Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:07,251
This is one of our planet's biggest rivers.
2
00:00:07,683 --> 00:00:09,983
Yet it is still a mystery.
3
00:00:12,719 --> 00:00:15,539
As it runs from the heart of Asia to the Pacific
4
00:00:15,839 --> 00:00:17,839
It separates two superpowers.
5
00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:25,380
But its sprawling network of waterways
also connects the most diverse realms.
6
00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,620
The earth's vastest grasslands.
7
00:00:29,439 --> 00:00:34,939
Its largest pristine forests rich with wildlife.
8
00:00:38,239 --> 00:00:43,239
Raw moonscapes created by volcanic fire.
9
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:49,520
Steaming subtropical jungles
10
00:00:55,680 --> 00:01:02,680
Unbounded flood plains and
untamed wetland wilderness.
11
00:01:04,799 --> 00:01:11,799
All these are drained to nurture
one of the richest northern seas.
12
00:01:12,479 --> 00:01:19,479
Which in turn sends rain across a river basin
four times the size of Germany.
13
00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:23,460
This is not just a river.
14
00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:28,000
It's a sprawling network of streams and lakes, and bogs.
15
00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,500
A waterscape of continental scale,
16
00:01:30,533 --> 00:01:34,433
the Amur Asia's Amazon.
17
00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:46,000
AMUR, ASIA’S AMAZON
18
00:01:47,184 --> 00:01:50,684
THE FAR EAST
19
00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:58,560
Impossible to tell where the sea begins
and the river ends.
20
00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,220
This is where Asia's Amazon joins
the Pacific ocean
21
00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,320
and a slow perpetual dance between river,
22
00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,180
sea and sky.
23
00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:16,160
It's the ocean's clouds that make the rivers flow
24
00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:22,640
and it's the river's bounty that makes
the ocean come alive.
25
00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:35,420
The Amur flows into the Tartar strait which links
the sea of Japan with the Okhotsk,
26
00:02:35,450 --> 00:02:40,450
one of the richest fishing grounds on earth.
27
00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:54,780
Sunny days are sparse along this coast.
28
00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:56,480
But to many,
29
00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:58,640
this place is inviting.
30
00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:16,560
Rhythms and cycles govern the life of
this entire ecosystem and its inhabitants.
31
00:03:18,319 --> 00:03:23,319
Every four years, thousands of animals
gather on the beaches around the estuary.
32
00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,440
Eagerly awaiting a special event.
33
00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:35,480
The seals are patient knowing that they
will not miss what is to come
34
00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:43,840
The bears are tense hoping for
a first row seat at the best channel
35
00:03:47,519 --> 00:03:53,519
While the seals keep patrolling the
entrances to the bay.
36
00:04:00,159 --> 00:04:04,159
Smart gulls stick with the bears.
37
00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,040
Nothing happening yet.
38
00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:20,840
Then almost casually a vanguard appears.
39
00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:31,720
This river mouth is the halfway house of an epic journey.
40
00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:37,360
All of a sudden the shallows begin to boil up.
41
00:04:42,639 --> 00:04:47,639
It's the start of the biggest
all-you-can-eat feast within four years.
42
00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:57,680
Now they come in waves.
43
00:04:58,639 --> 00:05:01,639
Hundreds of thousands of humpback salmon.
44
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:12,800
Humpbacks must spend a few days here
to adjust to the fresh water.
45
00:05:15,759 --> 00:05:20,759
Five pacific salmon species come to
this coast to different seasons.
46
00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,060
Some humpbacks swim up the Amur itself,
47
00:05:29,090 --> 00:05:34,090
But most prefer small mountain streams around the estuary.
xung quanh cửa sông.
48
00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:46,900
The scenes at the mouth of
the Amur are reminiscent of Alaska.
49
00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:07,560
There's plenty for all,
50
00:06:07,660 --> 00:06:11,660
but not everyone can afford to abandon all restraint.
51
00:06:12,669 --> 00:06:17,669
Brown bear mothers keep their cubs away from the river riot.
52
00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:19,700
Too many big males around.
53
00:06:19,733 --> 00:06:23,733
She feelsuneasy when they come too close.
54
00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:32,680
These heavyweights are smaller than Alaskan grizzlies.
55
00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,380
The males are not to be trusted.
56
00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:49,120
But the mother senses an even greater risk.
57
00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,900
Losing her cup from sight even for a minute could end in tragedy.
58
00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:10,960
Precisely because this is not Alaska.
59
00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,900
The Russian Far East is the realm of the Amur tiger.
60
00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:21,240
His breakfast could well be a little bear.
61
00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,360
This wild rocky gulf is a crossroads of water
62
00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:45,080
The Amur's mighty fresh water flow
blends with the salty surf of the sea.
63
00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:49,380
Just where subtropical and polar ocean currents meet.
64
00:07:49,919 --> 00:07:56,419
The resulting fogs feared by navigators
are sending massive moisture inland.
65
00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:08,360
Prevailing easterlies push these clouds
inland for thousands of kilometers.
66
00:08:08,479 --> 00:08:14,179
Until they drop their watery load along
the mountain ranges of North East Asia
67
00:08:14,213 --> 00:08:16,213
nurturing dense woodland.
68
00:08:16,639 --> 00:08:20,039
The amount of water flowing westward in the sky roughly
69
00:08:20,139 --> 00:08:25,139
equals the amount flowing eastward down the mighty Amur into the sea.
70
00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,080
One million olympic pools per day
71
00:08:37,519 --> 00:08:41,519
For the first 1000 kilometers a journey up
72
00:08:41,713 --> 00:08:46,033
the Amur is a journey south parallel to the pacific coast.
73
00:08:46,108 --> 00:08:52,028
Hemmed in by mountain ranges
the Amur is deep here some 70 meters.
74
00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:57,380
In a land without roads,
75
00:08:57,575 --> 00:09:01,575
rivers have long been the only transport routes
76
00:09:01,610 --> 00:09:07,610
for indigenous people and colonists either on water or on ice,
77
00:09:09,279 --> 00:09:14,279
And the Amur is not just a transit route for humans
78
00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,460
Chum salmon travel up the main river for more than 1.000 kilometers
79
00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:25,360
on the land side of the Sikhote-Alin coastal range,
80
00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,940
which is their ultimate destination.
81
00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:44,360
Some of the individuals fighting the current have come
from as far as the coast of California.
82
00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:52,460
At confluence after confluence groups of salmon leave the main river
83
00:09:52,500 --> 00:09:59,000
and turn into the tributaries flowing
down from the coastal range the Sikhote-Alin
84
00:10:01,839 --> 00:10:11,339
Up near the Pacific watershed, these clear gravelly
mountain streams offer perfect spawning grounds.
85
00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,940
The chum salmon are returning to their birthplace to spawn
86
00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,400
The salmon are already expected,
87
00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,740
sex is the last thing on their minds.
88
00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:41,420
Literally the last thing for salmon
sex and death are almost simultaneous
89
00:10:41,519 --> 00:10:43,319
when they finally spawn
90
00:10:43,350 --> 00:10:46,850
These powerful fish are spent
91
00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:02,260
these fast-flowing shallow headwaters near the pacific watershed
92
00:11:02,290 --> 00:11:06,290
are rich in oxygen just perfect for eggs and fry.
93
00:11:09,308 --> 00:11:11,408
The females choose a good spot in the gravel
94
00:11:11,839 --> 00:11:13,339
and clean out the sand
95
00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:21,820
Then they release thousands of eggs to
be fertilized in the water
96
00:11:24,560 --> 00:11:25,860
By the time the eggs hatch,
97
00:11:25,890 --> 00:11:27,890
the parents will be dead.
98
00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:35,440
The fry will then travel down the Amur river to the Pacific.
99
00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:38,680
In four years they will be back.
100
00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:47,600
Tons of protein and fat
101
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,266
arriving from thousands of kilometers away
102
00:11:51,322 --> 00:11:55,322
are a boon to the local wildlife
103
00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:06,160
What a break for a brown bear mother
with three cubs to feed.
104
00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:21,040
No fishing skills are needed when the river
serves up salmon all along its banks.
105
00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,040
Finally the mother can eat in peace.
106
00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:32,160
While the sibling's meal is anything but peaceful.
107
00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,580
The more there is to eat the greater their greed.
108
00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:16,660
The many rivers from the Sikhote-Alin coastal range
have ancient names: Chor, Bikin, Anyuy.
109
00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:23,700
Echoing the languages of the people
who have lived here for thousands of years
110
00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:41,800
These wooded hills of Russia's Far East boast
one of the planet's last realms of true wilderness.
111
00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:52,680
Paradoxically it's the presence of humans here
that's preserving the land's wildness.
112
00:13:53,199 --> 00:13:56,199
Their main indigenous community, Krasni Yar
113
00:13:56,300 --> 00:13:58,100
lies on the Bikin river
114
00:13:58,500 --> 00:14:02,500
on the edge of the vast woodlands.
115
00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:18,040
The indigenous people have lived off
this land for many thousands of years.
116
00:14:18,315 --> 00:14:22,815
in a way that their impact on nature
remain gentle.
117
00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:24,980
They are Udege,
118
00:14:25,180 --> 00:14:33,180
and it is they who are making a stand against wholesale,
exploitation and destruction of natural spaces.
119
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,460
Far from tarmac roads, railways and cities
120
00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:43,400
The Udege are self-sufficient
121
00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:55,100
nothing is wasted even the wrecks of off-road vehicles
have a second life as barricades against wild boar and bears
122
00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,720
But many of the younger generation
don't see their future here
123
00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:06,720
and often trade the harsh life from
the edge of the wilderness
124
00:15:06,820 --> 00:15:14,320
for what they hope will be an easier and
more exciting life in a russian city
125
00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,120
The wilderness begins on the very edge of the Udege village
126
00:15:25,199 --> 00:15:30,199
with the Bikin river as the only in-road
127
00:15:41,839 --> 00:15:47,639
The misty mountain woods along the Bikin are the haunt of Amba,
128
00:15:47,839 --> 00:15:50,839
as the Udege called the Amur tiger.
129
00:16:00,959 --> 00:16:02,659
Since time immemorial,
130
00:16:02,959 --> 00:16:06,959
Amba and the Udege have shared these hunting grounds.
131
00:16:10,959 --> 00:16:14,459
Their respect has always been mutual.
132
00:16:29,839 --> 00:16:38,839
This ancient culture with it's deep and subtle
understanding of nature is anything but primitive,
133
00:16:39,839 --> 00:16:42,339
Today it's on the wane.
134
00:16:50,079 --> 00:16:54,639
But the forest still feeds the Udege
135
00:16:55,839 --> 00:17:00,639
Just like the salmon rivers, the forest
has a four year cycle of its own.
136
00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,720
And this is a boom year in the Bikin forest.
137
00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:14,480
The boom begins right here in the tops of the korean pines.
138
00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:23,319
In such a year all the forest inhabitants
profit humans and all the animals.
139
00:17:25,360 --> 00:17:30,360
Amba always knows what's going on in his realm.
140
00:17:40,559 --> 00:17:43,059
And the Undege known that Amba is near
141
00:17:43,192 --> 00:17:47,192
but they would never hurt each other.
142
00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:57,300
Korean pines have to be 100 years old to grow fruit.
143
00:17:57,600 --> 00:17:59,779
Each year there are some cones,
144
00:17:59,879 --> 00:18:02,879
but every fourth year there are cones galore.
145
00:18:04,609 --> 00:18:09,609
It's the delicious seeds in these cones
that make the korean pine precious.
146
00:18:09,809 --> 00:18:12,809
A single tree will produce some 20 kilos
147
00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,000
That's about one tonne per hectare.
148
00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:28,080
For rich hunting the tiger depends on many animals
which in turn depend on the oil rich pine nuts.
149
00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:33,440
After a pine year the wild boar population explodes
150
00:18:33,873 --> 00:18:44,873
and so do the populations of chipmunks, voles and
all the smaller carnivores and birds of prey that they feed.
151
00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:50,740
Some hunters even jump out the food chain
152
00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:52,540
rather than chasing chipmunks
153
00:18:52,777 --> 00:18:55,777
The sable goes vegetarian.
154
00:19:03,360 --> 00:19:07,160
Pine nuts provide a good share of the family's income.
155
00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:13,280
Apart from ginseng roots there's not
much else out there that can be sold.
156
00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:21,980
So the self-made pinecone mill is a money machine.
157
00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:30,520
A day's harvest will fetch a few hundred dollars in Khabarovsk,
158
00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,720
the nearest city on the bank of the Amur.
159
00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:40,720
But what sounds like fast money will
have to last for a while.
160
00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:54,880
Laying up a good winter storage will mean
lots of young chipmunks next summer.
161
00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,440
An Udeger hunter would never kill a tiger.
162
00:20:02,540 --> 00:20:05,540
That would bring great misfortune.
163
00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,440
When the harvesters are gone
164
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,300
Amba reaffirms that this is his domain.
165
00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,240
Pine nuts support all his prey.
166
00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:33,280
Red deer and Sikas, wild boars and bears,
167
00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:41,499
There's only one big animal that's out of reach.
168
00:20:42,799 --> 00:20:45,999
Just beyond the watershed on the Pacific side.
169
00:20:46,159 --> 00:20:49,659
The Sikhote-Alin range drops straight down to the sea.
170
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,140
These cliffs are inaccessible,
171
00:20:55,439 --> 00:20:58,439
except for a master climber
172
00:20:58,968 --> 00:21:00,968
The goral.
173
00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:09,320
Most ungulates are sprinters so that they can escape predators
174
00:21:09,919 --> 00:21:16,419
Gorals are different they move about
in slow motion considering every step
175
00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:27,720
In a goral life there is never a wrong step.
176
00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:37,320
Gorals colonize similar terrain in the Himalayas
177
00:21:37,420 --> 00:21:40,420
and other rugged ranges of Asia.
178
00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:43,520
This isolates the small populations.
179
00:21:43,550 --> 00:21:46,550
An isolation more threatening than the tiger.
180
00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:11,480
On a geological time scale, these cliffs are young.
181
00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:20,020
Not so long ago this coastal range was
a volcanic island arch out in the pacific
182
00:22:20,300 --> 00:22:25,000
But the sea floor is gliding westward 10 kilometers every million years.
183
00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,200
and keeps slipping under the continent.
184
00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:37,480
In this process, islands are being pushed
against the edge of the continent.
185
00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:43,020
This is how the old Amur river was forced northward
186
00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:46,120
adding 1.000 kilometers to its flow
187
00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:57,120
The plant life of the Sikhote-Alin woodlands is diverse.
188
00:22:57,440 --> 00:23:00,440
More so than anywhere else in the temperate zone
189
00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:03,300
The monsoon sends ample rain
190
00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:10,400
and the rugged land creates microclimates for both subtropical and sub-arctic trees.
191
00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:20,880
In october many animals gather to their winter quarters.
192
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:35,140
Rivers are still flowing but not for much longer.
193
00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:53,640
Once the wind turns, icy polar air will rush in from the north and put life on hold.
194
00:23:57,919 --> 00:24:02,719
The mountaintops are first to feel the arctic freeze.
195
00:24:02,819 --> 00:24:06,319
as the northerlies push in snow clouds.
196
00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,580
A male Siberian grouse
197
00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:27,880
taking a last stand against winter and
marking his mating ground for next spring.
198
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:49,080
A meter of snow is not unusual.
199
00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:55,260
Temperatures drop way below zero down to
40 degrees centigrade even in november.
200
00:25:11,919 --> 00:25:16,419
On the ocean side of the Sikhote-Alin coastal range
201
00:25:16,619 --> 00:25:19,619
Winter is half as harsh with less snow
202
00:25:19,816 --> 00:25:24,316
and temperatures rarely dropping under
25 degrees below freezing.
203
00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:30,400
The Pacific is a gigantic heat deposit.
204
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:41,100
Warm water flows in from the south heating up
the icy air flowing down from the Arctic
205
00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:44,200
along a narrow strip of land along the coast.
206
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:01,920
Sika deer come to the coast from far and wide
207
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,500
They are attracted by the warmth.
208
00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,600
But that's not the main attraction.
209
00:26:08,260 --> 00:26:11,260
the surf washes lots of kelp ashore.
210
00:26:11,919 --> 00:26:18,540
Giant brown algae that form submarine forests
in cold nutrient-rich waters
211
00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:24,360
Kelp is salty and contains many minerals
212
00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:31,380
During winter the Sika find this seafood irresistible.
213
00:26:34,159 --> 00:26:37,459
They know that they are vulnerable out in the open.
214
00:26:37,559 --> 00:26:42,559
But their bodies yearn for minerals so they take risks.
215
00:26:45,279 --> 00:26:47,720
The risk lurks at the forest edge
216
00:26:49,039 --> 00:26:54,039
This tiger knows the trails of the Sika will take
back up into the woods.
217
00:26:57,039 --> 00:26:59,239
She has followed the deer to the coast,
218
00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:04,860
knowing they will return up the hill
and to the forest sooner or later.
219
00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:13,220
Trails from the cliff edge down to
the shore are few and far between.
220
00:27:20,559 --> 00:27:24,559
Harlequin ducks are winter guests from the arctic
221
00:27:24,659 --> 00:27:29,659
where the rivers have already frozen over back in october.
222
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,840
They spend most of their time out at sea.
223
00:27:33,279 --> 00:27:36,579
But once a day they need to drink fresh water.
224
00:27:36,799 --> 00:27:42,799
so they come to the mouths of the little
rivers flowing down from the Sikhote-Alin range.
225
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:48,820
Even a short distance inland all the rivers
are covered with thick ice
226
00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:54,880
It's the warmth of the ocean that keeps
the rivers flowing near the coast.
227
00:27:55,520 --> 00:28:00,020
Like the sikas the harlequins are wary on the beach
228
00:28:00,220 --> 00:28:02,020
They like to be in deep water
229
00:28:02,120 --> 00:28:07,120
where they can dive to escape predators.
230
00:28:12,559 --> 00:28:16,059
The deer only feel safe in thick vegetation.
231
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:20,080
where they can hide rest during the day
232
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:25,200
But it's on the way there the danger lurks
233
00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:39,600
The snow makes it hard for deer to sprint still.
234
00:28:43,279 --> 00:28:47,279
For a surprise attack the tiger has to get close
235
00:29:23,919 --> 00:29:28,919
The sudden silence tells the survivors
that they are safe for a while.
236
00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:41,440
The tiger eats little
237
00:29:41,780 --> 00:29:45,780
two hungry cubs are waiting back in the woods.
238
00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:59,620
The cubs may look nearly grown up
239
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:04,720
but they still depend on their mother's hunting skills
240
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:12,000
Crows and magpies often give away a tiger's presence.
241
00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,620
That's one thing the youngsters have to learn.
242
00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,340
The second cub arrives.
243
00:30:31,279 --> 00:30:34,779
The siblings have to eat before the meat is frozen.
244
00:30:35,279 --> 00:30:39,779
With their primary teeth they even find
it hard to tear the skin
245
00:30:46,159 --> 00:30:50,159
It will be another year before they can fend for themselves.
246
00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,440
The tiger mother feeds not just her cubs.
247
00:31:02,799 --> 00:31:09,799
Once the land is frozen many others
depend on her hunting skills.
248
00:31:12,559 --> 00:31:15,559
The white-tailed eagle is a fish hunter
249
00:31:15,759 --> 00:31:22,559
but the winter forces it to scavenge together with
ravens, magpies and small carnivores
250
00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:28,220
Without tiger kills none of them would
make it through the winter.
251
00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:34,720
For the majestic eagle such meals come at the cost of dignity.
252
00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:49,480
This is not the sort of company one seeks when there is a choice.
253
00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:08,159
For several thousand kilometers the Amur river
254
00:32:08,159 --> 00:32:14,159
Its tributes and the wetlands are now sealed.
255
00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:35,780
The ice is solid a meter thick
256
00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:39,720
Before the first far eastern highway was built.
257
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:44,000
The frozen Amur served as a truck route between river ports.
258
00:32:44,320 --> 00:32:51,320
And it's a solid bridge for wildlife and smugglers between Russia and China.
259
00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,720
Winter is the time to walk on the water
260
00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:58,540
As the indigenous people have always done.
261
00:33:13,919 --> 00:33:16,919
Hacking through thick ice may be tedious,
262
00:33:17,039 --> 00:33:20,039
but the real challenge is knowing where
263
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,800
and to sit patiently in the bitter cold for hours,
264
00:33:25,919 --> 00:33:29,919
while the hole keeps freezing over
265
00:33:41,039 --> 00:33:45,539
On the Amur, river people have done this for millennia.
266
00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:47,220
It's that long tradition,
267
00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:57,240
the knowledge of river dynamics and the habits of fish
which make a successful fisherman.
268
00:34:01,519 --> 00:34:05,019
The Nanai people have always lived off the river.
269
00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:09,419
Selling and making almost everything out of fish,
270
00:34:09,919 --> 00:34:13,740
including garments and gloves of fish skin.
271
00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:22,300
The Amur river has fed many generations
272
00:34:24,720 --> 00:34:27,720
and is feeding millions today.
273
00:34:34,079 --> 00:34:40,079
Before the fishermen go home their catch will be deep frozen.
274
00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:47,480
In the right spot a man can get a hundred prime pike a day.
275
00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:52,180
Some of the catch is eaten fresh as Siberian sushi
276
00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,480
The rest can be bought in the market of Khabarovsk
277
00:34:55,599 --> 00:35:00,099
where fresh and wild is not just a slogan.
278
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:07,440
The Nanai or river people as they are called
have abandoned many of their old ways.
279
00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:12,079
Their numbers have declined, their language has nearly vanished
280
00:35:12,110 --> 00:35:16,110
Their future is linked to that of the Amur river
281
00:35:16,210 --> 00:35:21,010
where over-exploitation is threatening their way of life.
282
00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:26,640
By late april nights are still bitter cold.
283
00:35:26,740 --> 00:35:36,740
And the only comfort is found by the fireplaces
and the homesteads of the far eastern frontier.
284
00:35:50,079 --> 00:35:56,079
But the river is beginning to show signs of change.
285
00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:06,280
a strong undertow is nibbling at the edges of the first
openings in the ice.
286
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:15,280
Now the white-tailed eagle can reclaim its dignity.
287
00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:26,240
The bothersome ravens may still follow him around.
288
00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:31,440
But now they depend on him as the top predator.
289
00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:37,740
Here and there the ice is beginning to stir
290
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:40,000
as the river keeps rising
291
00:36:40,100 --> 00:36:45,600
ever so gently but with irresistible might.
292
00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:54,860
And then suddenly the ice heaves and begins to break.
293
00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:26,380
An entire landscape of ice several kilometers wide
294
00:37:27,896 --> 00:37:31,896
and thousands of kilometers long is set in motion.
295
00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:41,359
The Amur turns into a gigantic conveyor belt,
296
00:37:41,359 --> 00:37:49,359
dwarfing all the freight trains of the trans-siberian railway.
297
00:38:09,359 --> 00:38:18,359
For weeks the strange sound of drifting river ice,
signals the start of spring along the Amur river.
298
00:38:25,119 --> 00:38:27,619
Along its northern tributaries,
299
00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:29,600
winter hangs on a little longer.
300
00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:33,480
But by the end of may the wetlands come alive
301
00:38:33,599 --> 00:38:36,599
The long silence is broken.
302
00:38:45,359 --> 00:38:52,939
Millions of Dybowski's frogs are busy producing
more millions of Dybowski's frogs.
303
00:38:53,520 --> 00:38:58,020
They have no time to waste for lengthy courtship
304
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:03,700
Mandarin ducks are not quite so hasty
305
00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:19,780
This female needs a few reminders of the brevity of life or at least spring.
306
00:39:27,119 --> 00:39:30,619
The trick is to push her under water for a while.
307
00:39:31,119 --> 00:39:34,769
Always works for ducks as well as frogs.
308
00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:54,560
Now it's time for refreshments
309
00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:13,560
And this season it's easy to catch a frog with its pants down.
310
00:40:16,079 --> 00:40:18,679
The hard bit is getting it down
311
00:40:19,599 --> 00:40:23,099
before the next bride flies by
312
00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:32,620
Night frosts are over now,
313
00:40:32,650 --> 00:40:40,150
but alders and Mongolian oak still keep their buds from bursting.
314
00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:43,480
While the sun can still warm the forest floor.
315
00:40:43,680 --> 00:40:53,680
Wildflowers like the Amur adonis or the Boreal star flower beckoned to the first insects.
316
00:41:03,599 --> 00:41:11,599
Morning mists drift into the dried out woods along the river bringing moisture.
317
00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:25,400
Soon the lower Amur with its countless islands,
channels and oxbows will be bustling with migrants.
318
00:41:25,430 --> 00:41:27,730
stopping over on their way to the arctic,
319
00:41:28,079 --> 00:41:34,079
And breeding birds that will spend the summer in the wetlands.
320
00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:38,280
These plains are called floodplains for a good reason
321
00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:41,675
All plants and animals inhabiting the wide Amur valley
322
00:41:41,711 --> 00:41:44,551
have to cope with several floods each year
323
00:41:44,851 --> 00:41:50,351
And the first one comes with the snow melt way upstream
324
00:41:53,760 --> 00:41:58,760
Flood waters lap at the banks along
thousands of kilometers of waterfront
325
00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:03,800
and carry an enormous sediment load downstream.
326
00:42:09,119 --> 00:42:15,119
Flood after flood the riverscape changes its face
327
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:27,780
When the floods recede large sand islands are exposed
328
00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:31,520
These sands have come all the way from Mongolia
329
00:42:31,550 --> 00:42:38,550
from Korea and from the mountain's way up north in Siberia
330
00:42:41,359 --> 00:42:45,359
This is what the terns have been waiting for
331
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:54,400
Sand and sun is all they need to breed
332
00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:06,800
In the middle of the river their clutches are safe from
wild boar, foxes or raccoon dogs.
333
00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:23,020
But nothing here is ever safe from the whims of the water.
334
00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:28,760
Growing up and learning to swim and fly is a race against time.
335
00:43:29,609 --> 00:43:34,010
A matter of god willing the river don't rise
336
00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:37,440
Rising it will inevitably
337
00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:46,000
And the high water mark reveals which clutches were laid by young inexperienced pairs.
338
00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:54,960
This youngster has escaped to the river
339
00:43:55,040 --> 00:43:56,740
but possibly not fate
340
00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:06,760
Unwittingly it's trespassing on one of the no-go zones surrounding each nest.
341
00:44:12,079 --> 00:44:22,079
Breeding pairs won't tolerate another pair's offspring in their space
Những cặp đang sinh sản sẽ không
342
00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:27,500
No exceptions are made.
343
00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:48,880
Mission completed.
344
00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:53,080
In good years four out of five chicks reach adulthood.
345
00:44:53,359 --> 00:44:59,859
Even after the brutal attack
this chick is among the lucky ones.
346
00:45:04,240 --> 00:45:09,740
But there are also years when the Amur keeps five out of five
347
00:45:19,119 --> 00:45:26,619
Deep channels between the islands are
the haunt of a veritable monster.
348
00:45:30,400 --> 00:45:35,600
The Amur's kaluga the biggest of several
members of the sturgeon family.
349
00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:38,260
Lies in wait for fish on the river bottom.
350
00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:45,260
Old individuals can weigh one ton and
reach a length of six meters.
351
00:45:50,160 --> 00:45:56,560
Because its unfertilized eggs are a prized delicacy
in luxury markets across the world.
352
00:45:56,640 --> 00:46:00,640
The Amur's kaluga has been hunted down to near extinction.
353
00:46:00,720 --> 00:46:03,520
It is now endangered and protected.
354
00:46:03,760 --> 00:46:05,760
At least legally.
355
00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:17,000
One thousand kilometers upstream from its estuary.
356
00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:20,280
The Amur is not a single channel
357
00:46:20,380 --> 00:46:27,080
but a labyrinth of branches, islands and swamps
up to 50 kilometers wide when the water is low.
358
00:46:27,280 --> 00:46:33,880
Over nearly 5 000 kilometers no dam
slows down its flow and nothing curbs.
359
00:46:33,980 --> 00:46:41,480
The elbow room of one of the planet's last naturally
dynamic waterways.
360
00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:45,940
It's crossed by only two bridges.
361
00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:50,900
The bridge at Khabarovsk was built
at the turn of the millennium
362
00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:55,500
replacing the trans-siberian railway bridge built in 1916.
363
00:46:58,319 --> 00:47:03,440
The construction of the transit and
the foundation of the river port of Khabarovsk
364
00:47:03,470 --> 00:47:09,710
expressed russia's determination to stay on the Amur for better or for worse.
365
00:47:09,711 --> 00:47:11,711
But clearly for good.
366
00:47:13,928 --> 00:47:15,828
The world's longest railway line
367
00:47:15,928 --> 00:47:22,288
10 000 kilometers finally linked
Russia's Far Eastern outposts to Europe
368
00:47:22,988 --> 00:47:30,988
All the cargo, civilian travelers and troops moving between Vladivostok and Moscow passed over this bridge.
Toàn bộ hàng hóa, người đi lại và các đoàn quân
369
00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:41,780
Thanks to the transit the old Cossack military base
on the south bank of the Amur river boomed into a frontier city.
370
00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:50,480
When the Cossack General and Governor Muravyov
signed a border treaty between the Russian empire and China's Qing dynasty,
371
00:47:50,580 --> 00:47:56,759
he cannot have imagined today's urbanity
in the middle of the amur wilderness.
372
00:48:11,760 --> 00:48:16,559
Today one century after the first bridge
was built across the Amur,
373
00:48:16,659 --> 00:48:21,480
Khabarovsk is a modern city numbering
more than half a million Russians
374
00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:24,300
from all over the former Soviet Union.
375
00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:29,960
Khabarovsk is a frontier town in more than one sense,
376
00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:36,720
located at the confluence of two border rivers the Amur and the Ussuri,
377
00:48:36,720 --> 00:48:41,220
It marks the border between Russia and China.
378
00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:54,400
It also separates the Amur's lower and middle reaches
with endless pristine woodland stretching downstream
379
00:48:59,839 --> 00:49:06,339
and wild wetlands and floodplains sprawling upstream.
380
00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:14,680
From here onward over two thousand kilometers
381
00:49:14,780 --> 00:49:19,780
The river itself is the borderline between Russia and China
382
00:49:21,599 --> 00:49:27,599
Perhaps inspired by the way the river slowly writhes like a creature from an ancient legend.
383
00:49:28,100 --> 00:49:35,800
Here the Amur has a Chinese alias:
Heilong Jiang the black dragon.
384
00:49:35,900 --> 00:49:41,900
(This English subtitle was automatically made by Youtube
and synchronized, correted by Tepriu)
---- End of episode 1 of 3 ----
35703
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.