Coexistence on the wings of black-necked cranes

Three centuries ago, the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso penned these famous lines: "White crane. Lend me your wings. I will fly not far away. Just to Litang, and then return." In these simple words, he described Xizang's eternal bond with black-necked cranes. This year, May 23 marks the 74th anniversary of Xizang's peaceful liberation, and CGTN is marking the occasion with a new documentary tracing these celestial dancers through the seasonal cycle, from their courtship ballets on spring wetlands and their parenting struggles in summer to their autumn migration over soaring peaks and their winter sojourn in villages alongside the human inhabitants. As to why Tibetans revere these birds, we turn for an answer to 75-year-old Tenzin, whose life has unfolded to the rhythm of the cranes' calls.