1 I'm travelling the world to discover the secrets of lasting beauty,... There's snail secretion in this. ...great health... This is your pharmacy. Yeah. ...and extraordinary long life. It's better skin than I've got. Look at him! (LAUGHS) From different parts of the world, I want to find the secrets. In the most populated country on the planet, I'm getting hands-on with their unique approach to well-being,... Should I or shouldn't I? ...including their traditional medicine... Is it in? ...and beauty secrets you can eat. It's made from the spit of swallows. So is the changing face of modern China... Really? ...in harmony with their ancient secrets of living so long? These incredible people are over 100 years old. Picked the wrong girl. You can't win this race. (CHUCKLES) Copyright Able 2015 The Great Wall is a striking legacy to China's violent wars and revolutions over hundreds of years. And yet throughout its turbulent past, and still today, people here seek balance and harmony. The Chinese believe the key to a healthy, more beautiful life is the balance of the yin and the yang, the old and the new, the feminine and the masculine, the inner and the outer. It's a great philosophy. I mean, who doesn't want that? So, I'm here in Beijing. This is a wildly busy city. There's people and traffic everywhere. So where are the Chinese principles of balance and harmony here, and how on earth do you find them? Maybe the park is a good place to look. It's where thousands of Chinese kick-start their belief in order and routine. So I'm getting some structure too by checking out what the locals do everyday. What I love here is that everybody's doing some kind of activity, that it's not just young people. For most people, remember, in China, they retire in their early 50s. Hmm. So then life gets good. > I'm only a couple` five years away. So maybe... Yeah, right. (CHUCKLES) Alex Tan might sound Aussie, but he's also an expert in holistic health. He's giving me a beginner's guide to the principles of well-being many Chinese follow here. There is no right and wrong in China, in terms of the exercise. It's just the idea in deeper Chinese philosophy and culture ` if we provide harmony and balance for the human body, then everything will happen that's naturally meant to happen. Yeah, amazing. I don't think I've ever seen so much clapping and slapping before. It's certainly not what's going on at my local gym. So what are the health benefits? A lot of the morning exercises are about moving chi in blood ` getting the stagnation from the sleep to kind of bring circulation up. I love this! I'm so excited. For some people, music is their exercise. A full orchestra spontaneously springs up at the park most days. The feeling of friendship and warmth is overwhelming and quite emotional. ALL SING Lower back. I want to experience what is a big part of their routine here. I feel like a horse who's just found a post. (CHUCKLES) It's beautiful, the music. It's just gorgeous. The Chinese word for, um, enjoyment is 'renao'. It means, like, hot and loud. I like places like that. (CHUCKLES) It's fun, right? > Hot and loud is definitely my thing, and this all-girl group who dance here every day is my ticket to get there. HIP HOP DANCE MUSIC Although it's not quite the dance style I'm used to. HIP HOP DANCE MUSIC CONTINUES Another beautiful way to embrace movement here is by practising t'ai chi. Can I join the group with you guys? Mm. Mm. Thank you. It's hugely popular in China as a gentle mind-body exercise for all ages. It's known to relieve stress and get the circulation going. CHINESE STRING MUSIC PLAYS I'm also kind of pleased this class comes with so many accessories. CHINESE STRING MUSIC CONTINUES That was amazing. First time. It's great, beautiful. It's so amazing what they do. Everything here comes back to having balance in life, and if the health of these guys is anything to go by, maybe balance and routine is the answer for me. It's definitely getting my heart rate up. I'm actually quite competitive. (CHUCKLES) To start following the Chinese principle of routine, the next step is to go to breakfast. OK, welcome to The Hutong. Let's have a look. Come in. I skip breakfast most days, but Alex and Michelle Tang, who's a fourth generation Kiwi-Chinese and the culinary director here, are helping me negotiate this unmissable Chinese custom. In China, we always start with a hot breakfast. Up in the north here, in Beijing, we start usually with a millet porridge. Porridge. Right there, that's the reason I don't like breakfast. Luckily, it's not the only thing on offer. We're gonna use home-made pickles, here, and we're gonna use some of the fermented tofus. This type of tofu, actually, is, um, allowed to go off, and we're talking about probiotics, prebiotics ` these ideas. There's some, like, fermented vegetables there, or pickled. It's hard to tell what the vegetables are, but we actually have carrots. We have cabbage. We've got red radish. It's sounding more like lunch or dinner to me, but again, in China, it's about finding balance, this time in flavours of salty, sour and sweet. So I'm going with it. Let's go. Let's eat. Now, this egg ` it's, like, marbleised. Right, and they cook it so long that they try to make the yolk creamy. Are you an egg fan? I love eggs. Yeah. Normally, we'd eat it, and then we'd have some more porridge. I'm on board with stoking that digestive fire, but I'm gonna need a handbook to keep track of all this. It's a completely different way to start the day, but, um, it was refreshing and kind of cool, and I love those tea eggs. I'm keen to find out how I measure up on the balance sheet, so I'm off to a traditional Chinese medicine clinic to find out. I think the more ways you can balance your body and harmonize everything, I think it's a wonderful thing, so I can't wait to see what Dr Yang has to say about my balance, my unharmonious being. Traditional Chinese medicine is embraced by many older people here, and from what I've seen so far, it's working for them. So, um, how would you diagnose me? In TCM, the pulse in each wrist relates to different organs and how they're running. Yeah. Iced coffee. Arctic cold, yeah. Can't move up. I've never thought of my body as a microclimate before, but all the iced coffees I drink have created a polar region in my centre. The Chinese believe your health is better if you are warm, rather than really cold or hot. So kidneys are yin. Yeah. To boost my yin, the doctor is prescribing me medicated teas, as well as a traditional heating treatment called moxibustion, but it looks kind of painful. What is in this cigar-looking thing? Mm-hm. Is it in? Have you put something in yet? Is it in me? Are you going to gonna apply this directly to my skin? Finally, I discover I won't be burnt by this experience, because the herbs are only held over acupuncture points... It relaxes all the muscles. ...to warm energy channels and get chi flowing. Refreshed. I'm exploring more alternatives next... You have some bird's nest stuck between your teeth there, Rachel. Do I? ...and getting inside the truth of men's beauty. What is the one beauty product that you can's do without? Let's say eye cream. Eye cream! 1 In China, I'm discovering that achieving harmonious balance is central to their health and well-being, but how does their self-image and beauty fit into all this? To me, I guess the idea of beauty is universal. I've been asked to feature in an upcoming edition of China's Cosmopolitan magazine. I've had my hair and make-up done, and my outfit's ready, so I'm ready to go. It's taken months of organisation to get to this point. So the fact it's pouring with rain and my co-star has itchy feet just doesn't rate a mention. Somewhere amongst the chaos is me, a reluctant stallion and a winning shot. The photo shoot is fun, 'but the truth is it's giving me the opportunity to get a young person's view on beauty and image here,' 'so I've cornered Jane Nui from Chinese Cosmo.' What are the hottest make-up trends in China? Want white skin? Yeah. Jane tells me her friends spend up to 30% of their income on skincare, and in her world, wearing make-up is as important to your social profile as it is to your career. How would you feel if someone turned up with no make-up on? Really? Make an effort. Mm-hm, mm-hm. Exactly! It's just amazing that social media is changing the way, um, beauty is. Do a lot of people have plastic surgery? Up. 20 years old. Plastic surgery. < Mm-hm. OK. Thank you so much for giving us a glimpse into China. It's my honour. Jane's comments are a real reminder of the pressure some young women feel today. Their need to look good 24-7 and a camera-carrying culture is changing the world of beauty. I don't want hair on this side. Beautiful. So is it the same for men? In the past, uh, you know, Chinese men like to be, like, more macho, and nowadays I think that it's acceptable for Chinese men to take care of the skin, to take care of the look. What is the one beauty product that you can't do without? Let's say eye cream. Eye cream! Because that cream can save me from, uh, like, working overnight... Yeah. ...and, uh, make me feel like I still have the spirits to do everything I want. I need to go get some eye cream on, trust me. (LAUGHS) This is new China. I know. It's beautiful. Beautiful. Thank you. There's a new and old China, but one thing has stayed the same ` the desire to have white skin. Michelle Tang is with me checking out the products that help create that look. So, these are typical Chinese whitening creams. We've got all sorts of different varieties. We've got powders. We've got creams. We've got masks. Whitening here, it's very very important to the culture and to women. This kinda is tied into social economic status. If you think about it, if your skin is tanned, that probably means your family is... Out working. ...out working in the farm. Um, poor. The whiter the skin, the more beautiful... < You are. ...you're perceived. < OK. For centuries, the beauty standard here was set by empresses using a natural product we prize as special-occasion jewellery. So this is the pearl powder? If I scoop out a little bit, you can see it's a lot of granules, which means it's pearl that's been finely grounded up. Super fine. Mm. This definitely, uh, has this nice glow to it. That's right. Yeah. The iridescence of the pearl. It's nearly lunchtime, so I've agreed to meet Alex to stay on routine the Chinese way, and, boy, does he have a surprise for me ` it's an anti-aging treatment you can eat. The bird's nest. (CHUCKLES) No, I'm` I'm intrigued by it. Where is it? So... (CHUCKLES) < There's no bird's nest. It's been cooked, so it just kind of melts down. Shall we try? Yeah. Bird's nest soup can cost up to US$100 a bowl, so I should be more enthusiastic, right? Especially because some say it's good for the libido, but ugh, that texture! It's got a very kind of desserty vibe about it. It's almost like a tapioca that` It's just the consistency. Yeah, and, you know, it's made from the spit of swallows. So swallows build their nest out of their spit, and then they kind of` and then we harvest these. Yeah, this nourishes the yin. It is considered good for beauty. I feel sorry for the little bird, though. (LAUGHS) There was no bird. It's only the nest, so... No, I know, but he lost his home. Um, I've got issues with the slime. Yeah, a lot of people do, and that's a lot about habit. I gotta work on it. You have some bird's nest stuck between your teeth there, Rachel. Do I? (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) It's a little bit slimy, but I think I could get used to it. From big-city new China to the secrets of old China... It's not every day you see a 100-year-old on a bike. ...and a taste of the truly exotic. Should I or shouldn't I? 1 Morning. See how we go. (GRUNTS) A parcel for you. Thank you. INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER SIREN WAILS HORN HONKS CLANGING HORNS HONK, MUSIC PLAYS TRAFFIC WHOOSHES Get mortgage-free sooner. BNZ ` be good with money. 1 On my Chinese tour of beauty, I'm finding out what the locals eat to boost their health and well-being. So, these look really interesting. I'm also discovering how important routine is to achieve harmony and balance. There's all different sorts of things going on here. The good news is it's time for dinner with Michelle. The bad news is at this local market, there's nothing I recognise. This is something, for sure, you may have not had before, Rachel. These are silkworms. Sometimes you'll actually find them moving, because they're still alive, so that means you know that they're really fresh. It's that slime factor again. I think I'll pass. OK, I'm gonna give this a go. Definitely mushy on the inside. If I didn't know these were silkworms, I think I'd be fine. It's that psychological... I mean, I'm having... Tasty. > ...an issue with this and its face right now too. Do you want to swap? (CHUCKLES) > No. What is this one? Turns out it's a yangmei ` a Chinese strawberry, only furry. Unbelievable. Probably my favourite food in China so far. Here we have the insect bar. Worms, black scorpions, cockroaches or grasshoppers. These are scorpions and clearly a delicacy here in China. Should I or shouldn't? No. Maybe. I don't know. Here. You hold it. I'm just gonna put the whole thing in my mouth. Hm. It just tastes like... an overcooked French fry. In China, apparently they'll eat anything with wings, except aeroplanes, but I don't think this is for me. Do you wanna try the big one? No. Can't say I blame her, but there are some amazing beauty finds in this market too, like this snow fungus drink ` basically a mushroom ` said to be great for the complexion and anti-aging, because it's full of collagen. How amazing. I've never heard of that before. It seems that anything that moves here is destined for the deep fryer, even tarantulas, and something I really couldn't have predicted. Penis. > Hopefully that's not yours. (CHUCKLES) Penis of what? < Sheep. Sheep? The sheep. That's interesting. Penis is definitely off the menu. My time in China so far has been packed with discovering the joys of routine, anti-aging products and foods from my worst nightmares, all in the name of beauty. But the secrets to a truly long and happy life may lie in an island off mainland China, Hainan, where longevity reigns supreme. Residents of the Luoyi village in Hainan live active and healthy lives. More than a hundred of them are over 80. This is amazing. It's not every day that you see a 100-year-old on a bike. Hi, Mr Li. Hello! Hi. Nice to meet you. (SPEAKS HAINANESE) (CHUCKLES) Look at you! You're off to the market. (SINGS IN HAINANESE) (CHUCKLES) This is the song. Mr Li, you ride your bike` (CONTINUES SINGING) Oh, OK. (GIGGLES) (CONTINUES SINGING) It's amazing. Clap...? (CONTINUES SINGING) No. HORN BEEPS Amazing. Not` Not done. (CONTINUES SINGING) Needless to say Mr Li's secret to longevity is releasing his inner Elvis and his own special version of harmony. That is amazing. (CONTINUES SINGING) A lot of singing. There's lots of singing. We're at the local vegetable market, where Mr Li cycles to get his shopping every day. (SINGS IN HAINANESE) We're off home. But he's still got plenty of steam for the 3-K ride home. The Tour de China is on. And if I thought wearing a yellow jersey would give me an advantage,... OK, he's competitive. ...I'd be wrong. Mr Li, you are competitive. You picked the wrong girl. Oh my God, are you honestly racing me right now? FUNKY MUSIC I'm gonna catch up to him now. He can't win this race. He will win it. He's already won the race. No wonder he's in a hurry. This group of villagers have been his captive audience for decades. He loves a sing-song. (SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY) I know. He's amazing. So, it's morning tea time in the village, and, um, these incredible people, over 100 years old. This is Mr Li. This is Mrs Li. This is Mrs Li. This is Mrs Li. This is Mrs Li. This is Mrs Li. This is Mr Li` Mr Li, and Mrs Li. This is an excellent village for people who can't remember names. It's not a wealthy community, but the natural resources here provide the ingredients for a rich, long life. And the fruit and the vegetables here in the markets, they look incredible. (SPEAKS HAINANESE) TRANSLATOR: Actually the secret is because our dirt has a lot of selenium. That's why the vegetables rise, and everything is grown so healthily and beautifully. The selenium helps us have a long life. Selenium is a trace element that many foods today lack, because it's been lost from our soils. But selenium's anti-aging credentials are impressive. You're so gorgeous, by the way. (CHUCKLES) I love looking at your face. Do you think being married has been part of long life? If that's the case, then I'm gonna die really soon. (LAUGHS) (SPEAKS HAINANESE) TRANSLATOR: I've been married 78 years already. We never fight. We are never not happy together. That's another secret, because I feel happy all the time. Happiness makes life longer as well. I don't even know what to think. Mr Li believes his secret to a great long life is that balance of yin and yang ` without his wife, he says he wouldn't have lasted as long or been so happy. You're proof that it's important to share life with somebody, and that's a` that's a pretty beautiful thing. This is your place in here? (SPEAK HAINANESE) OK. Mr Li insists I meet his wife. They sure do epitomise what a long, happy life together looks like. (CHUCKLES) ELECTRONICA MUSIC I think the beauty for me in China has been the way that they embrace, um, old age, and the way that they still embrace their bodies and the power of their bodies. They have really taken old age to a new level of actually being and feeling young. Yeah, it's been fascinating. I think to go from Beijing, which is a super modern city and, you know, doing the Cosmo shoot and hearing the young people speak about, you know, beauty, and how fast they want, and then coming down here in Hainan Islands to see sharing your life with somebody else is extremely important, and to find that here in China that, you know, love and connection is a vital part of living longer and longevity. I think it's` It was a beautiful thing to see. Marriage ` clearly I need to get married. (CHUCKLES) If you don't want to belong to a group here, there's plenty of exercises that you can do by yourself. Standing against a tree helps relax those muscles, good for blood circulation, gets probably all those knots out of your back. People also walk backwards here, and apparently you do a hundred steps, and it helps with your lower lumbar, and maybe you won't get a hunchback. But you have to do a hundred. And you have to make sure nobody's behind you, I'm gathering. CRASH! > (LAUGHS) >