Viewing nature at its best

With the final season, Aerial China has used a total of 73 helicopters and 320 drones to shoot footage over an area of 900,000 kilometers, and recruited around 1,000 staffers, according to the producers. A total of more than 30 teams were assigned to shoot in different cities for the fourth season.

Sometimes, the shooting demanded physical strength of the camera crew. Yu recalls that the team dispatched to Tibet took a helicopter ride at an altitude of around 5,000 meters from the northern slope of Qomolangma, which is also known as Mount Everest. They flew higher through the clouds to reach an altitude of over 7,500 meters and captured the precious footage of the summit of Mount Namjagbarwa, which soars at 7,782 meters above sea level.

"Because of the thin air at that altitude, the photographers had to carry oxygen cylinders. But when they saw the first rays of sunlight hit Qomolangma in the morning, the magnificent and unforgettable scene made us believe that the hardship had paid off," says Yu.

The previous three seasons have been watched by 850 million TV viewers and seen online over 140 million times. For fans of the series, the director says he hopes that the new season will draw a bigger audience with its distinctive perspective to show them China like never seen before.