Premiering on Discovery Channel in Southeast Asia on April 22, the new show outlines the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature in Hainan, China
- Hainan is known as a biodiversity paradise comprising one-third of China’s wildlife, a large proportion of forests and wetlands, and varying temperatures which allow the different species to thrive
- Hainan’s rich biodiversity is also due to the Hainanese people’s respect for the other forms of life, preserving the once-endangered Eld’s deer and using organic materials for their traditional brocade weaving process
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 19 April 2023 – Discovery Taiwan, in partnership with MediaTek, presents Chasing Biodiversity: Hainan, an ecologically eye-opening short film that will premiere on Discovery Channel on April 22, 2023, at 7:05 pm.
A tribute to this year’s Earth Day, the show highlights ecological protection and the conservation of wildlife, specifically in Hainan, the largest island in southern China. The story is told with stunning high-definition footage taken using professional production equipment and smartphones with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9200 chip. These tools allowed the team to film Hainan’s animals and rainforest fauna and flora with long-distance, close-up, and motion capture capabilities.
“The show follows scientists and conservation experts deep into Hainan, documenting the animals and plant life unique to this biodiversity hotspot. It also lauds the Hainanese for their conscious efforts in coexisting with nature and reviving the land,” said Cindy Ma, VP and Head of Commercial Taiwan, Warner Bros. Discovery. “We are thrilled to have MediaTek as our partner in exhibiting Hainan in its full glory.”
“We partnered with Discovery to help highlight the importance of biodiversity by illustrating how amazing our planet can be when we treat it well,” said Dr. Yenchi Lee, Deputy General Manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communications Business. “Utilizing the imaging capabilities of the MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chip, the team at Discovery was able to convey that beauty in breathtaking detail to truly move and inspire us.”
Comprising one-third of China’s wildlife, Hainan is known as a species paradise with many forests and wetlands. Its abundant ecosystem has become home to approximately 3,652 species of wild vascular plants and 540 species of terrestrial vertebrates. An island bursting with life, Hainan provides favourable conditions for life—but its ecology was not spared from threats.
Ecologist Guo Guangpu travelled to Hainan to learn how the island found balance and restored its life. Along the way, he met Lu Gang, the Chief of DuoTan Wetland Institute in Haikou, who shared that Hainan’s incredible biodiversity is due to the changes in temperature and the skillset the species develop to survive.
Saving an endangered species. Human behavior also plays a crucial role in Hainan’s biodiversity. Biologist Song Yanling talks about how the Eld’s deer reached near-extinction in the 1980s as fishermen would eat them to keep their bodies warm from the cold sea. To save them, Eld’s deer conservationists, such as Wu Ya Qiang would patrol around the clock to monitor the deer and their surroundings and provide them with good nutrition. Their ability to preserve the species for two generations and increase their number by the thousands demonstrates a caring human-nature relationship.
Using materials from nature. Harmonious coexistence exists among the Li people, a local tribe from Hainan, who make their brocade fabric using organic materials. This tradition has been applied for 3,000 years, with the likes of over-80-year-old master weaver Granny Ah Zhen sharing tips with her granddaughter Wu Bing.
The Hainanese understand that humans do not rule the planet but are just a part of it. This respect for nature and behavior of coexisting peacefully with other forms of life brings hope for a bright future for the earth.
Chasing Biodiversity: Hainan is produced by AVG Media for Discovery Channel.
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