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(upbeat music)
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(upbeat music)
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(dramatic music)
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I'm Christopher Clark,
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and I'm traveling the world to discover its true treasures,
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the UNESCO World Heritage sites.
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I'm in Southeast Asia exploring the unique flora
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and fauna in this corner of the world
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and the roots of the deep spirituality
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that shaped the local cultures.
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It's impossible to separate the spectacular architecture
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from the region's religious movements
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or from the great empires that rose
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and fell here throughout the centuries.
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Southeast Asia has a very special kind of magic.
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Its natural wonders and the secrets of the civilizations
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{\an8}that arose here over the centuries are a big part of that.
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{\an8}The diversity of peoples and languages,
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{\an8}of religions and temples, is absolutely fascinating.
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This is where two major cultures meet,
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the Indian and the Chinese.
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Perhaps that's the reason
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for the region's irresistible allure.
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And that's what I hope to find out.
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I want to show you this vast treasure of human heritage.
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I'm setting out to explore its roots
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and discover what remains today
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and what needs to be preserved.
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I will eventually had to Bali on this journey,
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but first I'm traveling to a country
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in the space between India and China.
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I'll visit fascinating Vietnam
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and practically unspoiled Laos.
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But first, my journey takes me to Cambodia,
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which was home to one of this planet's
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most astounding civilizations.
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(gentle music)
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As we approached the ruins through the jungle,
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I know how Frenchman Henri Mouhot must have felt
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back in 1860 when he came to Angkor Wat.
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His descriptions made it well known to the Western world.
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Today, it's a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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The famous Angkor Wat is not a palace,
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it's a temple dedicated to the God, Vishnu.
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Loosely translated, the name means
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a city made into a temple.
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And in fact, Angkor Wat is the largest
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sacred structure ever built.
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It's larger than St. Peter's Basilica
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or the Inca temples of South America.
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The apsaras, the temple dancers,
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and the devatas, female guardians,
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still watch over this holy place today.
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Child monks still use the site for ceremonies and blessings.
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The entire architectural complex
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breathes the spirit of sacred rituals.
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The visitor cannot help but feel small
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before these immense structures.
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Angkor Wat the temple is an artistic highlight
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of the indigenous Khmer culture.
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And Angkor the city was a center of the mighty Khmer empire.
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Nowadays, these ancient buildings are taken over,
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at least in the daylight hours,
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by hoards of monkeys and tourists.
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In the early hours of the morning,
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we're lucky enough to have this enormous jungle
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cathedral all to ourselves for a little while.
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The towers designed to look like Lotus blossoms
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and the long galleries represent the order of the cosmos.
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The rulers of this place believed
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that they were at the center of the universe.
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Hinduism was the main religion of the Khmer.
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The idea of the devaraja or God Kings comes from that faith.
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The rulers saw themselves as incarnations of the God Vishnu,
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and this meant that they were protectors of their people
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and allowed them certain freedoms,
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but could also demand complete devotion.
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Religion was a tool of power for them
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as so often in human history.
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And these temples are evidence of that fact.
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But who was behind all of this?
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Which ruler placed himself on an equal footing with God?
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There's an image of him in Angkor Wat
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depicted in a relief.
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King Suryavarman II ascended to the throne in 1,113
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when he was no more than 20 years old.
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He expanded the influence of Angkor,
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then known as Cambodia, by waging war against its neighbors
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and transforming the city around the temple
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into a bustling metropolis.
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(dramatic music)
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The temple was a place of central importance to the Khmer.
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This is where they all came together.
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And these bas-reliefs were instruments
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not only of religious instruction, but also of propaganda
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and the projection of power.
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They were supposed to edify a mostly illiterate people
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to teach them how to live virtuously.
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But they're also a platform for the emperor
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to exhibit his power, his heroic feats,
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and his enormous wealth.
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The sheer size of ancient Angkor is astonishing.
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The temple's layout was meticulously planned
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by priests and astrologers.
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Angkor was the leading global city of its era
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and the largest pre-industrial settlement on earth.
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Up to a million people are believed to have lived here.
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But what do we really know about
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the day-to-day life in Angkor?
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Zhou Daguan, a Chinese diplomat
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and a contemporary of Marco Polo,
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was sent to Angkor in 1297
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as part of an Imperial delegation.
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He wrote down everything he saw,
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and his notes are our only evidence
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of what Angkor was like during its golden age.
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So how did the people here live their lives,
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and what does that tell us about their culture?
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The people of Angkor lived in wooden houses,
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only the temples were made of stone
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built to last for eternity.
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Every temple was reflected in a pool of water,
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a symbol intended to evoke the primeval ocean.
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Holy sites were always designed in perfect symmetry,
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and the tallest of the five towers
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in the middle of the complex
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represented the Holy Meru mountain,
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the center of their world.
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Angkor was not a sad place according to Zhou Daguan,
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and the reliefs we can still find an Angkor today
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around 800 years later bear out his observation.
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Here is a cheerful market scene,
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a pig roasting at an inn.
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The imagery suggests that Khmer men were the ones
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doing the cooking, the women performed other tasks.
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(upbeat music)
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The descendants of the Khmer
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live in the surrounding villages,
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where they cultivate grain and vegetables
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and breed livestock.
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They live together as extended families,
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and even today you get the impression that the women
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play the leading role as they did back in the era
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of the old Khmer when the kings still reigned.
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Not only do they raise the children,
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they also organize the entire community
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and tend to the animals.
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In the late 13th century, a new king,
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Jayavarman VII, also brought a new religion to Angkor.
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Buddhism.
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Even today, next to the Bayon temple
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commissioned by the King, there's a monastery
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inhabited primarily by child monks,
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and benevolent Buddha faces carved into the towers
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of the holy site smile down on all beneath them.
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Jayavarman built his own temple,
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and so did all the other rulers of Angkor,
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which is why there's no shortage of them here.
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(gentle music)
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The reliefs on the exterior walls
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depict the construction of the temples of Angkor
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over the centuries.
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They were very proud of this work.
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There were great builders and engineers among the Khmer.
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How was it even possible to erect these temples
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in the middle of the Cambodian jungle?
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The Khmer were gifted engineers
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and they did a little trick.
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They used laterite to construct the temple.
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When the stone is wet, it's easy to work with.
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It hardens quickly, and once it does,
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it lasts for an eternity.
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That's one reason why we can still admire Angkor Wat
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and the other temples today.
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Of course, this porous stone isn't particularly pretty.
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So when the temple was complete,
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a sandstone facade was added to the entire structure
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to make it worthy of the God Vishnu.
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(dramatic music)
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Many vivid colors and a lot of gold
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added to the spectacular power of this Holy place.
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Since the city was abandoned,
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nature has been reclaiming the territory
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that the Khmer once wrested from the jungle's grasp.
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This is particularly evident in Ta Prohm,
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a temple the King commissioned for his mother.
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Roots enfold the masonry like the tentacles
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of an enormous kraken, compressing it as they grow.
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Although this was a Buddhist temple,
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we still find motifs from the time
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when Hinduism dominated Angkor.
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It's a connection between the eras and the religions
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likely arising from the tolerance and respect
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the Khmer held for their ancestors
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who still worshiped the God Vishnu.
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Strangler figs and silk cotton trees captured Ta Prohm.
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Botanists have found more than 150 species of tree
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in the temple complex alone.
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Many devatas watch over the temple,
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which was constructed in the late 12th century
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as a monastery.
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Over 12,000 people lived in the temple district.
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The surrounding villages had to serve the King's mother
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and her royal monastery.
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To get a sense of the former size of the city of Angkor,
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you really need to take to the skies.
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We lifted off in a tethered balloon.
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It wasn't until just a few years ago
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that researchers discovered just how massive
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Angkor actually was.
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(dramatic music)
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All of this was Angkor.
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The extent of the city corresponded roughly
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to the size of today's Berlin.
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(gentle music)
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Using laser satellite imagery,
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a team of researchers from France and Australia
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was able to determine just how big the largest metropolis
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of the middle ages actually was.
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And they made an exact map.
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Every overgrown ruin,
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every trace of human development was recorded.
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It was a sensational project.
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A carefully planned and well connected city became visible.
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Every block was separated from the next
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by a street or a canal.
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The two enormous water basins are particularly eye-catching.
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For the Khmer, they were more than just symbols
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of the primeval ocean, they were also,
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and perhaps more importantly, a reservoir
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for irrigating rice fields.
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Angkor's wealth came mainly from rice farming.
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These immense waterworks, reservoirs, dams, and canals
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were just as central to Khmer culture as their temples.
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But their true dimensions really only become apparent
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when you cross them by boat.
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This eight kilometer-long water basin collected the monsoon
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flood waters from the mountains for use in the fields.
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And the entire city was supplied with water from here
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via stone canals,
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an impressive feat by the 12th and 13th century engineers.
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They were incredibly creative architects.
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The Khmer knew a lot about water management,
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explains Hang Peou Byo, hydrologist of the region.
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The water played the role very important
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{\an8}for the stability of the temple.
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{\an8}So it mean all the Khmer temple
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built based on the water.
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The Khmer don't have the technique to make the foundation.
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And the soil, it's very soft soil,
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this cannot support very heavy load.
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So the way they discovered just to combine
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the technique in between the sand and water.
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And we can experience by ourselves
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to know how strong it is about the sand and water
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when we go on the beach.
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When we go on the beach,
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you can walk through the path where the sand is very solid.
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Your foot never sink.
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But the part that's in dry, your foot will be sink.
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So they used a kind of a technique
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to support our heavy temple.
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One of the last Khmer rulers is rumored to have said,
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"When the water around this temple disappears,
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00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:58,247
our city's end is nigh."
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The powerful empire collapsed in the early 15th century.
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Climate change was one of the reasons why the Khmer
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had to leave this wonderful place
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00:15:09,530 --> 00:15:11,110
they'd created for themselves.
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00:15:11,110 --> 00:15:14,430
But megalomania and extensive human destruction
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of the surrounding natural world
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00:15:16,230 --> 00:15:18,100
were also part of the problem.
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00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:21,853
Angkor is a reminder of our own impermanence.
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My next destination is Cambodia's neighbor, Laos,
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00:15:26,810 --> 00:15:29,570
and the city of Luang Prabang,
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00:15:29,570 --> 00:15:32,148
a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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(dramatic music)
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00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:40,240
The vast Mekong River will carry me there.
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At more than 4,000 kilometers,
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it is Southeast Asia's longest river
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and the region's lifeline.
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The river peacefully winds its way through jungle landscapes
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00:15:51,100 --> 00:15:53,250
and steep canyons into Laos,
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the former kingdom established in the 14th century.
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Even here on the river,
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it already feels like we're traveling
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00:15:59,870 --> 00:16:02,293
into another world and another era.
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00:16:08,510 --> 00:16:12,500
100 years ago when British explorer James McCarthy
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00:16:12,500 --> 00:16:14,720
first saw the temple roofs of the city
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00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:16,720
of Luang Prabang from afar,
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00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,420
he thought for a few seconds that he was witnessing
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00:16:19,420 --> 00:16:21,210
a celestial phenomenon.
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Yet when he docked his boat and entered the city,
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he was filled with a deep melancholy,
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because even then he realized that this was a world
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00:16:29,010 --> 00:16:30,730
that belonged to the past.
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And yet it still exists today.
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In Luang Prabang we can experience another era.
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UNESCO named Luang Prabang a World Heritage site
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00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,710
because it is actually one of the only cities
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in Southeast Asia that has been so well-maintained
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00:16:49,410 --> 00:16:52,430
and preserved through turbulent centuries.
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Over the last 25 years,
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the temples and houses have been painstakingly restored
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using traditional techniques,
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all under the strict supervision of UNESCO.
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The buildings here are constructed
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00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:11,866
in a highly distinctive style.
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00:17:11,866 --> 00:17:14,449
(upbeat music)
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00:17:17,770 --> 00:17:20,740
The richness of Luang Prabang architecture
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reflects the mix of styles and materials in this region.
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The restoration has breathed new life
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00:17:28,350 --> 00:17:29,773
into this remarkable place.
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The people in Luang Prabang are still proud that their city
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00:17:55,990 --> 00:17:59,720
was once the Royal residence and the capital of Laos.
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00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,310
But during the civil war of the 1960s and 70s,
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00:18:03,310 --> 00:18:07,050
communist troops entered the city and carted the Monarch
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00:18:07,050 --> 00:18:09,790
and his family off to a reeducation camp.
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00:18:09,790 --> 00:18:12,673
It's believed that the King and his wife died there.
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00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:31,050
Today, life is tranquil in the secluded Mekong Valley
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00:18:31,050 --> 00:18:33,250
where Luang Prabang is nestled.
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Mass tourism hasn't yet transformed
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00:18:35,740 --> 00:18:40,190
this corner of the world, but Chinese tourism is growing,
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00:18:40,190 --> 00:18:42,720
and Laos is at risk of slowly losing
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its distinctive character.
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00:18:44,740 --> 00:18:46,450
It's hard to imagine that this place
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00:18:46,450 --> 00:18:48,813
was once a Southeast Asian powerhouse.
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00:18:57,930 --> 00:19:01,640
Serpent symbols can be found everywhere in Laos.
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00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,770
They are believed to protect the inhabitants of buildings.
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00:19:04,770 --> 00:19:06,240
And the elephants are referenced
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00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:07,963
to the name of the ancient empire.
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00:19:09,260 --> 00:19:12,290
Luang Prabang was the capital of Lang Xang,
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00:19:12,290 --> 00:19:14,880
the powerful empire of the million elephants
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00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:17,690
and the seat of the kings of Laos for centuries.
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{\an8}The country was founded by Fa Ngum.
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00:19:20,300 --> 00:19:24,530
{\an8}The son of royal rulers, Fa Ngum was born with 33 teeth.
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{\an8}Consequently, he was thought to be cursed
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00:19:26,550 --> 00:19:28,860
and was abandoned on the Mekong River.
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00:19:28,860 --> 00:19:31,870
A Khmer king found him and raised him as his own.
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00:19:31,870 --> 00:19:35,000
As a young man, Fa Ngum returned to his homeland,
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00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,000
conquered all the small principalities in this region,
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00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:39,880
established the kingdom of Laos,
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00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,318
and spread the word of Buddha.
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00:19:42,318 --> 00:19:45,068
(dramatic music)
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00:19:49,340 --> 00:19:51,930
Buddhism still dominates the atmosphere
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00:19:51,930 --> 00:19:53,969
in Luang Prabang today.
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00:19:53,969 --> 00:19:56,610
(gong ringing)
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00:19:56,610 --> 00:20:00,090
The gong dictates the pace of the monks' lives,
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00:20:00,090 --> 00:20:04,320
the beginning and end of their work, prayers, and meals.
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00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,010
There are about 40 Buddhist monasteries here,
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00:20:07,010 --> 00:20:10,950
but this one, Wat Xieng Thong, is the most important.
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00:20:10,950 --> 00:20:14,970
It's centered on an ordination hall built in 1560.
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00:20:14,970 --> 00:20:18,193
Frowning eaves sweep low to the ground.
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00:20:21,380 --> 00:20:23,983
We're speaking with a young monk.
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00:20:27,130 --> 00:20:30,906
How did Buddhism come to this place in Laos?
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00:20:30,906 --> 00:20:33,240
{\an8}(Pha speaking in foreign language)
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00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,466
{\an8}Buddhism arrived with King Fa Ngum
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00:20:36,466 --> 00:20:39,053
in the 14th century, and with him came the prabang,
359
00:20:39,910 --> 00:20:42,210
the most important likeness of Buddha in Laos.
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00:20:43,460 --> 00:20:45,070
It gave the city its name
361
00:20:46,239 --> 00:20:48,039
and is still in our monastery today.
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00:20:50,071 --> 00:20:52,140
(Christopher speaking in foreign language)
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00:20:52,140 --> 00:20:54,723
(gong ringing)
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00:20:56,245 --> 00:20:58,828
(gentle music)
365
00:21:01,822 --> 00:21:05,070
Wat Xieng Thong means temple of the golden city.
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00:21:05,070 --> 00:21:07,380
This is where the kings of Laos were crowned,
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00:21:07,380 --> 00:21:09,730
and today it is the country's most sacred
368
00:21:09,730 --> 00:21:10,863
Buddhist Holy site.
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00:21:17,540 --> 00:21:20,910
The temple was founded by King Setthathirat.
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00:21:20,910 --> 00:21:24,333
It survived all the wars of conquest, lootings,
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00:21:24,333 --> 00:21:27,250
and pillages Luang Prabang has seen over the centuries.
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00:21:27,250 --> 00:21:29,460
Many Buddhist believers are convinced
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00:21:29,460 --> 00:21:32,440
that the serpent God who resides where the Mekong
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00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:36,660
and Nam Can Rivers meet protects the sanctuary.
375
00:21:36,660 --> 00:21:41,210
There are patterned teak wood pillars supporting the roof.
376
00:21:41,210 --> 00:21:45,160
They are stenciled in gold on red or black lacquer
377
00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:48,940
with floral motifs, animals,
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00:21:48,940 --> 00:21:52,923
scenes of daily life, and Buddhist tales.
379
00:21:59,690 --> 00:22:02,880
On one of the walls, a depiction of the heavens
380
00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,710
with the Buddha and several deities,
381
00:22:05,710 --> 00:22:08,783
the earth, with people and trees.
382
00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:23,040
Sitting on an elaborate pedestal
383
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,990
is the principal image of Buddha in the Bhumisparsha mudra,
384
00:22:27,140 --> 00:22:29,900
his right hand touching the earth.
385
00:22:29,900 --> 00:22:32,880
A very special exception has been made for us.
386
00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,470
We've been permitted to attend a religious service
387
00:22:35,470 --> 00:22:38,070
for the monastery's monks and initiates.
388
00:22:38,070 --> 00:22:40,630
Many male Laotians join a monastery
389
00:22:40,630 --> 00:22:43,050
for at least some period of their lives.
390
00:22:43,050 --> 00:22:45,610
At an early age, they learn Buddhist rituals
391
00:22:45,610 --> 00:22:48,290
such as the ancient chants and the sutras,
392
00:22:48,290 --> 00:22:50,970
but they also attend a regular school.
393
00:22:50,970 --> 00:22:53,680
In fact, for many of them, joining a monastery
394
00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,880
is their only option for education,
395
00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,520
especially if they come from rural areas.
396
00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:03,160
And life far away from home is not easy for the novices.
397
00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:06,273
Most of them can visit their families only once a year.
398
00:23:07,940 --> 00:23:11,980
It's impossible to imagine Southeast Asia without Buddhism.
399
00:23:11,980 --> 00:23:15,330
Buddhism sets the pace of life in this part of the world,
400
00:23:15,330 --> 00:23:18,960
and that's especially palpable here in Luang Prabang.
401
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,380
Since its founding in the 14th century,
402
00:23:21,380 --> 00:23:24,760
the city has been a religious center for all Buddhists.
403
00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:27,310
And you can't help but feel that Buddha,
404
00:23:27,310 --> 00:23:30,130
who influences every aspect of life here,
405
00:23:30,130 --> 00:23:33,060
has been elevated to the status of a God.
406
00:23:33,060 --> 00:23:35,506
Although he never saw himself that way.
407
00:23:35,506 --> 00:23:38,089
(gentle music)
408
00:23:42,180 --> 00:23:45,040
At daybreak, monks from all the city's monasteries
409
00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:47,760
head out to participate in a Buddhist ritual.
410
00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:51,260
This tradition has lived on in Luang Prabang for centuries.
411
00:23:51,260 --> 00:23:53,920
The ritual is known as tak bat.
412
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:56,410
The monks walk the streets barefoot
413
00:23:56,410 --> 00:24:00,060
accepting rice from the city's residents.
414
00:24:00,060 --> 00:24:02,740
The donors acquire spiritual merit
415
00:24:02,740 --> 00:24:04,123
and feel closer to Buddha.
416
00:24:13,392 --> 00:24:16,650
(upbeat music)
417
00:24:16,650 --> 00:24:19,140
In a part of the world where mass tourism
418
00:24:19,140 --> 00:24:22,030
has for the most part swept everything before it,
419
00:24:22,030 --> 00:24:26,870
Luang Prabang really is an intact enclave from another time.
420
00:24:26,870 --> 00:24:28,080
As I leave Laos,
421
00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:31,140
I become aware of the fragility of these places
422
00:24:31,140 --> 00:24:33,623
and of the spirit that breathes life into them.
423
00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:50,950
My journey through the infinite diversity
424
00:24:50,950 --> 00:24:52,873
of Southeast Asia continues.
425
00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:02,330
My next destination is the world's largest
426
00:25:02,330 --> 00:25:04,303
island nation, Indonesia.
427
00:25:05,350 --> 00:25:08,630
The island of Bali in the Indian ocean
428
00:25:08,630 --> 00:25:10,373
is also part of this country.
429
00:25:11,460 --> 00:25:14,670
It's home to an overwhelmingly Hindu society
430
00:25:14,670 --> 00:25:16,433
in a predominantly Muslim state.
431
00:25:17,730 --> 00:25:21,910
This is a world of volcanoes, lush rainforests,
432
00:25:21,910 --> 00:25:24,403
and carefully cultivated rice terraces.
433
00:25:27,410 --> 00:25:29,640
Rice cultivation was invented in China
434
00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:31,440
at least 8,000 years ago,
435
00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:34,100
and it made its way to the Indonesian islands
436
00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:35,820
via trading routes.
437
00:25:35,820 --> 00:25:38,940
Even in the earliest documents discovered in Bali,
438
00:25:38,940 --> 00:25:40,880
rice cultivation is mentioned
439
00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:44,250
as a vital source of subsistence for the island.
440
00:25:44,250 --> 00:25:47,660
The fertile volcanic soil offers ideal conditions,
441
00:25:47,660 --> 00:25:50,683
but rice still needs abundant water to grow.
442
00:25:51,623 --> 00:25:54,478
And water is sacred to the Balinese.
443
00:25:54,478 --> 00:25:57,311
(people chanting)
444
00:26:03,110 --> 00:26:05,820
The ceremonies held in the days before the Balinese
445
00:26:05,820 --> 00:26:09,213
new year festivities are a living example of this belief.
446
00:26:12,100 --> 00:26:15,730
Immersion in water is believed to purify the soul
447
00:26:15,730 --> 00:26:17,283
and to free it from sin.
448
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,960
The sea is one source of purification and healing.
449
00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:28,430
And in the Balinese hills,
450
00:26:28,430 --> 00:26:31,930
an ancient system of cascading terraces and dykes,
451
00:26:31,930 --> 00:26:35,790
known as subaks, captures rain and spring water,
452
00:26:35,790 --> 00:26:38,390
preserving, controlling, and distributing it
453
00:26:38,390 --> 00:26:42,160
for the rice terraces used by the farming cooperatives.
454
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,180
But the subaks are more than an irrigation system.
455
00:26:45,180 --> 00:26:48,770
They are a form of communal social organization,
456
00:26:48,770 --> 00:26:52,200
bound together with shared duty and festivities.
457
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,070
An entire culture evolved around this idea
458
00:26:55,070 --> 00:26:57,740
centered on the meticulous joint management
459
00:26:57,740 --> 00:26:59,870
of a precious natural resource.
460
00:26:59,870 --> 00:27:01,860
And today, the subaks of Bali
461
00:27:01,860 --> 00:27:04,373
are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
462
00:27:10,820 --> 00:27:13,920
Pulau dewata, the island of the gods,
463
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,190
is what the Balinese call their home.
464
00:27:16,190 --> 00:27:18,450
And they say that the gods provide the water
465
00:27:18,450 --> 00:27:21,160
that flows in abundance on this island.
466
00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,720
The islanders make rich offerings to their gods
467
00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:27,563
to ensure their favor so that the springs never run dry.
468
00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:42,240
You can find temples at many of the springs
469
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:44,290
and water reservoirs on the island,
470
00:27:44,290 --> 00:27:46,840
more than 20,000 in total.
471
00:27:46,840 --> 00:27:50,550
Temples to local deities, state temples of former kingdoms,
472
00:27:50,550 --> 00:27:53,550
and temples dedicated to animal gods
473
00:27:53,550 --> 00:27:55,983
like the holy monkey king, Hanuman.
474
00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,040
For Indian Hindus, too,
475
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,140
Hanuman is one of the reincarnations of Shiva
476
00:28:02,140 --> 00:28:04,363
is among the most important deities.
477
00:28:07,470 --> 00:28:10,000
The bat temple Pura Gow Lawah
478
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:14,050
is considered one of Bali's most important holy sites.
479
00:28:14,050 --> 00:28:18,520
At its heart is a cave that is home to thousands of bats.
480
00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:20,200
According to Balinese belief,
481
00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:22,630
the cave that leads deep into the mountain
482
00:28:22,630 --> 00:28:25,180
forms a connection with the underworld.
483
00:28:25,180 --> 00:28:26,800
Since the 11th century,
484
00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:29,340
the Balinese have held ceremonies here
485
00:28:29,340 --> 00:28:31,780
in the hope of making contact with the souls
486
00:28:31,780 --> 00:28:33,483
of their departed ancestors.
487
00:28:38,530 --> 00:28:40,850
As we can see, the temples of Bali
488
00:28:40,850 --> 00:28:43,510
are more than just relics of a past era.
489
00:28:43,510 --> 00:28:46,320
They are the site of opulent celebrations
490
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,240
where countless offerings are carried to the temple
491
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:51,623
protected by ceremonial parasols.
492
00:28:57,980 --> 00:29:00,670
The ceremonies perform the idea of harmony
493
00:29:00,670 --> 00:29:03,590
between the worshipers, gods, nature,
494
00:29:03,590 --> 00:29:05,350
and the whole of humanity.
495
00:29:05,350 --> 00:29:07,940
The offerings consist of up to 300
496
00:29:07,940 --> 00:29:10,630
different types of plants and fruits.
497
00:29:10,630 --> 00:29:13,520
First they're presented to the deities in a procession,
498
00:29:13,520 --> 00:29:16,133
then served up on the altars.
499
00:29:16,133 --> 00:29:18,716
(upbeat music)
500
00:29:21,870 --> 00:29:24,900
Gods and departed ancestors descend from heaven
501
00:29:24,900 --> 00:29:27,660
to the earthly temples to be celebrated.
502
00:29:27,660 --> 00:29:30,243
After 10 days, they return to heaven.
503
00:29:31,408 --> 00:29:33,991
(gentle music)
504
00:29:35,650 --> 00:29:37,610
With these tributes received,
505
00:29:37,610 --> 00:29:39,970
the gods of Bali will continue to ensure
506
00:29:39,970 --> 00:29:42,900
that the monsoons keep the rice fields fertile
507
00:29:42,900 --> 00:29:46,980
and the sacred water never stops flowing from the springs.
508
00:29:46,980 --> 00:29:50,930
This Balinese approach to life is thousands of years old,
509
00:29:50,930 --> 00:29:53,280
but today it is more modern than ever
510
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,840
because it treats nature not as a reserve to be exploited
511
00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:00,170
and consumed, but as a force in its own right,
512
00:30:00,170 --> 00:30:01,453
and an equal partner.
513
00:30:10,724 --> 00:30:13,370
The island worlds of Southeast Asia,
514
00:30:13,370 --> 00:30:15,900
where the Pacific and Indian oceans meet,
515
00:30:15,900 --> 00:30:19,470
are among this planet's greatest natural wonders.
516
00:30:19,470 --> 00:30:22,630
I'm on my way to Vietnam, to Ha Long Bay
517
00:30:22,630 --> 00:30:25,770
with its spectacular limestone formations
518
00:30:25,770 --> 00:30:30,172
that rose from the water over 300 million years ago.
519
00:30:30,172 --> 00:30:32,755
(gentle music)
520
00:30:36,340 --> 00:30:40,170
Lush vegetation blankets these uninhabited islands,
521
00:30:40,170 --> 00:30:43,770
some of which jut hundreds of meters out of the water.
522
00:30:43,770 --> 00:30:46,380
A number of the dense jungles are home
523
00:30:46,380 --> 00:30:49,410
to plants that can only be found here.
524
00:30:49,410 --> 00:30:52,230
But the idyllic atmosphere is deceptive.
525
00:30:52,230 --> 00:30:54,830
Storms and hurricanes have sunk many ships
526
00:30:54,830 --> 00:30:56,490
and claimed many lives.
527
00:30:56,490 --> 00:30:58,070
The bay can be dangerous,
528
00:30:58,070 --> 00:31:00,713
but its strangeness and beauty are breathtaking.
529
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:12,880
The Vietnamese love myths and legends,
530
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,380
and the story of this bay is no exception.
531
00:31:15,380 --> 00:31:19,240
{\an8}Ha Long means something like the dragon from the mountains.
532
00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,680
{\an8}As the story goes, this dragon saved the Vietnamese people
533
00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:24,750
when they were once again under threat
534
00:31:24,750 --> 00:31:26,460
from Northern invaders.
535
00:31:26,460 --> 00:31:29,240
The Vietnamese were facing defeat in a sea battle
536
00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:32,780
when the Jade Emperor God sent a whole family of dragons
537
00:31:32,780 --> 00:31:34,200
to assist them in the bay.
538
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:36,720
The dragons rained fire on their enemies
539
00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:40,220
and spat enormous jagged emeralds into the bay,
540
00:31:40,220 --> 00:31:41,990
driving off the invaders.
541
00:31:41,990 --> 00:31:45,913
Those emeralds became the 3000 islands we now see here.
542
00:31:48,730 --> 00:31:51,110
I'm looking for the families of the fishermen
543
00:31:51,110 --> 00:31:53,740
who make their home on Ha Long Bay.
544
00:31:53,740 --> 00:31:57,350
They live on houseboats connected to one another by planks
545
00:31:57,350 --> 00:31:59,330
to create a floating village.
546
00:31:59,330 --> 00:32:01,480
The Vietnamese authorities would prefer to
547
00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:04,220
relocate these fishermen to dry land,
548
00:32:04,220 --> 00:32:07,580
but the villagers love the freedom of living on the water,
549
00:32:07,580 --> 00:32:10,590
and they have done for hundreds of years.
550
00:32:10,590 --> 00:32:13,290
Each village is an independent entity.
551
00:32:13,290 --> 00:32:16,180
This particular community does not admit tourists,
552
00:32:16,180 --> 00:32:18,556
and visitors are a rarity.
553
00:32:18,556 --> 00:32:21,139
(gentle music)
554
00:32:28,410 --> 00:32:31,410
The floating villages are their own little world.
555
00:32:31,410 --> 00:32:33,900
A fisherman's family has invited us in.
556
00:32:33,900 --> 00:32:35,670
We're only meeting the men.
557
00:32:35,670 --> 00:32:37,390
The women are too shy.
558
00:32:37,390 --> 00:32:39,190
Smartphones are rare here,
559
00:32:39,190 --> 00:32:41,410
and televisions are nowhere to be found.
560
00:32:41,410 --> 00:32:43,000
When they aren't out fishing,
561
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:45,593
they tell each other stories or play cards.
562
00:32:46,590 --> 00:32:51,590
(Christopher speaking in foreign language)
563
00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:53,110
And what about the next generation?
564
00:32:53,110 --> 00:32:55,010
Your little boy, for example.
565
00:32:55,010 --> 00:32:56,460
Will the next generation of your family
566
00:32:56,460 --> 00:32:58,510
be able to live on the water as you have?
567
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:03,300
{\an8}Life here isn't easy, but we love it.
568
00:33:03,300 --> 00:33:06,423
{\an8}And I hope my children and grandchildren will feel the same.
569
00:33:07,850 --> 00:33:10,993
When you are away from this place, you miss it.
570
00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:13,390
We used to live in Bahang,
571
00:33:13,390 --> 00:33:15,623
but the fishing grounds are better here.
572
00:33:16,950 --> 00:33:19,730
We hope that future generations will
573
00:33:19,730 --> 00:33:21,290
be able to make a living here.
574
00:33:22,976 --> 00:33:26,160
(gentle music)
575
00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,200
As we leave, I have to wonder how much longer
576
00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:33,120
this archaic floating world will actually survive.
577
00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:34,720
Because the bay is under threat.
578
00:33:39,450 --> 00:33:42,960
Modern Vietnam could really use those dragons again today
579
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:45,560
for an entirely different rescue mission.
580
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,603
The bay is currently under threat from extreme pollution.
581
00:33:50,660 --> 00:33:53,010
In the floating village, the fishermen told me
582
00:33:53,010 --> 00:33:55,750
that they often catch more plastic garbage
583
00:33:55,750 --> 00:33:57,760
than fish in the nets.
584
00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:00,470
And untreated wastewater from industrial plants
585
00:34:00,470 --> 00:34:03,200
and ships flows directly into the bay.
586
00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:05,060
I'm speaking to Tran Van Hien
587
00:34:05,060 --> 00:34:08,460
from the Ha Long Institute for Environmental Research
588
00:34:08,460 --> 00:34:11,293
to find out what's being done to solve these problems.
589
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,410
{\an8}We want to preserve the magic
590
00:34:16,410 --> 00:34:19,570
{\an8}of Ha Long Bay for generations to come.
591
00:34:19,570 --> 00:34:22,040
{\an8}So there's only one strategy.
592
00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:24,150
We need to place very strict limits
593
00:34:24,150 --> 00:34:27,050
on the number of ships allowed into the bay,
594
00:34:27,050 --> 00:34:29,490
as well as on the locations that tourists
595
00:34:29,490 --> 00:34:30,673
are permitted to visit.
596
00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:36,500
UNESCO named the bay a World Heritage site
597
00:34:36,500 --> 00:34:38,810
and has commissioned a range of programs
598
00:34:38,810 --> 00:34:42,540
to support the efforts to rescue this unique ecosystem.
599
00:34:42,540 --> 00:34:44,763
We can only hope that they'll succeed.
600
00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:50,950
Ha Long is also a world of caves and grottoes
601
00:34:50,950 --> 00:34:55,130
that formed in the limestone karsts over millions of years.
602
00:34:55,130 --> 00:34:56,820
Many legends have grown up around
603
00:34:56,820 --> 00:34:59,070
these often enormous caves,
604
00:34:59,070 --> 00:35:02,140
stories of good and evil spirits said to live in them,
605
00:35:02,140 --> 00:35:05,190
and of the Mandarin who held young girls captive
606
00:35:05,190 --> 00:35:06,597
in his grotto.
607
00:35:06,597 --> 00:35:09,180
(gentle music)
608
00:35:19,200 --> 00:35:22,430
It's just a little eerie all alone in this cave.
609
00:35:22,430 --> 00:35:25,350
There are thousands of such caves around Ha Long Bay.
610
00:35:25,350 --> 00:35:28,740
And in many of them, you can hear the same sound.
611
00:35:28,740 --> 00:35:29,989
Can you hear it?
612
00:35:29,989 --> 00:35:31,500
(cave rumbling)
613
00:35:31,500 --> 00:35:33,870
It's like the rumor of distant drums.
614
00:35:33,870 --> 00:35:36,210
And legend has it that these are the echoes
615
00:35:36,210 --> 00:35:38,500
of ancient battles of which there've been
616
00:35:38,500 --> 00:35:40,730
so many in Vietnamese history.
617
00:35:40,730 --> 00:35:42,220
During the last Vietnam war,
618
00:35:42,220 --> 00:35:44,900
Vietnamese soldiers would often hide in such caves
619
00:35:44,900 --> 00:35:47,530
to protect themselves from American air raids.
620
00:35:47,530 --> 00:35:50,410
And Central Vietnam is the home of the world's
621
00:35:50,410 --> 00:35:53,900
largest cave complex, the Hang Son Doong cave,
622
00:35:53,900 --> 00:35:56,510
which was discovered in 1990.
623
00:35:56,510 --> 00:36:00,270
Today it's a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.
624
00:36:03,290 --> 00:36:07,800
The cave is located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
625
00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:11,210
in a wild, primeval mountain landscape.
626
00:36:11,210 --> 00:36:15,300
The limestone karst formed 400 million years ago.
627
00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:17,610
It's one of the oldest in Asia.
628
00:36:17,610 --> 00:36:21,490
The landscape is dominated by dense tropical jungles
629
00:36:21,490 --> 00:36:23,209
and little rivers.
630
00:36:23,209 --> 00:36:26,126
(mysterious music)
631
00:36:32,340 --> 00:36:35,230
Hang Son Doong cave is nine kilometers long
632
00:36:35,230 --> 00:36:38,070
and up to to 200 meters high at some points.
633
00:36:38,070 --> 00:36:41,090
You could fit Cologne Cathedral inside it.
634
00:36:41,090 --> 00:36:44,750
Enormous stalactites alternate with cave pearls
635
00:36:44,750 --> 00:36:47,201
formed by dripping water.
636
00:36:47,201 --> 00:36:49,784
(gentle music)
637
00:36:54,830 --> 00:36:58,180
A local man discovered the cave in 1991
638
00:36:58,180 --> 00:37:00,570
when he was collecting wood in the jungle.
639
00:37:00,570 --> 00:37:03,890
He noticed steam curling out of a crack in the rock
640
00:37:03,890 --> 00:37:07,020
and assumed there must be a hollow space behind it.
641
00:37:07,020 --> 00:37:08,840
As he moved deeper into the jungle,
642
00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,320
he eventually discovered the entrance,
643
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:13,930
not knowing of course that he had just found
644
00:37:13,930 --> 00:37:16,410
the largest cave in the world.
645
00:37:16,410 --> 00:37:19,050
Exploration of the cave is still far from complete,
646
00:37:19,050 --> 00:37:21,080
and it may turn out to be connected to
647
00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:22,943
other caves in the national park.
648
00:37:28,750 --> 00:37:32,070
Some of the neighboring caves were sacred to the Cham people
649
00:37:32,070 --> 00:37:34,690
who lived here in the ninth and 10th centuries.
650
00:37:34,690 --> 00:37:37,690
Remnants of altars where the Cham worshiped their gods
651
00:37:37,690 --> 00:37:39,170
have been found here.
652
00:37:39,170 --> 00:37:42,950
And it's easy to understand why they chose these spots.
653
00:37:42,950 --> 00:37:45,603
Everything here feels otherworldly.
654
00:37:48,590 --> 00:37:50,580
It's amazing how little is yet known
655
00:37:50,580 --> 00:37:52,530
about the plant life in Hang Son Doong.
656
00:37:53,580 --> 00:37:56,740
Plants have been discovered that only exist here,
657
00:37:56,740 --> 00:37:59,650
ferns, palms, and other jungle species
658
00:37:59,650 --> 00:38:01,373
that have never been seen before.
659
00:38:07,490 --> 00:38:10,980
When you leave the cool, mysterious and musty world
660
00:38:10,980 --> 00:38:12,990
of the Vietnamese caves,
661
00:38:12,990 --> 00:38:15,160
it's a relief to be back in the sunlight.
662
00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:17,810
But at the same time, you want to go back,
663
00:38:17,810 --> 00:38:19,810
because you have the feeling that there might have been
664
00:38:19,810 --> 00:38:23,043
something new to discover just around the next corner.
665
00:38:25,710 --> 00:38:27,440
After the solitude of the caves,
666
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:30,350
I'm actually looking forward to a bit of city life.
667
00:38:30,350 --> 00:38:33,850
I'm traveling to the old Imperial town of Hue,
668
00:38:33,850 --> 00:38:37,000
famous for its gardens and its palaces.
669
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,583
(upbeat music)
670
00:38:40,830 --> 00:38:43,170
You can sense that this forbidden city
671
00:38:43,170 --> 00:38:45,090
used to be a seat of power.
672
00:38:45,090 --> 00:38:47,510
In a stunning location on the Song Hurong,
673
00:38:47,510 --> 00:38:50,830
the Perfume River, this city was suddenly jolted
674
00:38:50,830 --> 00:38:53,110
from its sleepy provincial existence
675
00:38:53,110 --> 00:38:55,480
when it was named the capital.
676
00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:57,880
Emperor Gia Long of the Nguyen dynasty
677
00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:01,240
commissioned the construction of a fortress in 1802.
678
00:39:01,240 --> 00:39:03,053
It took 30 years to build.
679
00:39:05,730 --> 00:39:08,200
The Emperor's family and a select group of elites
680
00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:11,263
were the only ones permitted to enter the inner city.
681
00:39:26,220 --> 00:39:29,650
For 150 years, the Nguyen dynasty
682
00:39:29,650 --> 00:39:33,350
played little Beijing here in the Hue citadel.
683
00:39:33,350 --> 00:39:35,960
Their forbidden city is modeled closely
684
00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:38,570
in a more modest register on the forbidden city
685
00:39:38,570 --> 00:39:40,910
of the Chinese emperors in Beijing,
686
00:39:40,910 --> 00:39:45,150
and the Nguyen too saw themselves as sons of heaven.
687
00:39:45,150 --> 00:39:47,480
It's not unlike those lesser German princes
688
00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:49,840
who modeled their 18th century courts
689
00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:53,100
on the Versailles of the French Sun King.
690
00:39:53,100 --> 00:39:56,520
The courtly life of the Nguyen was correspondingly lavish,
691
00:39:56,520 --> 00:40:00,050
and it remained so even after the Vietnamese emperors
692
00:40:00,050 --> 00:40:02,150
became little more than puppets
693
00:40:02,150 --> 00:40:03,793
of the French colonial rulers.
694
00:40:05,030 --> 00:40:08,000
And in old photos, the Emperor and his court
695
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:12,450
really do look like marionettes displaced from time.
696
00:40:12,450 --> 00:40:15,680
The emperor's ornate gold throne remains
697
00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:19,670
as if he and his retinue might return here at any moment.
698
00:40:19,670 --> 00:40:23,220
Even as the French extended their control across Indochina,
699
00:40:23,220 --> 00:40:26,443
a highly distinctive courtly culture evolved here.
700
00:40:27,299 --> 00:40:29,882
(upbeat music)
701
00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:37,680
The citadel was a world within a city.
702
00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,900
There were temples, buildings for the Royal household,
703
00:40:40,900 --> 00:40:44,190
ornamental gardens, shady paths,
704
00:40:44,190 --> 00:40:46,503
and long, airy passageways.
705
00:40:47,720 --> 00:40:50,370
Everything was designed in strict accordance
706
00:40:50,370 --> 00:40:53,510
with the ancient rules of Chinese architecture.
707
00:40:53,510 --> 00:40:56,470
The structures were intended to radiate harmony,
708
00:40:56,470 --> 00:40:59,050
but also to project power.
709
00:40:59,050 --> 00:41:01,890
And in 1968 during the Vietnam War,
710
00:41:01,890 --> 00:41:05,510
American and South Vietnamese troops fought bitterly
711
00:41:05,510 --> 00:41:08,523
with the Vietcong on this exact spot.
712
00:41:10,290 --> 00:41:14,387
Mr. Nguyen, do you remember the American attack on Hue?
713
00:41:16,431 --> 00:41:20,267
At that time, I stayed here in this city.
714
00:41:21,180 --> 00:41:24,450
{\an8}In the Tet Offensive in 1968,
715
00:41:24,450 --> 00:41:28,420
{\an8}the whole city was in the area of bomb runs
716
00:41:28,420 --> 00:41:30,920
from American aircrafts and artillery coordinates.
717
00:41:31,910 --> 00:41:34,600
The whole city, from the forbidden city
718
00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:37,290
to Jonduk Gate, Jantai Gate,
719
00:41:37,290 --> 00:41:40,720
and the whole Imperial palace was located in the coordinates
720
00:41:40,720 --> 00:41:42,673
of bombs dropped and shots fired.
721
00:41:43,730 --> 00:41:45,223
How horrible it was.
722
00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:48,313
The war heavily devastated.
723
00:41:51,973 --> 00:41:55,717
There was a lot of damage in citadels and palaces.
724
00:41:58,070 --> 00:42:00,640
One third of all construction units
725
00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:04,190
that were magnificent buildings and palaces of the past
726
00:42:04,190 --> 00:42:05,653
were devastated.
727
00:42:07,330 --> 00:42:09,630
There are 300 construction units
728
00:42:09,630 --> 00:42:12,593
and structures remaining with heavy damage.
729
00:42:14,260 --> 00:42:15,933
What an unfortunate fate.
730
00:42:19,805 --> 00:42:22,310
The Battle of Hue in January, 1968
731
00:42:22,310 --> 00:42:25,040
was one of the bloodiest of the Vietnam War.
732
00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:26,970
Hue and the old Imperial residents
733
00:42:26,970 --> 00:42:29,820
were attacked and occupied by the Vietcong.
734
00:42:29,820 --> 00:42:33,100
The South Vietnamese Army, assisted by the Americans,
735
00:42:33,100 --> 00:42:35,020
attempted to recapture them.
736
00:42:35,020 --> 00:42:37,940
The battle involved brutal urban warfare
737
00:42:37,940 --> 00:42:40,960
and bombings and napalm attacks by the Americans
738
00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:42,470
on the citadel.
739
00:42:42,470 --> 00:42:44,610
The Americans and the South Vietnamese Army
740
00:42:44,610 --> 00:42:48,040
were ultimately victorious, and they raised the flag
741
00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:51,347
of South Vietnam over the entrance gate.
742
00:42:51,347 --> 00:42:54,097
(dramatic music)
743
00:43:00,110 --> 00:43:04,330
I begin to realize what an important symbol this place is.
744
00:43:04,330 --> 00:43:06,550
Militarily, the Battle of Hue was a victory
745
00:43:06,550 --> 00:43:09,200
for the Americans and the South Vietnamese.
746
00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:11,960
But in political terms, it marked the beginning
747
00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:15,300
of the end of America's involvement in Vietnam
748
00:43:15,300 --> 00:43:17,204
and in all of Indochina.
749
00:43:17,204 --> 00:43:19,787
(gentle music)
750
00:43:24,490 --> 00:43:27,670
Munitions like these from the Battle for Hue
751
00:43:27,670 --> 00:43:30,130
during the Vietnam War are still lying
752
00:43:30,130 --> 00:43:32,010
everywhere on the ground here.
753
00:43:32,010 --> 00:43:33,740
They're traces of history.
754
00:43:33,740 --> 00:43:36,600
Sites like this are places of memory.
755
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:38,623
They open a gate into the past.
756
00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:44,520
Today, this war remains both a trauma
757
00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:47,030
and a source of pride for the Vietnamese.
758
00:43:47,030 --> 00:43:48,740
All the more reason to make sure
759
00:43:48,740 --> 00:43:51,750
this ancient cultural heritage is preserved.
760
00:43:51,750 --> 00:43:53,370
Under the supervision of UNESCO,
761
00:43:53,370 --> 00:43:57,130
the Hue citadel and forbidden city are being restored,
762
00:43:57,130 --> 00:44:00,200
including the last Emperor's library.
763
00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:04,040
Thai Cong Nguyen is showing me how craftsman from Hue
764
00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:05,860
are restoring everything.
765
00:44:05,860 --> 00:44:08,060
The ancestors of some of the foremen
766
00:44:08,060 --> 00:44:10,220
practiced these ancient techniques
767
00:44:10,220 --> 00:44:13,396
as they worked on the old Imperial palace.
768
00:44:13,396 --> 00:44:15,979
(gentle music)
769
00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:21,940
This was the King's reading room.
770
00:44:21,940 --> 00:44:24,610
This building was also damaged in the war,
771
00:44:24,610 --> 00:44:27,780
and we couldn't start restoring it until now.
772
00:44:27,780 --> 00:44:30,030
The craftsman here are practicing
773
00:44:30,030 --> 00:44:32,330
a traditional Vietnamese trade.
774
00:44:32,330 --> 00:44:36,060
It's called suntak, it's a type of lacquer painting.
775
00:44:36,060 --> 00:44:38,770
And this lacquer can only be found in Vietnam.
776
00:44:38,770 --> 00:44:40,943
It has existed for hundreds of years.
777
00:44:41,780 --> 00:44:43,560
We want to make sure that the restoration
778
00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:45,763
of these monuments is completely authentic.
779
00:44:47,139 --> 00:44:49,722
(gentle music)
780
00:44:55,460 --> 00:44:58,150
So much has been achieved here,
781
00:44:58,150 --> 00:44:59,823
but much remains to be done.
782
00:45:12,460 --> 00:45:16,140
The Summer Palace, close to the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc,
783
00:45:16,140 --> 00:45:19,140
has survived wars and floods.
784
00:45:19,140 --> 00:45:22,723
It too is now being restored to its original state.
785
00:45:24,609 --> 00:45:27,520
{\an8}(Mai speaking in foreign language)
786
00:45:27,520 --> 00:45:29,810
{\an8}We have found remaining patterns
787
00:45:29,810 --> 00:45:32,680
{\an8}on the walls and columns,
788
00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:36,490
and we are now restoring them to preserve
789
00:45:36,490 --> 00:45:38,853
the unique style of the whole site.
790
00:45:44,690 --> 00:45:47,760
Imperial power began to wane in Vietnam
791
00:45:47,760 --> 00:45:52,047
with Emperor Tu Duc, who ascended to the throne in 1847
792
00:45:53,100 --> 00:45:55,550
but became a vassal of the French.
793
00:45:55,550 --> 00:45:58,640
He preferred writing poetry in his pavilions
794
00:45:58,640 --> 00:46:00,093
to the business of ruling.
795
00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:04,510
The Emperor Tu Duc can't have been a particularly happy man.
796
00:46:04,510 --> 00:46:06,740
{\an8}This small, finely made individual
797
00:46:06,740 --> 00:46:09,150
{\an8}is said to have been prone to melancholy.
798
00:46:09,150 --> 00:46:11,170
{\an8}In an epitaph that he wrote for himself,
799
00:46:11,170 --> 00:46:13,910
{\an8}he does praise his own virtues and achievements,
800
00:46:13,910 --> 00:46:16,350
but he also admits his many mistakes.
801
00:46:16,350 --> 00:46:18,220
His reluctance to take the initiative
802
00:46:18,220 --> 00:46:21,170
in the struggle against the French colonizers, for example,
803
00:46:21,170 --> 00:46:23,040
or the fact that he and his empress
804
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:25,430
failed to produce an heir to the throne.
805
00:46:25,430 --> 00:46:28,180
Perhaps he'd simply overexerted himself
806
00:46:28,180 --> 00:46:31,080
with his 103 concubines.
807
00:46:31,080 --> 00:46:34,590
Every summer, the emperor and a bevy of concubines
808
00:46:34,590 --> 00:46:37,270
selected for their beauty would retreat to this
809
00:46:37,270 --> 00:46:39,380
tomb complex which he had commissioned
810
00:46:39,380 --> 00:46:41,970
3000 laborers to build for him.
811
00:46:41,970 --> 00:46:45,110
Here he would recite his own mournful poems.
812
00:46:45,110 --> 00:46:47,540
In the evenings, they would bring him a special tea
813
00:46:47,540 --> 00:46:50,660
of dewdrops harvested from Lotus flowers.
814
00:46:50,660 --> 00:46:52,970
And by the way, the concubines were expected to
815
00:46:52,970 --> 00:46:55,380
remain faithful to him until death.
816
00:46:55,380 --> 00:46:58,330
After his demise, they moved out of the forbidden city
817
00:46:58,330 --> 00:47:01,530
to mourn and pray here until they eventually
818
00:47:01,530 --> 00:47:02,853
went to their own graves.
819
00:47:03,750 --> 00:47:05,810
The emperor's tomb in Hue city
820
00:47:05,810 --> 00:47:07,970
is another World Heritage site.
821
00:47:07,970 --> 00:47:10,513
It's a place of quite extraordinary grace.
822
00:47:11,622 --> 00:47:14,205
(upbeat music)
823
00:47:22,560 --> 00:47:25,960
This spirit screen was intended to protect the ruler
824
00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:29,380
from wind and demons in his eternal rest.
825
00:47:29,380 --> 00:47:32,433
Each ceramic shard is charged with meaning.
826
00:47:34,180 --> 00:47:38,120
Emperor Tu Duc was a weak ruler, but he was a talented poet.
827
00:47:38,120 --> 00:47:41,600
He wrote countless lines of verse during his rule.
828
00:47:41,600 --> 00:47:44,760
One of his poems praises the city of Hue.
829
00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:47,380
Oh, Hue, mournful girl.
830
00:47:47,380 --> 00:47:49,503
Come here, forget reality.
831
00:47:51,580 --> 00:47:53,820
And as he turned away from the world,
832
00:47:53,820 --> 00:47:57,670
Tu Duc intensified his commerce with the gods,
833
00:47:57,670 --> 00:48:01,080
who played an important role at the Imperial court of Hue.
834
00:48:01,080 --> 00:48:03,130
Essential to the ritual life of the court
835
00:48:03,130 --> 00:48:06,570
was a uniquely Vietnamese style of courtly music
836
00:48:06,570 --> 00:48:10,010
that evolved from the 15th century, but reached a high point
837
00:48:10,010 --> 00:48:13,560
under the Nguyen dynasty in the 19th century.
838
00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:16,250
Today, nanak music is labeled as
839
00:48:16,250 --> 00:48:18,580
intangible cultural heritage.
840
00:48:18,580 --> 00:48:20,210
The instruments on which it's played
841
00:48:20,210 --> 00:48:23,190
cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
842
00:48:23,190 --> 00:48:25,773
(upbeat music)
843
00:48:34,270 --> 00:48:37,054
This is a beautiful instrument, what's its name?
844
00:48:37,054 --> 00:48:41,304
(man speaking in foreign language)
845
00:48:42,891 --> 00:48:45,909
(man speaking in foreign language)
846
00:48:45,909 --> 00:48:48,492
(upbeat music)
847
00:48:49,683 --> 00:48:53,933
(man speaking in foreign language)
848
00:48:55,718 --> 00:48:58,301
(upbeat music)
849
00:49:00,780 --> 00:49:03,770
Southeast Asia has been plagued by war
850
00:49:03,770 --> 00:49:05,340
for much of its history,
851
00:49:05,340 --> 00:49:08,780
and repeatedly subjugated by foreign rulers.
852
00:49:08,780 --> 00:49:12,840
The Chinese came to Vietnam in several waves of conquest,
853
00:49:12,840 --> 00:49:15,180
followed later by the French,
854
00:49:15,180 --> 00:49:16,610
and then the Japanese,
855
00:49:16,610 --> 00:49:19,330
who were soon supplanted by the Americans.
856
00:49:19,330 --> 00:49:21,320
The region's cultural heritage
857
00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:23,970
is of all the more importance.
858
00:49:23,970 --> 00:49:27,180
The treasures of Southeast Asia's ancient past
859
00:49:27,180 --> 00:49:30,530
and the pride in its history can be a source of strength
860
00:49:30,530 --> 00:49:32,710
in the face of an uncertain future.
861
00:49:32,710 --> 00:49:34,783
Particularly here in Vietnam.
862
00:49:40,240 --> 00:49:43,340
Losing oneself in the past is no solution
863
00:49:43,340 --> 00:49:45,280
to the predicaments of the present.
864
00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:48,270
The fate of Tu Duc reminds us of that.
865
00:49:48,270 --> 00:49:50,180
But an awareness of the past
866
00:49:50,180 --> 00:49:51,950
and of its traces in the present
867
00:49:51,950 --> 00:49:54,430
can be a source of stability.
868
00:49:54,430 --> 00:49:56,490
Others were here before us.
869
00:49:56,490 --> 00:49:59,810
Of what they thought and built, much was destroyed,
870
00:49:59,810 --> 00:50:01,950
and something has survived.
871
00:50:01,950 --> 00:50:06,080
There is humility, and there is also hope in that insight,
872
00:50:06,080 --> 00:50:08,810
and we shouldn't underestimate its power,
873
00:50:08,810 --> 00:50:11,768
especially in times of rapid change.
874
00:50:11,768 --> 00:50:14,518
(dramatic music)
69304
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