Original subtitles

(mysterious music)

NARRATOR: From Shanghai we travel South by car.

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

built for millions of people.

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

of them.

Just under 15 minutes drive from the megacity Huizhou,

it suddenly appears,

the Austrian village of Hallstatt, copied by the Chinese.

A real church.

A fountain and timbered houses - exactly like in Austria.

Even the flower boxes and the shutters.

Austrian waltzes resound from small loudspeakers behind the plants.

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

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

The historical stairs with the inscriptions,

you also find them in China.

The gourmet restaurant's menu, copied.

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

And not only the inscription of the municipality of Hallstatt

on the gully cover,

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

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

Only the Chinese characters on the signposts

and the Chinese women dressed in traditional Austrian costumes

reveal that this is just a copy.

(church bells ring)

Some things, like the village church,

the Chinese have set to a slightly different purpose.

They have simply turned the sacred site into a showroom

for estate agents.

This is where they sell the houses.

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

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

what really matters here.

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

970 million dollars around it.

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

This is nothing like the 100 year old timbered houses

in the real Hallstatt.

The copied village centre,

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

Chinese building company China Mining.

We find someone who's in charge.

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

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

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

Finally an especially selected estate agent is allowed to show us

round the secretly copied village.

(speaking Chinese)

NARRATOR: Imported?

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

And the Chinese even take it a step further.

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

for promotion purposes.

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

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

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

is to be found in this copied Hallstatt?

A look behind the scenes reveals debris and garbage.

Europe on the outside and disaster on the inside.

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

in the village centre.

Here we have some dusty market stands

with the plastic fruit knockoffs.

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

A build up of debris, dirt and garbage.

Will this ever turn into a real hotel?

Nobody is prepared to tell us.

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

ride across the copied lake.

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

but to collect the dead fish.

And migrant workers clean up the washed up garbage

that is lying around.

(speaking Chinese)

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

The construction is obviously behind schedule.

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

success stories.

But what do the real inhabitants of Hallstatt have to say

to the bold copy?

No one here is angry.

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

in tourist numbers.

And the Mayor has accumulated a whole wardrobe full of

conciliatory gifts from the Chinese building company.

(speaking German)

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

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

has found her own way to deal with the copy.

She is in the process of refurnishing the entire hotel

- with reproduced luxury furniture from China.

(speaking German)

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

But the Austrians are moving towards the next thousand years

of their future in a very relaxed way.

NARRATOR: Our search leads us on to the Caribbean.

We are on the tropical island of Sint Maarten.

What used to be the home of pirates and looters,

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

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

swimming in the sea and enjoying the sun.

But the tourists come here for a very different reason.

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

because we saw so many pictures and films.

- We came here to see the planes fly by.

NARRATOR: 9 am - it's almost time.

All the beach visitors are preparing for the big moment.

(cheering)

Every day about 70 tourist bombers rumble over

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

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

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

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

Tourist manager Marla Chemist is happy about it.

Because up to 10 cruise liners arrive every day

just to watch the airplanes. She understands.

- I love it. - Why?

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

over your head.

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

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

you can actually see the planes so close up.

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

to have a live experience of the show.

That's why they even have loudspeaker announcements.

The flight schedule is always updated to make sure

no one misses a plane.

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

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

The plane turbines almost blow the tourists away.

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

blowing the hot air on you!

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

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

and they keep coming back.

NARRATOR: The best spot - right behind the runway.

Because the jets can only take off at full throttle

on this short runway. That causes a great stir.

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

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

actually touched the fence and pulled it down.

So, you have to be very careful.

Of course a lot of them are thrill-seekers.

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

The government could theoretically have the whole beach shut,

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

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

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

But hardly anyone is afraid.

- It was great, it was refreshing.

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

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

It's different here,

Maho beach may be the only beach in the world

attracting even more visitors during the rain.

Because then the turbine air whips up the water.

The extra kick for many.

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

NARRATOR: Probably nowhere.

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

Our next mysterious place lies in Central Africa.

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

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

Nevertheless countless German scrap cars end up here.

Cotonou is the largest city in Benin

and the central hub for used cars in Africa.

From the city's highest building,

you have the best view of the traffic chaos.

From here we look for German scrap cars.

The fastest way to get around is using the scooter cabs

called Keke's.

The official characteristic sign of the local taxi drivers

are their yellow shirts.

- Bonjour!

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

We arrive after 15 minutes,

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

- Merci beaucoup! Au revoir.

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

The loading and unloading of the ships provides many people

with work as day laborers.

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

The day laborers pass through a rigid choreography every morning.

First the cars have to get off the ship.

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

And from there in an overnight transfer travel

to the selling points for the customers.

Three times a week the security personnel prepares

for a fresh load of used cars.

They are supposed to discourage thieves.

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

Every day they wait at the harbour for more vehicle transports

to earn their living.

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

as a deposit to prevent cars from vanishing.

After a two-hour docking manoeuvre,

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

As soon as the hatchway is open,

the security guards have to keep the helpers in check.

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

on behalf of the car dealers.

Little brawls are part of the everyday business here.

Everyone wants to reach the cars quickly,

because they are paid per ride.

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

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

Many don't make it on their own.

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

Or the car behind pushes it out.

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

The unloading is in full swing here, too.

As our reporter explores the swimming parking lot

the lower decks have already been emptied.

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

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

Time is money.

If a damaged car blocks the unloading process,

the drivers get less tours and less money.

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

They offer gasoline, oil and spare batteries

for mobile start assistance.

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

That way the fixers earn their couple of dollars

thanks to the used car imports from Germany.

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

He has been transporting cars for more than 20 years

and knows the dangers of the sheet metal business.

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

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

to be mentioned. They even keep assaults secret

to prevent the insurance fee from rising.

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

The technical upgrades leads to less crew members

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

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

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

- 12 hours?

NARRATOR: Every half hour,

a platform truck brings back the helpers

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

They are hoping for another tour and commute around the port

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

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

Below deck we look for a ride.

Almost three quarters of the vehicles have already been

removed from the vessel.

- How long does it take to drive down?

- About 10 minutes.

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

the African roads!

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

He has to look for another ride.

- This job? This car? Cool.

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

it's straight to the customs parking bay,

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

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

the burning equatorial sun.

But between the vehicles, it seems like a bazaar.

The African dealers and their helpers are eagerly waiting

for their order from Germany.

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

Because many of the cars have missing lamp glasses,

outlet nozzles, wing mirrors or missing brand emblems.

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

They use their waiting time to make provisional repairs

before selling the cars.

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

because many cars arrive in Benin with a puncture.

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

guess and by gosh - all inclusive!

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

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

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

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

NARRATOR: After darkness sets in,

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

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

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

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

of their long journey.

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

their number is checked.

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

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

They have a long night in front of them.

After midnight, the time has finally come,

the cars are dismissed into the Benin night,

for a simple reason.

The streets are empty now.

The sheet metal caravan with the many damaged cars would be

too much of an obstruction for the already chaotic traffic.

The German scrap cars have to travel 10 kilometres.

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

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

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

Like this family, whose stand makes us curious.

- What's in here?

- And where is it from?

- From Nigeria?

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

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

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

NARRATOR: We have discovered a typical Benin gas station.

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

The gasoline is smuggled in from Nigeria

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

Whole families live off this.

The Benin government tolerates this black refuelling and waives

its right to collect the taxes due.

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

Cars are refuelled from these 20-litre-bottles.

Physical commitment is required here.

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

who would like to keep him there.

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

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

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

are waiting for buyers from all over West Africa.

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

at these points of sale and wait for customers.

- Yes, I would like to talk to you.

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

He explains why the car dealing business is mostly

in Lebanese hands.

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

are Lebanese people.

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

And we buy them.

NARRATOR: The efficient Lebanese bring in seed money

and international relations.

The local Benin people are mostly left with working

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

They make enough money to sustain their families,

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

NARRATOR: These vehicle tourists from Nigeria and other neighbouring

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

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

- Would you say this car is in good condition?

NARRATOR: The old machine has seen a lot.

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

The engines often run another half a million kilometres here.

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

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

The money must be put in the bank or transferred.

The handing over of the keys is not particularly ceremonial.

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

And then the time has come -

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

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

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

NARRATOR: From Benin, we travel on to Siberia.

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

This city exists for one sole reason.

The diamond mine Mir.

One of the largest in the world.

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

and minus 50 degrees. Hard to imagine,

this is the centre of the Russian diamond mining industry.

And we want to see these diamonds.

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

permission to shoot at the second largest producer named ALROSA.

But we are put off at first.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: Underground, the early shift is still working

and we are not allowed to interrupt.

But the view compensates for the wait.

- Hahaha! Wow!

NARRATOR: Gigantic!

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

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

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

from outer space.

But the opencast mining was stopped 15 years ago.

Due to the excessive mining, the walls suddenly collapsed

causing acute mortal danger to the workers.

So we have to go down below!

Underground, the mining continues.

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

we are allowed to witness it first-hand.

But diamond mining underground is dangerous.

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

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: The protective mask supplies about 50 minutes of oxygen

in an emergency.

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

it's our problem.

But we really want to see the diamonds.

Therefore, we must go down the mine.

Our guide, shift supervisor, Sergey Gambel.

The miners have to follow a strict schedule.

Many of them are day laborers.

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

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

NARRATOR: The Mir mine is like a family business,

and has been for 60 years.

We're finally going down.

Most of the equipment, like the elevator,

dates back to Soviet times.

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

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

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

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

tunnel-labyrinth system and at 1.2 kilometres

it's the deepest in the world.

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

To our surprise, it's nothing like that!

Temperatures of 15 degrees are pleasant,

40 degrees more than outside.

But the temperatures are just one of the many reasons

why Sergey loves his work.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: But the job is very dangerous.

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

And sometimes even a simple step can be risky.

(tripping)

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

Because even miners like Sergey have staff cars.

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

A huge machine is waiting for Sergey.

The object of desire, a massive rock wall.

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

NARRATOR: Because underneath Mirny lies a gigantic deposit

of the volcanic rock kimberlite.

Of a very rare kind.

It's teeming with diamonds.

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

But here in Mirny, the amount is extraordinary.

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

The steel drills have been especially designed for mining

and can even crush concrete.

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

(crash)

(shouting in Russian)

NARRATOR: After a short commotion...

NARRATOR: Even if it looks rough,

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

They are made of the strongest material in the world

and almost indestructible.

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

NARRATOR: A dirty business.

But diamonds are not just noble pieces of jewellery,

they are very sought after in the economy.

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

But, no diamonds yet!

(speaking English)

(speaking Russian)

- But I can't see anything.

It's just a stone with no diamonds.

- No chance of keeping it?

NARRATOR: Well, it was worth a try!

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

Every day about 400 tons of rock end up here

ready to be transported above ground.

To where exactly - we'll see later on!

Sergey and his fellow workers are done for the day.

(speaking Russian)

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

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

And our first day in Mirny ends.

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

But underground they are forbidden.

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

We fly the 400 kilometres to Njurba.

This is where we meet Dmitry Shuklin.

Just like underground,

everything has to be done very fast in daylight.

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: The reason for the rush,

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

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

So it's, hurry, hurry, hurry!

(rapid explosions)

It seems to have worked out. Silence all around.

NARRATOR: Half an hour later,

the first trucks drive into the heart of the mine,

as opposed to the mining in Mir,

the kimberlite can be mined in daylight here.

But, how do the stones turn into diamonds?

Maybe the secret is disclosed here,

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

Our first impression, gigantic!

This is where all the stones from under and above ground

are gathered together.

Dmitry shows us what happens here.

(speaking Russian)

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

That's why they are ground step by step.

Until they have a diameter of 15 centimetres

and are small enough to fit into these holes.

But we still can't see them.

Perhaps that will change here!

Warning signs, double doors and suddenly a lot more

security personnel,

we seem to have come close to our destination.

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

for so long.

But we find dirty old stones!

NARRATOR: The machine scans the stones

and simply sorts out the diamonds.

The valuable ones are put into a sulphurous chemical bath.

The mixture is strictly secret,

but it separates the volcano stone kimberlite from the diamond.

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

A big secret and still no diamonds.

But we are told we'll find them here!

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: We enter an unspectacular room.

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

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

diamonds!

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

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

Supervised by the only man around,

the women have a very important job to do.

(speaking Russian)

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

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

- May I grab one? - No.

- Why not?

NARRATOR: They earn about $1000 a month.

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

a little something in your own pocket?

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

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

And that could be very expensive!

- How much money is lying on the table now?

NARRATOR: Apart from size and weight,

the price depends on the so-called purity.

The workers sort the raw diamonds into 16 colour categories.

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

the more valuable.

Especially dark diamonds cost about 10 dollars per karat.

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

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

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

(speaking Russian)

NARRATOR: Rather valuable stones!

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

And there are still a lot more.

- Subtitles by Sky Access Services