Wild China: The Tibetan Plateau

The size of Western Europe, the Tibetan plateau covers a quarter of China. This vast windswept wilderness is one of the world's most remote places, bounded by the glacier-strewn Himalayas. At 9km high and 2900km long, the Himalayas are the real Great Wall of China. Up on the Tibetan plateau, the Himalayas dictate the nature and rhythms of life, creating a world where the air is thin, snow falls in summer, and persistent winds and storms rip across the hauntingly beautiful landscape.

This is a land of superlatives - with the world's loftiest mountains and monasteries, its highest-dwelling creatures and its deepest gorges. But this brutal region is home to incredible wildlife, such as the rare chiru. When discovered by travellers in the Middle Ages, the dazzling horns of these antelopes prompted tales of unicorns. Hunted for their fine fur, known as 'shahtoosh', in the last century chiru were driven to near extinction.

Jumping Spider. The highest permanent resident and predator on the planet, found at over 6500 metres on Mount Everest.
credit: Gavin Maxwell

Today there is a ban on poaching, but they are still difficult to find since the area where they live, the Chang Tang, is so vast and remote. But we were able to film their spectacular rut, where the males joust like fencers in temperatures that plummet to minus 40ºC, and where the air is so thin that just breathing is a challenge. Here brown bear and the crafty Tibetan fox can be seen hunting the rabbit-like pikas, and herds of formidable wild yak migrate endlessly across the vast open spaces, sure footed and totally at home in the ice and snow. Meanwhile the argali sheep, the world's largest with its dramatic spiralling horns, gather together in winter to endure the worst weather on the planet.

There are more large creatures here than anywhere else in China, but also some remarkable miniature ones that have managed to survive in this uniquely inhospitable environment. Up on the slopes of Everest, the highest predators on earth - jumping spiders - hunt for springtails. The Chinese call these gymnastic predators 'fly tigers'. The plateau is littered with hot springs that bubble and belch clouds of sulphurous steam. Downstream the springs turn into warmflowing rivers which are patrolled by cold-blooded snakes that wait patiently in the water, their heads bobbing like fishing floats, for an unsuspecting fish. Thanks to the hot springs, these are the highest-dwelling snakes in the world.

Yarlung Gorge. The deepest gorge in the world, three times deeper than America's grand canyon, but only 'discovered' by outsiders in the 1990's.
credit: Gavin Maxwell

Tibet not only has unique and extraordinary creatures, it also has a unique culture, defined by a union of ancient shamanic beliefs and over one thousand years of Buddhism. This hybrid religion has nurtured remarkable beliefs: life is respected, and good deeds to living creatures are reckoned to assure a better rebirth, and eventual enlightenment. The monasteries are the engines that drive this extraordinary culture. The land is imbued with magic, and there are even secret kingdoms that have been rendered invisible. We were able to film the Yarlung Gorge, three times as deep as the Grand Canyon and rarely seen by outsiders. Tibetan Buddhism and the beliefs of millions are focused on Mount Kailash - a remote mountain in the far West of Tibet where culture and landscape converge. Buddha achieved enlightenment here, and four major rivers flow from this region. Tibet's many glaciers and rivers and its impact on the weather systems of Asia and the Indian subcontinent means this landscape and ancient culture provides a crucial life support system for much of the planet.