The Dai now live in the borders of tropical Vietnam and Laos, but their legends tell of how their ancestors came here by following the rivers from mountain lands in the cold far north. Lying at the far eastern end of the Himalayas, the Hengduan Mountains form Yunnan's northern border with Tibet. Khawa Karpo, crown of the Hengduan Range, is a site of holy pilgrimage, yet its formidable peak remains unconquered.

Yunnan's mountains are remote, rugged and inaccessible. Here the air is thin, and temperatures can drop below minus 40 degrees. This is home to an animal that's found nowhere else on earth—the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey. It's found only in these few isolated mountain forests. No other primate lives at such high altitudes, but these are true specialists. These ancient mountain dwellers have inspired legends. Local Lisu people consider them their ancestors, calling them "the wild men of the mountains".

During heavy snowfalls, even these specialists cannot feed. This seems a strange place for a monkey. Between snows, the monkeys waste no time in their search for food. At this altitude, there are few fruits or tender leaves to eat. 90% of their diet is made up of the fine dry wisps of a curious organism. Half fungus, half plant, it's lichen. How have monkeys, normally associated with lowland jungle, come to live such a remote mountain existence?

This is not the only remarkable animal found within these isolated high peaks. A Chinese red panda, solitary and quiet, it spends much of its time in the treetops. Despite its name, the red panda is only a very distant relative of the giant panda. It's actually more closely related to a skunk.

snub-nosed monkey:滇金丝猴

Chinese red panda:小熊猫

lichen:地衣

skunk:臭鼬