Documentary *Wuliangsuhai* to Debut in English on National

Documentary Wuliangsuhai to Debut in English on National Geographic Channel

At 19:00 on the evening of September 19, 2026, the English version of the nature-and-culture documentary Wuliangsuhai, titled OASIS OF LIFE, will officially debut on the National Geographic Channel, with simultaneous releases on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. Selected for the "Beauty of China" Overseas Communication Program of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the 45-minute condensed version presents to global audiences the story of Wuliangsuhai's ecological transformation and the coexistence of all forms of life at the apex of the "Ji"-shaped bend of the Yellow River.

From "Ecological Scourge" to "Paradise for Birds": A World-Class Ecological Model of a Lake

Wuliangsuhai, located at the apex of the "Ji"-shaped bend of the Yellow River, is the largest freshwater lake wetland in the Yellow River basin and a core stopover on two major international migratory bird flyways — the East Asian–Australasian Flyway and the Central Asian Flyway. It hosts more than 260 species and over 6 million birds, and is a core component of the World Heritage Irrigation Structures. In the 1990s, however, under the impact of urbanization and industrialization, this "pearl beyond the Great Wall" was once reduced to an "ecological scourge." General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been deeply concerned with the governance of Wuliangsuhai, issuing instructions on multiple occasions and personally visiting the site, stressing the need to "govern it with dedication and protect it with care, stay the course consistently and persist with sustained effort." After years of national pilot programs for ecological protection and restoration, Wuliangsuhai has regained its vitality, with rippling blue waters and tens of thousands of birds soaring over the lake once more.

The documentary Wuliangsuhai was produced under the joint guidance of the Publicity Department of the CPC Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Committee and the Radio and Television Administration of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It was created by Bayannur City in collaboration with Inner Mongolia Film Group, and produced by Zhongshi Hangtong Film & Television Production (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Following the rhythm of the four seasons, the film ventures deep into the entire Wuliangsuhai basin, documenting local people's practices in desertification control and water conservation, the development of eco-agriculture, and the protection of biodiversity. It showcases the wisdom of human-nature coexistence in desert and semi-desert regions, and conveys the global ecological vision that all living things are interconnected and share a common destiny.

Four Seasons of Life: Animal Protagonists Tell the Story of China's Ecological Wisdom

In the 45-minute English version OASIS OF LIFE, the camera centers on "life narratives," making animals the true protagonists.

In spring, mute swans perform elegant courtship dances on the lake, their curved necks forming a "heart" shape; tundra swans journey from the wetlands of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, using Wuliangsuhai as a precious stopover along their migration.

In summer, a young black-winged stilt struggles for survival in a rainstorm, while its mother spends three hours encouraging it to stand up again; a ruddy shelduck lays a record-breaking 22 eggs, only to have them all plundered by a fox at night — the harsh and unvarnished reality of nature.

In autumn, herds of Père David's deer (milu) run freely across desert oases. This deer species endemic to China, once extinct in the wild, has recovered from a mere 18 individuals to thriving herds. Gobi red camels and saxaul forests form an "iron triangle": the camels browse old branches, which promotes new growth; their droppings nourish the sandy soil; and local people plant saxaul forests to consolidate the ecological frontier.

In winter, ruddy shelducks remain on the frozen lake, constantly stirring the water to keep it from freezing over, while the drip-irrigation water-saving technology of the Hetao Plain secures their winter food supply.

The film also records how Mongolian wild asses, relying on remarkable spatial memory during the dry season, trek from deep within the desert to herders' homes in search of water; local residents have set up dedicated watering points, sharing the water of life with wild animals. From the Yinshan rock paintings to contemporary guardianship; from Wei Jun's planting of saxaul trees inoculated with Cistanche, Zhang Yongzhi's ecological cultivation of Hualaishi melons, and Hao Cunlin's millimeter-precision drip irrigation, to Ren Erhuan's fifteen years of afforestation in the Yinshan Mountains — the stories of these ordinary people form the most vivid footnote to China's grassroots ecological governance.

A New Paradigm of International Communication: Telling China's Ecological Story through "Life Narratives"

As a project under the "Beauty of China" Overseas Communication Program, Wuliangsuhai was benchmarked against world-class nature documentary standards from the very outset of its planning. Produced bilingually in Chinese and English, the film's visual aesthetics and narrative pacing give full consideration to the viewing habits of global audiences.

The film held its premiere at the Meidiya Center in Beijing on May 23, 2026. Chen Gang, professor and deputy dean of the School of Arts and Communication at Beijing Normal University, remarked: "What is most commendable about Wuliangsuhai is that it does not preach. Instead, it makes animals the protagonists and lets the stories of life speak for themselves. This 'decentralized' narrative strategy is precisely the most effective language of international communication." Cui Kai, director of the Digital Culture Promotion Department of the Culture Communication Center under the China International Communications Group, noted: "The story of Wuliangsuhai is essentially a microcosm of global issues — desertification control, water security, biodiversity conservation, and the balance between tradition and modernity. The film honestly presents the process in which humans and nature co-evolve amid conflict and equilibrium."

On World Environment Day, June 5, 2026, the film aired simultaneously on CCTV-2 (Finance Channel) and Phoenix Television (its Chinese, Hong Kong, America, and Europe channels), and was simultaneously released on CCTV.com and Yangshipin, as well as on the Xuexi Qiangguo (Learning Power) platform, where it received a homepage recommendation. Earlier, the film had also been invited to the 37th Sunny Side of the Doc (France) and the 20th Busan International Film & Video Program Exhibition (South Korea), steadily expanding its international influence.

"All stories will begin anew in spring." From its CCTV debut to the National Geographic Channel, from the embrace of the Yellow River to screens across the globe, the English version OASIS OF LIFE will serve as a bridge linking Wuliangsuhai with the world, showing global audiences that, in the Yellow River's bend amid desert and semi-desert lands, there is a perseverance called "sustained effort over time," a wisdom called "harmonious coexistence," and a beauty called "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."