BBC-WILD CHINA 01 龙之心

叶凝云

The last hidden world   China

最后的隐世净土  中国

For centuries, travellers to China have told tales of magical landscapes

数世纪来 旅人传诵着关于这片神奇土地

and surprising creatures

以及那些神奇生物的传说

Chinese civilization is the world's oldest

中国文明是世界最古老的文明

and today it's largest

而如今是最宏博的

with well over a billion people

那数十亿的人民

It's home to more than 50 distinct ethnic groups

现存超过五十个民族

and a wide range of traditional life styles

以及各式各样贴近自然的

often inclose partnership with nature

传统生活方式

We know that China faces immense social and environmental problems

我们都知道中国面对着着众多社会 环境问题

but there is great beauty here too

但这里也存在着令人窒息的美丽

China is home to the world's highest mountains,

中国有着世界最高峰

vast deserts ranging from from searing hot

从无垠的炙热沙漠

to mind numbing cold

到麻木大脑的寒冷地带

steaming forests

以及那蒸笼般的森林中

harboring rare creatures

隐匿的各种珍稀生物

grassy plains beneath vast horizons

天际下广阔无垠的草原

and rich tropical seas

以及富饶的热带海洋

Now, for the first time ever

现在 我们第一次有机会

we can explore the whole of this great country

深入探索这片伟大的土地

meet some of the surprising and exotic creatures that live here

接触栖息于此的珍奇生物

and consider the relationship of the people and wildlife of China

目睹中国这片神奇土地上

to the remarkable landscaping which they live

人与野生世界的羁绊

This is wild China

这就是最原味的中国

Our exploration of China begins in the warm subtropical south

我们的中国探索之旅始于南方的亚热带

On the Li River  fishermen and birds perch on bamboo rafts

漓江的渔人和鱼鸟栖坐在竹筏上

a partnership that goes back more than a thousand years

这个组合已延续千年之久

This scenery is known throughout the world

这景致已为世人所熟悉

a recurring motif in Chinese paintings

那是中国水墨永恒的主题

and a major tourist attraction

和旅人永远的胜地

The south of China is a vast area

中国南部是片有英国国土

eight times larger than the UK

九倍之大的广阔土地

It's a landscape of hills

这里

but also of water

是山雨的国度

It rains here for up to 250 days a year

这里一年之中有250天在降雨

and standing water is everywhere

到处都是积水

In a floodplain of the Yangtse River

在扬子江的涝原

black-tailed godwits probe the mud in search of worms

黑尾鹬在泥泞中寻索着虫子

But it isn't just wildlife that thrive in this environment

并非只有野生动物在这样的环境下茁壮成长

the swampy ground provides ideal conditions for the remarkable member of the grass family

沼泽般湿润肥沃的土地为作物家族最显著的成员提供了最理想的环境

rice

这就是稻米

The Chinese have been cultivating rice for at least 8 thousand years

中国有着至少8000年的稻米种植史

It has transformed the landscape

他们改变了这块土地

Late winter in southern Yunnan  is a busy time for local farmers

对云南南部的农民而言  冬末是个繁忙的季节

as they prepare the age-old paddy field

ready for the coming spring

因为他们要为即将来临的春天整顿这片古老的稻田

These hill slopes of Yuanyang county

元阳县的山坡以2000M之势

plunge nearly 2000m to the floor of the Red River Valley

斜插于红河谷地的河床

each contains literally thousands of stack terraces carved out by hand using basic digging tools

包含了上千由原始刨掘工具所创造出的梯田

Yunnan's rice terraces are among the oldest human structures in China

云南的梯田是中国最古老人类耕作痕迹中

still ploughed as they always have been

依旧被耕种使用的土地

by domesticated water buffaloes

正如千百年来的习俗一样  

whose ancestors originated in these very valleys

源自云南河谷的家养水牛承担了耕作的重任

This man-made landscape is one of the most amazing engineering feats of preindustrial China

这片人力开拓的土地是工业化前中国最惊奇宏伟的壮景

It seems as if every square inch of land

似乎这里的每一寸土地

has been pressed into cultivation

都被打上了农耕的痕迹

As evening approaches

当薄暮降临

an age-old ritual unfolds

另一场古老的仪式上演

It's the mating season

现在是交配的季节

and male paddy frogs are competing for the attention of females

雄禾田蛙们为了吸引异性而卖力高鸣

But it dosen't always pay to draw too much attention to youself

但这并非总能为你吸引来关注的目光

The Chinese Pond Heron is a crapulous predator

中国池鹭是个饕餮掠食者

Even in the middle of a ploughed paddy field

就算在耕作过的稻田中央

<i>nature is red in beak and claw

也会上演喙与爪的血腥剧目

This may look like a slaughter

或许这看上去像一场屠杀

but as each heron can swallow only one frog at a time

但每只池鹭一次只能吞噬一只蛙

the vast majority will escape to croak another day

此时剩余的多数派得以逃生并获得了明日再度高歌的机会

Terrace paddies like those of YunYang county are found across much of southern China

元阳县这样广泛种植水稻的

This whole vast landscape is dominated by rice cultivation

梯田横贯中国南部

In heated Guizhou province  the Miao minority have developed a remarkable rice culture

苗族人在炎热的贵州发展了高度发达的水稻种植

With every inch of fertile land given over to rice cultivation

苗族人把木屋建立在陡峭低产的山壁上

the Miao build their wooden houses on the steepest and least productive hillsides

用其余每寸丰饶的土地来种植水稻

In Chinese rural life  everything has a use

所有东西在中国农村都自有其用处

dried in the sun manure from the cowsheds  would be used as cooking fuel

牛棚里的肥料在太阳下晒干用作煮饭的燃料

It's midday and the Song family are

tucking into a lunch of rice and vegetables

中午时分  宋家人正饱餐以米和蔬菜为主的中饭

Oblivious to the domestic chitchat

老祖父宋古永置身于天伦之乐外

granddad Guyong Song has serious maters on his mind

寻思着重要的事情

Spring is a start of the rice growing season

春季是稻禾生长的伊始时节

the success of the crop will determin how well the family will eat next year

庄稼的长势决定了来年宋家人的生计

so planting at the right time is critical

因而选择合适的时机进行耕作是至关重要的

The ideal date depends on what the weather will do this year

时机的选择取决于当年的天气情况

never easy to predict

而这些却是永难估料的

But there is some surprising help at hand

但是身边就存在着贴心小帮手

On the cielling of the Song's living room a pair of red-rumped swallow newly arrive from their winter migration

宋家厅堂房梁上的是一对刚从冬季迁徙中归来的金腰燕

is busy fixing up last year's nest

他们正在为装潢新一年度的宅邸而忙碌

In China animals are valued does much for their symbolic meaning as for many good they may do

在中国  动物们被赋予独特的象征意义并被细心呵护

Miao people believe that swallow pairs remain faithful for life

苗族人笃信成双燕终身相伴不离不弃

so their presence is a favor and a blessing

因此他们的存在被视为

bringing happiness to a marriage and good luck to a home

幸福生活与美满婚姻的象征

Like most Miao dwellings, the Song's living room windows look out over the paddy fields

如大多数苗人一样 宋家起居室的窗子可以眺望见成片的梯田

From early spring, one of these windows is always left open to let the swallows come and go freely

从早春起 一扇窗子便为了方便燕子往返穿飞而敞开

Each year granddad Gu knows the exact day the swallows return

古老爹知晓每年燕子归来的确切时间

Miao people believe the birds arrival predicts the timing of a season ahead

苗族人坚信这些鸟儿的归来预示着春季的来临

This year, they were late

然而今年 他们姗姗来迟

so Gu and the other community elders have agreed that rice planting should be delayed accordingly

因而古老爹和其他族中长老一致认为今年的插秧应当推迟

As the Miao prepare their fields for planting

当苗族人为了插秧而整备田地时

the swallows collect mud to repair their nests

燕子们或搜集修整巢穴用的泥巴

and chase after insects across the newly ploughed paddies

或穿越新耕的稻田追逐昆虫

Finally, after weeks of preparation

最终  经过了几周的准备

the ordained time for planting has arrived

这个预定种植的时刻来临了

but first the seedlings must be uproot from the nursery beds

首先  秧苗必须从苗床上连根拔起

and bundled up ready to be transported to their new paddy

扎成捆移植到高处山地

higher up the hillside

那崭新的苗床上

All the Song's neighbors have turned out to help with the transplanting

宋家邻里乡亲全员出动帮助移植

It's how the community has always worked

这是一直来他们的集体协作方式

when the time comes, the Songs will return the favor

当然一旦时刻来临  宋家人也会做出相同行为来报恩

While the farmers are busy in the fields

当农户们忙碌在田埂间时

the swallows fly back and forth with material for their nest

飞燕们则衔着修整巢穴的材料来来往往

Many hands make light work

人多力量大

planting the new paddy takes a little more than an hour

插秧的整个过程只持续了仅一个多小时

Job done, the villagers can relax

当工作完成  农户们得以休息

at least until tomorrow

至少在明天来临之前

But for the nesting swallows, the work of raising a family

然而对这些筑巢的飞鸟而言  修筑家园的宏大工程

has only just begun

才刚刚开始

In the newly planted fields

新耕种的田地里

little egrets hunt for foods

白鹭在寻找食物

The rice paddy harbor tadpoles fish and insects

稻田成了虫 鱼 蝌蚪的乐园

and egrets have chicks to feed

而白鹭正好以此哺育幼鸟

This colony in Chongqing province is established in 1996

重庆自然保护区建立于1996年

when a few dozen birds build nests in the

bamboo grove behind YanGuang village

当成群的鸟儿安家在阳光村后方的小竹林

Believing they were assigned of luck

当地人将其视为幸运的使者

local people initially protected the egrets and the colony grove

他们最初小心保护这些白鹭和他们的栖息地

But their attitude change when the head of the village fell ill

但当村长病重后他们的态度发生了转变

They blame the birds and were all set to destroy their nests

当政府开始介入保护鸟群时

when the local government stepped in to protect them

他们开始敌视鸟群并着手摧毁巢穴

Bendy bamboo may not be the safest nesting place

易弯曲的竹子或许并非安家的最佳场所

but at least these youngsters won't end up at someone's dinner

但至少这些小家伙们不会成为捕食者的腹中餐

These chicks have just had a meal delivered by their mom

这些小家伙刚从母亲嘴里分得美食

quite a challenge for litter beaks

对新生的小嘴着实是一大挑战

Providing their colonies are protected

介于他们的栖息地是受保护的

wading birds like egrets are among the few wild creatures which benefit directly from intensive rice cultivation

像白鹭这样的候鸟是少数直接从发达的水稻种植中获益的鸟类

Growing rice needs lots of water

水稻生长需要大量的水

but even in the rainy south, there are landscapes where water is surprisingly scarce

但即便是在多雨的南方  有些土地也面临缺水的危机

This vast area of southwest China

相当于法国和西班牙国土加起来那么大

the size of France and Spain combined

的中国西南的广阔土地

is famous for its clusters of conical hills

因为宛如被干燥中空的谷地隔离开来的巨大蛋盒般

like giant upturned egg carton

seperated by dry empty valleys

连绵的锥形山脉而闻名于世

This is the karst

这就是喀斯特地貌

a limestone terrain which has become the defining image of southern China

石灰石地貌俨然成为南部中国的标志性特征

Karst landscapes are often studded with rocky outcrops

喀斯特地貌通常以突起的裸岩状态分布

forcing local farmers to cultivate tiny fields

这迫使当地农民只得在破碎的小块土地上耕作

The people who live here are among the poorest in China

当地人是中国最贫穷的居民之一

In neighboring Yunnan province

在毗邻的云南省

limestone rocks have taken over entirely

遍布着石灰石

This is the famous Stone Forest

这就是著名的石林

the product of countless years of erosion

无数年侵蚀作用的产物

producing a maze of deep gullets and sharp-edged pinnacles

造就了无数的狭道与巅峰

Limestone has a strange property that is dissolves in rain water

石灰石有一个独性  那就是能被雨水分解

Over many thousands of years, water has corrode its way deep into the heart of the bedrock itself

在数千年的漫长光阴中  水的侵蚀深入到岩床的心脏地带

This natural wonder has a famous tourist spot

这一自然奇观成为了著名的旅游景点

receiving close to 2 million visitors each year

每年的访客数量多达200万人

The Chinese are fond of curiously shaped rocks

中国人特别喜好奇形怪状的岩石

and many have been given fanciful names

并以为嶙峋怪石冠上千奇百怪的名字为乐

No prices for guessing what this one is called

但没人来猜测这个块怪石的名字

But there is more to this landscape than meets the eye

但百闻不如置身这片奇妙山地亲身一见

China has literally thousands of mysterious caverns

在中国醒目的喀斯特地貌下

concealed beneath the visible landscape of the karst

隐匿着无数的神秘洞穴

Much of this hidden world has never been seen by human eyes

这些隐秘世界大多不为世人所知

And it's only just now being explored

而现在他们将被展现在世人眼前

For a growing band of intrepid young Chinese explorers

奇险洞穴中再现了一场终极的探险

caves represent the ultimate adventure

主角是一群日渐成长 初生牛犊般的年轻探险家

Exploring a cave is like taking the journey through time

探索一个洞穴  犹如一场穿越时空的探险

a journey which endless raindrops would have followed over countless centuries

常年积水叮咚伴随着无止境般的旅途

Fed by countless drips and trickles

水滴潺潺落下

the subterranean river carves ever deeper into the rock

地下河流深切入岩

The cave river's course is channeled by the beds of limestone

石灰岩河床将洞穴的河道分割成千沟万壑

A weakness in the rock can not allow the river to increase its gradient flowrate

石灰岩薄弱处被河水冲刷差距的陡坡处水量激增

providing a real challenge for the cave explorers

为洞穴探险带来相当的挑战

The downward rushes halted when the water table is reached

水流到达地下水位后便停止下流

Here the slow flowing river carves tunnels with a more rounded profile

这里缓缓流动的河流切割出一条圆形隧道

This tranquil world is home to specialized cave fishes

这静谧的世界是穴居鱼的家

like the eye-less Golden Barb

比如无目金鲃

China may have unique kinds of cave evolved fishes

中国或许拥有地球上种类最为繁多的

than anywhere else on Earth

洞穴进化鱼

Above the water table

在地下水位线

ancient caverns abandoned by the river slowly fill up with stalactites and stalagmites

远古洞穴溢满的河水中充斥着石笋和钟乳石

Stalactites form as trickling water deposites tiny quantities of rock

含有沉积物的水流

over hundreds or thousands of years

在千万年间“滴水成石”

Stalagmites grow up where lime laid and drips hit the cave floor

含有石灰质的水滴落石床形成石笋

So far, only a fraction of China's caves have been thoroughly prospected

迄今为止被探索发掘的中国洞穴是中国大地上的九牛一毛

and caves are constantly discovering new subterranean marvels

而被发掘的洞穴不断为我们展现地底奇观

many of which are subsequently developed into commercial show caves

许多在后来被开发成了商业景点

Finally escaping the darkness

探索者沿着洞穴河流出山谷的轨迹逃离了黑暗

the cave river and its human explorers emerge in a valley far from where their journey began

在远离出发地的河谷

or now the adventure is over

这场冒险拉上了帷幕

Rivers which issue from caves

源自洞穴河流

are the key to survival in the karst country

为喀斯特地区提供了生命之泉

This vertical gorge in Guizhou province

贵州的垂直峡谷

is a focal point for the region's wildlife

成为了当地野生动物的密集焦点

This is one of the world's rarest primates

这是世界上最珍稀的灵长类之一

Francois's langur

白颊黑叶猴

In China, they survive in just two southern provinces

在中国他们只残存于两个南部省份

Guizhou and Guangxi

贵州与广西

always in ragged limestone terrains

多半栖息于崎岖的石灰岩地貌地带

Like most monkeys, they're social creatures

正如大多数猴子一样 他们是社会性生物

and spend a great deal of time  grooming each other

并且他们乐于耗费大把时间为彼此整理仪容

Langurs are essentially vegetarian with a diet of buds, fruits, and tender young leaves

叶猴是个不折不扣以嫩芽、嫩叶、水果为食的素食主义者

Babies are born with ginger fur

叶猴宝宝裹着姜黄色的毛发出生

which gradually turns black from the tail end

这些毛发随着生长逐渐从尾部开始变成黑色

Young infants have a vise-like grip

叶猴宝宝虎钳般的爪

used for cling on to mom for dare life

帮助他们附着在妈妈身上以保证安全

As they get older

随着年龄的增长

they get bolder and take more risks

他们越发胆大，并开始常识更多刺激

Those have survive spend a lot of time travelling

这些是经历诸多冒险后的幸存者

Yet experienced adults know exactly where to find seasonal food

尽管经验丰富的成年叶猴深知

in different parts of their range

到守备范围内不同区域的哪里去寻觅当季的食物

In such steep terrain

在如此陡峭的地带

travel involves a high level of climbing skill

旅途顺利包含了高超的攀爬技巧

These monkeys are spectacularly good rock climbers from the time they learnt to walk

这些猴子打会走路起就是卓越的攀岩专家

In langur society

叶猴族群

females rule the roost

是母系社会

and take the lead when the family is on the move

并且是举家迁徙的领队人物

One section of cliff

峭壁一侧

woops is a trickle of mineral-rich water

分泌的水是富含矿物质的

which the monkeys seem to find irresistible

这对猴子们而言是不可抗拒的诱惑

These days there are few predators in the Mayanghe Reserve which might pose a risk to baby monkey

如今麻阳河自然保护区已鲜有危及猴宝宝的捕食者

but in past centuries, this area of south China

然而在过去的数个世纪

was home to leopards, pythons, and even tigers

中国南部的这个地区是豹子 巨蟒 甚至老虎的家

To survive dangerous night prowlers

为了在暗夜潜行者的利爪下存活

the langurs went underground

叶猴们前往地底

using their rock climbing skills to seek shelter in inaccessible caverns

用他们的高超的攀爬技巧爬到洞穴上方寻找庇护所

Filmed in near darkness using a night vision camera

夜视镜在近乎黑暗的坏境下记录下

the troop clambers along familiar ledges

叶猴一家爬上了

worn smooth by generations before them

被数代猴族磨蚀光润的石壁的情景

During cold winter weather

当冬日寒冷来袭

the monkeys venture deeper underground

猴子们则冒险潜入

where the air stays comparatively warm

空气相对保持温暖的地下

At last, journeys end,

旅途的终点

a coated niche beyond the reach of even the most enterprising predator

高悬的庇护所使得最激进的捕食者都束手无策

But it's not just monkeys that find shelter in caves

并非只有猴子们在洞穴中寻找遮蔽

These children are off to school

这些孩子们刚放学

In rural China, that may mean a long trek each morning

在中国农村每天早上都意味着一段

passing through a cave or two on the way

穿越一两个洞穴的艰苦跋涉

But not all pupils have to walk to school

然而并非所有孩子都要徒步上学

These children are boarders

这些孩子是寄宿生

As the day pupils near journey's end

当孩子们快要到达学校时

the boarders are still making breakfast

住宿生还在做早饭

In the school yard, someone seems to have switched the lights off

校园内仿若被关掉了灯一般黑暗

But this is no ordinary play ground

但这里其实并没有正规的操场

and no ordinary school

以及正规的学校

Its house

只不过是座

inside a cave

洞穴中的房屋而已

A natural vault of rock keeps out the rain

天然拱顶阻隔了雨水

so there is no need for a roof on the classroom

为教室省去了屋顶

Zhongdong cave school is made up of 6 classes

中东洞穴学校由六个班级

with a total of 200 children

共200名学生组成

As well as a school, the cave houses 18 families

如同这所学校般 这个洞穴住宅区

together with their livestock

是18户人家和他们牲畜的聚居地

This could be the only cave dwelling cows on Earth

这或许是世界上唯一在洞穴中饲养的牛了

With school work over, it's play time at last

放学后是游戏的时间

In southern China, caves aren't just used for shelter

在中国南方  洞穴不仅用于遮蔽

they can be a source of revenue for the community

他们也能为当地人带来恩惠

People have been visiting this cave for generations

数代的人持续受到洞穴的恩泽

The cave floor is covered in guano

洞穴地底覆盖了满满鸟粪

so plentiful that 10 minutes' work can fill these farmer's baskets

仅仅十分钟时间就能让农人满载而归

This used as a valuable source of fertilizer

这是一种宝贵的天然肥料

A clue to the source of the guano can be heard above the noise of the river

鸟粪的源头能听到河水上空的鸟鸣

The sound originates high up in the roof of the cave

噪音因为山洞而被放大

The entrance is full of swifts

入口处聚满了雨燕

They are very sociable birds

他们是社交性动物

more than 200,000 of them share this cave in southern Guizhou province

约200000多的共享贵州南部的洞穴

The biggest swift colony in China

中国最大的雨燕栖息地

These days, Chinese house swifts

mostly nest in the roofs of buildings

如今 中国的家燕多数将巢穴建在建筑物的屋顶

but rock crevasses like these were their original home

但其实在房屋被发明出来之前

long before houses were invented

这样的岩缝才是他们原本安家的地方

Though the swifts depend on the cave for shelter

尽管雨燕依靠洞穴遮蔽

they never stray further than the limits of daylight

他们却必定在日落前归巢

as their eyes can't see in dark

因为他们的眼睛无法在黑夜中看清事物

However, deep inside the cavern

然而洞穴深处

are the creatures are better equipped

是一群更适应地下

for subterranean life

隐秘生活的居民

A colony of bats is just waking up

一群蝙蝠刚刚醒来

using ultrasonic squeaks to orientate themselves in the darkness

他们运用超声波在黑夜中确定自己的方位

Night is the time to go hunting

夜晚是狩猎时间

Rickett's mouse-eared bat is the only bat in Asia which specializes in catching fishes

Rickett鼠耳蝠是亚洲蝙蝠中唯一

tracking them down from the sound reflection of ripples on the water surface

通过在水面依靠声波对涟漪的反射追踪游鱼的蝙蝠种

This extraordinary behavior was only discovered in the last couple of years

这种非凡的技巧仅在数年前被发现

and has never been filmed before

现在首次被记录下来展示给世人

If catching fish in the dark is impressive

如果说在黑暗中追捕游鱼是如此的不可思议

imagine eating a slippery minnow with no hands while hanging upside down

想象下倒挂状态下不用爪子吞食滑溜溜的米诺鱼是怎样的神奇场景

Dawn, over the karst hills of Guilin

拂晓降临至桂林的喀斯特山地

These remarkable hills owe their peculiar shapes

这些山地的嶙峋奇秀归功于

to the mildly acid waters of the Li River

漓江那弱酸性的水质

whose meandering course over eons of time has corrode away their basis

亿万年的侵蚀褪去了他们的本来面目

until only the rocky course remained

只剩下坚硬的河道残留下来

Li is one of the cleanest rivers in China

漓江是中国最清澈的河流之一

a favorite spot for fishermen with their trained cormorants

是捕鱼者和他们训练有素的鸬鹚最爱的捕获点

The men, all called Huang, come from the same village

这帮七八十岁的男人全部姓黄

now in their seventies and eighties

他们来自同一个村落

they've been fishermen all their lives

他们毕生都以捕鱼为生

Before they release the birds

在释放鱼鸟之前

they tie a noose, loosely around the neck

他们在鸟的脖子上松松的系一条套索

to stop them swallowing any fish they may catch

以防止鸟儿私自将捕到的鱼吞进肚子里

Chancing and dancing, the Huangs encourage their birds to take the plunge

伴随着即兴的舞蹈， 黄老汉鼓励着他的鸟儿们跳入水中

Underwater

在水下

the cormorant's hunting instinct kicks in

鸬鹚的狩猎本能暴发

turning them into fish seeking missiles

他们化身为水下的游鱼追踪导弹

Working together,

一只鸬鹚小分队搭档合作齐心协力

a good cormorant team can catch a couple of dozen decent-sized fish in a morning

一早上便能收获颇丰

The birds return to the raft with their fish because they've been trained to do so

鸟儿们被训练过只能带着鱼儿回到筏子

From the time it first hatched

从出生的那一刻起

each of these cormorants has been reared to a life of obedience to its master

鸬鹚们就开始被训练为忠仆

The birds are, in effect, slaves

这些鸟儿是高效的奴隶

But they are not stupid

但是它们并不是白痴

It's said the cormorants can key the tally of the fish they catch

据说鸬鹚能够记住它们捕获的鱼的数目

at least up to seven

至少能记住七条

So unless they get a reward now and then,they simply withdraw their labor

除非它们不时得到打赏 当然这不过是收回一点自己的劳动成果罢了

The fishermen of course keep the best fish for themselves

渔夫理所当然得把最好的鱼留给自己

The cormorants get the leftover tiddlies

鸬鹚则能享受剩余的部分

With its collar removed，the bird can at last swallow its prize

项圈摘除后  鸟儿们终于能享用它的战利品了

Best of all,when it isn't meant to have...

最美妙的莫过于得到额外的打赏

These days,competition for modern fishing techniques

而如今  现代捕鱼技术的激烈竞争

means the Huangs can't make a living from traditional cormorant fishing alone

意味着使黄老汉已不能仅靠鸬鹚捕鱼这一传统的手段谋生了

And this 1300-year old tradition

这一流传了1300多年的传统

is now practiced mostly to entertain tourists

如今只能成为取悦游客的表演

But on Caohai lake in nearby Guizhou Province

但在贵州省附近的草海湖上

an even more unusual fishing industry is alive and well

一种与众不同的捕鱼业正在蓬勃发展

Geng Zhongsheng is on his way to set out his net for the night

庚钟胜正在去为夜间布网的路上

Geng's net is a strange tubular contraption with a closed off end

老庚的怪网是一种一头扎起来的管状装置

More than a hundred fishermen make their living from the lake

上百渔夫依靠这个

Its mineral-rich waters are highly productive

水质富矿的高产湖泊为生

and there are nets everywhere

并在此布下天罗地网

The next morning, Geng returns with his son to collect his catch

第二天清早老耿和他的儿子回来收获他们猎物

At first sight, it looks disappointing

乍看之下收获平平

Tiny fishes, lots of shrimps, and some wriggling bugs

小鱼.虾米.和扭个不停的虫子

Geng doesn't seem too down hearted

然而老耿看上去来并不那么消沉

The larger fish are kept alive

大鱼被保持存活

the only way they'll stay fresh in the heat

这是唯一在酷暑下保鲜的办法

Surprisingly, some of the bugs are also singled out for special treatment

令人吃惊的是  一些虫子也被专门挑捡出来

They are the young stage of dragonflies

它们是蜻蜓的幼虫

predators that feed on worms and tadpoles

以蠕虫和蝌蚪为食的掠食者

Nowhere else in the world are dragonfly nymphs harvested like this

这里是世界上蜻蜓卵收获最丰的地方

Back home, Geng spreads his catch on the roof to dry

回到家后  老耿把他的获物在屋顶上摊开晒干

It's being in China, nothing edible would be wasted

在中国，但凡能吃的东西都不会被浪费

There is a saying in the far south

在遥远的南方有这样一种说法

"We will eat anything with legs, except a table;

“长腿的唯桌子不吃

and anything with wings, except a plane."

长翅膀的独飞机不啃”

Within a few hours, the dried insects are ready to be backed up and taken to market

几个钟头后  这些晒干了的昆虫便会被带到市场上卖掉

Its the dragonfly nymphs that fetch the best price

其中蜻蜓蛹能卖到最好的价格

Fortunately, Caohai's dragonflies are abundant and fast breeding

幸运的是  草海的蜻蜓资源非常丰富且高速再生

so Geng and his fellow fishermen have so far had little impact on their numbers

所以老耿和其他的渔民远不会危及它们的数量

But not all wildlife is so resilient

但绝非所有野生动物都这样生机勃勃

This buddhist temple near Shanghai

这所上海附近的佛庙

has an extraordinary story attached to it

有一段与之相关的传奇故事

In May 2007

2007年5月

A Wild China camera team filmed this peculiar Swinhoe's turtle

一支狂野中国摄制组在这所寺庙的鱼塘里

in the temple's fishpond

拍摄到了这只罕见的斑龟

According to the monks, this turtle had been given to the temple during the Ming dynasty

据寺庙的和尚所说  这只龟在明朝期间被赐予寺庙

over 400 years ago

至今已有400余年历史了

It was thought to be the oldest animal on Earth

它被认为是地球上最老的动物

Soft shell turtles are considerd a god-made delicacy by many Chinese

软壳龟被很多从中国人视为神赐的馈赠

and when it was filmed

在被记录下的时候

this was one of just three Swinhoe's Turtles left alive in China

它已是中国仅存的三只斑龟之一

The rest of its kind having been rounded up and eaten

他的同胞们被当作食物剿杀殆尽

Sadly, just a few weeks after filming

悲痛人心的是在拍摄后的短短几周后

this ancient creature died

这只远古的生物与世长辞了

The remaining individuals of its species are currently kept in seperate zoos

他的其他同类现在被散养在不同动物园保护着

and Swinhoe's Turtle is now reckoned extinct in the wild

据测算现在斑龟在自然界中已经灭绝了

In fact, most of the 25 types of fresh water turtles in China

事实上  中国25种淡水龟中

are now vanishingly rare

多数都已然濒危

The answer to extinction

杜绝物种灭绝的唯一途径

is protection

就是加以保护

And there is now a growing network of nature reserves through southern China

这里有贯穿中国南方的不断壮大的自然保护区网络

Of these, the Tianzi Mountain Reserve at Zangjiajie is perhaps the most visited by Chinese nature lovers

其中 张家界天子山那由沙石构成的高耸的

who come to marvel at the gravity-defying landscape of soaring sand stone pinnacles

塔状反重力地貌最受中国自然爱好者的青睐

Winding between Zhangjiajie's peaks

蜿蜒在张家界的山峰间清澈见底的溪流

crystal clear mountain streams are home to what is perhaps China's strangest creature

居住着一种中国最奇怪的生物

This bizarre animal is a type of newt

这种奇异的动物 属于蝾螈的一种

the Chinese Giant Salamander

中国大鲵

In China, it is known as the baby fish

在中国  它被称之为娃娃鱼

because when distressed, it makes a sound like a crying infant

这名称源自当他悲伤时发出的类似婴儿哭泣的声音

It grows up to a meter and a half long

成年体长1~1.5米

making it the world's largest amphibian

这使它成为世界上最大的两栖类动物

Under natural conditions, a Giant Salamander may live decades

在自然条件下  一只大鲵可以活到十岁

But like so many Chinese animals

但是和很多其他中国动物一样

it is considered delicious to eat

它被视为美味佳肴

Despite being classed as protected species

尽管被列为国家级保护动物

giant salamanders are still illegally sold for food

大鲵仍然被当作食物非法买卖

and the baby fish is now rare

现在娃娃鱼已经非常稀有

and endangered in the wild

在自然界濒临灭绝了

Fortunately in a few areas like Zhangjiajie,

幸运的是在像张家界这样的一些地方

Giang Salamanders still survive under strict official protection

大鲵在政府的严格保护下得以幸存

The rivers of Zhangjiajie flow northeast into the Yangtse floodplain

张家界的河流向东北注入

known as the land of fish and rice

以鱼米之乡文明的长江平原

On an island in a lake in Anhui province

在安徽省一个湖泊的小岛上

a dragon is stirring

一只小龙蠢蠢欲动

This is the ancestral home of China's largest and rarest reptile

这里是中国最大最稀有爬行动物的古老家园

A creature of mystery and legend

一种传说中的神秘生物

Dragon eggs are greatly prized

龙卵是非常珍贵的

these babies need to hatch out quick

这些孩子们需要快点孵化出来

It would seem someone is on their trail

看起来有人正在进行搜寻

For a helpless baby reptile

对一只无助的爬行类幼仔来说

imprisoned in a leathery membrane inside a choky shell

囚禁在令人窒息的蛋壳的坚韧隔膜里

a process of hatching

在孵化过程中

is a titanic struggle

需要拼尽全力挣扎

And time is running out

时间在不断流逝

It's taken 2 hours for the little dragon to get its head out of this egg

小鳄鱼需要耗费2个小时才能将脑袋伸出蛋壳

It needs to gather its strength now

现在是拼尽全力

a final massive push

进行最后奋力一击的时刻

Free at last

最终获得自由

the baby Chinese alligators instinctively head upwards toward the surface of the nest

扬子幼鳄出于本能的向巢的表面爬去

and waiting outside world

迎接全新的世界

But the visitors are not what they seem

但造访者并不是它们的同类

Sheshuzhen and her son live nearby

佘淑珍和她的儿子就住在附近

She has been caring for her local alligators for over 20 years

她已经照顾当地的扬子鳄20多年了

so she had fair idea when the eggs will likely to hatch

所以当这些蛋快要孵化的时候她有一个不错的主意

Back home, she's built a pond,

回到家里 她建了一个用网围起来

surrounded by netting to keep out predators

以隔离捕食者的水塘

where her charges will spend the next 6 months

在接下来的六个月内加以保护

until they are big enough to fend for themselves

直到他们长得足够自立

For the past twenty years

过去的20年里

small scale conservation projects like this are all that have kept China's 150 wild alligators from extinction

靠着像这样小规模的保护措施中国150只野生扬子鳄免遭灭绝

Just south of the alligator country

就在饲养鳄鱼村落的正南方

dawn breaks over a very different landscape

黎明破晓之光照耀出一幅不同的画卷

The 1,800 meter high granite peaks of the Huangshan

黄山那海拔1800米的 花岗岩巅峰

or yellow mountain

又称为黄之山

To the Chinese

对中国人而言

Huangshan's pines are peak mines,the strength, and resilience of nature

黄山松象征着自然蓬勃的生命力与不屈的精神

Some of these trees are thought to be over a thousand years old

其中一些树据说已超过千岁

Bellow the granite peaks

在这花岗岩巅峰下

steep forest in the valleys shelter surprising inhabitants

陡峭峡谷的森林中隐藏着令人惊讶的居民

Huangshan macaques

黄山猕猴

rare descendents of the Tibetan macaques of western China

隶属中国西部西藏短尾猴家族中稀有的分支

are unique to these mountain valleys where they enjoy strict official protection

自得其乐的生活在这政府保护的山谷中

After a morning spent in the treetops

在树梢度过了早上之后

the troop is heading for the shade of the valley

猴群转移到了山谷的阴凉处

a chance for the grownups escape the heat

这是它们躲避酷暑的绝佳契机

and maybe pickup a lanch snack from the stream

他们甚至还在溪流中寻觅零食

As in most monkey societies

正如多数猴子社会一样

social contact involves a lot of grooming

相互梳理毛发是社交的重要一环

Grooming is all very well for grownups

梳理毛发对成年猴子非常有益

But young macaques have energy to burn

但是年轻的小猕猴总爱尽情挥霍精力

Like so much monkey business

所谓猴性难改

what starts off is a bit of playful rough-and-tumble

起初不过是顽皮的混战

soon begin to get out of hand

随后就会暴走失控

The alpha male has seen it all before

然而猴王早就看穿了一切

he's not in the least bothered

他全然一副眼不见心不烦的样子

but someone or something is watching with a less than friendly interest

然而却有人虎视眈眈的关注着一切

The  Chinese Moccasin is ambush predator with a deadly bite

五步蛇是拥有死亡之吻的暗杀者

This is one of China's largest and most feared venomous snakes

这是中国最大最恐怖的剧毒蛇之一

But the mondkeys have lived alongside these dangerous serpent for thousands of years

但是猴子们已经与这种危险的毒蛇共存了数千年

They use this, specific alarm call, to warn each other whenever a snake is spotted

每当发现由这种斑点的蛇时它们就用这种特殊的叫声来相互警告

Once its cover is blown, the bite proposes no threat to the monkeys

一旦警报响起  毒蛇的袭击便对猴子丧失了威胁

now safe in the treetops

他们转移至安全的树梢

And life soon returens to normal

一切归于平静

By later summer, the rice fields of southern China

夏末的中国南部

have turn to gold

是一片璀璨的金色稻海

The time has come to bring in the harvest

如今是丰收的季节

Nowadays, modern high yield strains are grown throughout much of the rice lands

如今现代高产人工田占据了中国的大片土地

Boosted by chemical fertilizers

受化学肥料的滋养

and reaped by combine harvesters

并用联合收割机进行大规模收割

This is the great rice bowl of China

这里是世界上最大的水稻种植区

producing a quarter of the world's rice

占据世界水稻产量的四分之一

Insects, stirred up by the noisy machines,

被机器轰鸣惊扰的虫子

are snapped up by gangs of red-rumped swallows

马上成为了一群红尾燕的腹中餐

including this year's youngsters

包括新生儿——

who have fledged several weeks ago

数周前刚刚羽翼丰满的新燕

This could be their last feast before they head for the winter

这也许是它们在动身渡冬到来前最后的聚餐了

Mechanized farming works best in the flat bottom valleys of the lowland

机械农具最适宜在山谷低地的平坦处工作

To the south, in the terraced hills in Zhejiang province

在南面  浙江省连绵起伏的丘陵地带

an older and simpler lifestyle persists

人们坚持这一种古老而又简单的生活方式

It's 7 in the morning

现在是清晨7点

and Longxian's most successful business man

龙现村最成功的商人

is off to work

出门工作

In the golden terraces surrounding the village

在金黄梯田环绕的小村落

the ears of rice are plump and right for harvesting

饱满的稻穗正待收获

But today, rice isn't upon the most in Mr Yang's mind

然而今天稻子却不是老杨心中首位

He has bigger fish to fry

他有更重要的事要做

Further at valley, the harvest has already began

在山谷地带丰割已然开始

Yang's fields are ripe too

老杨的田地也临近丰收

but they haven't been drained yet

但收割却尚未完成

That's because for him, rice is not the main crop

这是因为稻米并非他最主要的作物

The baskets he's carried up the hillside give a clue to Yang's business

他带上山坡的篮子泄露了老杨营生的秘密

But before he starts work

在他开工前

he needs to let some water out of the system

他先需要释放些水出来

As the water level drops

谜底随着水位的下降

the mystery is revealed

而水落石出

golden carp

金鲤

Longxian villages discoverd the benefits of transferring wild caught carp into their paddy fields long ago.

龙现人在很久前便沿用稻鱼共生至今

The tradition has been going on here for at least 700 years

这一传统延续了七百多年之久

As the water level in the paddy drops

当禾田里的水位下降

bamboo gate stop the fish's escaping

竹阀门阻止了金鲤的潜逃

The beauty of this farming method

这一神奇的生态养殖方式

is that it delivers two crops from the same field at the same time

同时同地丰获了两大农产

fish

鱼

and rice

与米

Smart ecology like this

如此充满智慧的生态养殖

is what enables China to be largely self-sufficient in food

即便今时今日也在为中国农副产品的

even today

自给自足奠定着基础

Back in the village

回到村庄后

Yang has his own smoke house

老杨进入自己的熏房

where he preserves his fish ready for market

为贩售而准备他的鱼

Longxian carp have unusually soft scales

龙现鲤有着柔软的鳞

and a very delicate flavor

和美妙的味道

perhaps as a result of the local water

这或许拜当地水质所赐

Meanwhile, outside the smoke house

此时此刻的熏房外

there is something fishy going on

古灵精怪的小家伙们蠢蠢欲动

To mark the harvest

为了庆祝丰收

the village is staging a party

村民举行了一场盛会

Children from Longxian school

龙现小学的孩子们

have spent weeks preparing for their big moment

为了此刻的盛会准备了数周

Everyone from the community is here to support them

全村上下在这天前来捧场

The rice growing cycle is complete

水稻种植循环体系完美无缺

By November

十一月

northern China is becoming distinctly chilly

中国北方日渐寒冷

but the south is still relatively warm and welcoming

而南方则相对温暖和煦

Accross the vast expanse of Poyang lake

飞鸟掠过鄱阳湖广阔的湖面

the birds are gathering

聚集在一起

Tundra swans are long-distance migrant from northern Siberia

苔原天鹅从遥远的北西伯利亚迁徙至此

To the Chinese, they symbolize the essence of natural beauty

对中国人而言  他们象征着至高无上的自然美

The Poyang Lake Nature Reserve offers winter refuge to more than a quarter of a million birds

鄱阳湖自然保护区为超过100个种类

for than 100 species

25万之多鸟类的提供天然栖息地

creating one of southern China's finest wildlife experiences

成为中国南方最令人叹为观止的自然盛景

The last birds to arrive at Poyang

最后抵达此地的是跨越千山万水

are those which have made the longest journey to get here

艰难跋涉至此的鸟群

All the way from the arctic coast of Siberia

他们来自西伯利亚北极海岸

The Siberian Crane, known in China, the White Crane

西伯利亚鹤在中国被成为白鹤

is seen as a symbol of good luck

被视作吉祥的象征

Each year, almost the entire world population of these critically endangered birds

每年这些濒临灭绝的鸟儿们

make a 9000km round trip

都要为了在鄱阳湖过寒假

to spend the winter at Poyang

而跋涉9000公里的往返旅行

Like the white cranes

和白鹤一样

many of southern China's unique animals face pressure from exploitation and competition with people

中国南部众多独特生物不得不面对人类开发利用自然

over space and resources

所带来的环境与资源压力

But if China is leaving proof of anything

然而这些生命力旺盛的野生动物

it is that wildlife is surprisingly resilient

证明了中国正在采取行动

Given the right help

通过适当的措施

even the rarest creatures can return from the brink

即便是最珍稀的生物也能获得救赎

If we show the will

只要我们展现意志

nature

大自然

will find the way.

会为我们找到出路