China, the dragon never dies | France 5 | Les Routes de l'Impossible

In the south of China, in Guizhou province, 90% of the territory consists of mountains. There, trucks carry the two resources that are in abundant supply: bamboo and coal, the driving force of industrial development. However, to transport it, you need the soul of an adventurer because the roads are so dangerous. Guizhou province is the historical heart of China. It is home to the major part of the trade in what is known as the green gold” or even “the soul” of the country: bamboo. It is vital, not only as a source of revenue and construction material for the population, but also as food. As the first blows of the machetes ring out in the forests on the mountainsides, the truckers make their preparations. Men like Mou, a rice farmer, abandon their work in their thousands for the several weeks of the bamboo season. But the risks are such that the game is not always worth the candle…”