Houses. Classic Dai houses can still be seen throughout Yunnan. According to legend, the design was inspired by the movements of a peacock. The roof repels monsoon rain from all sides, like a peacock with its wings spread and its head towards the ground. The living area is built on stilts to protect it from flooding and mosquito-borne diseases. The space under the house is traditionally kept open for storage or animals, and in that space there is a hole in the plan. Using a special reinforced concrete system, Professor Zhu and his teamThey designed an entire village that satisfied all three demands: cost-effective, earthquake-safe, and essentially Dai.

If the bamboo Dai houses are from the first generation, the wooden houses from the second generation, and the reinforced concrete houses from the third generation, then Zhawenbing Village is what Professor Zhu calls the fourth generation, made of light steel and fiber natural. These Dai-style houses emerge from recycled material at miraculous speed... just ten days from start to finish. Diverse ethnic minorities make up more than two-thirds of Xishuangbanna's population. This rich multicultural exchange is fully displayed in the Jimao market. In addition to the usual fruits, vegetables and meats, this bazaar offers exotic products for those with bold taste buds.

Twenty-four years of living here have made Zhang Hong an expert in local Dai cuisine. Zhang is stocking up for a feast, because today his 11-year-old daughter will brave the furious currents of the Lancang River. Zhang Mengjia has been training seriously in this swimming club for the past two years. Each week he will balance several hours of after-school swimming with an ever-increasing academic workload. Both are equally important. Mengjia's athletic talents could earn her bonus points in China's competitive education system and could even land her a place at a prestigious sports school. Today is a special lesson. Out of the pool and against nature.

They will swim from the old Jinghong bridge, across the 260 meter wide river, to the opposite bank near the new bridge. The mighty Lancang can run at a speed of ten kilometers per hour. It is not a challenge that should be taken lightly. It's not just brute physical strength, but the courage to overcome his own fears that has gotten Mengjia across the finish line...enough to make his father proud. Just 80 kilometers away in Lancang... ...big businesses are flourishing. Guanlei Port is the point where landlocked Yunnan joins its path to Southeast Asia. River transport is increasingly important in China, it is more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than road or railway transport.

Ship captain Huang Xingqiang has sailed in Lancang for more than 20 years. Once his full load of garlic is secured, he will embark on a nine-hour journey to Thailand. - Bye bye. Bye bye. - Bye bye. Bye bye. Goodbye... Huang's boat catches the swift current of the Lancang. In about an hour it will cross the borders of China. Hidden on the southwest border... a province of

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ordinary diversity. This ancient land of 25 different ethnicities is on the cusp of change. As modern development transforms the lives of a once isolated people, secret pockets of culture in Yunnan are beginning to be shared with the world.

Seventy million years ago, this ancient plateau was under the ocean. The same titanic collision of continental plates that created Mount Everest lifted this seabed 4,000 meters into the sky. Tibet is the roof of the world, a region higher than any other on the planet. Freezing winters, strong ultraviolet rays, less than two-thirds of the oxygen at sea level. A place inhospitable to most life. However, for at least five millennia, humans lived here in extreme isolation, surviving on very little. Research has shown that in their confinement, they have developed genetic traits not found in other humans to cope with this harsh environment.

Now these resilient people are adapting to another big change: modernity. Only three million people live in the Tibet Autonomous Region, an area almost the size of Western Europe. Just over one person per square kilometer. In this vast void, all roads lead to one city: Lhasa... the mecca of Tibetan Buddhism. Lhasa literally translates as "the place of the gods." It is also a place for 280,000 inhabitants. Before the 7th century, the Tibetan plateau was occupied by a disorder of small rival kingdoms. The great Songtsen Gampo united the surrounding clans and became the first emperor of the vast Tibetan Empire.

It was a formative time for Tibet. Although the empire only lasted 220 years, Songtsen Gampo's legacy still dominates the ancient city of Lhasa today. He built the first buildings on the site of the great Potala Palace...and is credited with bringing an important religion to Tibet: Buddhism. Here is the most sacred place of all, the Jokhang temple, built by Songtsen Gampo 1,300 years ago. Every morning, thousands of pilgrims perform a "kora", a clockwise meditative circle over a sacred site. Some have walked for months on a sacred pilgrimage that culminates in this haze of incense smoke and spinning prayer wheels.

Thousands of miles on foot, prostrating ourselves and reciting the Scriptures every few steps. In the bustling Barkhor Street markets surrounding the temple, a Tibetan businessman watches the pilgrims up close... examining the distinctive styles of clothing gathered here from all corners of Tibet. Konchok Tashi, 33, has a dream: to bring traditional Tibetan fashion into a new international era. We have a pretty busy day. Even among Tibetans, Tashi stands out. It's not just about the training equipment that he uses for every occasion... Hello, good morning. It is also the unmistakable of him... After working as a police officer, website editor and art curator, he entered the world of fashion without any training.

It's a big day for Tashi. Tonight he will unveil the new season's designs on the catwalk. In seven years, Konchok Yee Tashi has grown from one staff to 13. Tashi's partner Wu Qian plays a key role. She balances Tashi's creativity with his own practicality. They rush between their renovated apartments on Barkhor Street, making last-minute adjustments. But with ten hours left, Tashi has doubts about the lineup. The show starts at eight o'clock. --Before that, he will have to draw, sew and customize his masterpiece from scratch. Boutiques selling traditional chuba robes are common on Barkhor Street. But Tashi is practically the only Tibetan who tries to incorporate global styles into his locally inspired designs.

Good, huh? Tashi has submitted the design for him. An elegant Western-style professional suit, to be combined with intricate Tibetan accessories. Now it's up to the sewing team to furiously assemble the main garment. There are only five hours left. Tashi must head to the venue without the dress. He has already committed the sin of making Wu Qian wait. Good! With only two hours to spare, the key dress arrives. As the models, musicians and technicians make their final checks, the magnitude of Tashi's ambition becomes visible. Wow! Since the "reform and opening up" policy instituted by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, China has been investing heavily in frontier regions such as Tibet.

Over the past two decades, Tibet's growth has exceeded the national average almost every year. This modern metamorphosis can easily be seen in Lhasa, but the benefits extend further afield. Ninety kilometers to the northwest, on a plateau almost as high as the Matterhorn peak, lies the city of Yangbajing. For centuries, Tibetan nomads have roamed these valleys, grazing their yaks on the fertile grass. But the ephemeral lifestyle of a homeless man is becoming a thing of the past. Starting in 2006, the Chinese government subsidized permanent housing to provide a more stable life for nomads. Although their children now go to school, the work remains the same for the older generation.

There is something unusual about the place where these nomads have chosen to settle. Nearby, the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide and fuel the fires of the Yangbajing hot springs. Here, China's largest geothermal power plant dominates the view. Magma-heated water from 1,000 meters underground is piped to the plant, generating enough cheap, clean energy to power 50,000 Tibetan homes. It is a reliable year-round supply for Lhasa and surrounding towns. Local herders still burn yak dung for warmth in winter, but electricity and modern appliances have replaced their cooking fires. Some things never change, like your daily cup of yak butter tea... ...a salty drink full of spicy fats.

It provides vital calories and nutrients and is believed to combat altitude sickness. Cold, thin air can test the limits of human endurance... but these are ideal conditions for solar panels. The Yangbajing Solar Park was completed in 2012. The intensity of solar radiation in Tibet is second only to the Sahara Desert. But since a low temperature improves the performance of photovoltaic cells, this could well be the best place on the planet to generate solar energy. But there's something else staring up at the heavens in Yangbajing... something that's helping to solve the mysteries of the universe. Professor Huang Jing of the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and her research associate are visiting one of the most advanced research facilities in the world... ...one that shows that science is not glamorous .

Professor Huang represents an international team of 76 researchers from Japan and China in Tibet A.S. Gamma experiment. Your mission? Discover the puzzling origin of high-energy cosmic rays, charged particles from space that bombard Earth's atmosphere. These extraterrestrial particles travel near the speed of light, some with energy millions of times greater than anything we have achieved on Earth. What could have caused such an unimaginable acceleration in space? The types of cosmic rays they are researching are some of the most powerful and rare. Only a few particles impact per square meter per year. Tibet A.S. The gamma experiment is located at the precise altitude where these rays are easiest to detect and there is no shortage of flat, open spaces needed to cast a wider net.

Building and maintaining a facility in the harsh environment of Yangbajing is not a job for the faint of heart. Professor Huang may be an outsider to the plateau, but she is armed with a very Tibetan sense of devotion. Even more notable than her resilience at the top of the world is Professor Huang's rise to the top of China's academic circles. Women hold less than ten percent of all professorships in China. In Lhasa another of Tibet's

hidden

secrets will soon be revealed. The first light of dawn awakens sleeping pilgrims at Drepung Monastery, once the largest monastery in Tibet.

They have endured a cold, rainy night to be front row at a grand opening. The monks have been cloistered inside Drepung Monastery for the past month. Your reason? To avoid stepping on insects that emerge from the ground during the summer. They are practicing as much as possible the first Buddhist precept: abstaining from killing. Now it is time to end his confinement. It's a golden opportunity for young Phakmu Tashi, a graduate student at Tibet University who specializes in a centuries-old Tibetan art known as thangka. Emerging monks are about to share with the public one of the largest thangka paintings in existence.

Thangka is a highly formalized style of painting on cotton or silk scrolls, with Buddhist deities as the main feature. As early as the 11th century, spiritual masters rolled them up and carried them to spread the word of Buddha throughout the plateau. A well-made thangkai is believed to embody the deity and convey a living presence to those who see it. At the age of 22, Tashi must study intensely if he wants to channel these spiritual powers. Buddhist teachers established strict rules centuries ago. They govern proportions, posture, shape and even the position of the hands. In thangka, adherence to tradition is the greatest virtue.

The thick roll of fabric weighs about half a ton and must be carried up the mountain to the display platform. The monks will need all the help they can get. The monumental thangka is 40 meters long, the size of three basketball courts combined. It has only been exhibited once before, when it was made in 2016. Thirty artists worked hard for two years to complete it. Thousands of people swarm the thangka display, eager to get up close before the monks return it to the monastery at noon. Silk "khata" scarves are a symbol of purity and respect. They pass on the prayers of the people who have camped all night to be here.

This grand thangka performance marks the beginning of the Sho Dun Festival, also known as the Yogurt Festival. According to a tradition dating back to the 11th century, laypeople celebrate the reappearance of monks with a yogurt feast. Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's summer palace, is at the center of the festivities and its vast gardens are open to large numbers of vacationing families. While other operas around the world have a specific audience, Lhamo, or Tibetan opera, remains very popular among ordinary people today, a mix of songs, dances, acrobatics and narrative chants, strongly rooted in Buddhist teachings.Losang Tashi has been performing and teaching Tibetan opera for 25 years.

Like thangka, this is an art obtained only through uncompromising discipline. For the next three days, she will sing and sing almost continuously for ten hours a day. As the city of Lhasa relaxes in the summer sun... a thangka artist in training is about to face his most difficult task yet. The university has arranged for Phakmu Tashi to meet his teacher's teacher. Dampa Rabten, 76, is today Tibet's oldest and most respected thangka master, a living cultural treasure. Master Dampa's grandfather was the official portrait painter of the previous Dalai Lama in the early 20th century. But for Master Dampa, the real thangka is a dying tradition.

On Barkhor Street, mass-produced thangkas adorn the walls of shops, catching the attention of tourists... a far cry from the art he has dedicated his entire life to preserving. The precious hour with Master Dampa leaves a lasting impression on Phakmu Tashi... the newest link in the chain of tradition. Lhasa's unique personality lies in this interface between the old and the young. But beyond the capital there is an even greater contrast. A descent of just 600 meters in altitude reveals a world of differences. Many of Asia's great rivers wind through this mysterious land in southeastern Tibet, home to China's largest virgin forest.

Nyingchi, a prefectural city, sprawls across rugged terrain 400 kilometers east of Lhasa. It has been called the Switzerland of China. Nyingchi's primeval forests remain a lifeline for villagers in remote Cuogao. Losang Chosphel is on the hunt for something as valuable as it is elusive. He only appears for two months in the summer. Oh! The matsutake mushroom... has long been used in popular medicine for its magical health properties. Recent studies by Chinese pharmacologists have uncovered scientific evidence of its antibacterial and anticancer effects. Artificial cultivation of matsutake mushrooms has not yet been successful. Its sensitivity to environmental conditions and short fruiting season give it a mythical rarity.

The highest qualities can sell for $2,000 per kilo on the international market. The matsutake mushroom has been casually collected and consumed by these families for generations, but it is the last few decades of improved global access that have infused its lucrative value. A new high-speed highway will soon connect Nyingchi and Lhasa and accelerate the influx of wealth. But there is a major obstacle in the way. Milá Mountain. Here, the world's toughest road builders work around the clock... to overcome the insurmountable. Zhang Xin has been recalled from Chongqing because of his experience in tunnel construction. Never in his 15-year career had he encountered something as difficult as this. 4,700 meters above sea level...At 5.8 kilometers long...the Mila mountain tunnel will be the highest road tunnel in the world.

But it's time for them to arrive. After two years of construction, the team has only excavated 70% of the way. The oxygen level here is so low that two breaths only count for one. Chen Zhirong, from Zhejiang province, is responsible for the health and safety of his co-workers, a huge burden to bear in such extreme conditions. Low oxygen level is just one of many disadvantages. Winters on Mila Mountain last nine months, with temperatures plummeting to -30 degrees Celsius. After excavating the first 400 meters, the team encountered a devastating problem... groundwater. In the worst case, 39,000 cubic meters of water per day flooded the tunnel, enough to fill 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The pumps must run continuously to clear the way for the crew. But excess water also weakens the soft rock, causing the tunnel to sink dangerously. Despite the enormous challenges, the construction team still has a clean safety record... and the work must continue. The high worker turnover rate at this site is a challenge for Zhang Xin. Some only last two days before quitting. But he and his core team have persevered from the beginning. Once the tunnel is completed, the trip from Lhasa to Nyingchi will be reduced from eight to four hours. It is a good day to have a kora on the sacred mountain of Biri, overlooking the town of Nyingchi.

Biri Mountain is believed to have been a meditation site for the legendary Padmasambhava, founder of the oldest school of Buddhism in Tibet. A modern promenade supports senior pilgrims on their usual five-kilometer kora around the religious site. China has invested heavily in infrastructure, financial aid and education for Tibet over the past 50 years. In 2017, Tibet became the fastest growing region in China. Here, on the highest plateau in the world, human life ventures into the extraordinary. These mystical people are starting to open up and share their secrets. For them, intense devotion is part of everyday life, not only to religion, but to unbridled creativity... ...and global progress.

This is a place that is growing and changing as rapidly as the rest of China... and in the vastness of Tibet, there is plenty of room for the future. On the edge of China lies the country's largest province. Xinjiang. A land of contrasts and extremes. Burning desert. Abundant harvest. Frozen peaks. Lush grasslands. A kaleidoscope of cultures. Rich history and heritage. And the promise of a prosperous future, as Xinjiang re-emerges. Xinjiang is huge, about the same size as Iran, twice the size of Turkey and bordering eight Asian countries. Everything here is huge, from the Taklamakan Desert, the second largest shifting sand desert in the world... to the Bayanbulak Grasslands, which seem to never end.

The climate in Bayanbulak is almost as dry as that of the neighboring desert, but the grassland is fed by countless streams and rivers that flow from the surrounding mountains. For centuries, this has been the home of Xinjiang's Mongolian population, providing ample pastures for their livestock and wide open spaces that support their nomadic lifestyle. Horses are fundamental to Mongolian culture and are treated with great affection and respect. In fact, it is said that a Mongolian without a horse is only half a man. For young Nayingtai, riding a horse comes as naturally as walking...and even at his tender age, he is a champion in the saddle.

For city dwellers, camping in a remote valley for months on end may seem like a harsh and difficult lifestyle, but Mongolians take it in stride. The pace of this life is slow and steady and focuses on family, horses and livestock, in that order. For the Mongolians, the horse is more than an animal. They are constant companions, symbols of freedom and well-being, essential for work and play. Horse racing is a favorite sport and Nayingtai is about to test his skills at the annual celebration of Mongolian culture. It's festival time in Bayanbulak. The big annual event on the Bayanbulak grassland is the Nadam Festival... ...a ten-day celebration of Mongolian culture and sport... ...that begins with great pomp and ceremony.

Historically, Nadam focuses on the so-called "three manly skills": horse racing... wrestling... and archery... adopting skills that the Mongols have honed in battle over the centuries. Today, women can compete in archery and horse racing... but wrestling is still only for men. Mongol wrestling dates back to the 13th century, when Genghis Khan ruled the steppes... ...a military sport to improve the strength and stamina of his troops. Nowadays, it is the most popular sport among Mongolians. The rules are simple: the last man standing wins. Before horse racing begins properly... other events also require great horsemanship skills. Nayingtai prepares the races by competing in the obstacle course, where runners try to avoid all the strategically placed drums in the shortest time possible.

Nayingtai is not classified in this competition and decides not to participate in the next one. He is the crowd's favorite. The contestants gallop toward the scarves on the floor, bending down to try to pick them up. Some cyclists make it look ridiculously easy. Others... not so much. Maybe it's better that Nayingtai lost it. Horse racing at Nadam involves several races of various distances...a vigorous test of speed and endurance for horses and jockeys. Although Nayingtai has won several Nadam titles over the years, he has been training hard for his specialized event, a fast-paced five kilometer race.

When he competes, Nayingtai only cares about the basics: leading his horse around the track and hanging on for his life. Nayingtai is a rider of great skill and determination. As he progresses in the race, he opens up a big lead over the rest of the field. The result is never in doubt. Nayingtai adds another Nadam title to his impressive collection... and finally enjoys the festivities as a spectator. The desert dominates much of Xinjiang, such as the Taklamakan, which literally translates as "you can enter but never leave." And yet, for centuries, this was one of the main roads of the legendary Silk Road, the ancient network of trade routes between East and West.

But it was not only silk that passed through these routes. Almost any imaginable product began to circulate throughout Eurasia. Braving the wilds of Xinjiang, merchants made their fortunes or died trying. In the East, the Silk Road began in Xi'an, the ancient capital of China, and headed west overland through the heart of Asia to Europe and ended in Venice and Genoa. In Xinjiang, the main northern route of the Silk Road intertwined between so-called "oasis cities" such as Hami and Turpan... and one of the most famous of all: Jiao he. Jiao was built on an island where two rivers met.

Walled by sheer 30-metre cliffs, it was a natural fortress and home to a thriving city, and thanks to the arid desert climate, the earthen ruins are still remarkably well preserved. Xu Dongliang is an ancient relics expert who knows Jiao he well. He is a master at restoring ancient silk artifacts recovered from ruined cities like this one. In fact, Jiao he was an important Buddhist center until the 9th century. Next to the temples, there were monasteries and large stupas where Buddhist artifacts were kept. When the land-based Silk Road was replaced by maritime trade routes, Jiao began a slow decline.

After a destructive Mongol invasion in the 13th century, the city was finally abandoned. But artifacts left behind, such as ancient silk clothing preserved in dry desert air, provide valuable information about times gone by. At the Turpan Institute of Studies, Mr. Xu reveals the processes involved in making silk... ancient techniques pioneered in China and jealously kept secret for more than 2,000 years. First, silkworm cocoons are boiled in water so that the gum that holds the silk fibers together comes off easily. Once the fibers have been unwound, they are spun into individual strands. Typically, each cocoon produces between two and three kilometers of fine silk thread.

Whenever he can, Mr. Xu works on real pieces of Silk Road history. The first job when restoring a silk antique is to discover where it was made...not so easy if only remnants remain and they are thousands of years old. But authenticity is crucial. Discovering where an antique was made and how will determine the methods used in its repair. Restoring the ancient coat, like all recovered treasures, requires meticulous technique and infinite patience. Unlike the Jiao he ruins, another northern city has seen spectacular growth, especially in recent years. Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang and also has the distinction of being the farthest city from the sea in the world, about 2,400 kilometers from the nearest ocean.

Despite that, it is officially designated a "port", allowing it to offer lower tax rates to help attract business and investment. But there is a much broader picture. Urumqi's spectacular development is largely driven by the "Belt and Road" initiative. Launched in 2013, this is China's visionary plan to create a new Silk Road, transforming ancient land and sea trade routes through massive investment in infrastructure. Under the Belt and Road, Urumqi is rapidly becoming one of China's most important transportation hubs... handling Chinese exports via new and improved rail networks to Central Asia and Europe. One of the challenges of the local construction of the new railway was the natural wind tunnel formed by the mountains between Urumqi and the city of Turpan.

The valley is hit by gales for more than 200 days a year. Here the merchant caravans of the ancient Silk Road were literally destroyed and the wind can still be deadly. But the fierce winds in the region also generatebig business. This is Dabancheng, just south of Urumqi, where China's first large-scale wind farm and one of the largest in Asia is located, a forest of turbines 80 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide. Its success has inspired the construction of large wind farms in other parts of China, and the spectacular growth of the country's wind generation capacity has disproved all previous predictions. - - There are around 23 million people in Xinjiang and just under half of them belong to the Uyghur ethnic group.

The Uyghurs are predominantly Muslim. They began to convert in the 10th century, when Islam, like so many other things, arrived from the West along the Silk Road. The Uyghurs have a rich culture, including a distinctive musical genre known as Muqam, a word with Arabic roots meaning "place" or "location." In a village near the northern city of Turpan, this small school band is preparing for a day of study... and there's a lot to learn. Muqam combines poetry, dance, classical music and folk songs, largely played on traditional instruments. These children study Muqam during their normal school holidays. Attendance is voluntary and registration is free.

The director says it is the responsibility of the older generations to keep the muqam heritage alive. The director's grandson, an accomplished Muqam musician, is home on vacation from Beijing University to also teach at the school. This style of Muqam has 12 separate pieces, all with different rhythms, melodies and tempos. Playing a single piece can take two hours. Playing all 12 would literally take all day. It is a life's work to master Muqam, which is why it is so important to start early. - -Shh! It's a lot of work for these young people, especially when they could be enjoying a break from regular school.

But there is clearly something about this ancient musical form that strikes a chord with their young hearts. Shh! The music and dance of Muqam are said to be as essential to Uyghurs as eating and drinking. Certainly, these talented young people have whetted a great appetite and a celebratory meal is well deserved. The city of Turpan and its surroundings have the distinction of being one of the hottest places in the world. In fact, it is known as the Land of Fire of China. In the long, arid summer, temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius and the scorching sand surface can be twice as hot.

Simply perfect for the ancient Uyghur medical practice of sand therapy... something that people from all over China visit to experience. Akbar has been coming here every year for 12 years. He typically stays ten days straight and credits sand therapy with relieving pain in his back, arms and knees. Although Akbar is a veteran of sand therapy, he checks it every day to make sure he doesn't overdo it. Too much of it puts you at risk of dehydration and heat stroke. And people with high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes must get medical clearance to receive the treatment. Akbar feels at home in the burning arena.

Incredibly, he barely breaks a sweat. But Turpan is not all a scorching desert. In fact, much of it has been transformed into lush and abundant farmland, producing a wide range of high-quality fruit in the long, hot and dry summers. And the undoubted star is the humble grape, cultivated here for more than 2,000 years. More than a dozen different varieties are grown here in Grape Valley, and raisins from the region are consumed around the world. That Valley of Grapes exists thanks to an ancient irrigation system known as Karez... an engineering marvel consisting of hundreds of wells connected to more than 5,000 kilometers of underground canals.

Taking advantage of the natural fall of the land, water reaches the crops where it is needed. Much of Grape Valley is still made up of small family farms, young families like Adil and Jamila Imin and their children, Sefiye, who is ten, and Muhamet, who is seven. These huge bunches are the region's famous variety, Manaizi. Although they are highly sought after fresh as table grapes, it is when they are dried, using traditional Turpan methods, that they are taken to another level. These adobe buildings, known as "chunche," are built on exposed ridges and are filled with holes so that the dry desert winds can blow directly through.

Grapes are undoubtedly one of the treasures of Turpan, but not only because of the product itself. Grape Valley is quickly becoming a favorite tourist destination. The combination of high-quality fruit, the romance of the vines cascading over the trellises, and the old-world charm of the local people combine to create a heady drink. Grapes are not the only crop that is successfully grown here. 520,000 hectares of cotton stretch on the horizon. More than 70 percent of China's cotton is grown here. The industry dominates the economy of several parts of Xinjiang, particularly the capital Urumqi and the nearby city of Shihezi.

Ms Yang has worked in the cotton industry for 30 years. This is one of her own cotton fields and the harvest is underway, from dawn to dusk. Although her fields are now harvested by machine, some edge plants are missing and must be harvested by hand. One of the main changes is to stop watering cotton plants by hand, a time-consuming and wasteful practice as much precious water is lost to evaporation. The modern solution is to bury pipes to bring water to the roots, drop by drop. The other big change has been the move to mechanical harvesting. It is said that one machine can do the work of 2,000 workers every day, and it has certainly made Ms.

Yang's life much easier. Although Ms. Yang now saves effort, money and time by using mechanical harvesters, her income still depends on the amount of cotton she can produce. It all comes down to the next few days and she feels the pressure. Mr. Xu is in high demand during harvest time. He owns and operates five harvesting machines and they are currently working day and night. Although mechanical harvesting means there is no more work for seasonal cotton pickers, thousands of new jobs have been created in processing plants and textile factories set up locally to cash in on the boom in cotton production.

And with the Belt and Road initiative providing new high-speed rail links, these industries are in an excellent position to benefit from the expansion of trade. Although some parts of Xinjiang are intensively cultivated, there are vast open areas. Border land, the wild west of China. And, fittingly, there's even a wild horse here. Not a domestic horse that escaped and went wild, but a truly wild horse... - -...the only species in the world. This is the Przewalski horse, named after the Russian explorer Nikolai Przewalski, who described it during his travels in 1881. The nomadic peoples of Xinjiang and Mongolia had hunted the horse for centuries for its meat and hide, but in the 20th century , overhunting, habitat loss and a series of very severe winters caused the Przewalski's horse to be declared "extinct in the wild".

The only surviving members of the species were in European zoos and by the late 1950s there were only 12 left and only nine capable of breeding. An international effort was launched to save the horse, with captive breeding programs in several zoos around the world and here in Xinjiang. The veterinarian and his veterinarian must ensure that any injury or illness is treated quickly and effectively. In such a vulnerable population, any death is a hard blow. Come here. None of Przewalski's horses bred here have been completely returned to the wild. The closest is a herd moved to a wildlife reserve.

Even there, they are closely watched and provided with additional food during the long winter. If the weather is too severe, they are rounded up and returned to the center. It is hoped that one day the wild horse will run completely free again. The survival of Przewalski's horse is hailed as one of the great recoveries in conservation history. It was truly an international effort and there are now an estimated 2,000 horses worldwide, and 350 here in one of their original homes. The people of Xinjiang can come from different ethnic groups and cultures. They may have different beliefs and interests.

But they also have a lot in common. To survive and make a life here... in such an extreme environment, they have to be determined and resilient, with a physical and mental strength that sets them apart. Their attitudes reflect the landscape: dynamic and strong... big and bold. Xinjiang is a place where the past is respected and the future embraced... where the Silk Road, the world's most important trade route, is being revived in spectacular fashion. This long-remote frontier land is quickly becoming, once again, a region of influence and opportunity.