Born in China

1

(WIND WHOOSHING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

NARRATOR:
China is a land

of myth and mystery.

Almost inconceivably vast and diverse.

From the eastern coastal plain...

through mountain ranges and forests...

to the high plateau of Qinghai.

From this magnificent landscape

are born countless lives.

Each of them part

of a much larger story.

An all-encompassing circle of life...

that is fueled by the love...

the losses, and the hopes...

of many different creatures.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

Our story takes place far

from the bustling cities...

we often think of as China.

It is a story of cranes...

pandas...

antelope...

monkeys...

and leopards.

All of whom call China their home.

(WARBLING)

Among all the creatures

in Chinese mythology...

the crane holds a very special place.

(CRANES WARBLING)

A symbol of longevity

and good fortune...

it is one of the oldest

and most prominent figures

in Chinese art...

dating back thousands of years.

It is said that

when a crane takes flight...

it carries along the spirit

of a departed creature...

from this world to the next.

The Qinghai Plateau in western China...

is the highest

mountain plateau on Earth.

And here, the elusive snow leopard...

rules the range.

This is Dawa.

And this incredible dreamscape

is her home.

At an altitude of

14,000 feet above sea level...

the climate here is

too cold for most mammals.

But Dawa thrives here.

Every part of her body

is designed for this unique terrain...

from her exceptionally long tail...

that helps her maintain balance...

to her gray-dappled fur

that provides the perfect camouflage...

in these rocky surroundings.

Dawa is at the top of her food chain...

and at the top of her game.

She knows every crag

and cranny of this mountain.

This is her turf.

(GROWLS)

But she's picked up a scent.

An unwelcome visitor.

(SNARLING)

The intruder knows

she's in Dawa's territory...

but challenges her, nonetheless.

(GROWLING)

They face off

in a chilling test of nerves.

Dawa must convey strength

or risk a full-on battle.

(BOTH GROWLING)

(GROWLING CONTINUES)

The intruder finally submits.

Dawa retains her supremacy.

For now.

(GROWLS)

Dawa is not a feline

to be messed with...

and right now nothing

could shake her resolve.

After all, it's not just

her hunting grounds...

she's protecting.

(CUBS GROWLING)

To her, these two little cubs...

are the most important things on Earth.

Providing for them

and keeping them safe...

is her life's mission.

Far to the east of Dawa...

in the Sichuan mountain

valleys of central China...

a mere 8,000 feet above sea level...

golden snub-nosed monkeys run wild.

(MONKEYS SCREECHING)

Monkeys have long been

figures of rebellion and mischief...

in Chinese folk tales.

And one of the most

mischievous monkeys

on this mountain...

is Tao Tao.

He's the class clown of his troop...

and an aspiring kung fu master.

At two years old...

Tao Tao no longer needs

to be overseen by his parents.

But he still likes

to come home to his father's side...

after a long day of adventuring.

(SCREECHING)

Tao Tao just loves his dad.

His dad, however,

isn't big on showing affection...

leaving TaoTao feeling

a little unappreciated.

Oh, well.

He can always count on his mother

to shower him with attention.

(INFANT SQUEALING)

But the recent arrival

of a new baby sister in the family...

has spoiled some of

that maternal magic on the home front.

While monkey families

only have one father...

they each have several mothers,

who all help one another

care for their young.

(INFANT SQUEALING)

Tao Tao misses the days

when he used to be

the center of attention...

despite the danger involved.

He's quickly coming to the realization

that he's no longer...

the darling of his family.

This new little bundle of joy

has taken his place.

It seems so unfair...

when all the comfort and acceptance

you've gotten used to...

is suddenly stolen from you.

"Fine, forget it, then!"

This is exactly the kind of thing

that makes a monkey turn to mischief.

Right next door to Tao Tao...

in a lush bamboo forest

on the other side of the mountain...

life is decidedly less stressful.

This is Ya Ya.

A giant panda.

Pandas are basically

the opposite of monkeys.

They're not interested

in stirring up trouble.

They just wanna be left alone to eat...

and relax...

and scratch...

various, different areas.

And once Ya Ya has completed

her morning chores...

she returns to her real focus in life...

(BLEATS)

her newborn daughter, MeiMei.

Outside of raising cubs...

adult female pandas

live almost completely solitary lives.

(WHIMPERS)

So, for Ya Ya...

this is the most

treasured time of her life.

(WHIMPERING)

These two will be spending

the next several months...

snuggled up here inside this den.

But then they'll step out

into the world...

and the real journey will begin.

Up in the higher elevations

of western China...

a very different kind

of family roams the plateau.

Chiru antelope are worshipped...

as sacred creatures in this region.

They are the living embodiment...

of nature's back-and-forth,

seasonal cycle.

(CALLING)

Every spring,

thousands of female chiru...

embark on an epic journey.

But it's a bittersweet occasion.

They must bid farewell to the males...

who will not see them again

for several months.

(BLEATING)

In the meantime...

these bucks will have to

make do on their own.

(HUFFING)

The migration of

these revered creatures...

washes across the mountain plains

of western China...

like an ocean tide.

Their destination?

The legendary Zhuonai Lake...

in the remote uplands

of the Qinghai Plateau.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(CUBS GROWLING)

Dawa's cubs are now old enough...

to venture outside their cave

into the sunshine.

To them, this vast mountain range...

is just one big rocky playground.

(CUBS GROWLING)

Like pandas,

adult snow leopards

live very solitary lives.

So with no one infringing

on her territory...

no competition

for Queen of the Mountain...

she can focus all her attention...

on her young.

Dawa could not be more content.

Nothing compares to being loved

by the ones you love most.

(CUBS GROWLING)

And while Dawa would

love nothing more...

than to just sit back

and watch them climb and play...

she has other responsibilities.

She needs to hunt.

These yaks offer a bounty of meat...

but are far too powerful and dangerous.

She considers this marmot.

(SQUEAKS)

No, she doesn't.

- But these glorious creatures?

- (SHEEP BLEATING)

This is what dinner looks like.

Bharal sheep are Dawa's main prey.

(BLEATING CONTINUES)

Her intimate knowledge

of her home terrain...

helps her locate her prey

and maneuver them...

into rocky narrows and steep slopes...

where they are

more vulnerable to attack.

Like Dawa, these sheep are

built to survive in these mountains.

Their blanched fur

is the ideal camouflage...

and their strong legs

make them remarkably fast and nimble.

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