Episode 4 starts off with a shot of not just one, but three, THREE, giant pandas frolicking! In fact, this episode has more animal shots than usual. The monkey makes its return. There is also a water buffalo, which actually likes water and wetlands and that's why the Chinese have been putting them to work on the paddy fields for ages. (It looks different from an American buffalo because, well, American buffalo is not actually a buffalo (Wiki).) And beetles. And snakes. But the best animal shot is definitely the one when they show a mantis catching and feeding on another insect (cricket?). That immediately brings to mind the Chinese fable about the mantis and the cicada and the sparrow 螳螂捕蝉黄雀在后: a mantis preys after a cicada, but it is totally unaware that it itself is the prey of a sparrow. Timely lesson to be had for all the contestants busily scheming after one another.


Fight breaks out in the Zhan Hu tribe over moldy rice. I don't even know that rice can get moldy; they must have left the rice completely drenched. As a life-long bachelor, I've seen plenty of moldy food in my pad before, but I've yet to see my rice get moldy. Uncooked rice has amazing water-absorbing properties. You can actually try to save your electronic gadgets that got wet by placing them on a bed of rice and let them sit overnight(s).

Finally, a challenge that shows off a major Chinese invention: fireworks! Rumor has it firework was accidentally invented when a cook mixed up all the ingredients into a bamboo tube by mistake and colorful sparks came flying out, but I think it's a natural progression after gunpowder (or fire powder as they call it in China) was invented. Gunpowder was in turn an accidental invention as ancient alchemists tried to create elixirs of eternal life, a futile effort since the time of Qin Shihuang. China today is the largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks in the world.

The fireworks is cool. But calling those two big log "chopsticks"? Eh, okay.

For winning the reward challenge, the Fei Long tribe got fed by a fisherman's family who came to prepare a meal for them. Now, that's authentic Chinese. Denise calling the food "delicatest"; can't argue with that. The fisherman also shows them how to use trained cormorants to fish. Hope PETA isn't watching. Cormorant fishing is practiced in many places in China, but it is supposedly a highlight for tourists around Guilin (a very famous touristy spot in China for its breathtaking scenery). But I remember seeing somewhere that says cormorant fishing is a dying art. Just Youtube or Google cormorant fishing for more information.


Wow, Jean Robert speaks Mandarin!!! And pretty good at that. Where does that come from? There has been no mention of any contestants speaking Mandarin before. I have to reconsider my office pool.

For the elimination challenge, the contestants are decked in "traditonal" "Chinese" "armor". Okay, here, a quick glance of all the traditional Chinese armors through the dynasties:


http://www.gf81.com.cn/35/images/073p1d.jpg

Nope, didn't see what they're showing on the show at all. As I said last time, the armors look like they are recycled from 300. I think the major offense is with the helmets. Traditional Chinese armors emphase on the mobility and weight; putting on a heavy helmet just won't work. Maybe there are experts in the house to enlighten us. On the other hand, the meteor hammers and the challenge itself is pretty cool. In the old days, the meteor hammers will actually be lit on fire and thrown over enemy's walls and gates trying to start a fire. Pity all those porcelains have to be broken. They look pretty. Porcelain was also first invented in China, and became widely popular in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, and that's why they are called chinas in common English usage. But you regular China Books patrons must already know it.

See you after next show.