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This is a story of China's most iconic creature, the giant panda. Growing up in the magical bamboo forest, China is a diverse country full of rare and surprising creatures. For the first time, we'll uncover their remarkable untold stories. In the hidden kingdoms of China, a newborn giant panda. At just two weeks old, he weighs less than a pound. That's tiny, about 200 times smaller than his mother. He totally depends on her for warmth, love, food, and protection. For the next two years, they will stay together. And during this time, there is so much he must learn from her, until the day he's big enough to strike out on his own into China's spectacular bamboo kingdom. Bamboo is the country's most iconic plant, covering more than 20,000 square miles of central and southern China. Amazingly, bamboo is a type of grass. Even more surprising, it's the fastest growing plant in the world. Each spring, its shoots rocket skywards at up to two feet a day. Some bamboos grow 100 feet tall, the size of trees. The shoots are connected by underground stems, so a single plant can become a great swathe of bamboo. This giant grass is so prolific, it's found right across China, in over half its provinces, with more than 500 different species. This mother panda is very choosy about the types of bamboo she likes to eat. She prefers just 60 or so kinds for their different nutritional benefits. She's well-built to grip this giant grass, with five claws on each hand and a padded wrist bone, which works like a thumb. Her big and powerful jaw muscles help her grind up the tough stems. They're the reason why she has such a round face. A few million years ago, her ancestors were mainly meat eaters. Since then, perhaps because of gene mutation, they've become largely vegetarian. But their digestion isn't very efficient, so our panda mom has to eat up to 88 pounds of bamboo every day. No wonder she has such a big tummy. In China, people consider bamboo a symbol of virtue, modesty, and elegance. It's soft and strong, with a tenacity that flexes in the wind and rarely breaks. And being hollow also makes it the ideal home. This type of bamboo, known as spiny or thorny bamboo, grows 70 feet tall. Some of its stems have tiny slits made by beetles born from eggs inside the bamboo that have since cut their way out. Within these cavities lives one of the smallest mammals in the world, the lesser bamboo bat, just over an inch long. One male shares a segment of the bamboo's stem with up to 12 females and their babies. The bamboo's inner wall is smooth and slippery, but the bats have fleshy pads on their feet and thumbs, helping them grip on, especially important for mothers with suckling babies. The infants are still too young to fly, so their parents must leave them on their own while they go out hunting for insects. Specially flattened skulls help them squeeze their way out of slits just half an inch wide. The bats hunt in short bursts, but every minute they're away leaves their babies vulnerable. A Chinese beauty rat snake. Out on the prowl, he senses an opportunity. This snake knows they're in there. The Chinese beauty rat snake's eyes are firmly fixed on the baby bats. But the nest hole is that tiny bit too narrow. The parents chose it well. All their babies are safe. In a few days time, when they're just over three weeks old, they will leave their bamboo hideout and take their maiden flights. Now that he's a few months old, our giant panda cub is big enough for mom to bring him out into the forest. At this tender age, he still suckles several times a day. The older he gets, the more he must learn about the forest. In this giant bamboo kingdom, there is so much to discover. So many new creatures. And mom is never too far away. These are his first steps to independence. Adult pandas are largely solitary creatures. So the two years he and mom spend together are very precious. He could be just one of a handful of cubs she raises in her lifetime. And she knows this next stage is one of the most important. Towards the southernmost limits of China's bamboo kingdom, where tropical plants are more abundant, lives a tiny giant. Just an inch or two long, that packs a mighty punch. The jeweled flower mantis, an inspiration for China's kung fu masters. This female is looking for flowers because they attract her favorite prey, flies, which come to sip the nectar. But she's not the only mantis here. The female mantis savors her catch. But she's being watched by this smaller male, who's looking for a mate. Even though she's well fed, he must still tread carefully. Their courtship is rudely interrupted by this interloper. She must see him off. He seems pretty impressed. Now back to business. But he'd better be careful. Female praying mantises sometimes eat their partners. Our giant panda cub is growing quickly. And even at eight months old, he still follows mom wherever she goes. Though she provides milk once or twice a day, he's now taking an interest in solids. There's a lot to learn, not just what type of bamboo to eat, but what parts. New shoots are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. The leaves provide calcium. But the food may carry germs. And it's important to stay healthy. And mom can help with this. By gently licking her lips, the cub appears to stimulate her to salivate. When she's in a trance-like state, he drinks this moisture. It may help him to develop his own immune system. She's still providing for him and giving him the best possible start in life. But he's growing fast. And the day will eventually come when he strikes out on his own. The cooler bamboo forests of central China are home to its most dazzling resident, which emerges in forest clearings during spring. The much-revered golden pheasant. Gold symbolizes wealth and completeness. Red, good fortune and joy. Yellow, heroism, the most prestigious color of all. It's mating season. And he uses these bright colors to advertise his good health to the females, dressed in more earthy tones. This is his first time on stage. So he's got his work cut out. He's doing his best to impress, spreading his neck feathers into a fan. She's not convinced. To make matters worse, an older, more experienced male enters the fray. All this color and commotion out in the open invites trouble. Hungry goshawk. A predatory goshawk. Golden pheasants are slow flyers, so they scramble for cover. Luckily, everyone's safe, even if feathers are a bit ruffled. Young panda is making good progress, learning from his mother what kinds of bamboo are good to eat and what parts. Now that he's a bit older, he's also becoming more adventurous. But he shouldn't stray too far from mom. Alone, giant panda cubs are vulnerable. In some of China's forests, there are predators like jackals and leopards. Mom needs to find him. Her eyesight is poor, but she has a good sense of smell. She catches his scent and calls to him. Relief at last. His mom may look soft and cuddly, but she's a big animal and more than capable of dealing with any predator should it threaten her cub. He couldn't wish for a better protector. China has more than 1,800 wild pandas, and their future looks bright because of controlled breeding programs and new bamboo reserves opening up. Some of China's remote highlands have huge cultural significance, like here at Mount Emei, one of four sacred Buddhist mountains crowned by some of the largest Buddhist statues in the world. The forests that flank Mount Emei's slopes have more than 3,000 different plant species. Here, bamboo is one of many kinds of plant food for a creature that roams these deep mountain gorges, the Tibetan macaque. This monkey is the largest of its kind in the world and can weigh over 30 pounds. Scaling these steep-sided gorges is risky. One false move can spell death. Tibetan macaques live in close-knit groups of up to 50 individuals. One of their most important morning rituals is grooming one another's thick fur. It strengthens family bonds. In ancient Chinese culture, the monkey king represented Buddha in a previous life. His actions were so kind, and he made such a good impression on others, that his rival, the human king, vowed to be a better ruler. The human king also decreed that these playful and mischievous monkeys be protected forever. To this day, they're treasured in China's mountain forests. Our panda cub isn't quite as comfortable in the canopy as his monkey neighbors. But a little tumble isn't going to put him off. He's determined to learn how to climb trees properly. It's important if he's to stay safe from ground predators. Choosing the right tree is half the battle. But he's no lightweight. He now clocks in at 55 pounds. The branches on this sapling are way too slender. He's going to have to learn the hard way. Tree climbing is tough work for our panda cub. But he is not going to give up. He needs to find the right tree with the right girth and the right grip. Success. Up here, he's got a whole new perspective on life. But he's also exposed to the elements. Fortunately for our cub, his thick, woolly coat is like a waterproof duvet, keeping him snug in temperatures as low as 7 degrees. He shares his treetop home with a kindred spirit, the red panda. Unlike giant pandas, red pandas are natural tree dwellers. They're largely nocturnal and are just stirring as our cub settles for the night. Giant pandas are China's most iconic animals. Their black and white spots are sometimes compared to yin and yang, where seemingly opposing forces complement one another. Yin, the dark swirl for shade and femininity. Yang, the light swirl for brightness, passion, and growth, different forces in perfect harmony. It's nighttime, and the red panda is on the move. He's a nimble climber and searches the treetops for nuts and berries. Despite his name, he's not actually a panda. He's more closely related to weasels, raccoons, and skunks. But like the giant panda, bamboo is his favorite food, making up about 85% of his diet. He especially likes the nutritious leaf tips and tender shoots. China's bamboo forest hides many secrets and surprises. Perhaps the most unusual is a very rare creature, which sings for just six weeks each year, the emmy mustache toad. This male has grown 16 sharp spines on his nose. He needs this weaponry to defend his breeding site, a smooth, flat rock, which he wants to entice as many females as possible to lay their eggs on. He's had some success already, but he's not the only male in this stream. This rival is looking for his own flat rock. Pressing his back against it, he sings to advertise his nest. Perhaps he's using the rock as an amplifier to help broadcast his croaks. But he needs more volume. The resident male's rock seems much more effective. He's not cutting it in this toad showdown. He better try something different. All-out assault on the resident's nesting rock. But the owner is on to him. The resident toad successfully defends his rock, and it doesn't go unnoticed by this female. First ever footage reveals what happens next. Mustache-toad courtship is an unusual affair, and it's never been filmed in the wild until now. Our male wants her to lay her eggs alongside those left by other females. But she's going to take some convincing. Her lots of encouragement, she accepts his offer. She's ready to lay her eggs. She presses herself against them, gluing them to his rock. Time for a bit of housekeeping. Her job here is done, and she'll leave her mustache partner to look after their brood until they hatch into tadpoles. Every creature finds its own unique way of life in China's bamboo kingdom. Giant panda mothers spend two years teaching their infants all they can about it to give them the best possible start in life. Our cub has learned well and grown into a powerful young panda, weighing in at nearly 200 pounds. He's on the cusp of independence, and his bond with his mother couldn't be stronger. Comes a stage in every panda mother's life when she must let go and encourage her infant off into the big, wide world. She's nursed, protected, comforted, and prepared him for this important moment. Seeing him on his way must be incredibly tough, but he faces an exciting life ahead. He has the whole of China's magical bamboo kingdom to discover for himself. He doesn't look back.