Episode Information

The largest single concentration of Whooper swans in China is on a newly – and unintentionally -- created wetland. It’s a remarkable place, in the heart of central China, just 130 miles as the crow flies from the terracotta warriors’ home in Xi’an. Sanmenxia (“Three Gateway Gorge”) Wetland Park consists of a large (385 sq.km.) reservoir, two artificial lakes and the wetlands that surround them. The wetlands are an unforeseen consequence of a hydraulic engineering project that went wrong. While the dam has had to be re-built several times, the wetland sanctuary it created is now home to 104 species of aquatic birds. It is estimated that over 10,000 whooper swans inhabit the wetland park. Using stunningly beautiful cinematography China’s Swan Lake shows the lives of a Whooper swans family that live on the lake along invasive black swans and blue herons.