China’s eastern heartland is the center of a flourishing civilization which spans more than five thousand years. It contains dazzling man-made structures. And it’s home to some of China’s rarest and most charismatic creatures. The people who live here, the Han Chinese, comprise the largest ethnic group in the world, and their language, Mandarin, is the world’s oldest and most widely spoken language. In the last 50 years, China has seen massive development, bringing many environmental problems. But the relationship of the Chinese to their environment and its creatures is in fact deep, complex and extraordinary.