[email protected] wrote:
>Tienkengs=20
>
>National Geographic - Mystery Caves Of Guangxi=20
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DwiYn-DeQjL8=20
>
>A production of the National Geographic Channel in conjunction with Chinese=
> television CCTV-9=20
>
>I have been asked to provide some clarification for the US caving community=
> about the use of the term "tiankeng". As many of you know, I have been lea=
>ding karst-focused tours for geologists and cavers and have first-hand know=
>ledge of Chinese karst since 1993. The cavers staring in the film have clea=
>rly had a wonderful time in a spectacular area courtesy of National Geograp=
>hic. The film does a good job of explaining the area to the general public,=
> and conveying the wonder and excitement of exploring the karst of SW China.
>
>This is a spectacular and interesting film. It is also contains some unnece=
>ssary (in my opinion) exaggeration and self-promotion from National Geograp=
>hic. Anyone in the caving community who has been to the spectacular karst a=
>reas of China recognizes the hyperbole. National Geographic seems either to=
> have done a poor research job (unlikely) or made a deliberate decision to =
>add additional "mystery" and danger to some of the most spectacular karst o=
>n Earth. These are clearly world-class caves.=20
Very informative explanation! Even without having been to the
Chinese karst, I could smell the hype. Nothing seemed that unusual about
these features other than the exceptional size, and the implication that
this was just now being discovered seemed improbable, to say the least,
when one of the scenes shows a constructed guardrail overlooking the pit,
and in others, trails or roads are clearly visible above. Shame on NGS.
--Donald
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