1、美丽中国（Wild China）第一集 龙之心 Heart of the Dragon 校正版最后的隐世净土 The last hidden world中国 China数世纪来 旅人传诵着关于这片神奇土地 For centuries, travellers to China have told tales of magical landscapes以及那些神奇生物的传说 and surprising creatures中国文明是世界最古老的文明 Chinese civilization is the worlds oldest而如今是最宏博的 and today its largest那数十亿
2、的人民 with well over a billion people现存超过五十个民族 Its home to more than 50 distinct ethnic groups以及各式各样贴近自然的 and a wide range of traditional life styles传统生活方式 often inclose partnership with nature我们都知道中国面对着着众多社会 环境问题 We know that China faces immense social and environmental problems但这里也存在着令人窒息的美丽 but the
3、re is great beauty here too中国有着世界最高峰 China is home to the worlds highest mountains,从无垠的炙热沙漠 vast deserts ranging from from searing hot到麻木大脑的寒冷地带 to mind numbing cold以及那蒸笼般的森林中 steaming forests隐匿的各种珍稀生物 harboring rare creatures天际下广阔无垠的草原 grassy plains beneath vast horizons以及富饶的热带海洋 and rich tropical
4、seas现在 我们第一次有机会 Now, for the first time ever深入探索这片伟大的土地 we can explore the whole of this great country接触栖息于此的珍奇生物 meet some of the surprising and exotic creatures that live here目睹中国这片神奇土地上 and consider the relationship of the people and wildlife of China人与野生世界的羁绊 to the remarkable landscaping which
5、they live这就是最原味的中国 This is wild China仅以此献给我们多灾多难但美丽依旧的祖国 For our troubled but drop-dead beautiful motherland我们的中国探索之旅始于南方的亚热带 Our exploration of China begins in the warm subtropical south漓江的渔人和鱼鸟栖坐在竹筏上 On the Li River fishermen and birds perch on bamboo rafts这个组合已延续千年之久 a partnership that goes back
6、more than a thousand years这景致已为世人所熟悉 This scenery is known throughout the world那是中国水墨永恒的主题 a recurring motif in Chinese paintings和旅人永远的胜地 and a major tourist attraction中国南部是片有英国国土 The south of China is a vast area九倍之大的广阔土地 eight times larger than the UK这里 是山雨的国度 Its a landscape of hills but also of
7、water这里一年之中有250天在降雨 It rains here for up to 250 days a year到处都是积水 and standing water is everywhere在扬子江的涝原 In a floodplain of the Yangtse River黑尾鹬在泥泞中寻索着虫子 black-tailed godwits probe the mud in search of worms并非只有野生动物在这样的环境下茁壮成长 But it isnt just wildlife that thrive in this environment沼泽般湿润肥沃的土地为作物家族
8、最显著的成员提供了最理想的环境 the swampy ground provides ideal conditions for the remarkable member of the grass family这就是稻米 rice中国有着至少8000年的稻米种植史 The Chinese have been cultivating rice for at least 8 thousand years他们改变了这块土地 It has transformed the landscape对云南南部的农民而言 冬末是个繁忙的季节 Late winter in southern Yunnan is a
9、busy time for local farmers因为他们要为即将来临的春天整顿这片古老的稻田 as they prepare the age-old paddy field ready for the coming spring元阳县的山坡以2000M之势 These hill slopes of Yuanyang county斜插于红河谷地的河床 plunge nearly 2000m to the floor of the Red River Valley包含了上千由原始刨掘工具所创造出的梯田 each contains literally thousands of stack te
10、rraces carved out by hand using basic digging tools云南的梯田是中国最古老人类耕作痕迹中 Yunnans rice terraces are among the oldest human structures in China依旧被耕种使用的土地 still ploughed as they always have been正如千百年来的习俗一样 by domesticated water buffaloes源自云南河谷的家养水牛承担了耕作的重任 whose ancestors originated in these very valleys这
11、片人力开拓的土地是工业化前中国最惊奇宏伟的壮景 This man-made landscape is one of the most amazing engineering feats of preindustrial China似乎这里的每一寸土地 It seems as if every square inch of land都被打上了农耕的痕迹 has been pressed into cultivation当薄暮降临 As evening approaches另一场古老的仪式上演 an age-old ritual unfolds现在是交配的季节 Its the mating sea
12、son雄禾田蛙们为了吸引异性而卖力高鸣 and male paddy frogs are competing for the attention of females但这并非总能为你吸引来关注的目光 But it dosent always pay to draw too much attention to youself中国池鹭是个饕餮掠食者 The Chinese Pond Heron is a crapulous predator就算在耕作过的稻田中央 Even in the middle of a ploughed paddy field也会上演喙与爪的血腥剧目 nature is r
13、ed in beak and claw或许这看上去像一场屠杀 This may look like a slaughter但每只池鹭一次只能吞噬一只蛙 but as each heron can swallow only one frog at a time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 the vast majority will escape to croak another day元阳县这样广泛种植水稻的 Terrace paddies like those of YunYang county are found across much of southern Chi
14、na梯田横贯中国南部 This whole vast landscape is dominated by rice cultivation苗族人在炎热的贵州发展了高度发达的水稻种植 In heated Guizhou province the Miao minority have developed a remarkable rice culture苗族人把木屋建立在陡峭低产的山壁上 With every inch of fertile land given over to rice cultivation用其余每寸丰饶的土地来种植水稻 the Miao build their wooden
15、houses on the steepest and least productive hillsides所有东西在中国农村都自有其用处 In Chinese rural life everything has a use牛棚里的肥料在太阳下晒干用作煮饭的燃料 dried in the sun manure from the cowsheds would be used as cooking fuel中午时分 宋家人正饱餐以米和蔬菜为主的中饭 Its midday and the Song family are tucking into a lunch of rice and vegetabl
16、es老祖父宋古永置身于天伦之乐外 Oblivious to the domestic chitchat寻思着重要的事情 granddad Guyong Song has serious maters on his mind春季是稻禾生长的伊始时节 Spring is a start of the rice growing season庄稼的长势决定了来年宋家人的生计 the success of the crop will determin how well the family will eat next year因而选择合适的时机进行耕作是至关重要的 so planting at the
17、right time is critical时机的选择取决于当年的天气情况 The ideal date depends on what the weather will do this year而这些却是永难估料的 never easy to predict但是身边就存在着贴心小帮手 But there is some surprising help at hand宋家厅堂房梁上的是一对刚从冬季迁徙中归来的金腰燕On the cielling of the Songs living room a pair of red-rumpedswallow newly arrive from thei
18、r winter migration他们正在为装潢新一年度的宅邸而忙碌 is busy fixing up last years nest在中国 动物们被赋予独特的象征意义并被细心呵护In China animals are valued does much for their symbolic meaning as for many good they may do苗族人笃信成双燕终身相伴不离不弃Miao people believe that swallow pairs remain faithful for life因此他们的存在被视为 so their presence is a fa
19、vor and a blessing幸福生活与美满婚姻的象征 bringing happiness to a marriage and good luck to a home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 Like most Miao dwellings, the Songs living room windows look out over the paddy fields从早春起 一扇窗子便为了方便燕子往返穿飞而敞开From early spring, one of these windows is always left open to let the swall
20、ows come and go freely古老爹知晓每年燕子归来的确切时间 Each year granddad Gu knows the exact day the swallows return苗族人坚信这些鸟儿的归来预示着春季的来临 Miao people believe the birds arrival predicts the timing of a season ahead然而今年 他们姗姗来迟 This year, they were late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 so Gu and the other community elders have
21、 agreed that rice planting should be delayed accordingly当苗族人为了插秧而整备田地时 As the Miao prepare their fields for planting燕子们或搜集修整巢穴用的泥巴 the swallows collect mud to repair their nests或穿越新耕的稻田追逐昆虫 and chase after insects across the newly ploughed paddies最终 经过了几周的准备 Finally, after weeks of preparation这个预定种植
22、的时刻来临了 the ordained time for planting has arrived首先 秧苗必须从苗床上连根拔起 but first the seedlings must be uproot from the nursery beds扎成捆移植到高处山地 and bundled up ready to be transported to their new paddy那崭新的苗床上 higher up the hillside宋家邻里乡亲全员出动帮助移植 All the Songs neighbors have turned out to help with the trans
23、planting这是一直来他们的集体协作方式 Its how the community has always worked当然一旦时刻来临 宋家人也会做出相同行为来报恩 when the time comes, the Songs will return the favor当农户们忙碌在田埂间时 While the farmers are busy in the fields飞燕们则衔着修整巢穴的材料来来往往 the swallows fly back and forth with material for their nest人多力量大 Many hands make light work
24、插秧的整个过程只持续了仅一个多小时 planting the new paddy takes a little more than an hour当工作完成 农户们得以休息 Job done, the villagers can relax至少在明天来临之前 at least until tomorrow然而对这些筑巢的飞鸟而言 修筑家园的宏大工程 But for the nesting swallows, the work of raising a family才刚刚开始 has only just begun新耕种的田地里 In the newly planted fields白鹭在寻找食
25、物 little egrets hunt for foods稻田成了虫鱼蝌蚪的乐园 The rice paddy harbor tadpoles fish and insects而白鹭正好以此哺育幼鸟 and egrets have chicks to feed重庆自然保护区建立于1996年 This colony in Chongqing province is established in 1996当成群的鸟儿安家在阳光村后方的小竹林 when a few dozen birds build nests in the bamboo grove behind YanGuang village
26、当地人将其视为幸运的使者 Believing they were assigned of luck他们最初小心保护这些白鹭和他们的栖息地 local people initially protected the egrets and the colony grove但当村长病重后他们的态度发生了转变 But their attitude change when the head of the village fell ill当政府开始介入保护鸟群时 They blame the birds and were all set to destroy their nests他们开始敌视鸟群并着手摧毁
27、巢穴 when the local government stepped in to protect them易弯曲的竹子或许并非安家的最佳场所 Bendy bamboo may not be the safest nesting place但至少这些小家伙们不会成为捕食者的腹中餐 but at least these youngsters wont end up at someones dinner这些小家伙刚从母亲嘴里分得美食 These chicks have just had a meal delivered by their mom对新生的小嘴着实是一大挑战 quite a chal
28、lenge for litter beaks介于他们的栖息地是受保护的 Providing their colonies are protected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 wading birds like egrets are among the few wild creatures which benefit directly from intensive rice cultivation水稻生长需要大量的水 Growing rice needs lots of water但即便是在多雨的南方 有些土地也面临缺水的危机but even in the rain
29、y south, there are landscapes where water is surprisingly scarce相当于法国和西班牙国土加起来那么大 This vast area of southwest China 的中国西南的广阔土地 the size of France and Spain combined因为宛如被干燥中空的谷地隔离开来的巨大蛋盒般 is famous for its clusters of conical hills连绵的锥形山脉而闻名于世 like giant upturned egg carton seperated by dry empty val
30、leys这就是喀斯特地貌 This is the karst石灰石地貌俨然成为南部中国的标志性特征 a limestone terrain which has become the defining image of southern China喀斯特地貌通常以突起的裸岩状态分布 Karst landscapes are often studded with rocky outcrops这迫使当地农民只得在破碎的小块土地上耕作 forcing local farmers to cultivate tiny fields当地人是中国最贫穷的居民之一 The people who live her
31、e are among the poorest in China在毗邻的云南省 In neighboring Yunnan province遍布着石灰石 limestone rocks have taken over entirely这就是著名的石林 This is the famous Stone Forest无数年侵蚀作用的产物 the product of countless years of erosion造就了无数的狭道与巅峰 producing a maze of deep gullets and sharp-edged pinnacles石灰石有一个独性 那就是能被雨水分解 Li
32、mestone has a strange property that is dissolves in rain water在数千年的漫长光阴中 水的侵蚀深入到岩床的心脏地带Over many thousands of years, water has corrode its way deep into the heart of the bedrock itself这一自然奇观成为了著名的旅游景点 This natural wonder has a famous tourist spot每年的访客数量多达200万人 receiving close to 2 million visitors e
33、ach year中国人特别喜好奇形怪状的岩石 The Chinese are fond of curiously shaped rocks并以为嶙峋怪石冠上千奇百怪的名字为乐 and many have been given fanciful names但没人来猜测这个块怪石的名字 No prices for guessing what this one is called但百闻不如置身这片奇妙山地亲身一见 But there is more to this lands cape than meets the eye在中国醒目的喀斯特地貌下 China has literally thousa
34、nds of mysterious caverns隐匿着无数的神秘洞穴 concealed beneath the visible landscape of the karst这些隐秘世界大多不为世人所知 Much of this hidden world has never been seen by human eyes而现在他们将被展现在世人眼前 And its only just now being explored奇险洞穴中再现了一场终极的探险 For a growing band of intrepid young Chinese explorers主角是一群日渐成长 初生牛犊般的年
35、轻探险家 caves represent the ultimate adventure探索一个洞穴 犹如一场穿越时空的探险 Exploring a cave is like taking the journey through time常年积水叮咚伴随着无止境般的旅途 a journey which endless raindrops would have followed over countless centuries水滴潺潺落下 Fed by countless drips and trickles地下河流深切入岩 the subterranean river carves ever d
36、eeper into the rock石灰岩河床将洞穴的河道分割成千沟万壑 The cave rivers course is channeled by the beds of limestone石灰岩薄弱处被河水冲刷差距的陡坡处水量激增 A weakness in the rock can not allow the river to increase its gradient flowrate为洞穴探险带来相当的挑战 providing a real challenge for the cave explorers水流到达地下水位后便停止下流 The downward rushes hal
37、ted when the water table is reached这里缓缓流动的河流切割出一条圆形隧道 Here the slow flowing river carves tunnels with a more rounded profile这静谧的世界是穴居鱼的家 This tranquil world is home to specialized cave fishes比如无目金鲃 like the eye-less Golden Barb中国或许拥有地球上种类最为繁多的 China may have unique kinds of cave evolved fishes洞穴进化鱼
38、than anywhere else on Earth在地下水位线 Above the water table远古洞穴溢满的河水中充斥着石笋和钟乳石 ancient caverns abandoned by the river slowly fill up with stalactites and stalagmites含有沉积物的水流 St alactites form as trickling water deposites tiny quantities of rock在千万年间“滴水成石” over hundreds or thousands of years含有石灰质的水滴落石床形成
39、石笋 Stalagmites grow up where lime laid and drips hit the cave floor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 So far, only a fraction of Chinas caves have been thoroughly prospected而被发掘的洞穴不断为我们展现地底奇观 and caves are constantly discovering new subterranean marvels许多在后来被开发成了商业景点 many of which are subsequently developed into commercial show caves探索者沿着洞穴河流出山谷的轨迹逃离了黑暗 Finally escaping the darkness在远离出发地的河谷 the cave river and its human explorers emerge in a valley far from where their
