All language subtitles for Žukulenbut čuvajš (1978)

'I'm going on a series
of astonishing adventures...'

Whoa!

It's absolutely stunning.

'..travelling along three of the
mightiest rivers on the planet.

'These rivers
have given rise to some

'of the world's greatest
civilisations.

'For centuries, we've worshipped
their life-giving waters...

'..and feared their awesome,
destructive powers.'

The current is a killer!

'On these epic journeys I'll meet
some extraordinary characters...'

THEY GREET EACH OTHER

'..and experience
the very different cultures,

'religions and countries that have
emerged along our sacred rivers.

'In this episode, I'll be travelling
2,000 miles along the legendary

'Yangtze, Asia's longest river,
from the far west of China,

'to Shanghai where
it flows into the sea.'

Yay! We're over the Yangtze.

'For decades, China's communist
leaders tried to eradicate

'religious beliefs
and ancient philosophies.

'But China's changed
and this journey is a chance for me

'to learn more about what people
here now actually think and believe.

'Following the Yangtze will take me
into the heart of a country once

'cut off from the outside world,
but that's now being transformed.'

Look at what we
as a species are capable of.

It's displayed here, I think,

like nowhere else I've seen on
Planet Earth.

'There's no doubt China's
growth in recent decades has been

'remarkable, with hundreds of
millions

'of people lifted out of poverty.'

I'm a bit taken aback, frankly.

'But with prosperity,
has come a search for meaning.

'Are there faiths and beliefs here
that can help influence

'the path the country
takes in the future?'

Oh, flipping heck!

What a fantastic viewpoint.

It's breathtaking.

Part of the reason I wanted to start
the journey along this

stretch of the Yangtze, because this
is the first bend in the river.

"So what?" I hear you say.

Well, the Yangtze is heading south,
this way,

and really it should head
out of China,

but it hits these hills,

this mountain range over here
that's made of hard limestone

that it just can't erode,
even over eons of time.

So the river does an abrupt
about-turn

and it heads thataway back into
and across China,

and, in doing so, takes water
and civilisation

and life to hundreds
of millions of people.

Without the river,
without this bend in the river,

China as we know it would not exist.

'The Yangtze River basin covers
a fifth of China's land surface

'and is the breadbasket
of the nation.

'So crucial is the Yangtze
to the existence of China,

'that it features in creation
myths about the country.

'According to legend, it was a
mythical emperor who used an army of

'dragons to shape the geography here
and turn the river towards China.

'The local Nakhi people worship
nature and the sacred river Yangtze.

'Many still believe in dragon gods

'that are both benevolent
and terrifying.

'At the Dragon Pool temple,
close to the first bend,

'I was meeting up with He Wenguang,
a Nakhi musician,

'who comes from a long
line of local priests.

'For thousands of years,
powerful dragon gods

'and the Yangtze River have been
part of Chinese folklore.'

Could you tell us a little bit about

your beliefs in relation
to the river?

TRANSLATION: According to Nakhi
culture, God had two wives.

The first wife gave birth
to the natural world -

the rivers, lakes, seas
and all living creatures.

The second wife gave birth
to human beings,

that's why we believe that man
and nature are very closely related.

So we always worship nature
and worship the Yangtze River -

these beliefs are the cornerstone
of our faith.

What powers does
the dragon god have?

The dragon god is responsible
for the climate and the earth.

If we offend the dragon god
there could be a drought or flooding

and the villages
and fields would be destroyed.

So we must worship and respect him

so that we will have a good harvest
and a good life.

'The ancient city of Lijiang dates
back to the 5th century

'and is home to 60%
of the Nakhi people -

'one of China's many ethnic
minorities.'

I think it's this one.

'Nakhi musician, Mr He, invited me

'to his home the next day
to meet his family.'

THEY GREET EACH OTHER

Mr He. Welcome to my family.

Welcome... That's nice. Thank you.

Hello! Hello!

'Many Ethnic minorities in China
complain they've been

'marginalized by the majority
Han Chinese people, who make up

'more than 90% of the population.'

THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE

'The Nakhi are keen to try to
preserve their culture and beliefs.

'Mr He's 83-year-old mother,
Xiao Rulian,

'is well-known locally.'

Why are you known as the Nakhi
Queen? How have you got that title?

TRANSLATION: I was put on
this earth to sing.

If I sang for three days and three
nights I wouldn't even finish,

maybe that's why people call me
the Nakhi Singing Queen.

'Mr He had invited friends
over for a traditional singsong.

'Some of their outfits
appeared to have been

'inspired by the Village People.'

TRADITIONAL MUSIC AND SINGING

'Many Nakhi songs express
reverence for the Yangtze

'and for the creatures that
live on its banks, like the frog.'

MUSIC AND SINGING CONTINUES

You're going to chuck me in,
are you? OK.

I've got a slightly
rubbish action.

Are you saying I have to
channel my inner frog?

TRANSLATION: Yes. OK.

I can barely move like a human,

so moving like a frog is going to
be difficult, but...

Down, down...

LAUGHTER
She approves.

Is that part of Nakhi culture?!

LAUGHTER

'The Nakhi are one of dozens of
ethnic minorities in China.

'Some have received
help from the authorities to

'preserve their traditions
and beliefs.

'But several groups, such as
Muslim Uighurs in the far west of

'the country, are campaigning

'against what they see
as state control.

'Separatist groups claiming
to represent ethnic minorities

'have even launched deadly
terrorist attacks.'

There are a lot of issues
with ethnic groups in China.

In some parts of the country,
ethnic groups have been

agitating for more freedoms
and even independence,

and their behaviour is considered
by the Chinese authorities to be

a massive threat to national unity
and thus national security as well.

The Chinese state saw what
happened in the Soviet Union

when communism collapsed there and

the Soviet Union fragmented into
smaller states,

and they are terrified of the same
thing happening here.

'One of the longest running
campaigns for independence has been

'fought by the people of Tibet,
where the Yangtze originates.

'In 1950, Chinese soldiers
marched into Tibet,

'and China has treated it
as its own territory ever since.'

The source of the river
is generally agreed

to be high
in the mountains of Tibet,

which is governed by China
as an autonomous province.

Many Tibetans and many
in the international community

as well would say that China has
colonized and is controlling Tibet.

'The Chinese government
has a history

'of blocking film crews
and foreign journalists

'from entering Tibet, another reason
for us to start further downstream.

'I travelled east, following the
Yangtze, to a small historic site

'close to the river and just outside
the booming city of Chongqing.'

I'm on my way to meet a guide
who is going to take me

across the rest of China.

I'm meeting her
at a sacred mountain.

This must be Li Li.

Li Li? Hi.

Hi.

Thank you so much for coming to
meet us here. My pleasure.

But where? You've brought us here,
what are we going to see?

Some beautiful carvings. Let's go.

'Hidden in a gorge
close to the river,

'the Dazu Rock Carvings are some
of the few religious artefacts in

'China not to have been destroyed
during communist rule.

'Dating back to 650AD,

'there are more than 50,000 statues
hewn out of the rock here.'

These are magnificent.

This is quite overwhelming.

So these are all
representations of Buddha?

Yeah. It shows how important
is the Buddha.

Look at the fingers. Yes.

Actually each posture of the
fingers has a special meaning.

What a beautiful sight.

'Buddhism originated in India,

'but flourished in China for
centuries, until China's drive for

'modernity in the early 20th
century, and the rise of communism,

'resulted in the destruction
or conversion

'of hundreds of thousands
of temples.

'Now Buddhism's making a massive
comeback with

'an estimated 250 million
followers in China today.'

The Sleeping Buddha.

Look at this!

Enormous!

'In fact, Li Li is one of the huge
numbers of young Chinese

'who are once again
embracing Buddhism.'

That's...really spectacular.

Beautiful, right?

Yeah. And so close.

You're so close to the Buddha.

And so close to
the 800 years' history.

It's lovely to see how excited
you are by it. Yeah.

Did you choose to be a Buddhist,
or did Buddhism choose you?

I think both.

Of course, I make the decision,
I found the way,

but I was attracted by Buddhism and
finally persuaded by the Buddhism.

So I could say Buddhism chose me.

I think Buddhism is not
just a belief or wish,

it's a path to the
truth of the universe.

'The teachings of the ancient
Chinese philosopher, Confucius,

'are also depicted
in the Dazu Rock Carvings.'

This is a typical carving to show
the Confucius' thoughts,

how it applies to people's life.

"Confucian" thoughts?

Yeah, a combination of the Buddhism
thoughts and the Confucius' thoughts.

And, actually, both of them
are not against each other.

People just combine them
to their life

and also they think these two
are connected to each other.

The whole story is about how kids
should take care of their parents

and should treat them good. Children
should look after Mum and Dad.

Yeah. Yeah. That's what people
can get - it's a little lesson.

Yeah, actually it's a big lesson
in China.

You're absolutely right, of course.

It shows that centuries
and centuries ago,

Confucianism and Buddhism

existed together,

lived together, worked together

in some sort of beautiful harmony.
Yes.

They are just different paths
to the one truth of this universe.

'The third great Chinese faith
depicted here is Daoism,

'which emphasises following
the laws of nature.

'That's also now enjoying
a major revival.

'The number of Daoist
places of worship have

'tripled in the past 15 years.

'Historically, these three religions

'and philosophies were known in

'China as
The Three Harmonious Faiths.'

You think of China today and you
think of an economic powerhouse,

a place that is perhaps
just a little bit soulless.

A place that's
less about personal belief

and more about a production line.

But Chinese history is full
of myths and legends,

belief and superstitions.

The communists tried to wipe them
out but it never went away.

Communism is just really a short
period in the history

of a country that is profoundly
religious and spiritual.

'From Dazu, Li Li and I travelled
to the nearby city of Chongqing.

'Because of its position in
the middle of the Yangtze

'and the country, it's always
a major transport hub.

'Today, it's one of China's
fastest-growing cities.'

We're just coming into the
megalopolis that is Chongqing.

It's late, I'm going to find
a bed for the night,

but tomorrow we can head out
and explore.

HORN HONKS

'Chongqing epitomises China's

'dizzying economic growth in recent
years and its rapid urbanisation.'

Look at that!

It's a bit like New York.

This is my first experience of
a new Chinese megacity.

And I'm blown away.

This country, it's not just
advancing, it's advanced.

It's not just rising, it has risen.

Yay! We're over the Yangtze.

We're doing what millions of Chinese
migrants have done in recent

decades - moving, going to the city.
Yeah.

This has been one of the biggest,

if not THE biggest,
human migration in history.

Millions of people going
from the countryside to the cities.

The population of this city
is expected to more than double

in the next few years
to 20 million.

'China was traditionally
a rural nation,

'but it's predicted that by 2030,
China's cities will be home

'to one in eight
people on the planet.'

Here we go. Chongqing. Yeah.

'This country has undergone
an economic transformation

'at ten times the speed of the
original Industrial Revolution.

'In the centre of Chongqing is
the People's Liberation Square,

'renamed to celebrate the communist
conquest of the area.'

Look at this!

'Ironically, it's now home to a

'roll call of international
luxury brands.'

I'm a bit taken aback, frankly.

Is this the new Chinese dream,
Li Li?

Consumerism? Buy stuff?
Have a new handbag?

Of course, that's a trend of fashion.

Especially
when people get richer than before

and they want to have
such kind of products,

just like international products.

It means something to them,
like their social status.

Consumerism,
it's almost an ideology -

I don't think just necessarily here.

Well, before,
China used to be very poor

and we didn't even have
enough food to eat.

So, you may imagine
when people get rich,

of course, first thing, they want
to eat food and wear good things.

It's really interesting,
cos it's so easy to forget that,

in living memory,
this country has suffered famine.

Yeah, but at the very,
very beginning,

you have to have money to buy food,
to buy a house,

but later on you have to find
what is important to you.

That's what I think.

'There are more than 300 million
middle class Chinese now.

'They are the world's biggest
consumers of luxury goods.

'But it seems that even many of
those who've obtained at least

'a degree of material wealth want
more meaning in their lives

'than just the chance
to go shopping.

'Tens of millions are turning
to religious faiths.

'Near the centre of Chongqing,
not far from the Yangtze,

'a Buddhist temple
stands proud among

'the skyscrapers
and shopping malls.'

It's a bit hemmed in this temple,
isn't it?

'There's been a temple
here for nearly 1,000 years.'

Surrounded by skyscrapers.

Actually, it looks fairly popular.

It's quite the...little
oasis, isn't it?

Mm-hm. Tranquil.

This is a big, happy Buddha.

'Although China is officially
an atheist country,

'surveys suggest
up to 85% of people here

believe in something -
either spiritual or religious.

First, we can light this candle.

Light the candle... Uh-huh.

According to Buddhism,

to light the candle means to light
the candle of your heart -

make your heart bright,
and the bright can go to everywhere,

especially the dark place.

And then you can bring the light
to other people in the world.

That's the meaning.

Then you pray.

What do you pray for, Li Li?

I pray for three things -
the first, for my parents,

the second,
for all the people in the world,

and the third one is for myself.

Family, planet and self -
I'll go for that.

'As China's economy has grown,

'so has the damage the country
is doing to the environment.

'When it comes to pollution,

'China is one of the world's
worst offenders.

'And many people believe it will
take more than just prayers

'to save the planet.

'On the outskirts of Chongqing,

'Li Li and I met up with
a couple of environmental activists.

'They're monitoring the damage

'modern China is doing
to the sacred Yangtze.'

Many aspects of daily life
have clearly improved here -

education, health care,
the economy, legal rights,

but the environment
has taken a hammering.

'This small environmental group
was started by Yu Jianfeng,

'with £10,000 of his own money.

'He reveres the Yangtze,
and says his activism is

'inspired by China's
traditional religious beliefs.'

TRANSLATION: In Chinese traditional
culture, Daoism is

the philosophy that is more
focused on the environment.

Daoism's idea is that nature and the
human beings have to be in harmony.

But, for people like us,

who are activists, we are also
encouraged by Confucianism -

the Confucian idea that every
individual is responsible for

the state of the world and therefore
must get involved in society.

That's a bit revolting,
isn't it?

That is disgusting.

'This is domestic sewage
and industrial waste water, mixed.'

Is this flowing into the Yangtze?

That's for sure.

This whole area is part
of the Yangtze River valley.

Is this price of China's
economic boom?

This is because there isn't enough
supporting infrastructure to

match the city's rapid development.

The residential areas are expanding,

but the sewage system
isn't keeping up.

'Water and air pollution
are major problems in China.

'Some reports suggest half of urban
water supplies aren't fit to

'wash in, let alone drink.

'It's a controversial subject for a

'new breed of environmental
activist.'

Why do you do this? You must get
a lot of hassle as a result.

For me, I feel very sad to see
the rivers are polluted, very upset.

I grew up in a beautiful place
with green hills and a clear river.

I believe we should
protect these rivers,

so the next generation
will still have a chance

to develop a close relationship
with them and swim in them,

play in them and enjoy it.

I worry that the Chinese
authorities,

like Western democratic leaders,
think that we can fix this,

we can do whatever damage
we want to the environment,

but science and engineering will be
able to resolve it in the future.

But what if we can't?

What if the damage we've done, and
we're doing still is irreversible?

Then we'll have left a completely
destroyed environment

to future generations, and that
would be completely immoral.

It's time we got out on the river,
so we're heading to a port

and going to get on a boat.

'As China's boomed,
so the newly-affluent middle class

'have started taking
holidays around the world.

'But, of course,
they're also exploring

'their own vast country
and rich history.

'There's been a recent
trend for taking luxury

'cruises on the Yangtze.

'We drove 300 miles,
tracking along the Yangtze,

'to Wushan, to join
one of the cruise boats.'

It's massive.
It's like a floating hotel.

Let's get on board!

This looks great, Li Li. Yeah.

It's not even the biggest one.

'This ship has 200 luxury cabins
and suites that can accommodate

'more than 400 passengers,
paying upwards of £300 a night.'

I've never been on a boat like this.

Well, unless you count
the ferry across to Denmark.

It's not quite like this.

So, last year they just started
their journey.

So this boat has only been going
for one year? One year only.

Are you busy? Are the cruises busy?
Yeah, very busy.

More and more people here have

proper leisure time
and money to spend.

It's estimated that a million
Chinese people are now taking

cruises along the Yangtze
every year.

A million.

Think how life has changed
in the UK in recent decades,

it's nothing to how life
has changed here.

When I was born,

this country was basically
isolated from the rest of the world.

Within living memory,
there were famines here.

Now look at it.

They come on board with their
smartphones and fancy cameras,

dosh in the pocket.

Come on, hurry up. We need to go.

Well behind schedule.

'At Wuhan, the river widens,

'because we were joining
a massive reservoir that's

'filled-up behind the colossal Three
Gorges Dam, where we were headed.

'Water levels have risen
by as much as 300 feet here,

'and the river's so wide and deep
it's capable of accommodating

'ocean-going ships
hundreds of miles inland.

'As night fell, Li Li
and I naturally felt obliged to get

'a taste of the on-board
entertainment.'

THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE

HE LAUGHS

Should we share?

We're here to celebrate
China's ancient culture...

..and I've been given a
happy slapper and a lightsaber!

'Some people think of China as
unfriendly and a little dour.

'Not a bit of it.'

Oh, people have been
on the sauce here.

'I was proud to see there were
some Brits on board,

'helping to get the party going.'

# Ole, ole, ole, ole

# Ole, ole

# Ole, ole, ole, ole. #

Look what you've started!

'The next morning, we docked not far
from the Three Gorges Dam.

'We drove down towards
the wall of the huge dam.'

That surely ranks alongside
the mightiest of human creations.

Look at the size of that.

'This is the single biggest
power station on the planet.'

My God...

'It generates vast
amounts of hydroelectricity -

'the equivalent of more than half
a dozen nuclear power stations.

'It's longer than
25 football pitches

'and higher than
a 40-storey building.

'Since the 1950s the Chinese have
built more than 22,000 large dams,

'but this is by far the largest.

'The government here says
it's an engineering miracle.

'Critics say it's an unstable

'and unprecedented
environmental disaster.

'Mao Zedong, the founder
of Communist China,

'championed the dam partly because
deadly floods here regularly claimed

'tens of thousands of lives,
and partly because he wanted to

'prove to the Chinese people
that he had the right to rule.'

In China, there's something called
the Mandate of Heaven,

and this is the idea that,
for centuries,

Chinese leaders rule with
the acceptance and mandate

of the heavens, of the gods, of the
spirit world, of the ancestors.

And any threat to that mandate,
any challenge to that mandate can

come from things like
an earthquake or a flood,

because it suggests that the spirit
world is somehow unhappy with

the leaders in the
real, physical world.

'If Mao could build
this giant edifice,

'he could prove that the Communist
Party could conquer nature,

'and that it was greater and more
powerful than China's ancient gods.'

We're being allowed onto
the top of the dam. Hopefully.

This is a sensitive,
strategic location,

because consequences of the dam
being breached

could be catastrophic.

'Mao didn't live to see the dam
built and it wasn't finished

'and fully functional until 2012.'

Yangtze River.

Wow.

Look at that.

It's an inland sea.

I think 13 cities,
hundreds of towns,

hundreds of thousands of people were
displaced to make way for this.

This lake, the reservoir
behind the dam,

stretches back almost
the length of England.

Something like 10% of the population
of the planet live in the basin,

the wider area
around the Yangtze River.

That is how important
this water, this river is.

And if we just come over here,

look at what we,
as a species, are capable of.

This is...

It's displayed here, I think,

like nowhere else I've seen...on
Planet Earth really.

They have blocked, tamed,
controlled the Yangtze.

And look over here.

It's like looking
off the side of a mountain.

Li Li's smiling. You proud?

Yes. Why not?

I'm proud of it.

Of course there have been
enormous environmental

and human costs to this dam.

Yes. I don't think
we know our limits.

Yeah, well, I don't think
we fully understand nature.

That's absolutely fascinating
because here, I suppose, in China,

we're confronted, I feel, by
the two biggest questions or issues

facing us as a species -
how do we make poorer people richer?

How do we lift them out of poverty,

while at the same time
protecting the environment?

And on rivers, on our sacred rivers,
on our mightiest rivers,

we see this issue displayed
time and time again.

I feel people are more
and more aware of this issue.

Cos in the past 20 years,

Chinese people were really
focusing on, you now,

develop the economy
and get rid of the poverty.

And, nowadays, lots of people
really start to watch the long,

long-term consequences
and the environmental protections,

natures for the next generation.

I really hope so, Li Li.

I have to hope and pray that there
is this growing environmental

awareness in China.

Not just for China, but for us all.

'From the Three Gorges Dam,
we followed

'the Yangtze for over 200 miles
to the city of Wuhan.

'Mao apparently thought of religion
and faith as poison,

'but he still wanted to prove
that he had the right to rule,

'the communist equivalent
of the Mandate of Heaven,

'the blessing of the spirit world.

'One way he chose to do this
was by swimming

'the breadth of the Yangtze at
Wuhan, where it was considered to

'be at its most dangerous,

'because of fierce currents
and deadly floods.

'I met up with Yu Guanrong

'who runs a local swimming club
that trains in the river

'and celebrates the anniversary
of Mao's swim every summer.'

Mr Yu, why do you do this,
why do you swim in the Yangtze?

TRANSLATION: We Wuhan people crossed
the Yangtze River, are obsessed with

crossing the river, because Chairman
Mao crossed it 17 times here.

That makes us love the river.

I dare say that there isn't
any other world leader who has

crossed rivers like this.

This is unique, number one.

What's this chap got?

He's a calligrapher, a great artist.

Chairman Mao was a great
calligrapher, too.

"China and British friendly."

Let us hope so.
That's rather lovely.

'Perhaps inevitably,
I'd been volunteered

'to take part in the practice swim
in the freezing waters.'

This should inspire a bit of
confidence - rescue team.

He's abseiling, but, you know...

He does mountaineering as well -
he's climbed Everest.

He's been about.
He'll look after us.

SHIP'S HORN BLARES

Are you expecting me
to wear this?

Why have I been given this?

That's to protect him
against the sun.

I don't like what Mr Yu
is planning here.

This does not look
even vaguely acceptable.

Surely this is illegal in China.

Just don't leave me alone
with Mr Yu, OK?

This is quite possibly one of the
most embarrassing things I've done.

This is like being
in a zoo - look around.

THEY SHOUT GREETINGS

Let's take a dip in the Yangtze.

It's for you?

I have to go first?

OK. Across the Yangtze!

CHEERING

It's very refreshing!

'Mao's swim across the Yangtze here
was a clever bit of publicity

'that helped
his strongman image.

'President Putin does these sort
of stunts all the time, of course.

'I was only supposed to be pottering
around, having a quick dip.'

The current here is astonishing.

I'm really feeling the power of it.

'But after ten minutes or so,

'I found myself
a third of the way across.

'A mad thought struck me.

'Meanwhile, Mr Yu
was getting a bit chilly.'

Mr Yu seems to be getting out
of the river

and I'm just left here
with the rescue swimmers.

'With stronger swimmers around me
and our crew boat alongside,

'I thought I was safe to keep going.

'I hadn't realised just how busy
the dangerous shipping channel

'could be, and there were a few
near-misses with passing
freighters.'

I bet they stopped the shipping
for Chairman Mao!

'Mr Yu seemed to be relaying
the highlights of my ordeal

'to his missus over the phone.'

My hands are so cold.

I don't feel like I'm making
any progress.

The current's too strong.

Where?

WOMAN SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

'Mao swam the Yangtze
several times.

'If I could do it,
it can't be the toughest swim.

'But the last time
he swam the river was in 1966,

'when he was 72 years old.

'It might seem surprising now,
but his feats really did help him

'to take
and keep control of the country.'

I swam the Yangtze!

'Many historians have concluded

'that Mao was a monster
to rival Stalin or Hitler.

'Tens of millions
perished under his rule.

'He wanted to obliterate
Chinese culture,

'destroying traditional faiths
and religious beliefs.

'He remains a complicated
figure in China today.'

What do most people in China
think of Chairman Mao?

Is he seen as a controversial
figure at all,

or is he generally
seen as the creator of modern China?

Well, two sides.

On one side, people still think
he is a national hero

and he is a great person
in Chinese history.

On the other side, I think today,

China's people also
talk about the mistakes he made.

It's more and more open for people
to talk about this.

'After Mao's death in 1976,
China's leaders were able to start

'slowly reforming the economy.

'And, in recent years, the Chinese
have begun rediscovering the more

'spiritual and philosophical side
to their lives, which Mao

'and communism sought to suppress.'

The sense I have is that faith and
belief and tradition and custom is

something that a lot of Chinese
people now are searching for.

Yeah, I think so.

Actually,
we have so many years of history and

we have such great culture

and traditions that never fade
away from Chinese people's lives.

We still respect our ancestor.

We respect our philosophies
and religion.

I think that's great things.

'From Wuhan, we travelled another
300 miles east to Nanjing,

'a former capital of China
right on the Yangtze.'

We've just come to a viewing
platform next to a bridge over

the Yangtze, because we are
heading...into the city of Nanjing.

'In the 1930s, this city,
then known as Nanking,

'was invaded by the Japanese,

'who carried out
a notorious massacre here.

'But nearly 100 years earlier,
it had also been invaded...

'by the British.'

In the 1800s,
China lost the so-called Opium Wars.

This was a particularly shameful
episode in British

and Western history,
when we went to war against China,

basically because we wanted to have

the right to sell
the Chinese people drugs.

As a result of the Opium Wars,

this city and many others like it,
were opened to foreign trade,

with large areas effectively
under British control.

Christian missionaries also began
arriving in the country

and it was said that Christianity
came here on a cannonball.

'British and American missionaries
used the Yangtze to access

'the interior of the country.

In the second half
of the 20th century,

Christianity was ruthlessly

suppressed by China's
communist leaders.

But it's now making
an extraordinary comeback.

When the Communist Party
took over in 1949,

there were thought to be about one
million Christians in the country.

Today, there are anything up to
100 million Christians in China.

More Christians, in fact, than there
are members of the Communist Party.

'By some estimates, there could be

'400 million Christians
in China in 30 years' time,

'making it the biggest
Christian nation on earth.'

What's this queue of traffic for?

'We'd arrived in Nanjing
on Easter Sunday and we were

'heading to a newly-built church to
see this phenomenon for ourselves.'

You don't think the traffic's here
for the church, do you? I think so.

This is a traffic jam for people
trying to get to church!

Let's walk.

Hang on, that can't all be a church.

The whole thing? Yeah.

It's like a stadium.

MUSIC AND SINGING

'This brand-new church can hold
up to 5,000 people -

'most of the seats were taken.

'The service included a dramatic
re-enactment of the entire

'Easter story, with some colourful
dancing thrown in for good measure.'

OK. Now I see why they draw a crowd!

'It's now possible
to be both a Christian

'and a member of
the Communist Party.

'In fact,
some government officials

'apparently think Christianity
could help to protect

'the masses from the lure of
selfishness and capitalist greed.'

Have you been a Christian for a long
time, or are you a new convert?

TRANSLATION: I was a member of
the Communist Party in the past.

I also believed in God
but I didn't dare go to church.

Later on, I heard that Communist
Party members can go to church too.

Now even the Communist Party
believes in Christianity.

'I was surprised to see that
the re-enactment of the crucifixion

'inspired a really emotional
response in people.

'After the service, I had a few
minutes with minister Li Lancheng.

Thank you for letting us come
and see the service.

So, people in China have said
that with the rise of capitalism,

that China has become
a tougher, harder place.

TRANSLATION: With the development
of the economy,

people are less connected
to one another

and family ties
are getting weaker.

Obviously, the church is very new.
Were the authorities,

was the government, a help

or a hindrance to you
when you were building it?

This piece of land was allocated
to the church by the government.

This church wouldn't exist without
the government's permission.

The government also covered
some of the costs of construction.

Can I ask how much?

Did they pay a percentage, or can
you tell us a figure?

It cost £10 million
and the government

provided £3 million in total.

In other words, just less
than a third of the cost.

The government paid a third of
the money towards the church?!

That's incredible.

'The state will often support
churches that toe the line,

'but not all of them do.

'There are thousands of underground
churches in China that reject

'state control
and suffer harassment as a result.'

So we're off to Shanghai! Yeah.

'Most of the population here say
they believe in something,

'and hundreds of millions are

'Christians, Buddhists,
Daoists, or Muslims.

'But religious Chinese are only

'allowed to practise their faith
with state approval.

'This is still
a country of control.'

On this journey
along the Yangtze,

we've only really encountered
the official religions in China.

In the far west of the country,
there are Islamic separatist groups,

and many Muslims in China
say they suffer oppression.

And then, of course, rather
famously or infamously,

the Chinese state cracked down very
heavily on the Falun Gong movement,

which many of its practitioners
see as being a spiritual or

religious organisation.

So if you are a member

or if you're a practitioner of one
of the official religions,

it seems there is a lot of increased
openness and awareness

and people are turning
to those religions.

But if you fall
outside that framework,

then it seems you can encounter
a lot of problems with the state.

'It would take about four hours
to drive the 200 miles

'from Nanjing to Shanghai,

'but on China's super modern bullet
trains I hardly had time for a nap.'

We're in Shanghai!

'With a population of more than
24 million,

'Shanghai is, by some measurements,

'not just the biggest
city on the Yangtze,

'but one of the biggest on earth.'

Flipping heck!

It's like a cathedral.
It's the biggest in China.

'China could soon overtake America
to become the largest

'economy in the world.

'So the moral and ethical values
chosen by people here to guide them,

'and, by extension, their country,

'will have an enormous impact
on the entire planet.

'It was our last night on the road,
and Li Li wanted to take me

'to one of her favourite
restaurants.'

New Age Veggie. New Age Veggie!

A vegetarian restaurant?

Yeah, you will see something
really different. Come on.

I'm a committed carnivore.

It's not a Buddhist restaurant,
is it? Um...connected.

Really? Yes.

Very nice, Li Li.

Yes, we're right by the window.

And menu on an iPad.

Very 21st century.

It's just menu. Do you want to
explore the new dishes?

I see. OK. So the dishes,
they look like meat.

Stewed veggie pork balls.

That's meant to be
vegetarian salmon sashimi.

Looks quite real, right?

That looks pretty real.

After this meal,
you will...you will have more

possibilities to become
a vegetarian, too.

Oh, you think so? Yeah.

You're looking to convert me
to vegetarianism now, are you?

Um, we will see.

We should have the salmon.

Is that the meaty one?

Should we have that?

Yeah.

What is the Buddhist
connection here?

Well, in China, most of the
vegetarians are still like Buddhist.

So being a vegetarian means not
just care about yourself

but also caring about the world,
about Earth.

Is it a growing movement then?

Yeah. The number of vegetarians
in China, going up very quickly.

I read an article that says today we
have more than 50 million.

Meatballs! Meatballs, yes. Xie xie.

A veggie version.

Oh, wow!

That really does look like salmon.

That's really impressive.

I'm looking forward to trying this.

That's really good.

This is really fascinating, Li Li.

People worry about rising China,
the Chinese dragon,

but actually, if half the country
turns to Buddhism,

you're not going to be a much-feared
military empire that many

in the West think it could be

if half the population
are peace-loving Buddhists, is it?

Mm. Here in China,

we say this century is a century
about the waking up of the soul.

Waking up of the soul?

Yes.
I haven't heard that ever before.

It's really interesting.

Thanks, Li Li. Cheers, m'dear.

Thank you for bringing us here.

It's been an amazing and a very,
very eye-opening journey.

Thank you!

'The waking-up of the soul that
IS clearly happening here will

'have enormous implications.

'This isn't just about religion.

'This is a transformation
that will affect politics.

'It could help to re-define
China's relationship with

'the rest of the world.

'The next day, having said goodbye
to Li Li, I headed out to the point

'where the mighty Yangtze
finally flows out into the sea.'

As I come towards
the end of the journey,

it's really clear to me that huge
numbers of people in this country

are turning
to religion and faith.

And the reason they're doing
that is, in my view,

cos this country has advanced
even further

and even faster than many
of us in the West realise.

Hundreds of millions of people here
have been lifted out of poverty.

Often, their material needs
are being met, but now they want new

purpose and meaning
in their lives

that neither communism nor
capitalism seem able to provide.

Here we are.

This is a sort of memorial,

monument, or just a marker,
really, for the end of the Yangtze.

Ha-ha!

Look! The end of the Yangtze.

You can see for miles,
look - right out to sea.

Ah!

It's been...an amazing
series of journeys.

It's been thrilling
and surprising for me, actually,

just how much I feel I've learnt
from following these sacred rivers,

about the cultures and the countries
that the rivers flow through.

These rivers are polluted,
they're battled over,

but they're still life-giving
arteries that support

hundreds of millions of people.

These rivers have shaped
civilisations,

and they'll continue
to shape our modern world.