BBC documentary captures Guangdong's wild side

A three-episode nature documentary showcasing the biodiversity of South China's Guangdong province premiered on domestic and overseas video platforms last month.

It was the first time that BBC Studios had partnered with Chinese provincial-level media.

Using 4K ultra-high definition technology, the documentary, Wild Guangdong, premiered on the BBC Earth Asia channel on Dec 7 and was later broadcast on the China Central Television Documentary Channel and Guangdong Satellite TV from Dec 8 to 10.

The documentary, with each episode lasting for 50 minutes, has also been made available on Chinese-language online platforms such as Youku, iQiyi, Tencent Video and Bilibili.

It took three years for the production team to produce and was a collaboration between Guangdong Radio and Television Station and BBC Studios.

Depicting the wildlife wonders of Guangdong with a moving and grand perspective, the documentary tells compelling stories of how local people coexist with nature and protect ecological treasures amidst the process of modern urban development, according to Robi Stanton, president of media and streaming for BBC Studios Asia-Pacific.

"Within the tapestry of modern civilization built by its 130 million people of Guangdong, nature and humanity together compose a moving poem of harmonious coexistence," she said.

In addition to the BBC Earth Asia channel, Wild Guangdong will also premiere on various streaming platforms across Asia, reaching over 20 million households in Southeast Asia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. "We believe international audiences will be eager to experience the wonders of Guangdong's landscapes through this new documentary," Stanton said.

The partnership with BBC Studios was not only a fusion of technology but also a resonance of ecological philosophy that is rooted in the land of Guangdong, according to Shan Yonghui, chief supervisor of Wild Guangdong and deputy director of Guangdong Radio and Television Station.

"Through our collaboration with BBC Studios, we aim to present an unseen Guangdong to the global audience," Shan said.

Guangdong, located in the global arid zone along the Tropic of Cancer, is home to over 1,000 animal species and more than 6,000 plant species, thanks to its unique microclimates and complex terrain, forming an ecosystem where mountains, waters, cities and seas blend together. The documentary focuses on the primeval forests and deep-sea mysteries, and turns its lens to the rhythm of life on the urban fringes — such as migratory birds over the city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, and fiddler crabs in the mangroves.

The production team traversed the full cycle of spring, summer, autumn and winter, delving into the primeval forests in northern Guangdong, the coral reefs of the South China Sea, coastal mangroves and green spaces in modern cities.

The team captured precious footage of black kites soaring over Danxia Mountain, a UNESCO-listed natural World Heritage Site known for its reddish rock formations, Chinese white dolphins riding the waves, corals spawning synchronously and the appearance of a new species of eyelid gecko.

"The documentary presents not just a catalog of species, but also stories of interdependence among life forms and the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature,"Shan said.

While showcasing how wildlife and humans can coexist harmoniously, the documentary will help raise public awareness of protecting nature amid urban development and making room for wildlife in the process of modernization, according to Simon Winchcombe, series producer of Wild Guangdong.

"The filming process was like a fascinating journey — almost every day, we captured unprecedented details of wildlife," he said.