Wild China

The fairytale hills of Guilin and the cormorant fishermen of the Li River form the heart of this exploration of the colourful rice-growing cultures and strange creatures of southern China - a land of endless hills, mysterious caverns, spectacular rock pinnacles and traditional cultures with a taste for wildlife.

Beneath billowing clouds, in China's far south west, rich jungles nestle below towering peaks. Jewel-coloured birds and ancient tribes share forested valleys where wild elephants still roam. These remote forests stretch into northern territories where normally deserts would be found. How do these forests exist? Perhaps the rugged landscape holds the key.

The vast Tibetan plateau is one of the world's most remote places. It's home to chiru antelopes, wild yaks, foxes and bears and a remarkable culture shaped by over one thousand years of Buddhism, while its mountains and glaciers provide a vital life support system for half the planet.

The extreme landscapes north of the Great Wall have shaped some of China's most colourful people and wildlife. From nomadic tribes hunting with eagles to camel trains crossing the Silk Road, from frozen Siberian wastes to baking deserts of Central Asia, life in northern China is always on the edge.

China's heartland is the centre of a five thousand year old civilization. This land is home to the giant panda, golden snub-nosed monkey, and golden takin. China faces environmental problems, but the relationship of the Chinese to their environment is deep and extraordinary.

Ancient tea-growing cultures, traditional seaweed-thatched villages, bird-filled wetlands, rare white dolphins, snake-infested islands and futuristic cities jostle along China's fertile eastern seaboard. Here lies the front-line in the scramble for resources and space between seven hundred million people and a surprising wealth of wildlife.