World's Most Dangerous Roads - China

every day somewhere in the world normal people risk life and limb just getting from A to B in far-off countries and isolated forgotten villages our camera crews follow the journeys of those brave enough to travel on the world's toughest most dangerous and deadly roads buckle up for a hell right this is deadliest journeys in the depths of China the town of GaN Shan is slowly coming to life it's seven o'clock in the morning and the single communal taxi that serves the border crossing into Burma is being prepared for the grueling journey [Music] this guy Fung is heading back home to see his grandmother one of the few remaining ethnically seuss he is taking with him a special gift a pedigree pig that will be used for breeding but he's worried the animal might die on the journey considering the awful conditions finish it all okay but you have me entertain young [Music] ever since China's economy took off 30 years ago the nation's roads have been considerably improved [Music] [Music] Neverland related this road in the middle of nowhere in the dong Valley is the only route open between China Burma and Tibet the Duong Valley is still a wilderness thousands of square kilometers of jungle it's only inhabitants as slowly disappearing the communal taxi left the city of Gong Shan just over an hour ago and the paved road has given way to a dirt track the road conditions start to deteriorate and a fellow driver has bad news about the road ahead people are gonna do god mobile phone signals are pretty much non-existent from here on in it's vital that before they continue their journey they call their loved ones and tell them exactly where they are [Music] [Music] as the taxi disappears into the mist the road narrows as it follows cliff tops that drop vertically down hundreds of meters they turned on the pump shot yeah [Music] as they turn the corner they approached a dangerous tunnel they have been warned about Oklahoma Oklahoma [Music] the tunnel was started back in the 1980s but has never been completed for 30 years the locals have been risking their lives each time they use it it's a 400 meter gauntlet of danger especially during the monsoon season when the rain loosens the rock face [Music] in the heart of the tunnel the guys have come across a traffic jam due to another truck being wedged in this small tight tunnel [Applause] in a crazy move to free the truck the drivers decide to cut through the beams that are the main support for the tunnel structure [Music] [Applause] [Music] without the beams some of the drivers are nervous that the vibrations of their trucks will create a rockfall [Music] after a two-hour wait the taxi finally makes it out there's just another 50 kilometers to go to their final destination but the worst part of the journey is still ahead also driving in the region is DHing way here's one of the so-called mineral prospectors in recent years rich deposits of lead and tin have been discovered ding why is oft to see whether his latest purchase will prove profitable six months ago he invested a big chunk of cash in a mine where he hopes to find lead up till now there's been no trace of the elusive mineral but if he does find it he can expect to become a millionaire in a few months but a few kilometers further on the road decides otherwise then you miss out early this time it's the road itself that is being swept away [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] it's pretty tight but they squeeze past the landslide there is still 20 kilometers to the LED mine the short distance to have suffered the trials of hell for so long thing way makes it in one piece it will mean riches or ruin [Music] over on the far side of the valley the communal taxi and all of the passengers are having a rough ride the driver has to concentrate all his attentions to keep control of the vehicle and to avoid losing what is stacked on the roof [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] the poor little pig got injured when it fell DN abouts hunted at the enter level it's a Martin the pig in the taxi arrived at their destination almost intact it has taken them 15 hours to cover the 80 kilometer route the journey that should only take six hours the 15 hour journey has earned Cheng a hundred yen per passenger and equivalent to 60 euros which is not bad money for this area the pig that has travelled all this way as the thumbs grandmother who owns a small restaurant in the village [Music] the 85 year old lady has lived here all her life and has some painful memories during the 40s the region was under Tibetan domination down there so not at all so there and there are I don't mean [Music] the balance of power has now changed dramatically the women of the valley no longer live in fear of the Tibetans whose closest villages are just a few kilometers away high up in the mountains there is a monastery which is home to about ten months their days are spent praying and in meditation Chiang is 22 and is the youngest monk his mission is to convert the valley people to Buddhism there's a had none you think to get to the Vishnu Jay good deeper attendants a shorter some day ever since Tibet was annexed by China in 1950 Tibetans and especially Tibetan monks have been closely monitored suspected by the Chinese government of fostering hopes of independence among the population and inciting a revolution Chang's Chinese converts have come up to help rebuild a temple that was destroyed by the Chinese government they could get into a lot of trouble if they are seen with a monk but it's a risk they're willing to take for their religion in return chang hooks them up with a few prayers and some booze [Music] we have a large Bethel ever top the nothing yet father Gong carpet bomb the [Music] monk has every right to be concerned the speedometer may be new but the truck is ancient and the engine needs regular checking [Music] to save his engine the driver has a trick up his sleeve downhill he free wills engine off foot on the brake but at the foot of the hill the climb up the next slope will take time and patience the truck can barely reach ten kilometres an hour the engine is on the brink of overheating he's budged together this homemade tap to keep the engine cool [Music] it's the last truckload and now work on the new pagoda can finally begin Chang is hoping the Chinese government will allow him to expand his monastery so that he can house up to 30 months but the slightest sign of unrest in Tibet the government will come down hard on the monks and shut down the temples on the slopes opposite the temple is Fong's village today is a big day as it marks the start of the hunting season to earn some extra bucks Fong hunts flying squirrels these are considered a delicacy in this region in these parts the squirrel killing weapon of choice is the crossbow in the valley almost no one owns a gun the cartridges are far too expensive preparing for the hunt is a long and meticulous process while his friends finished making the arrows Fong goes on ahead it is his job to open up a path to the hunting cabin [Music] [Music] yeah Yoga Center it's a three hour long trek through the jungle [Music] but then you're looking up there how will you think issue like Fung is concerned about the humid conditions they are no good for his crossbow it causes the strings to stretch and lose its power and the wood to expand meaning the bow will be far less accurate for deadly snakes and other creatures that might be harmful Fung has brought along a potion that is meant to ward them off yeah that sir free to follow other it's seven o'clock and the hunt gets going to make the evening profitable and put bread on the table the hunters will need to kill at least 30 squirrels [Music] oh my god [Music] to lure out the animals he imitates the sound of a female squirrel in their pursuit of squirrels they come across this deadly snake well yeah other than booga-booga-booga so far the squirrels are proving elusive and all they've caught is this blood sucking leech the hunt has got off to a very poor start but they have another two weeks to reach their target of 500 flying squirrels it's the moment of truth for ding way the fortune hunter he'll soon know whether he was right to invest in the mine he's hoping to find lead which in China is worth the same as gold every time he visits he brings some small presents for his miners to cheer them up today he brings some hens [Music] digging each shaft can take up to six months [Music] the miners rarely go back to town and often work in shifts day and night to extract the lead from the 20 or so mines that have been dug into the mountains about a hundred men and very few women live here in tough conditions [Music] it's a harsh male-dominated environment in which the ladies try and maintain at least some of their femininity [Music] so this whole unit is almond butter the Denis needed a cross on Oh God oh yes we were King Awad of all eternity somewhere an Isuzu we can heal quick dystopian to its powerful sorry to the wisdom altitudes of it a go the Nitin the tunnel stretches for 400 meters into the pits of the earth the gas and humidity irritates the eyes and throat [Music] the mine is a labyrinth with dozens of galleries and in order to save money none of them have been reinforced security here is not a major concern [Music] [Music] in a few months ding way could be seriously loaded if he does strike it lucky news of his find would spread fast and this peaceful Valley could soon be swarming with greedy prospectors [Music] you

Channel: Show Me the World

Views: 779,822

Rating: 4.6152687 out of 5

Keywords: documentary, roads, National Geographic, waterways, travel, Deadliest Journeys, dangerous roads, most dangerous roads in the world

Id: 0cYDQY4Mj5A

Length: 25min 43sec (1543 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 05 2019