Explorations from upon high

Yu Le, chief director of the third season of the documentary series Aerial China. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We arrived during the hottest days in summer, but it felt like we'd entered a refrigerator when we took a helicopter over the valleys around the lake. In the distance, the waters were shrouded in white fog, making it look like a Chinese brush-painting scroll."

The helicopter's whirring blades pushed the mist away when the chopper descended over the lake, opening a window of time to shoot the water's surface before the mist returned. The crew repeated this several times over two full days, until they got the perfect shots.

Shots of human activity demonstrate Chinese people's wisdom of living in harmony with nature.

Such scenes include the Hani ethnic group's ancient rice terraces on Yunnan's Ailao Mountain. The peak appears like a giant painting when observed from above or far away.

The episode on Guizhou shows over 2,000 ethnic Miao people jumping into a pond to catch fish with baskets or nets, an annual celebration that has lasted for more than 600 years. It's the local equivalent of Valentine's Day.

Yu says directing the third season led him to re-examine the relationship between humankind and nature from a new perspective.

"There has always been a tradition of naturalism in our culture, which has become pivotal to Chinese philosophy. We, Chinese, always regard nature with awe," Yu says.

The latest season has received 9.2 points out of 10 on the major review site, Douban. Many fans are students learning about China's geography.

Ultimately, Join Us to Fly offers all viewers a chance to see China's lands from a new perspective－that is, a truly panoramic view. 

Editor: John Li