01x11 - China/Egypt

[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
in Egypt

with my colossal
friends Ramses,

Ramses, and Ramses.

Sounds like
an Egyptian law firm.

I wonder why they all
have the same name.

Oh.

They're all statues
of the same person.

Egyptian pharaoh Ramses ii.

Let's investigate some of
Ramses' fellow pharaohs,

including King Tut
and queen Cleopatra.

Go, go,
Gadget field trip!

Egypt is in the northeastern
corner of africa,

tucked between the red sea
and the mediterranean sea.

Egypt is mostly
dry and barren desert.

So most Egyptians live
along the banks of the Nile,

the longest
river in the world.

Around 3100 B.C., the small
kingdoms along the Nile

were formed
into one big kingdom

under the first
of Egypt's 31 dynasties.

What is a dynasty, you ask?

Egypt flourished under
dynasties for about 3,000

years, until it was eventually
conquered by Rome in 30B.C.

Located just outside Egypt's
capitol city of cairo...

The pyramids of giza
are the tallest monuments

ever created to
honor Egypt's royalty.

The great pyramid was built
around 2600 B.C.

As a tomb
for the pharaoh khufu.

Wowsers! No wonder they
call this pyramid great!

It's as tall
as a 40-story building.

It covers 13 acres,

and is made of...

Looks like we'll be
taking the stairs.

My keen detective sense
tells me that king khufu

is still buried somewhere
inside this pyramid.

Let's investigate.

Ah-ha.

This looks like
the burial chamber.

But where's king khufu?

It says here in my Gadget
guide book to giza

that the pyramids
were looted by bandits

who stole the treasures
and mummies hidden inside.

About 400 miles
south of cairo

lies the valley
of the kings.

Many pharaohs
were buried here,

including the one
and only King Tut ankh amon.

His pharaonic friends
called him King Tut.

My keen sense of detection

tells me tut's tomb
is around here somewhere.

Maybe you can
help me find it.

Go, go, Gadget copter.

Ah-ha!
Just as I suspected.

Tut's tomb.

But where's his pyramid?

Would you believe
his mummy had it moved?

Would you
believe his daddy?

How about
my uncle Gadget sphinx?

By about 1800 B.C.,
pyramids went out of style.

However, a new kind of royal
burial ground was devised.

The newer tombs were chiseled
right into the side of a

mountain here in
the valley of kings.

Inside these tombs,

you can walk
deep inside magical halls

covered with hieroglyphs.

This was an ancient form
of writing

which used pictures to
represent words and sounds.

Wowsers.

Once upon a time,

this was the eternal resting
place of King Ramses IV.

Like these are, most of the
tombs in the Valley of Kings

were looted
by treasure hunters.

So what
did the fourth Ramses

have in common
with Tut Ankh Amon?

They were both buried here.

But tut's treasures
have been taken far away

to the city of cairo.

Let's explore.

Let's go, go to cairo's...

Wowsers.

Mummies and coffins

and cats, oh, my!

Looks like
the tut treasures

just barely
outnumber the tut tourists.

Wowsers!

This stuff
must have cost King Tut

a pyramid of pennies.

King Tut Ankh Amon was
actually only 9 or 10 years old

when he became
ruler of Egypt.

And here's his boy-sized
throne chair to prove it.

When tut was only
about 18 or 19 years old,

he died of unknown causes.

His body was mummified,

and a spectacular
golden death mask

was placed over his head
and shoulders.

Tut's golden coffin

was placed in
a larger coffin called a...

And then in a larger one.

Tut and his treasures were
buried in the valley of kings,

safely hidden
from the tomb bandits

for over 3,000 years.

Then in 1922,
a group of explorers

broke through
a concealed entrance

and were
stunned to uncover

the extraordinary riches
of King Tut's tomb.

And now an Inspector Gadget
field trip fact.

Ancient Egyptians believed
in life after death.

Therefore, along
with the mummy,

ancient Egyptians buried
favorite earthly Gadgets,

belongings like
toy boats, jewelry,

and mummified pets to keep
them company in their next life.

Unfortunately, mummified
pets don't make the

greatest company.
They can't speak,

but they do know
how to play dead.

Welcome back as we frolic
with the pharaohs

on our field trip
through ancient Egypt.

We were just talking about
the ancient Egyptians

belief in the afterlife.

I wonder if
they used aftershave

in their afterlife.

Boy, I know one pharaoh

who sure could've
used a good shave.

And this bearded pharaoh
was no boy.

It was...

If you say her name quick
enough, it sounds like...

At least,
that's the nickname

the locals have given her.

Near the valley
of the kings,

Queen Hatshepsut built
herself an enormous temple.

Of course,
she had a little help.

The temple
had massive columns

and stone guards.

The guards helped keep out
the other queen wannabes,

like queen beef barley soup

and queen sweet
and sour cabbage soup.

But what's with
that silly beard?

Let's go, go
up those ramps

and check it out!

A fake beard
was a symbol of kingship

and was worn by both
male and female pharaohs

during special occasions.

During her reign,
Queen Hatshepsut

was a pretty
popular pharaoh.

Her Egyptian high school
class even voted her

"most likely to lead."

At last, we come
to Egypt's final pharaoh,

whose life reads like
an ancient Egyptian soap opera.

If you guessed
queen Cleopatra,

you're right.

During Cleopatra's
reign as pharaoh of Egypt,

the Romans repeatedly tried
to take her land.

But instead of fighting
the Romans,

Cleopatra flirted
with them.

By becoming the girlfriend of
Roman leader Julius Caesar,

Cleopatra successfully
kept parts of Egypt

under her rule.

In 44 B.C.,
Julius Caesar was k*lled,

and marc antony took control
of part of the Roman empire.

So Cleopatra conveniently

became marc
antony's girlfriend.

When marc antony died,

Cleopatra finally realized
that her lipstick diplomacy

probably wasn't
going to save Egypt

from the Roman empire.

So at the age of 39,
Cleopatra ended her own life

possibly by a venomous bite
from a cobra,

the very symbol
of Egyptian royalty.

Talk about biting
the hand that feeds you.

I hope
you had a good time

on our field trip
through Egypt,

peaking at the pyramids,

tooling around the tombs,

and clowning around
with Cleopatra.

Until next time.

Go, go, Gadget field trip!

Inspector Gadget here

on my latest
top secret assignment

to explore the third largest
country in the world.

Would you believe

that nearly one out of
every 5 people on earth

is Chinese?

That's amazing!

A new baby
is born here in China

about every 2 seconds.

Grab your chopsticks
and hop on your bicycle.

It's time to explore

one of the world's oldest
living civilizations.

China.

Chinese call
their country...

...or "middle country,"

probably because
the ancients

believed China was
the center of the world.

Go, go, Gadget globe!

Actually, China
is in east asia.

It's so big
that if you head east,

you can't miss it!

It shares borders
with 14 other countries,

including russia
to the north

and india to the south.

The capitol of China
is Beijing.

Today, the center of Chinese
life is in Beijing,

and in Beijing,
it's hip to be square.

That is if you are...

At about 100 acres,

Tian An Men is the largest
public square in the world.

It's so big, the corners don't
even know each other.

Each day in
Tian An Men square,

the crowds gather to watch the
guard raise the Chinese flag.

Gee, those guys
don't miss a beat.

They step
in perfect time.

When the flag
finally goes up,

the Chinese national anthem
rings out across the square.

This colorful Chinese bird
is made of paper,

and you don't
have to feed it.

It is believed that the
Chinese invented the kite.

They've been flying
them for centuries.

Tian an men square is
surrounded by monuments and

museums that honor
the people of China.

The square is named after
the tian an men,

or "gate of
heavenly peace,"

that sits
at the north boundary.

Wowser!

Look at that
picture of the chief.

Actually, it's a chairman.

Chairman mao zedong.

Mao zedong founded the
people's republic of China

in 1949.

Mao believed
that communism,

or common ownership
of property,

would help
make China stronger.

Chairman mao
is no longer alive,

but communism in China
still lives today.

Before communism,
powerful families,

known as dynasties,
ruled the land.

and their courts

called this imperial palace
their home.

And the public
was strictly forbidden.

The penalty for
trespassing was death.

Some barbarians
took the risk,

but getting in wasn't easy.

First, you had
to be a great swimmer.

The palace moat
is about 50 yards wide.

Then you had to be
a mountain climber

to scale these

They should've just used
a go, go, Gadget neck!

And you thought
those daring barbarians

were sticking
their necks out.

Wowsers!

Inside the walls

are nearly 250 acres of palaces,
courtyards, and gardens.

Of course, there is
an easier way to get in.

The main entrance
to the palace

is here at the wumen,

or meridian gate,
which stands 125 feet tall.

That way dragons don't
have to duck their heads.

The wumen gate
is also known as...

...because of the 5
pavilions at it's base.

The security at the palace
was so strict

that once these gates were
closed each night at sunset,

even the emperor himself
could not open them.

Time for a fascinating
field trip fact.

The Chinese
built their buildings

with curved roofs
to keep away evil spirits.

They believed that spirits
traveled in straight lines,

so the curves would
naturally confuse them.

When we return,

we'll go inside the gates
of the forbidden city.

Welcome back
to our field trip

through China
and the forbidden city.

Inside the wumen gate is the
first of many courtyards.

Since the emperors were
considered sons of heaven,

they brought harmony
to the earth

by laying out
the city symmetrically.

Important buildings
faced south

towards the provider
of all blessings, the sun.

Plus, that way, the emperors
could work on their tans.

Here we cross the bridge
of the golden water,

a river that runs through
the forbidden city.

...leads to the city's
inner sanctum,

and is guarded
by 2 bronze lions.

On the left is the female

with her paw
on her baby cub.

And on the right side
is the male.

Dragons can be seen
all over the forbidden city.

The Chinese believe
they protected the palace

and brought good fortune.

I'll stick with
my lucky rabbit's foot.

Through the gate
is another courtyard

that holds
up to 90,000 people,

in case the emperor was in
the mood for a lot of company.

Facing the courtyard
is the...

Where the emperor sat
for special occasions.

For non-special occasions,
he just went to his room.

There are 3 flights of
stairs that lead to the hall.

Coincidentally, they also
lead away from the hall.

The middle one features a ramp
carved out of white marble

that only the emperor
could pass over.

[honks]

he didn't walk across.

He was carried
into the hall in his...

Kind of like
a royal sedan chair.

Must've saved a fortune
on royal jogging shoes.

Inside the hall
are many treasures,

including 18 bronze
incense burners

and a 9-dragon spring.

In all, there are

and lots of other smaller
buildings in the city,

containing over 9,000 rooms.

Wowsers!

Did you know that
a 6-year-old boy named pu'yi

was the last
emperor of China?

That's about the same age
as this emperor wannabe.

Except he looks
a little too friendly

to rule a billion people.

Coal hill, or...

...is a man-made peak

made from the dirt
dug out of the palace moat,

which tells me it was pretty
muddy up there at first.

Hundreds of stairs
lead to the top

of what was once
a private imperial garden.

Coal hill is a great place
for views of Beijing.

Wowsers!

Barbarians are trying to
push down the city walls!

Go, go, Gadget binoculars.

Actually, these women
are practicing qi gong,

an ancient
meditative exercise

that helps strengthen
different parts of the body.

These women look like they're
practicing to swim the moat,

but it's just
another form of exercise

to unite
the mind and body.

This is called...

The practice of tai chi,
or shadow boxing,

is based
on the martial arts

and is close to

What's feeling good
without looking your best?

In the morning,
outdoor barbers

will give you a haircut and
shave right on the street.

A free rinse is included

if it rains.

After their
morning exercise,

the Chinese often visit one of
Beijing's many street markets

to buy fresh vegetables
and produce.

But don't buy too much.

More often than not,

you'll only have a bicycle
to carry the groceries home.

The Chinese average
less than one car

for every 500 people,
which is a tight squeeze,

even for short trips
to the marketplace.

So the main means of local
transportation is the bicycle.

In fact, there are more
bicycles in Beijing than people.

Riding a bicycle
through Beijing

is one of the best ways
to explore the city.

Here riders
park their bikes

to watch a Chinese man
teach a foreigner

the art of...

One of the instruments used
in the opera is called a...

It sounds like
a scratchy violin.

Wowsers!
It's time to go up out of here.

I hope you enjoyed our
field trip through China.

We flapped the flag
in Tian An Men square,

scaled the walls
of the imperial palace,

dropped in on the 9,000
rooms of emperors,

hung out on coal hill,

and pedalled
with the people.

Until next time,

go, go,
Gadget field trip!