Programs

Deadliest Journeys: China

A lifeline for the numerous villages in the region, the Duong Valley road is the only link between China, Burma, and Tibet. The film crew joins locals (and a very special pig!), aboard a collective taxi to explore the region.

Things start well enough; for the first 30 kms the road is paved. However, the tarmac quickly gives way to a dirt track, perched on the side of a vertiginous ravine. Landslides punctuate the drivers’ progress; and passengers frequently have to get out and dig. It’s a bumpy ride, and the pig has to be moved from his precarious position on the roof of the vehicle to join the human passengers inside.

The drivers are fearless, ready to risk life and limb to complete their journeys. We encounter a crowd waiting at the entrance of an unfinished tunnel. The roof has collapsed, and the lorries cannot get through. The travellers work for long hours inhaling dust and carbon monoxide, hoping that the vibrations from the engines will not cause the tunnel to collapse on their heads.

High up the hills, wood cutters fell the trees to make carbon, before embarking upon a back-breaking hike to the road side where they will sell their wares. To reach their destination they must swing across a 50 metre river on a make-shift flying-fox, their heavy cargo in tow.

Further along, a Buddhist monk loads heavy stones on the back of a geriatric pick up truck, and an entrepreneur gambles his savings on a lead mine. The stories of the Duong Valley’s intrepid inhabitants interweave with the drama of its beautiful but unpredictable landscape.

PRODUCTION INFO

  • Year: 2009
  • Duration: 25 mins
  • Production: Tony Comiti Productions
  • Director: Hugo Hyatt & Jérémy Defont
  • Available Versions: ENG, FRA
  • Country of production: France

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