Amazing Planet Earth The Island ContinentIn the Middle Kingdom

The Island Continent reveals the land Down Under's many faces, from arid deserts to lush rainforests. Explore the cracks and crevices of Ayers Rock, and witness ancient Aborigines ceremony. Take a fascinating step back in time when you visit Alice Springs, from where most of the world's opals are mined. Get subterranean at Coober Pedy, whose residents escape the heat by building their homes and businesses underground. Not all of Australia is barren and forbidden. The Great Barrier Reef, the largest living organism on planet Earth, is home to 1,500 species of fish! In the Middle Kingdom explores China, a fascinating land of pagodas and palaces, imperial dynasties and modern political upheaval. This program visits China's must-see sites as well as "the parts that seem a little more untouched." Your itinerary includes the Great Wall, the only man-made object on Earth that can be seen from space; Beijing and its legendary attractions; the mysterious Forbidden City, the Grand Canal, the Temple of Hell, where visitors take good-natured "tests" to see if their souls are worthy of heaven, and Hong Kong's breathtaking Victoria Peak.