02x08 - China/Italy

[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 top-secret

field trip assignment.

Unfortunately, it's even
a secret from me.

Oh, wait, I remember.

Our mission is to explore
the third largest country

in the world, China.

Go, go, Gadget chopsticks!

Just about everything
having to do with China is big,

including where it's located.

Go, go, Gadget globe!

China is in the middle of the
world's largest continent, Asia.

It's so big that its borders
extend from Mongolia

to the north and
Myanmar to the south.

If it were any bigger,

it would have to fold itself
over and go double decker.

The capitol of China is Beijing.

Over 5 million people
call it their home.

You don't need a car
to get in a traffic jam here.

Bicycles are the most popular
way of getting around the city.

I'd like a tandem bicycle
built for one billion, please.

And here's where those bikes
were heading.

Tiananmen square is the largest
public square in the world.

The northern boundary
of tiananmen square

is home to one of China's
greatest treasures.

I'm talking about
the forbidden city.

Once the home of China's
ruling emperors,

this imperial palace was
off-limits to the public

upon penalty of death.

A 50-yard moat and 35-foot walls
made sure you stayed out.

That is,
unless you were really tall

and owned your own snorkel.

But Beijing isn't home to
all of China's large locales.

The walls of the forbidden city
might be ok.

You could even call them good.

But my bionic brain tells me

that there's only one wall in
China that can be called...uh...

Well, great.

The great wall of China
is the largest structure

ever built by man.

The great wall was built to
protect the Chinese civilization

from its not-too-civilized
neighbors to the north.

The great wall began as
a whole bunch of very good walls

and a few ok walls,

some dating as far back
as 403 b.c.

The great wall went
through periods of growth,

abandonment, and repair
for many centuries,

kind of like the Gadget-mobile.

Experts believe that at one time

the great wall spanned over

Today, it runs nearly

Then it stops and walks
for a while.

Although much of it has eroded,

the great wall has been restored
in 3 main areas.

The most famous is Badaling,

the highest point
of the entire wall.

The main gate to Badaling

is just 45 miles
northwest of Beijing.

The Chinese say
you haven't seen China

until you've walked along
the great wall.

But they say it in Chinese.

Wowsers! From up here,

you can really get
a Gadget-eye view.

The wall averages 21 feet high
and was built broad enough

for 10 horseman to walk side
by side between watchtowers.

If they were on horses,
they could only fit 5.

There used to be roughly

spaced out along the wall.

Inside the towers,
archers used these arrow-slits

to attack their enemies.

Cannons were also spaced
along the wall,

but were mainly used
as smoke signals

to alert Beijing
of hostile forces.

Time for another fascinating
field trip fact.

With all the stone used to build
the great wall,

you could build
an 8-fooot-high wall

that would circle the earth,

but you'd have to
hold your breath

while you built the ocean parts.

Welcome back to our field trip
through China.

Climbing the great wall
sure stretched my circuits.

Time for a little relaxation
emperor-style

here at the summer palace.

The summer palace
is a 692-acre park

protected by
the Chinese government.

The palace was built in 1888
by the ruthless Empress Dowager.

She took the money
raised by Chinese generals

who wanted to improve the navy

and used it to build
this summer home away from home.

One of the first things
the empress built

was the famous marble boat...

Not exactly what the navy
had in mind,

though it makes a nifty
bird bath for Chinese pigeons.

Empress dowager,
as her friends called her,

also built the long corridor
along the banks of lake kunming.

This covered walkway is over

and is decorated
with floral landscapes,

famous scenes
from Chinese literature,

and thousands of tourists.

The bridge of 17 arches

links the island of the southern
lake with the mainland.

sit on the railing,

as well as the occasional
young daredevil.

I hope he's a good swimmer.

In the western part
of lake kunming

is the towering
jade belt bridge.

If that's the belt,

I'd hate to see the suspenders.

This bridge is so tall that
a dragon can swim under it.

And many do.

I think I'll take to the skies
to explore our next location.

Go, go, Gadget 'copter.

Wowsers!

What's this?

A polar bear with a black eye?

They are a species
known as giant pandas.

I told you the Chinese
think big.

The giant panda
is a very rare animal

that lives in the bamboo forests
of central China.

If someone tells you different,

you know you're being
bamboozled.

Giant pandas have been
known to eat

up to 650 bamboo shoots a day.

If you ate that much,
you'd be lying down, too.

Unfortunately, there are
only about 1,000 left

of these loving and
even-tempered creatures

in the wild today.

In the past, humans
invaded their habitat

and hunted them for their
beautiful black and white fur.

But today the Chinese
have set up special preserves

to prevent the giant pandas
from becoming extinct.

Time to get my Gadgets
in gear and get out of here

before I become extinct.

Go, go, Gadget 'copter!

Wowsers!

Would you believe the Chinese
practice human needlepoint?

Actually, this is acupuncture.

Acupuncture is
the ancient Chinese method

of relieving pain and illness

by placing needles in the skin
at specific energy points.

Now, don't go trying this
at home.

Acupuncture is designed
to restore

the body's
natural balance.

If you think this cure
is severe,

wait till you get stuck
with the bill.

Who wants to be next?

Wowsers! I didn't think I'd
have so many volunteers.

Wait, they're not volunteering.
They're studying.

Did you know that
as recently as 1985,

China didn't require children
to go to school?

Millions of kids got really good
at ditching.

So, in 1986,
the government passed a law

requiring all children to attend
at least 9 years of school.

Learning languages
is very important.

Other subject they learn about
include math, science,

and Chinese studies.

But if you think school in China
is all books and blackboards,

take a look at this.

Wowsers!

Kind of makes you want to
go to school in China.

[popping sounds]

we can't complete
our field trip

through China without
an expl*sive finish.

[pop]

wowsers!
That was loud!

Remember, never handle
fireworks at home.

My cousin did that,
and now we call him lefty.

The Chinese invented fireworks

and are still busy
flinging firecrackers,

blowing off bottle rockets,

and loving it.

[firecrackers popping]

these people are celebrating
the Chinese new year,

a nationwide festivity
beginning on the

second new moon
after winter solstice.

In total,
the celebration lasts 15 days,

and all of China is invited.

Wowsers!

I'd hate to have to
lick the stamps

on those

Well, I hope you enjoyed
our field trip through China.

We've scaled the great wall,
crossed a few bridges,

played with pandas,
gotten a few pointers,

hit the books,
brought in the new year.

Don't go away.

There's more field trip fun
when we return.

I mean...if we return.

Inspector Gadget here,

I'm either swimming
the canals of Venice, Italy

or lost in the world's largest,
most intricate birdbath.

Inconclusive.

I'll keep you posted.

Hmm... The birds aren't
bathing after all,

so I deduce we're in Venice.

Just where is this watery city?

Go, go, Gadget map!

Venice is near the top of Italy.

Italy, of course, is in europe,

which is right here.

According to my top-secret
instructions from the chief,

there are supposed to be
hundreds of palaces

around here
somewhere.

These are no ordinary palaces.

No huge walls, no front lawns,
no big plots of land.

Instead, they have
big plots of water.

Venice is a swampy city

made up of over 100
individual islands

all joined together
by over 150 roads.

In Venice, the roads are
little rivers or canals

called waterways.

This all leads to
one important message.

Don't sleepwalk in Venice

unless you are
an excellent sleep swimmer.

According to
my Gadget guidebook,

there are almost 400 palaces
in Venice,

except here,
they're called palazzos.

Let's investigate.
Go, go, Gadget gondola!

Along the grand canal, you can
find piles of palazzos.

The grand canal is like Venice's
main street.

Almost all the other waterways
are fed off this huge river

that runs from one end
of the city to the other.

Because all the palaces
are so close together

and built on mud,

a lot of people plant
roof gardens like these.

I wonder how
they get the worms up there.

Maybe they have
little worm elevators

for slippery citizens.

Some of the more wealthy
Venetian merchants

would build
more than one palace.

That way, they never had to
make their beds.

They just moved
to another palace.

This is the Palazzo Contarini
del Bovolo.

The Venetians nicknamed it
The Snail

because of the shape of its
beautiful outdoor staircase.

But I think it looks more like
a corkscrew.

Most palaces are named after
the families that built them.

The Contarini family
built over 25 palaces

on and around the grand canal.

Since it became confusing to
have 25 palazzos

all named Palazzo Contarini,

the family decided to name
each of their palaces

after a distinguishing feature.

This is a palazzo,

and it was built
by the Contarinis,

but it's not called
Palazzo Contarini anything.

It's called Ca'd'oro,

which means golden house.

Ca'd'oro got its name because
it once had carvings and details

that were covered in gold.

The Ca'd'oro has a huge water
gate at the bottom of the palace

where it meets the canal.

Boats can ride the waves of
the canal right into the palace.

Getting them up the stairs
is a little harder.

And now, an Inspector Gadget
field trip fact.

All these palaces are crammed
into one of the world's

smallest cities.

In fact, you can actually
walk from one end of Venice

to the other in under an hour.

Of course, you might
get your feet wet.

[splash]

Inspector Gadget here
in Venice, Italy.

According to my keen
detective sense,

gondolas aren't the only
water transportation in Venice.

Venetians have all
kinds of boats

for all kinds of occasions.

[whistles] when you whistle
for a taxi in Venice,

a boat arrives to take you
to your destination.

When you need
your garbage collected,

it's not a huge truck
that picks it up.

It's a barge. when you call the
police or the fire department,

a boat speeds to your rescue.

One can assume that
their soggy morning papers

are delivered by paper boys
on little jet skis.

The palaces of Venice
are all spectacular,

but there is one
that truly stands out...

Or at least, doesn't sink.

For a long time, it was
the only palazzo in Venice

that was allowed to call itself
a palazzo.

It's the palazzo ducale,

or doge's palace.

The name doge means leader.

The doge was kind of like
the president of Venice.

When he was elected,
he was elected for life.

Hopefully, the doges
liked their jobs,

because they were stuck
with them.

The doge's palace was
more than the home

of the leader of Venice.

It was also the center
of Venetian government.

It held the hall of justice
as well as the prison.

So it wasn't
only where the ruler lived,

but it was also
where the rules were written

and the people who broke
the rules were locked up.

Let's check the doge's palace

to see if there are
any prisoners left over.

Go, go, Gadget magnifying glass!

That's no prisoner!

It's the giant
staircase, a huge

staircase inside the center
of the palace's courtyard.

Wonder if the doge
was into step aerobics.

Make that giant step aerobics!

This is the spot on which the
doges were crowned so that all

of Venice could see the ceremony
and join in the festivities.

Here are 2 guys left over from
the last crowning ceremony.

Uh, wait...

That's mars and neptune,
the gods of w*r and the sea.

With all this water,
you'd think the doge's palace

would be safe from fires.

Wrong.

Would you believe the palace
has survived 5 major fires?

Would you believe
an ambitious weenie roast?

How about a small blaze
in the wastepaper basket?

This is the bocca de leone,

or lion's mouth.

In the old days, people
who didn't pay their taxes

or committed other crimes
could be reported.

They could be seen being
publicly humiliated, stripped

of their dignity, paraded before
the local citizens right here--

if that wasn't bad enough, you
could end up in the t*rture

chamber inside the
doge's palace.

Prisoners were hung from
the walls by their wrists

until they gave up whatever
secrets they were hiding.

If they still didn't tell,

they were brought here,

to this bridge called
the bridge of sighs.

It was called
the bridge of sighs

because it was often the last
bridge prisoners walked across.

If that doesn't make you sigh,
I don't know what does.

Once you get across the
bridge, you'll find

this prison that was added
after the palace was built.

Many famous convicts
were held here,

including Casanova,
who, legend has it,

made a daring escape
through the prison's ceiling.

Another connection from the
palace to the outside world

is called the Porta Della Carta.

This is a gateway that links the
palace with St. Mark's basilica,

the huge church in the center
of St. Mark's square.

Well, we've been
plotting the palazzos,

careening through canals,

and twisting through
tempestuous t*rture chambers.

Until next time,
put on your swim fins