01x07 - Hawaii/China

[bunniefuu]

[siren]

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ We're going on a visit ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Come on,
let's go with him ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ What's that, you ask?
What is it? ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Well, no one
wants to miss it ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ We're going on a visit ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Have fun,
let's go with him ♪

♪ New places,
new faces ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

Inspector Gadget here,

on another undercover assignment
exploring the secrets of China.

Of course, it's hard to keep a
secret from 1.2 billion people.

One of them is bound to tell.

So grab your silk gowns
and hop in your royal chairs.

It's time to take
an imperial ride through China,

one of the world's
oldest living civilizations.

Where is China?

Go, go, Gadget globe!

China is in east asia.

It's so big
that it has 23 provinces,

and you have to master

to communicate
from one end to the other.

I wonder if they're fluent
in Gadget-ese.

The capitol of China is beijing.

Today, this bustling city
belongs to the people

and is the center
of Chinese life.

Beijing is so big,

it has another city
hidden inside of it.

The forbidden city
is a walled palace

where the emperors of China
ruled for centuries.

The emperor lived most of his
life behind these massive gates.

I don't have a Gadget
Chinese kite,

so go, go, Gadget 'copter!

Every winter, the emperor
would leave the forbidden city

in a royal procession.

Emperors like to do things
in a big way.

The emperor would come here
to the temple of heaven

to honor his ancestors

and pray to the heavens
for a good harvest.

in his yu nian,

or royal sedan chair.

The chair was 12 meters long,

and weighed, uh...

Well, a lot, especially if
the emperor had a big dinner.

Emperors don't rule China today,

but that doesn't mean
you can't act like one.

Here, a little boy
gets an imperial ride

in a palanquin,

a smaller version
of the royal chair.

Wonder if they'd hoist
the Gadget-mobile

through the streets for me.

Guess not.

Wowsers!

He's even got his own band!

Aha!

The hall of heaven,

the emperor's first stop
in the temple.

Inside, he would
take his tablets and meditate,

except you can't swallow
these tablets.

They're ancestral tablets

believed to contain the spirits
of the imperial ancestors.

Wonder if they've come out
in paperback.

Next, the emperor
would come here

to the hall of abstinence,

where he would fast and pray.

Inside was a private bedroom,
office, and throne.

Hey, there's the emperor now!

Wowsers!

He's looking stiff.

Maybe he's been fasting
a bit too long.

The altar of heaven is where
the emperor would come

to make a sacrifice to heaven...

As if fasting wasn't enough.

The round altar has 3 terraces

representing earth,
man, and heaven.

White marble railings
with 360 pillars

surround each level.

The stone in the center
is thought to be

the holiest place in China.

It's also thought to be
a great photo opportunity.

The emperor would also visit
the hall of prayer

for good harvests.

Go, go, Gadget neck!

This temple is 123 feet high

with 3 roofs glazed with
over 50,000 blue tiles.

There are 8 flights of stairs.

The top one features
these stone reliefs

with clouds at the bottom
for heaven,

a phoenix in the middle
for the empress,

and a dragon on top
for the emperor.

Time for the imperial
field trip fact.

The hall of prayer
for good harvests

is one of the architectural
wonders of the world.

That's because it's made
completely of wood,

and not a single nail was used
in its construction.

Welcome back to our field
trip through China.

Even Chinese emperors
needed a place to go

for a little r and r,
so they built this park

just outside
the forbidden city walls.

Today, beihai park is the
best-preserved

ancient garden in China.

Small wonder--only emperors
were allowed to walk in it.

Here's where the emperor
spent most of his time,

jade island. wowsers!

There's the white dagoba,
an onion-shaped shrine

built for the dalai lama's visit
in 1651.

The white dagoba
stands 115 feet in the air.

It's a great place
to see the city of beijing...

Or just climb up and down
for the aerobic exercise.

At the foot of the dagoba
stands shanyin hall.

Its glazed tiles feature

Uh...images of buddha,

the religious leader from india
who founded buddhism.

Aha!

I see the famous five-dragon
pavilions in the distance.

I'd like to get a closer look.

Here we are
at the five-dragon pavilions.

Built in 1602,

the pavilions are connected
by zigzagging bridges

that, when viewed from above,
look like the head of a dragon.

Wowsers!

Speaking of dragons, here's
the famous nine-dragon screen

that was built in 1756.

It stands 5 meters high
and 27 meters long

and once protected a temple
entrance from evil spirits.

My feet are dragon
just trying to get around it.

When the emperor's feet
were dragon,

he would come here
to the jingxinzhai,

or studio of rested heart.

Here in this garden
within a garden,

the emperor had time to rest
his heart and his feet.

The halls of the studio are all
connected by the banbi corridor,

a traditional Chinese
covered walkway.

Wowsers!
It's our lucky day!

Looks like the emperor's
having a garage sale.

Let's see...i already have
a hat and shoes.

Wonder how much he wants
for those silk robes.

Actually, the last emperor
left in a hurry.

He didn't have time
for a garage sale.

He didn't even have a garage.

Chengguan hall, in the northwest
part of beihai park, was built

in the 18th century for emperor
Qianlong to take a rest.

By now, he should
be fully rested.

Inside are tablets
displaying the handwriting

of one of China's
greatest calligraphers.

In all, there are
over 40,000 Chinese characters,

which makes learning our 26
letters a walk in beihai park.

Beihai park is also home
to a city

that's definitely
not for squares.

The circular city,
or round town,

lies just across the water
from jade island.

You could go around in circles
trying to find your way in.

The oldest inhabitants of
the round town are the trees.

The hall, which receives light,

is home to a priceless

carved from a single piece
of white jade.

My keen sense of direction

tells me that I've landed
at the Marco Polo bridge,

originally built in 1189 A.D.

It's named after
the famous italian merchant--

you guessed it--

Marco Polo.

The bridge is 770 feet long

and, like most feet,
it has arches.


The railings of the bridge
hold 140 stone posts

crowned with 485 fu-dogs.

The fu-dogs are half lion
and half dog

and serve to protect the bridge
from danger.

Each one is different,

but they all like a pat
on the head once in a while.

Sit, fu-dog.

Good fu-dog.

Well, field trip fanatics,

hope you've enjoyed
our time in China

touring the temple of heaven

and hiking the hills of beihai.

We tried on
the emperor's new...eh...

Old clothes,

lounged on the lakes, met
some interesting characters,

and marched over the Marco Polo.

Until next time, it's time
to stop fooling around

and go, go, Gadget field trip!

Stay tuned for more
fabulous fun when we return.

Inspector Gadget here,

where the surf's up
on my latest assignment

to investigate the mystery
and tropical history

of Hawaii,

america's 50th state.

It's nicknamed the aloha state,

which in Hawaiian means love.

Aloha is also used
as a greeting,

like hello or good-bye.

But the good-bye state
didn't draw as many tourists.

Wrap on your grass skirts

and slice up the pineapple.

It's time to go, go,
Gadget field trip!

Hawaii sits in the middle
of the Pacific ocean

nearly 2,500 miles away
from california,

the next nearest u.s. neighbor.

Hawaii is the only u.s. state
made up of islands.


But nearly everyone lives
on one of 6 major islands

at the southeastern end.

They are Hawaii, the big island,

Oahu, the gathering place,

maui, the valley island,

kauai, the garden island,

molokai, the friendly island,

and lanai, the pineapple island.

The Hawaiian people are members
of Polynesian culture,

a seafaring,
Pacific island people

who first settled
the Hawaiian islands

some time between

The islands remained
under divided rule

until the late 1700s,

when king kamehameha the first

unified all the islands
under one government.

He city of Lahaina was chosen
by the king

as the first royal capital
of Hawaii.

"Lahaina" is Hawaiian
for "the sun."

No wonder it's so hot here.

My keen sense of direction
tells me we're not far

from one of maui's
shadiest characters.

Let's investigate.

Ah! We'll stay cooler here.

Lahaina's famous banyan tree
was planted in 1873

by protestant missionaries

to mark their 50th anniversary
in Hawaii.

The tree is 60 feet high and
covers nearly an acre of land.

This banyan has become
a great companion.

It's also become
a popular meeting place,

because you can't miss it.

That is,
unless you're a real sap.

Another Lahaina landmark
isn't so firmly rooted.

The Carthaginian II
is an exact replica

of the 19th-century brigs that
carried the first missionaries

and commercial traders across
the Pacific to Hawaii.

Today, it's anchored
in Lahaina's harbor

and is the only truly
square-rigged ship

still afloat on the high seas.

The carthaginian ii even has
its own pirate aboard,

but he's no scurvy dog.

In fact, he's a real pussycat.

And now, an Inspector Gadget
field trip fact.

Did you know that
the Hawaiian alphabet

consists of
just 12 letters?

Needless to say, their spelling
bees don't last very long.

When we continue our field trip
through Hawaii,

we'll investigate
the undersea sights

in our very own submarine

and swim alongside
some very docile dolphins.

Inspector Gadget here.

Welcome back to our field trip
through Hawaii.

Hop on board!

We're headed out
to catch a submarine ride

off the island of Oahu.

Oahu is home to Waikiki beach
and Honolulu,

Hawaii's capital
and largest city.

But the captain says
there are even better views

below the surface.

Wowsers!
It's a giant white whale...

With a giant white...

Periscope?

On second thought,
that's our ride.

The atlantis submarine is 65
feet long and weighs 80 tons.

No wonder it sinks.

Looks like it's time
for us to board.

Down the hatch!

If anyone's claustrophobic,

now would be a good time
to speak up.

Inside, the atlantis
seats up to 48 people.

According to my Gadget
depth detector

and a few words from our
underwater tour guide,

I'd say we're about to descend
over 100 feet below the surface.

Down here, schools of fish
like these Hawaiian ta'ape

surround artificial reefs.

Artificial reefs
can be almost anything

that forms algae for food

and provides protection
from larger predators.

Wowsers! I've heard of
water landings,

but this is ridiculous!

The pilot of
this mid-Pacific airliner

must have been looking
for the Honolulu airport.

Missed it by that much.

Not all the reefs down here
are artificial.

These live coral reefs were
formed on top of Hawaii's

volcanic lava flows, some dating
back nearly 6,000 years.

Wowsers! Where's the time gone?

We'd better hit it if we're
gonna hang 10 in Honolulu.

That's slang for "surf's up!"

Go, go, Gadget 'copter!

Here on famous Waikiki beach,
surfing instructors give lessons

to fearless first-time
wave riders.

Surfing has been a part
of Polynesian culture

for centuries,

and Hawaiians were surfing

years before
christopher columbus

sailed to the new world in 1492.

Ancient Hawaiians called surfing
he'e nalu,

which meant to slide on a wave.

Duke kahanamoku of Hawaii

is probably the most famous
surfer of all time.

He won an olympic gold medal
for swimming,

introduced surfing
to australia,

and made the sport popular
in california.

The earliest surfboards were
made of wood, like the duke's.

Some weighed over 150 pounds

and measured up to 20 feet long.

Looks like it's time
to hit the waves.

I'd join 'em, but I'd,
uh, hate to show them up.

These guys are pretty good,

but the best wave riders in
Hawaii don't need a surfboard.

Wowsers! Talk about
making a splash!

Here at the dolphin quest
learning center lagoon

on Hawaii's big island,

you can get
up close and personal

with these fascinating friends
of flipper.

Founded in 1984
by 2 marine veterinarians,

dolphin quest
has a clear porpoise--

eh, purpose...

To conserve marine mammals
through educational programs

and to teach people
about the importance

of the marine environment.

The dolphin center stage
is the lagoon at dolphin quest,

which is 20 feet deep.

The lagoon is home to



I didn't know calves could swim.

Actually,
calves are baby dolphins.

The calves were born right here
in the lagoon.

The mother dolphins are
generally pregnant for 12

months, during which
time they are given

special medical attention by the
staff.

The baby dolphins
are born tail-first

and know how to swim
right away.

Visitors to the lagoon
can get wet

during one of the many
dolphin encounter programs.

Here, kids can learn
about these intelligent animals

by suiting up and entering
the dolphins'

underwater living room.

Don't mind if I do.

Go, go, Gadget swim fins!

Wowsers! That's a finish
that's hard to top!

Hope you enjoyed our field trip
through Hawaii.

We've climbed in the trees

and sailed on the seas,

gone underneath
and explored a fish reef.

Until next time, aloha
and go, go, Gadget field trip!