All language subtitles for M.P.S01E12.1080p.WEB.h264-BAWD_track3_[eng]

(mysterious music)

NARRATOR: From Shanghai we travel
South by car.

We notice, skyscrapers seem to be
typical of Chinese cities,

built for millions of people.

Our mysterious place is said to be
somewhere right in the middle

of them.

Just under 15 minutes drive from the
megacity Huizhou,

it suddenly appears,

the Austrian village of Hallstatt,
copied by the Chinese.

A real church.

A fountain and timbered houses -
exactly like in Austria.

Even the flower boxes
and the shutters.

Austrian waltzes resound from small
loudspeakers behind the plants.

The Chinese have spared no effort,
neither in size nor in detail.

To the left the Hallstatt hotel,
to the right the copy.

The historical stairs with
the inscriptions,

you also find them in China.

The gourmet restaurant's menu,
copied.

The ancient wood panelled church
door, right here in China.

And not only the inscription of
the municipality of Hallstatt

on the gully cover,

they have even copied the entire
lake, including the swans,

which are driven to the front of
the timbered houses every morning.

Only the Chinese characters
on the signposts

and the Chinese women dressed in
traditional Austrian costumes

reveal that this is just a copy.

(church bells ring)

Some things,
like the village church,

the Chinese have set to
a slightly different purpose.

They have simply turned the sacred
site into a showroom

for estate agents.

This is where they sell the houses.

Estate agents instead of altar boys.
Sales show instead of mass.

And now we realise, the stolen
Austrian village is not at all

what really matters here.

They are planning to build huge
housing areas worth a total of

970 million dollars around it.

A few model houses like this one
have already been completed.

This is nothing like the 100 year
old timbered houses

in the real Hallstatt.

The copied village centre,

it's obviously just a huge marketing
gag of the state-owned

Chinese building company
China Mining.

We find someone who's in charge.

The vice president of one of
the building firms waves at us

in a friendly way,
but refuses to give an interview.

He also forbids us to talk
to any of his employees.

Finally an especially selected
estate agent is allowed to show us

round the secretly copied village.

(speaking Chinese)

NARRATOR: Imported?

Wouldn't secretly copied or
stolen describe it more accurately?

And the Chinese even take
it a step further.

They use posters of the real Mayor
of the Austrian village of Hallstatt

for promotion purposes.

NARRATOR: The Chinese are able to
remain relaxed about it,

because in fact there is no law that
forbids copying an existing village.

We take a look around and want to
find out how much Austrian heritage

is to be found
in this copied Hallstatt?

A look behind the scenes reveals
debris and garbage.

Europe on the outside
and disaster on the inside.

And this is what it looks like
behind most of the house walls

in the village centre.

Here we have some
dusty market stands

with the plastic fruit knockoffs.

And the lobby of the noble hotel
on the market square?

A build up of debris,
dirt and garbage.

Will this ever turn into
a real hotel?

Nobody is prepared to tell us.

The whole day long workers and day
laborers in their pedal boats

ride across the copied lake.

But not to stimulate the tourists
to go on a boat ride,

but to collect the dead fish.

And migrant workers clean up
the washed up garbage

that is lying around.

(speaking Chinese)

NARRATOR: So things don't seem
to work out properly here.

The construction is
obviously behind schedule.

The Hallstatt copy doesn't seem to
be one of those Chinese

success stories.

But what do the real inhabitants of
Hallstatt have to say

to the bold copy?

No one here is angry.

Reports on the copy of the village
have lead to a rise

in tourist numbers.

And the Mayor has accumulated
a whole wardrobe full of

conciliatory gifts from
the Chinese building company.

(speaking German)

NARRATOR: But he has forgiven
the Chinese and is even proud.

NARRATOR: Monika Wagner, the owner
of the original hotel in Hallstatt

has found her own way
to deal with the copy.

She is in the process of
refurnishing the entire hotel

- with reproduced luxury furniture
from China.

(speaking German)

NARRATOR: No one knows when the
Chinese Hallstatt will be completed.

But the Austrians are moving towards
the next thousand years

of their future
in a very relaxed way.

NARRATOR: Our search leads us on to
the Caribbean.

We are on the tropical
island of Sint Maarten.

What used to be the home of pirates
and looters,

is now a popular holiday resort
with a paradise feeling to it.

Maho beach, you could stay here
the whole day sipping cocktails,

swimming in the sea
and enjoying the sun.

But the tourists come here
for a very different reason.

- We just passed through and I said
we have to go there,

because we saw so many
pictures and films.

- We came here to see
the planes fly by.

NARRATOR: 9 am - it's almost time.

All the beach visitors are
preparing for the big moment.

(cheering)

Every day about 70 tourist bombers
rumble over

the beach visitor's heads.
Just 10 to 20 meters above them.

But why does the runway have to be
exactly next to the beach?

The reason is simple enough, there
is not enough space on the island.

Because the aircrafts need at least
2300 metres to land safely.

Tourist manager Marla Chemist
is happy about it.

Because up to 10 cruise liners
arrive every day

just to watch the airplanes.
She understands.

- I love it.
- Why?

- It's exciting to have this huge
plane fly just a little bit

over your head.

You can almost touch it,
but it's not possible. But it's fun.

It's nice to see the excitement
and it's one of the few places

you can actually see
the planes so close up.

NARRATOR: Almost half a million
tourists visit the island every year

to have a live experience
of the show.

That's why they even have
loudspeaker announcements.

The flight schedule is always
updated to make sure

no one misses a plane.

The landings alone are spectacular
enough, but there is one thing

that attracts the beach visitors
even more - the take-offs.

The plane turbines almost
blow the tourists away.

- Remember, this is high jet fuel
that's coming out

blowing the hot air on you!

And then the sound picks up
and really stings your skin.

Some people are thrown into the
water, but they love it

and they keep coming back.

NARRATOR: The best spot -
right behind the runway.

Because the jets can only take off
at full throttle

on this short runway.
That causes a great stir.

The turbine air whips the visitor's
faces at speeds of up to 200 km/h.

- One time we had Air France come in
and the wheel of the plane

actually touched the fence
and pulled it down.

So, you have to be very careful.

Of course a lot of them are
thrill-seekers.

NARRATOR: The take-offs are
spectacular, but also dangerous.

The government could theoretically
have the whole beach shut,

but several signs indicate,
here you marvel at your own risk!

The thrust is so strong it literally
catapults the visitors into the sea.

In 2012, two women were even thrown
off a fence and seriously injured.

But hardly anyone is afraid.

- It was great, it was refreshing.

- You feel the power of the engine.
It's great.

NARRATOR: Normally nobody likes to
visit the beach in the rain.

It's different here,

Maho beach may be
the only beach in the world

attracting even more visitors
during the rain.

Because then the turbine air
whips up the water.

The extra kick for many.

- I mean where else in the world do
you have this... and this?

NARRATOR: Probably nowhere.

And that's why Maho Beach is one of
the coolest beaches in the world.

Our next mysterious place
lies in Central Africa.

The small country of Benin is one of
the poorest countries in the world.

There isn't enough money for proper
streets and infrastructure.

Nevertheless countless
German scrap cars end up here.

Cotonou is the largest city in Benin

and the central hub for
used cars in Africa.

From the city's highest building,

you have the best view of
the traffic chaos.

From here we look for
German scrap cars.

The fastest way to get around is
using the scooter cabs

called Keke's.

The official characteristic sign of
the local taxi drivers

are their yellow shirts.

- Bonjour!

NARRATOR: And then we're off
to the harbour at full speed!

We arrive after 15 minutes,

the ships with the German cars
are supposed to land here, too.

- Merci beaucoup! Au revoir.

NARRATOR: The harbour is Benin's
most important distribution centre.

The loading and unloading of
the ships provides many people

with work as day laborers.

Together with them we await
the arrival of the German cars.

The day laborers pass through
a rigid choreography every morning.

First the cars have
to get off the ship.

Then it's over to the customs
parking bay in the harbour.

And from there in an overnight
transfer travel

to the selling points for
the customers.

Three times a week the security
personnel prepares

for a fresh load of used cars.

They are supposed
to discourage thieves.

Later on the workers have to drive
the German cars out of the ships.

Every day they wait at the harbour
for more vehicle transports

to earn their living.

The men check the helper's driving
licenses and keep them

as a deposit to prevent cars
from vanishing.

After a two-hour docking manoeuvre,

the stern flap of the ship finally
opens - a maritime parking deck.

As soon as the hatchway is open,

the security guards have to keep
the helpers in check.

Because they can't wait to drive
the cars off the ship

on behalf of the car dealers.

Little brawls are part of
the everyday business here.

Everyone wants to reach
the cars quickly,

because they are paid per ride.

If you are fast,
you can make up to 5 cars a day.

First the cars from the lower decks
are driven out of the ship.

Many don't make it on their own.

They have to be pushed, pulled,
and towed in a three-men formation.

Or the car behind pushes it out.

Finally, we are allowed into
the inside of the ship.

The unloading is in
full swing here, too.

As our reporter explores
the swimming parking lot

the lower decks have already
been emptied.

This is how the system works:
the drivers have to wait in small

groups until a security guard calls
them to the waiting cars.

Time is money.

If a damaged car blocks
the unloading process,

the drivers get less tours
and less money.

In cases like these there are fixers
with their service cars at hand.

They offer gasoline, oil
and spare batteries

for mobile start assistance.

Almost every 10th car needs fixing
before leaving the ship.

That way the fixers earn their
couple of dollars

thanks to the used car imports
from Germany.

We meet with the chief mate on the
command bridge of the Japanese ship.

He has been transporting cars for
more than 20 years

and knows the dangers
of the sheet metal business.

- Are you allowed to leave the ship
for a day, while you are here?

NARRATOR: The shipping companies
don't like the pirate problem

to be mentioned.
They even keep assaults secret

to prevent the insurance fee
from rising.

There are only 10 seamen working
on the swimming steel giant.

The technical upgrades leads to less
crew members

and the local day laborers take on
the work in the harbours.

The two of them watch the unloading
from 20 metres high up.

- How long does it take to take all
the cars off the ship?

- 12 hours?

NARRATOR: Every half hour,

a platform truck brings back
the helpers

who have already handed over their
car at the customs parking bay.

They are hoping for another tour
and commute around the port

the whole day long.
Until the entire ship is empty.

High time for us to leave
the ship with the last cars.

Below deck we look for a ride.

Almost three quarters of
the vehicles have already been

removed from the vessel.

- How long does it take to drive
down?

- About 10 minutes.

NARRATOR: Now the German scrap cars
are facing the next hardness test,

the African roads!

The car with our reporter breaks
down after just 20 metres.

He has to look for another ride.

- This job? This car? Cool.

NARRATOR: After the German scrap
cars have driven off the ship,

it's straight to
the customs parking bay,

which is just a few hundred metres
from the harbour area.

At first glance it's just a huge
parking lot beneath

the burning equatorial sun.

But between the vehicles,
it seems like a bazaar.

The African dealers and their
helpers are eagerly waiting

for their order from Germany.

They are curious to find out in what
condition the cars arrive.

Because many of the cars have
missing lamp glasses,

outlet nozzles, wing mirrors or
missing brand emblems.

The dealers have a lot to do on
the customs parking bay.

They use their waiting time to make
provisional repairs

before selling the cars.

The best deals are made
by the men from the tyre service

because many cars arrive
in Benin with a puncture.

Detach the tyres, put them back on
again and balance them by

guess and by gosh - all inclusive!

Then our reporter tries changing
tires the Benin way...

..but his inefficient technique is
almost bad for business.

The trade with the second hand tyres
- it's also a way for the locals

to get their share in the business
of importing scrap cars.

NARRATOR: After darkness sets in,

suddenly it gets hectic on the
customs parking bay once again.

After 11 pm the German scrap cars
are allowed to leave the harbour.

Everything that hasn't been
repaired by now is towed.

The used German cars are now on
the second to last stage

of their long journey.

Before the cars reach the parking
lot where they are to be sold,

their number is checked.

To make sure everything is in order
and there will be no fraud.

The drivers are in a hurry,
they have no time for consideration.

They have a long night
in front of them.

After midnight,
the time has finally come,

the cars are dismissed
into the Benin night,

for a simple reason.

The streets are empty now.

The sheet metal caravan with
the many damaged cars would be

too much of an obstruction
for the already chaotic traffic.

The German scrap cars have to
travel 10 kilometres.

They all drive as fast as they can
and preferably in a convoy.

Early the next morning, there is
hustle and bustle along the road.

The people here live directly at
the roadside and off the scrap cars.

Like this family,
whose stand makes us curious.

- What's in here?

- And where is it from?

- From Nigeria?

How much do I have to pay
for this whole bottle?

- I would like you to
show me how to do it!

I want your job!
I want to do your job.

NARRATOR: We have discovered
a typical Benin gas station.

Our reporter is allowed to
work here for a few hours.

The gasoline is smuggled in
from Nigeria

and is sold in old rum or whiskey
bottles along the road.

Whole families live off this.

The Benin government tolerates this
black refuelling and waives

its right to collect the taxes due.

The black petrol costs 60 cents.
No guarantee on the quality.

Cars are refuelled from these
20-litre-bottles.

Physical commitment is
required here.

After having finished his work,
our reporter has won over many fans

who would like to keep him there.

From the gas station, it's not far
to the points of sale

where the German cars are waiting
for their new African owners.

About 40,000 scrap cars from
Germany, Europe and the USA

are waiting for buyers from
all over West Africa.

We want to meet one of the dealers
that set themselves up

at these points of sale
and wait for customers.

- Yes, I would like to talk to you.

NARRATOR: Amar is a car dealer and
was born in the Lebanon.

He explains why the car dealing
business is mostly

in Lebanese hands.

- I'm Lebanese, so mostly
the people who I'm buying from

are Lebanese people.

They are looking for these vehicles
in Europe, in Germany mainly.

And we buy them.

NARRATOR: The efficient Lebanese
bring in seed money

and international relations.

The local Benin people are mostly
left with working

as a substitute driver, refuelling
tanks or working as a mechanic.

They make enough money
to sustain their families,

but most of them won't ever own
a car themselves.

NARRATOR: These vehicle tourists
from Nigeria and other neighbouring

countries buy more than 80% of
the cars and take them back home.

If they are interested in a car,
they check it thoroughly.

- Would you say this car is in
good condition?

NARRATOR:
The old machine has seen a lot.

193,000 kilometres - that's as good
as new for African standards.

The engines often run another
half a million kilometres here.

If the buyers have decided on
a car, bureaucracy sets in.

It's not possible to pay
in cash on the spot.

The money must be put in
the bank or transferred.

The handing over of the keys is
not particularly ceremonial.

For each car the dealer gets
about 100 to 150 dollars.

And then the time has come -

the caravan of German scrap cars
leaves the yard towards Nigeria.

What lies ahead are dirt roads, deep
potholes and a lot of sand and dust.

But if they're lucky, a couple of
more years under the African sun.

NARRATOR:
From Benin, we travel on to Siberia.

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere
in Siberia lies the city of Mirny.

This city exists for one sole
reason.

The diamond mine Mir.

One of the largest in the world.

Almost 40,000 people live in Mirny -
holding out in snow, ice

and minus 50 degrees.
Hard to imagine,

this is the centre of
the Russian diamond mining industry.

And we want to see these diamonds.

After more than a year of research,
we have finally been granted

permission to shoot at the second
largest producer named ALROSA.

But we are put off at first.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: Underground,
the early shift is still working

and we are not allowed to interrupt.

But the view compensates
for the wait.

- Hahaha! Wow!

NARRATOR: Gigantic!

Mir is one of the deepest
artificial holes in the world.

It goes down 525 metres
with a diameter of 1.2 kilometres.

The diamond mine Mir is so enormous
you can even see the hole

from outer space.

But the opencast mining was
stopped 15 years ago.

Due to the excessive mining,
the walls suddenly collapsed

causing acute mortal danger
to the workers.

So we have to go down below!

Underground, the mining continues.

The entrance is right next door,
and thanks to a special permit

we are allowed to witness it
first-hand.

But diamond mining underground
is dangerous.

That's why we have to take part
in a safety briefing.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: The protective mask
supplies about 50 minutes of oxygen

in an emergency.

We even have to sign a waiver,
if anything happens,

it's our problem.

But we really want to see
the diamonds.

Therefore, we must go down the mine.

Our guide, shift supervisor,
Sergey Gambel.

The miners have to follow
a strict schedule.

Many of them are day laborers.

If they miss the elevator going
down, they loose a day's wage.

There's just one person for whom
Sergey willingly makes time.

NARRATOR: The Mir mine is like
a family business,

and has been for 60 years.

We're finally going down.

Most of the equipment,
like the elevator,

dates back to Soviet times.

But it still takes the miners
down three times a day.

Exactly how deep we don't know -
which causes some confusion!

NARRATOR: We go down even further,
a whole kilometre.

It's easy to get lost here,
the diamond mine is a sort of

tunnel-labyrinth system and
at 1.2 kilometres

it's the deepest in the world.

As far down as this, we expect
extreme heat and stuffy air.

To our surprise,
it's nothing like that!

Temperatures of 15 degrees are
pleasant,

40 degrees more than outside.

But the temperatures are just one of
the many reasons

why Sergey loves his work.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR:
But the job is very dangerous.

Sudden fires or smoke are not
uncommon in the narrow corridors.

And sometimes even
a simple step can be risky.

(tripping)

NARRATOR: Luckily, our march is over
after this little stunt.

Because even miners like
Sergey have staff cars.

We use it to get to the place of
action, which is 1 kilometre away.

A huge machine is waiting
for Sergey.

The object of desire,
a massive rock wall.

Since Sergey is so concentrated, we
assume, this must be our treasure!

NARRATOR: Because underneath Mirny
lies a gigantic deposit

of the volcanic rock kimberlite.

Of a very rare kind.

It's teeming with diamonds.

What's special, not every
kimberlite has valuable stones.

But here in Mirny,
the amount is extraordinary.

Sergey's job, to tear the rocks off
the wall with this monster.

The steel drills have been
especially designed for mining

and can even crush concrete.

All that's missing is the truck
that picks up the diamonds.

(crash)

(shouting in Russian)

NARRATOR: After a short commotion...

NARRATOR: Even if it looks rough,

the mining doesn't harm the diamonds
in the least.

They are made of the strongest
material in the world

and almost indestructible.

But, we don't see much
sparkling or glittering yet.

NARRATOR: A dirty business.

But diamonds are not just noble
pieces of jewellery,

they are very sought after
in the economy.

For example in the drilling systems
and the high tech industry.

But, no diamonds yet!

(speaking English)

(speaking Russian)

- But I can't see anything.

It's just a stone with no diamonds.

- No chance of keeping it?

NARRATOR: Well, it was worth a try!

The stones are transported to
the collecting bin with a trolley.

Every day about 400 tons of rock
end up here

ready to be transported
above ground.

To where exactly -
we'll see later on!

Sergey and his fellow workers
are done for the day.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: After 8 hours of hard work
he surely deserves one,

at 8 pm sharp Sergey and his
comrades return to daylight.

And our first day in Mirny ends.

The next morning, as an exception we
are allowed to witness a blasting.

But underground they are forbidden.

So we go to an open cast mining
site, which is still in operation.

We fly the 400 kilometres to Njurba.

This is where we meet
Dmitry Shuklin.

Just like underground,

everything has to be done very fast
in daylight.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: The reason for the rush,

the blaster has to fight adverse
conditions in the Siberian winter.

He's worried the fuse might freeze
at minus 32 degrees Celsius.

So it's, hurry, hurry, hurry!

(rapid explosions)

It seems to have worked out.
Silence all around.

NARRATOR: Half an hour later,

the first trucks drive into
the heart of the mine,

as opposed to the mining in Mir,

the kimberlite can be mined
in daylight here.

But, how do the stones
turn into diamonds?

Maybe the secret is disclosed here,

the final stage of the production
takes place in this terrain.

Our first impression, gigantic!

This is where all the stones from
under and above ground

are gathered together.

Dmitry shows us what happens here.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: There is not a diamond in
the world which is as big as a rock.

That's why they are
ground step by step.

Until they have a diameter of
15 centimetres

and are small enough to fit into
these holes.

But we still can't see them.

Perhaps that will change here!

Warning signs, double doors
and suddenly a lot more

security personnel,

we seem to have come close
to our destination.

Maybe behind this door we'll find
what we've been looking for,

for so long.

But we find dirty old stones!

NARRATOR:
The machine scans the stones

and simply sorts out the diamonds.

The valuable ones are put into
a sulphurous chemical bath.

The mixture is strictly secret,

but it separates the volcano stone
kimberlite from the diamond.

But these are just stones. The exact
procedure is kept from us.

A big secret and still no diamonds.

But we are told
we'll find them here!

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR:
We enter an unspectacular room.

One thing is eye-catching,
there are only women here.

And they actually work on what we've
been looking for the whole time,

diamonds!

A whole pile of diamonds.
Too many to even count them!

Since they are shaped much later,
they are still raw.

Supervised by the only man around,

the women have
a very important job to do.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: The weight is measured in
karat. One karat is 0.2 grams.

But these stones are much heavier.
That arouses our interest.

- May I grab one?
- No.

- Why not?

NARRATOR:
They earn about $1000 a month.

It's good money, but wouldn't it
be tempting to put

a little something
in your own pocket?

NARRATOR: The reason, the stones are
catalogued before the transport.

If a single one of them gets lost,
they all have to compensate for it.

And that could be very expensive!

- How much money is lying on
the table now?

NARRATOR:
Apart from size and weight,

the price depends on
the so-called purity.

The workers sort the raw diamonds
into 16 colour categories.

The rule, the purer,
which means clearer in colour,

the more valuable.

Especially dark diamonds cost
about 10 dollars per karat.

Nothing compared to those which are
almost as transparent as glass.

And even though there is more money
lying around than these women

will ever earn in their entire life,
they remain relaxed.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: Rather valuable stones!

Demand in Russia is so high, they
are only sold in the country itself.

And there are still a lot more.

- Subtitles by Sky Access Services