Original subtitles

This programme contains some strong language

Oh, wow. This is mega.

This is incredible. Let's walk fast.

Let's go, come on.

Come on, you're doing really well.

Nearly there.

We're so close.

Thomas, I'll need your hand. Let's do it together.

Come on.

Ni hao. Hello.

You ready?

Oh! It's all right.

We're 26 hours after the first people. It's OK.

It's not a surprise.

It's OK. We can catch up.

Thank you. OK. Thank you very much.

26 hours. It's fine.

It's OK. Don't...

It's OK. It's OK. It's understandable to get upset.

But we knew this was going to happen. OK?

Right, OK.

Gutted.

It makes me upset because it means a lot.

Because it's a way of proving something to myself.

And at the moment all I'm proving is that I'm failing.

Just love the rooftops.

Oh, my gosh. Oh, look.

Look at all the spices. It's amazing.

This is what I think of when I think of China, I think...

Yeah. ..this.

NARRATOR: Perched on a 100 metre tall mountain

in east China's Jiangxi province,

Huangling.

Wow, this is busy.

Never seen anything like it before.

Although six centuries old,

the town lay dilapidated until 16 years ago.

Now restored, it has been transformed

into a rural destination for tourists.

We knew it was going to be you guys. Yeah.

Cos you were three hours behind us. Yes. Aaah!

How are you feeling? Very, very tired.

This is definitely starting to feel like race.

It is, it is.

Didn't think I was going to feel this competitive.

After the first leg in the race to Kanyakumari on the southernmost

tip of India, less than seven hours separate the top three teams.

But trailing a whole day behind the pack,

Brian and Melvyn and Caroline and Tom.

How have you two been working together?

I lost my voice so I didn't really speak that much.

But she's like the social, like, you know,

person. Yeah, talker. Yeah, talker.

The roles were reversed. Changed.

Um, it was a bit overwhelming at first.

We're from Wales so it's really quiet.

So, it's a whole new speed for us. Yeah.

So, do you speak a little bit Mandarin then?

None at all. Oh, none at all. None at all.

So, have you found the language barrier hard as well, then?

Yeah. Yeah. It's harder because, like,

I look the part but don't sound it.

Yeah. So, that's the struggle, cos everyone comes up to me

and just expects me to speak Mandarin.

Cos I know you did Mandarin. Is it one of you?

Or a little bit. A little bit of Mandarin?

Emphasis on little.

Please. Top three.

ALL: Cheers!

On the road again.

Good morning. This is for you.

I'm nervous.

NARRATOR: First to leave, current race leaders,

sisters Elizabeth and Letitia.

Your second checkpoint is Sanya.

Sanya. What does it sound like?

Sanya.

2,700 kilometres away, lying on the tip of Hainan Island,

Sanya, one of China's most southerly cities.

With palm-fringed beaches and lush rainforests,

its tropical climate makes it a magnet for China's wealthy elite,

but also for destructive monsoon storms.

Oh wait, I found it. That is far.

Oh, we're going to a beach! I feel like that's what's missing.

I'm like, I just need some sea!

To get there, teams must traverse southeastern China,

embracing new landscapes, languages, climate and cuisine.

They have the option to city hop,

taking advantage of high speed trains that run alongside

the East China Sea coastline...

..or head inland -

kinder on budgets,

and a chance to explore China's dramatic scenery.

Look at this.

Look at that, let's go inland.

Cos you wanted to go here even before coming to China.

When I was in China previously,

I missed an opportunity to go to rice fields near Guilin.

And it's such a, like, picturesque area.

And I was like, maybe if I have another opportunity to go to China,

as we do now, like, we can go there.

One big passion of Letitia

is Asia.

This is an opportunity that we shouldn't pass really. Exactly.

Yeah. I just want to experience it.

I am Asia obsessed, especially China.

There's a whole different culture, a whole different language,

just so unfamiliar to what I'm used to.

Being there, that's when I'm the most happiest.

I think because we came first,

we should try our best to keep the lead. Yeah.

Cos they're not that far behind. They're not that far behind. At all.

So, we have a plan.

I'm so excited for this leg. Yeah. I think it's going to be so good.

The sisters' goal -

the Longji rice terraces

via the well-connected transport hub, Guilin.

Take a train to Shangrao.

Whoa, this is fast.

Agh! This is, like, swinging. Oh, my gosh.

It's like a roller-coaster. It's like it goes... Argh!

Whilst Elizabeth and Letitia descend...

It's far. It's so far.

That doesn't seem easy to get to.

..next to depart...

Just want to leave the place now.

..teenage couple Fin and Sioned.

How do we get down?

English? English? Please.

Knowing we're second and we're quite close, this leg,

we want to get there quickly.

I enjoy more coastal scenery.

We're going through cities

so there'd probably be more transport, more English speakers.

We're kind of being safe with it all.

It's a bit of a comfort blanket.

Sticking to their tried and tested strategy,

they're planning to city hop down the coast.

First stop, Xiamen.

We don't know where we're going. I know, I know, I know.

Do you want to go into that checkpoint, hotel,

and ask for a taxi?

No, I'm not stopping, we're literally where we started.

Oh, at this point we've just got to get down, Fin.

Got far, didn't we? This is so embarrassing.

Thank you. I like these.

I prefer Yorkshire, but it'll do.

21 hours behind the race leaders, brothers Brian and Melvyn.

We messed up terrible.

So did we.

And in last place, mother and son Caroline and Tom.

I just felt helpless and useless,

and I just felt like we couldn't do it.

This is way, way out of my comfort zone, totally.

Yeah, sleeping in places that I would never, ever, ever...

HE LAUGHS

Our strengths are...

It hasn't... it hasn't come to the fruition yet.

It hasn't, has it? Hasn't come to the front of our thoughts.

We have got experience of life behind us.

But does it really help in this situation, life experience?

We've got nothing else going. No, we haven't, have we?

THEY LAUGH

I don't know how the youngsters have done it. I know.

It was gutting. Absolutely. Emotional. Yeah, it was.

It was. I didn't think we'd get emotional because it's just a race.

I didn't think it would mean this much.

And we all know where the danger's really coming from, don't we?

These youngsters. Who knows?

Next checkpoint it could be first and second.

Aw, wouldn't that be nice? Good luck. We'll see.

Sanya, you heard of it? Never heard of it.

No, me either.

Leaving the checkpoint in third, Yin and ex-husband Gaz.

That's where we're going.

Actually, that's not too far. How exciting.

It'd be quite good to kind of see the rural parts of China.

OK. Maybe do a home stay or something like that.

That'd be nice. We spent far too much in the first...

Yeah. We need to save money.

The cost of living's a lot cheaper in the countryside.

So, that's going to save us loads of money.

Tick. And also we can see if we can pick up some work.

OK.

With almost one fifth

of their total budget gone,

and seven legs remaining, the pair

are keen to rein in their spending.

Come on, friend. Bring it in.

Ah! We've got to stop do...

Don't overuse our hand thing.

Their plan - to journey through rural China,

working and staying with local families.

What I'm discovering about this race

is that I'm questioning my own Chinese identity

and what it means to me.

Going rural, there's an opportunity

to see things that I've never seen before.

It's going to be a complete contrast

to my experience of growing up in a Chinese family in the UK.

Let's go.

As the day draws to a close,

two teams are heading into rural China on overnight trains

in the cheapest seats available.

They are smoking on the train.

Great.

Elizabeth and Letitia...

Wow. LED lights.

Look at this. I don't know what Shangrao's all about.

Like a cartoon.

I think I've found my seat, 71.

But the man's lying all over it.

..and Yin and Gaz.

It's quite rough and ready.

If people bought in their like little gaggle of chickens

and things like that, it would not be out of place on this train.

It's not as bad as British Rail.

Vroom. Yeah.

308km, this is the fastest I've been on a train, I think.

Like, I feel like we're just going city to city to city.

Yeah, it looks so cool.

After a slow start,

Fin and Sioned are prioritising speed,

spending big on a bullet train to

reach Xiamen city before morning.

First day on the second leg

and we've spent about £70 so far.

That's not good.

Right, it was approximately...

I can't... I can't do numbers at all.

Sioned's probably better with money.

56.78.

Yeah. I don't think I'd be able to do that day to day.

It's too much, isn't it? Too much going on.

I got an A star in Maths GCSE.

Me or Fin don't pay bills because we still live with our parents.

So, budgeting for us doesn't really exist,

but I'm hoping to kind of have a plan,

and map out what we can spend.

Approximately £160 per leg for eight legs.

160 x 8. What's that?

2,280.

Is it? No, it's not.

It is.

No, it's really not.

I... My brain is really bad with maths,

but I know for a fact that you did not get an A star if you think that.

Where have I got that from?

Where have I got that number from before? Two...

Shall we just chill and see what happens?

We've got a good head start.

This leg is going to be smooth sailing for us,

and I feel like we are coming first.

You're going to follow me? I'm following you, mate.

6.45 am.

I'm following you. You carry on.

Almost a day after the race leaders departed,

a fourth team leave the checkpoint.

Brothers Brian and Melvyn.

What we've learned from this first leg, we've been rushing in,

haven't we? Yeah.

We need to stop... Fools rush in, Melv. There you go.

We're a pair of fools, then, aren't we, mate?

So, we have got more in common than we think.

Our strategy for this leg is start catching people up,

to travel quickly without spending the money.

We have got to work.

We're hoping to get a job where maybe we can get free accommodation.

We've got to plan our routes better.

It says public transportation parking area here.

Well, we found it. That was easy wasn't it? Brian, no-one's here.

I knew it was.

I would love to move up a place to third.

Going to have to take a gamble to go

as far south as we can and go for it.

I disagree. I think doing the home stay is far more logical.

Food and board we're getting, isn't it?

We are actually saving money by doing that.

OK, Melv, I'm with you on that, then.

I don't know why I'm looking out in front at the road signs

cos I can't understand them anyway.

As the brothers motor towards the coast,

1,000 kilometres inland,

the ancient town of Fenghuang.

Named after a mythical bird,

this frontier town connects the Hunan and Guizhou provinces.

Hidden in the mountains, it was once a useful rallying point

for politicians, warlords, and bandits...

..and today it offers Yin and Gaz a chance to earn back some budget...

Are you hungry? Would you like noodles? No? No, no, no. OK.

Xiexie, xiexie.

..by helping at Miss Xhou's Noodle Bar.

This sink is very low.

It's breaking my back.

It's not really made for my height, this sink.

Come on in, come on. Come on in.

This leg, it is all about clawing back a bit of money. Yeah.

Getting the shift done.

Maybe have a little wander around the village.

And then it'll be back on the road again.

You want noodles? Any noodles?

You want food? Food? What? Noodles.

Noodles? Yes.

Yes, would you like to come in for noodles? I'm not cooking.

I'm just trying to usher you in.

No-one's going to know what he's saying.

When we had the takeaway, Gaz was front of house

because he was just so confident.

People loved him. He's a people person.

Hello. Would you like any noodles? Are you hungry?

No. No, OK, all right. OK.

Xiexie, xiexie.

And I like the fact that he had a real front about him.

You want some food? You come back.

Yes, thank you, sir. Yes, OK, thank you, sir.

Madam? There you go!

I've got a customer.

That's one of the things that I miss about Gaz.

That was the charm that hooked me in.

Yeah, it probably was actually.

That's what we made. You want to take that? Perfect.

Got a free dinner, got some money.

So, that wasn't that bad after all, was it?

I think I did more work than you did.

I don't think you did. I brought them punters in.

Being married to Yin was amazing.

I did feel there's security being married

because you are a unit, you're... you're...you are together.

But the breakdown in the relationship was

because I became lazy.

I took Yin for granted.

Even to this day, I blame myself.

Oh, that was spicy.

Well, that's nice, isn't it? That view?

There's a pagoda at the top.

I didn't cope with the breakdown of the relationship at all well.

I became insular.

It was hard and I didn't like it at all.

What do you do?

Oh, let's go down the pub and have six pints of Guinness

and forget about it.

Oh, that's nice.

I would drink myself into a stupor

because I didn't talk to anyone about it.

One of the big key things with Yin is she identified that,

and whilst I was going through my demons

and people had given up on me, she never did.

She could see, you know, what I was doing was not right.

We're going on the stepping stones. Yeah.

We do not want to be falling in.

No, we do not.

I'm at that point now where I'm in a good place.

And by doing the race, I want to repay her

because she was there for me through the dark times.

And I don't want to let her down.

I've let her down too many times in the past.

I don't want to do it again.

Hello, pussycat. Hello.

What did you take? Some pictures of the cats?

I did take a little picture of the kitten. What a surprise.

THEY LAUGH

City high speed train station. Huangling high speed.

Last to leave the checkpoint, almost 26 hours after the race leaders...

Two people to Shangrao.

Shangrao?

Shangrao?

..mother and son Caroline and Tom.

Shangrao? Wuyuan. Shangrao? Wuyuan.

Oh, Wuyuan. Wuyuan!

Wuyuan is where we got the train into.

And it says we can get trains direct. So, we can go to Wuyuan.

"Woohoo" is Wuyuan? "Ooh-yeah." That's how they say it.

Oh, yeah, "Ooh-yeah."

Wuyuan. Wuyuan. Wuyuan.

This leg is focused more on the racing element because we're fifth.

We need to try and catch up as much as we can.

Wuyuan, let's do it.

We're making steps in the right direction.

Ooh-yeah!

We can't lag behind.

If we want to catch up, we have to sacrifice experiences.

God, Thomas, it feels so nice to be moving.

Russian book. Russian book.

I think I have a point to prove.

I'd like Thomas to realise he has

a mother who can achieve things

and do things rather than just be a mother.

We are heading to... Xiamen.

As Caroline and Tom begin their dash for the coast...

Wow. This has a different feel to it, hasn't it?

That's beautiful though.

..750km south, one team are already there.

So, we're going to go straight to the train station

and book our travel for tonight, and then we're going to the beach.

Once known as the gateway to China,

the ancient tea trading port of Xiamen

is now a vibrant cosmopolitan city,

renowned for its long sandy beaches,

and blend of European and Chinese architectural styles.

It's like a holiday day.

We've both got a spring in our step.

Before a chance to enjoy the beach, a plan to action -

secure overnight transport along the coast to towards Hainan.

Don't let me do it by myself.

Sioned, only one of us can go.

Why is it always on me?

Communication is your part.

My part's planning.

Why is it always my part?

Cos mine's planning and I've planned everything.

Yeah. We bicker. Yeah, we're young.

Somehow I'm in charge again.

I've planned it.

So, you're sorting it.

To where? Guangxiao?

No, Zhuhai.

Fin never listens.

Welcome to my life.

It's not an argument. It's more of a...

"Neh-neh-neh." Yeah, it's just chopsing.

Chopsing each other, yeah.

Tonight, Zhuhai?

Zhuhai, no ticket. No tickets. No. Tomorrow. Ah.

That's so annoying. Xiexie.

Brilliant. All right. Sound.

We need to figure this out quickly,

and then just crack on with sightseeing.

It's getting on my nerves. I just want to chill.

We need to try to find a bus, Sioned. I'm not going to lie.

I'm not very confident any more that we're getting out of here today.

Navigating China is definitely overwhelming.

On the race, everything's so foreign and so new.

I feel a bit daunted.

Right, is he helping or is he, like, just... Well, I'm not sure, Fin.

I...I have never been here before.

It probably is the most we've been tested

just because we can't escape each other,

and I don't catch a break.

The bus station has been suspended.

Oh, please, not again.

We're running out of options.

Fin, what's the plan? I have no plan, to be honest.

Neither do I. I don't want to decide.

Well, neither do I, then.

Oh, please, don't start this.

I'm so stressed anyway,

so bickering on top of that,

I find myself just thinking, like, I'd just rather be home.

Nothing makes sense in this place.

I just want to see the beaches.

Hello! Your name, is it Mr Xu?

Yeah.

Tucked in the rolling mountains of Fujian,

Brian and Melvyn have made it

to Chuxi Village...

Just picked it up and took it off us. He wouldn't let us carry it.

Could have had mine, couldn't he?

..to work for Mr Xu in exchange for bed and board.

Look at this.

This is a... Look at this place.

I've never seen anything like this. This is amazing.

Built in the 15th century by the Hakka people,

tulous, fortified earthen homes that housed hundreds of people each,

protecting entire communities from invaders, thieves and wild animals.

The chef... The chef is brilliant.

Looks brilliant. Beautiful.

THEY LAUGH

Is it good?

Is it chicken?

Chicken? Cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck?

THEY LAUGH

And that's...? Is that, what... Moo? Moo?

Moo? Yeah? Yeah. That's moo.

Whoa! And beer.

OK!

Oh, I like this man's style. I really do.

Whisky.

Chinese whisky.

Whisky?

He said it's whisky!

Cheers. Yeah, cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.

LAUGHTER

It's like moonshine!

Oh! Oh!

Oh, dear.

That'll make me hair grow back!

No more, no more.

Melvyn persuaded me that we don't go as far south as I wanted to.

Thank you very much. See you later.

Goodnight. Goodnight. Goodnight.

Melvyn has made that decision, and I've followed it.

We're up at five.

Rest me aching bones!

This has been a long day.

We decided to come to this home stay.

I was adamant that it made more sense to do that.

Hey, I reckon you've got the best bedroom. It's pissing me off a bit.

I'll swap with you. I don't... You can have the big one.

Feel sorry for the buggers below here, Melv. What, my snoring?

Mm.

MELV CHUCKLES

I don't push myself, in a way.

I would have given in to him eventually.

But I feel good about the fact that he actually listened,

he thought about it, and got on board with me.

Eventually he did see sense.

Have a good night.

I'll try not to snore too loud! HE LAUGHS

DOOR CREAKS LOUDLY

That's a creaky one!

Look at this!

So beautiful. Wow.

Riding a bullet train towards the city Guilin,

Elizabeth and Letitia.

We're going through the mountains!

Speeding through Hunan province and the Guangxi region,

famed for their karst peaks over 250 million years old.

I can stare at this view all day.

Remind me a little bit of, um, skittles.

Little...

SHE CLICKS TONGUE

..green skittles.

I think Letitia will be very, very excited.

We need to get the bus to Longji tomorrow.

Rice paddies - finally! It'll be exciting.

Prayers are coming true.

I'm glad I put that knee bandage on.

Yeah. Watch this bit here, Melv. Yeah.

800km east...

I'm sweating.

..amongst the forests of Fujian,

where the tigers of South China once roamed...

For want of a better phrase, I'm fucked!

..Mr Xu's family have worked the land for nearly two centuries.

Ah!

It's actually quite nice.

It's lovely, innit?

Brian and Melvyn are repaying his hospitality,

scaling a mountain to harvest bamboo,

a staple for both local cuisine and construction.

I've been on panda lookout ever since we've been in China.

Melvyn. What?

It's absolutely ridiculous.

Pandas come from China! You're not going to see a panda in here, Melv.

Did we sign up for this?

Whose stupid idea was it to cut bamboo shoots?

So, cut it straight down, yeah? Try that, bro.

You cut one yet, Melv? Well, there's summat here.

Oh, no, that's a bottle top.

We're a couple of old blokes,

so it's going to be tough for us.

But if we can use our skills that we've acquired over the years

to give us a bit of an advantage, that's our game plan.

Army days, Melv. Remember when you were a soldier?

It reminds me of Belize 50 year ago.

When I left school, I joined the Army,

and I did seven years in the Army.

Armalite and backpack, tracking through stuff like this.

And from that I did a bit of painting and decorating.

Then I joined the Prison Service.

I did a little bit of private eye work.

I used to run a karaoke evening,

and I like Elvis Presley, a lot of Elvis's songs,

so I nick... I called myself Melvis.

I've got it. OK. I've got it.

That'll be 30 quid please, labour cost.

And then I trained to be a driving instructor,

and that's what I've been doing ever since.

I've never had a lot of money,

but I've always worked to my means and spent to my means.

I've got four shirts for 9.99. That's OK.

I'm comfortable in my bamboo, lightweight, soft,

sweatproof, really nice stuff.

Sweatproof?!

Well, it doesn't... It's not actually.

I managed to sell my company many years ago.

I'm fortunate that I do have the money to do what I want to do.

He's always been a hard worker. That's why he's got where he's got.

But with Brian, it wasn't physical work,

it was mental work, and it was stressful work for him as well.

There you go!

Is that good? Yeah.

Is that it, then?

LAUGHTER

Aah!

He's a good lad, and to end up where he's ended up is brilliant.

I'm really proud of him for doing it.

What have we managed to get?

Marvellous.

OK, we're off.

Thank you, Mr Xu. Bye-bye. Thank you, Mr Xu. Thank you very much.

Right. So, we need to go to the train station.

Inquire about tickets. Go as far south as we can get.

It's absolutely beautiful.

It does look nice.

City-hopping along the coast,

Fin and Sioned have travelled 700km to reach Zhuhai.

Known as the Chinese Riviera,

it is one of the most prosperous regions in China.

I've never seen a city with big buildings

that go on straight to a beach.

I would definitely never have thought this would be in China.

The sea looks like home water.

So chill.

I mean, Wales has beautiful beaches.

Yeah, you've got like towards New...St Davids and stuff

and like Barafundle. Yeah.

It's a lot more of a peaceful life. It is.

At home, we don't really have hard decisions to make,

and we can depend on other people.

Doing this is just massive. Like, we have no experience at anything.

I think we're forgetting the fact that we're 18 and 19

and we have got from like above Beijing to Zhuhai.

Yeah. By ourselves, basically, like.

Where me and Sioned are from, you know, our local train station,

there's two platforms.

Even then, we still have to ask someone which platform it is.

So, to be in a train station where there's 24 platforms,

it's in Mandarin, it's absolutely unbelievably hard for us.

I like going to beaches and stuff when I am home.

It's just like quite nice for me to just be able to just

stop for a minute and have that, like...

..home feeling maybe.

How are you feeling about not being...

..like not being able to speak to your mum?

SHE SNIFFLES

Deep breath.

Count to ten.

What is it that you miss?

That familiarity. I like to have that.

So, I don't like being away from everyone we know

and basically just having each other.

SHE SNIFFS

Do you regret it?

No.

I know I need to do it.

It's like speaking and thinking about home,

I don't like it because I know, like...

..as much as I feel like I want to be home right now,

I definitely don't. If I was home, I'd want to be here.

I'm just trying to adapt to China,

adapt to the language, adapt to the people.

Trying to build up my confidence to be a bit more risky.

Everyone misses you. Don't worry.

That's not helping. OK.

Nobody misses you.

Oh... No. Sorry.

Just shush about it. OK, sorry.

PRONOUNCING DIFFERENTLY: Bath. Bath.

Baahth. Barth.

It's not barth! It would B-A-R-T-H, wouldn't it?

So half the population is right and half is wrong?

Yes, my popu... My side's right.

Madness.

Brian and Melvyn's push south has brought them

to the city of Guangzhou.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Oh. Is that what that says?

There is a typhoon. Bollocks.

We have a major problem. Apparently there's a typhoon warning,

and it's south of the island that we want to go to.

No buses at all tomorrow because of the typhoon.

But apparently the bullet trains are still running.

Takes us to Zhanjiang,

which is within spitting distance to the island.

It's not going to do our budget any good at all.

That's 520 yuan.

But it gets us there.

If the weather is bad and we can't move,

we've got no choice - it's the bullet train.

We said we were going to get there.

We've got to get there.

BRIAN SIGHS

That's 500. I've got 500. How much have you got?

Don't know. I've got to take my pants off to have a look.

Well, it...

That was discreet, wasn't it?

CAROLINE: We want to head south

and we want to get there as quickly as possible.

Travel, travel, travel.

Also in Guangzhou...

Zhanjiang, fair enough? Let's do that. Yeah. OK.

..but unaware of the impending typhoon, Caroline and Tom.

Do you have tickets to Zhanjiang?

Oh, no.

All tickets for today are sold out.

Oh, God.

Tomorrow afternoon, please.

Oh, it's just stressful, I hate this. I hate booking tickets.

I hate this part.

Being fifth, I felt most bad for Mum.

Oh, my shoulders are hurting!

Oh! Well, darling, that's the problem with coming last.

We just have to suck it up.

SHE CHUCKLES

Cos I just keep on thinking how she's going to feel

if we get to that book and it says last again.

We've spent quite a lot.

We've sacrificed experience to gain speed. Yeah, yeah.

We've booked the expensive trains, done the bullet trains.

We've got a train booked to Zhanjiang tomorrow,

the earliest one we could, which gives us some time to work,

and earn some money back on the budget. OK.

Enjoy today. Work tomorrow. Race.

Perfect.

Let's get in the spirit, Mama.

Yep, I'll be fine.

YIN: Two and a half hours of standing, potentially.

But for some reason we've chosen to hang out by the toilet.

I'm not sure why.

GAZ LAUGHS

With three teams positioned along the coast,

Yin and Gaz are forging their way inland,

heading to Jiangtou to work and stay on a local family farm.

Growing up in a Chinese family,

I know how much food is kind of like the central focal point,

and I know we'll be fed really, really well.

They will want to share everything.

They're going to be really proud of what they produce,

how they turn that into food for the family.

And I think that experience is priceless, really.

Ai-yai-yai-yai-yai.

Oh, wow, look. Look.

That looks so neat and organised. Oh, whoa, look at that.

They look so neat.

Elizabeth and Letitia have made it to Longji...

Take off your socks, man. Your feet are going to get wet.

No, I'll wear your socks after.

No, cos I'm going to wear my socks after. What do you mean?!

..to fulfil a lifelong dream of Letitia's...

No rain can bother me.

Looks like ripples in the sea. A sea of rice.

..and experience one of the world's finest examples

of agricultural ingenuity.

Built over 700 years ago by the Zhuang and Yao minorities,

more than 70 square kilometres of cascading rice terraces weave along

the contours of the steep mountain slopes.

Being in the clouds, one with the rice,

one with the rain.

ELIZABETH LAUGHS

It's a shame that we can't see the whole of the field really.

But I like the ambience.

With this weather, it's given us, like, a unique experience, you know?

I would be more comfortable in the sun, honestly.

I was dressed for the sun.

Oh, I just love the smell! Don't you love the smell?

You feeling very happy? I am very happy.

It's good that you're enjoying it.

Yeah, I'm really enjoying it. Good.

Letitia was very extroverted, actually, when she was young.

LETITIA LAUGHS

She was very loud. She would always want to be,

like, the centre of attention and sing.

It almost looks like the ripples in ice cream.

Mm.

When I went to Italy, Letitia was still a teenager.

There was more than ten years, really, that we were apart.

You've got the ticket, yeah? Yeah, I think so.

When I came back to the UK, Letitia had become quite anxious

and she had this introverted quietness to her.

She definitely got a bit shyer, a little bit more reserved.

Very short-lived,

but, you know, it's great we went over there anyway. Mm.

It was something that you really wanted to do for a long time, so.

Yeah. Yeah.

I'm just happy that I came here.

There's a nice feeling and, um, yeah, I just love it.

It just fascinates me, really. Mm.

Cos I remember you just started having this love...

Like, your love for Asia started with China.

I was in Italy. Mm.

I was just, like, down all the time.

When I wasn't feeling my best, I would watch, like, an Asian movie

or something and it would just make me feel better. Mm.

I was just one of those teenagers who didn't leave their room.

I didn't really understand who I was. Bit depressed.

And I feel like Asia...culture kind of like woke me up, I guess.

Cos I feel like I was just so, like, stagnant.

It gave me a goal to work towards.

Maybe I can go to Asia, maybe I can go study there,

maybe I can, you know, learn the language.

So it gave me something to, like, look forward to.

It was definitely an escapism.

It was a safe space because it was very consistent.

It's hard for me to think that you've gone through that

and that I wasn't there.

It's OK.

I'm so glad we came today.

It's lived up to my expectations.

Yeah. I really liked it.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to, you know, do it,

and also with you, just for you to, you know, see part of my interest.

And this is definitely me getting to know you a lot more.

It's nice actually experiencing it with you.

And I think I wouldn't have wanted to come to China, I think,

with anybody else but you, honestly.

I would be highly offended if you went with someone else and not me!

You wouldn't survive!

Jiangtou, 117km south in the Guangxi region.

Mm!

Mm! The fish is very good, eh?

Beautiful.

This is the best food we've had in China since we've been here.

Yin and Gaz are spending the evening with Mr Lou and his family.

Number one food. Really good.

Yeah, number one.

Yeah, that's like, uh, fish. Fish. You catch it?

"The fish was caught this afternoon to entertain our esteemed guests."

Oh! Oh, thank you! Xiexie. Xiexie.

It's so nice. So nice.

I am going to have to stop soon, though.

Bao, bao!

THEY LAUGH

How long have you had the farm?

20... 20?

..four. BOTH: 24!

Are you two husband and wife?

Yeah. Yeah. And do you have children?

UNTRANSLATED

Two children? Mm-hm.

We...one daughter. Mm.

That dinner was good, wasn't it?

It was excellent.

When we used to be as a family, instead of like Sunday roast,

that'd be our equivalent of the Sunday Chinese dinner.

Doing a pork chop stew. Oh, I loved that one!

Do you miss that kind of food?

Cos we haven't been together now for about three years.

Chicken's feet in black bean sauce is still my favourite.

But also, Autumn likes it as well.

Little AB's birthday yesterday.

It seems strange cos, like, 23 years of her birthdays,

this is the first one we're not going to be with her.

We had quite a long marriage.

We did have a child, our daughter, Autumn.

Of all things, that's probably the thing we're proud of the most. Mm.

I mean, even, like, when we split up, we still came together

for birthdays, whether it was mine, yours or Autumn's.

They've always been fun.

We've always managed to put our differences aside for Autumn. Yeah.

I don't know why it works or how it works, but it works.

Yeah. But it does.

It's unique, but it does.

Also, it's quite sad that we're not with her for her birthday.

Yeah. It's all right, don't cry. It's fine.

Don't worry.

Taking part in the race, Autumn sees it as...

..I don't know, like a last adventure together.

Time has moved on. Autumn is now grown up.

We both are different people.

She understands me and Gaz are going on a different path,

living our own lives.

We still want to be supportive of each other,

but me and Gaz want to get back to engaging with life again

and start enjoying it again.

GAZ LAUGHS

The two dogs are shagging each other. Sorry!

THEY LAUGH

Thomas, this is it!

With a few hours remaining before their train departs

towards the checkpoint...

..Caroline and Tom have picked up work in Foshan...

It's a gym. Wow.

..the kung fu capital of China

and birthplace of Bruce Lee's legendary master, Ip Man.

I think Thomas is loving this.

He's desperately wanting to watch, but he has to get on with his job.

Oh, you'll like this, Mum, you're good at this.

Up. All the way.

OK.

Look at the speed!

Ah, I don't do anything slowly.

Ah, bathrooms.

I love to be busy all the time.

I'm quite a restless person.

Half the jobs I'm sure I invent.

She'll be happy and having a good time.

That's just genuinely what she enjoys.

She just took the broom and she was straight off.

Just Speedy Gonzales.

Mum's role when I was a kid was very much make sure

everything at home is in order while Dad's out working.

It's very much a, um... old-fashioned upbringing,

with Dad being the provider and Mum being kind of the stay-at-home mum.

How did you lift that? It's heavy.

Cos I'm Superwoman!

I do feel until now my life has largely been predetermined

and traditional.

When I got married, I gave up working.

My husband was happy to work and wanted me to stay at home.

I cared for Thomas all the time.

I don't financially contribute at home,

and I do feel guilty. Um...

And it doesn't make you feel good you.

It makes you feel literally not as important.

I think for Mum, that's just part of her routine and her normal life.

And she's... I think she quite enjoys it,

you know, like being needed and wanted.

I genuinely don't even know who Mum would be without those things

because I've never really seen it.

I suppose I've coasted through life really for the past 20-odd years.

I haven't done something that comes from my soul

that means something really, really important to me.

I want to prove that I can add value and do something fulfilling.

I don't know if he realises this means more than just a race to me.

Oh! Oh!

Oh, my God!

Look at the size of that spider.

I can't see it. Well, come closer.

Look at that.

Oh, that's massive!

Thank you!

Oh! Oh!

Thomas, how do you expect to be a kung fu master

if you can't even cope with a spider?

HE GRUNTS

Before departing, there's time to spar with Master Dong.

Ryu.

San. ALL: Ho!

Oh. Ho! Ho!

Ho!

One.

This is going to tire us out before we can race!

It's great seeing Mum doing something like this.

This is where she gets stuck in.

Hyah! Hyah!

She's just quite tough. She doesn't stop.

Ho!

Yeah, mama do it.

Mum, you got this. Oh, gosh, OK.

Thank you, Master Dong. Thank you so much.

Back in race mode. Yeah.

It's nice to know that this is potentially, hopefully...

The last day. ..definitely the last day of this leg.

As Caroline and Tom head for their train...

GAZ: Oh, I think... Oh, I'm in luck.

Yeah.

Yeah, I got a big one.

.before making their way to the checkpoint,

Yin and Gaz are paying for last night's accommodation...

Yay! Gold!

..digging lotus roots...

Our host has just turned up in his jeans and gone straight in!

..central to Chinese cuisine.

Their host, Mr Lou, will sell this morning's harvest

at the local market.

Oh! Oh! That's a...

Whoa, look at the size of that one! That's a good one!

This is what I think of rural China -

picturesque scenery, agriculture.

Whoa. Careful, careful.

I keep falling over.

Whoops-a-daisy!

Rural China is interspersed with industrial China,

but then you get rewarded with views like this.

You feel like such a small speck

when you're surrounded by these magnificent mountains.

The abundance of our labour.

Ta-da!

We did all this. This.

This is the China that I wanted to see.

I feel quite honoured to have experienced that,

and to have experienced it with them as well.

You're wonderful! Thank you, sir!

After a morning's hard work, Yin and Gaz...

We're going to try to get to Sanya.

..join the other four teams.

Sanya. Sanya?

..on the final push to Sanya.

To get there, they need to reach Xuwen Port

and board a ferry to Haikou on Hainan Island,

before travelling a further 280km

to the second checkpoint, Sanya.

If we can get to the checkpoint today, that is the dream, isn't it?

Yeah. Do the last 200-300 miles. It's worth the money, it's worth

the early start if we can get there today. If we get there today, yeah.

That's subject to the typhoon not causing us any problems.

Just hope. If the transport's not working, we're stuck,

and we're stuck for a day.

Approaching from the southeast, Typhoon Trami,

bringing torrential rain, high winds, and major disruption.

SIONED: Can't really see out the window, it's so gross.

Once a storm hits, all transport is typically suspended,

meaning teams risk being stranded on the mainland.

The weather's bad.

I'm not feeling particularly confident today.

Elizabeth and Letitia are the first team to set foot on Hainan.

Oh, it's very slippery.

Feeling a bit nervous, actually.

Oh, it's raining.

Typhoon might be on its way.

Chop-chop-chop!

Why don't we just get a bus so we're on the road already?

Yeah, let's just get moving.

Oh, there's literally torrential rain.

This bus seems very slow.

Do you think we could have potentially lost our lead?

We could have been on a train. That would be faster.

I just hope that we're not so far behind.

ELIZABETH SIGHS

As the sisters begin an arduous bus journey south to Sanya...

What's the Titanic?

You need to be at the front for that.

Oh, I'll stay along the side. It's safer!

..two other teams are approaching the island.

So excited to get to the checkpoint.

It felt impossible, but we're actually getting somewhere.

Yeah, I'm happy.

BRIAN: Keep going. Keep going.

Got a bit of a breeze going through the hair.

Typhoon, innit?

Two tickets to Sanya.

That's a result. 18:40 tickets to Sanya.

Ah!

FIN: Oh! Finally!

Ni hao. Sanya? Sanya?

Tonight?

BOTH: Two. Ah.

Yes! Oh, my gosh, yes!

Ah, butterflies are coming.

BRIAN: This is the last push.

What is this?

BOTH: This is the calm before the storm.

Race mode is on.

BEEPING

"Make your way to Sanya Qi Che Zhan."

"On the Jiefang Road by any available means."

Zhan is a station.

Shall we just flag down a taxi? No, I think we should walk.

So, let's just go and we can get some more instruction.

BRIAN: "Sanya Qi Che Zhan on the Jiefang road."

No?

Not Russian. I'm not Russian.

He thinks I'm Russian.

Jiefang Lu? Xiexie.

Is it a hotel maybe? No, no, no.

Or station? Station.

It's got to be somewhere here.

Um... Oof!

I can get you a car. Thank you. Do you know how much it'll be?

I pay. I'll pay. Aw! Are you sure?

Thank you so much. Xiexie. Thank you so much.

Yay!

LETITIA: Why are these directions not clear?

Are you with me, Melv?

Swear you're trying to kill me.

It's absolutely pouring it down and it's pitch-black.

See if you can see street names.

Yeah. It's this one. Yes!

Ah! This is the station.

Bus station. That sounds right.

BEEPING

"On foot, head west to find the beach."

MELV: Bri, hang on. Hang on, hang on.

Line your north up, line your north up.

OK, west is not that way. West is not that way.

So west is that way.

That is north. It's over there.

It's that direction.

West...should be that way. West...

Never eat shredded wheat.

Where'd you know... How do you know where north is?

Flooded everywhere.

I can smell the beach. Let's follow our noses. Follow the wind.

So it's down here and then...

No, over... Over there I think. I don't...

Um...

I feel really, really stupid.

I feel really, really stupid as well. Argh!

THUNDER RUMBLES

That's the beach! There you go.

Beach coming up!

BEEPING

"Head across the bridge to find your checkpoint hotel

"in the Phoenix Island Resort."

Ah! Ooh!

Is that it? That's the lights! Is it the LED?!

SIONED: There's a bridge over there, look.

Go! Run after it.

Last push, Melv.

I'm here. I'm on your tail.

FIN: So the bridge was to the right? Yeah.

Oh, my gosh. I don't think I can run any more.

Come on. We'll make it.

Oh, my gosh!

Ah! Oh, my gosh. Ah, breathe.

Ni hao. Ni hao. Ni hao.

Please sign in here.

"Congratulations, you have successfully reached

"your second checkpoint." Aah!

Aah!

Where is everyone? What?!

Winners!

What?!

Wow!

We're surprising ourselves cos I think we actually are doing

quite a few things right. Yeah.

I feel like this leg, we really balanced race and experience.

Even, like, the rice paddies, I was so happy,

and it's nice to share it. Mm.

Oh, yes, yes! Oh!

Oh!

We're in second place!

And look at the time. I nearly gave you a hug then!

Don't give me a hug.

That is a big surprise, isn't it? It's good.

We never, ever expected to pick up places. Never.

And the time. I'm chuffed on that. Absolutely amazing.

I'm absolutely buzzing now.

Ah! Ni hao. Ni hao.

Oh! Wow! Wow!

They've made a comeback, Brian and Melvyn. Wow.

I would have loved to hold that second place position,

but I'm very happy with third.

At home our relationship has no stress,

so coming here and having only each other, it's a lot.

I'm proud of us. I'm proud of us too.

But this is definitely an experience that I would never want to change.

And we're both so sweaty. Ah!

Three pairs have made it to the second checkpoint in Sanya,

but two teams are yet to arrive.

It's scary.

Thank you.

On Hainan Island...

My feet are soaking now.

I don't know what choice we have.

The weather's conspired against us.

..but stranded until morning, Caroline and Tom.

So near yet so far.

I'm worried about how we're going to feel when we get to the book.

I think it'll be our fifth again.

I think we're going to feel so deflated.

Still on the mainland...

Why are we not moving?

..Yin and Gaz.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

PASSENGERS GRUMBLE Oh.

What is going on?

There's nothing we can do. We're trapped.

It's definitely been 12 hours

and we've gone from here to there,

to back here again. We haven't gone very far at all.

I have no words. We're just in limbo. No words.

I'd pull me hair out if I had any!

We are literally in the hands of Mother Nature.

THUNDER CRACKS

Oof, adrenaline's pumping!

"The team that arrives in fifth place...

"..will be eliminated from the race."

OK. We're in fight mode now.

Look at that!

For the first time in 40 years,

we've got a different type of relationship.

We want more challenges. I do not want to be going home.

Whoa! If this doesn't make you fall in love with China,

I don't know what will.

No! We have caught up!

We're 1-0 down at half-time. I'm not panicking just yet.

I give up.

No, we can't give up. Thomas, no.

We need to go quickly!

Fin!

Thomas!