HIGHER and HIGHER: Chapter I

QINGDAO: THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Summary:
The Haier Brothers work in the Haier factory, but not for long. Suddenly, the brothers are thrust into a mission that will take them across China. They begin their mission in Qingdao and visit the Olympic sailing venue for clues. Next thing they know, they hit a beer festival, go windsurfing and then swim off to Beijing.



Chapter I FAQ:

Who are you guys?
We're the Haier Brothers. The beginnings to the first four movies sums it up: "We are two Americans..." Watch the rest to find out.

Where is Qingdao?
Qingdao is on the Yellow Sea, about an hour's flight from Beijing and an hour's flight from Shanghai. With 7.5 million people, a hundred massive buildings going up at once, cheap and good Qingdao beer, and Olympic sailing, it's what you could call an up and comer. Take notice.

You guys really worked in the Haier T.V. factory?
It's interesting, we've been asked this question by more than one person. We never actually worked in the T.V. factory except to film. We did share some laughs with the employees, and then asked if we could take one of the LCDs home. They told us we were funny, and then said no.

Who is the man that sent you on the mission?
He is one of the division heads at Haier. In essence, he really did send us out for the mission, but we dramatized it in the film. Though the scene has not brought us an Oscar, our acting did land one of us as a star of a commerical. More on that later.

Did I see that stunt at the end of the movie somewhere before?
Yes. We stole the idea from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Good eye.

Did you really swim to Beijing?
Yes.

I think you guys are great!
That's an exclamatory sentence, not an interrogatory one, but we'll let it slide.

HIGHER and HIGHER: Chapter II

BEIJING: ONE BIG OLYMPIC SPLASH

Summary:
The Haier brothers arrive in Beijing. They start their search in the Summer Palace and then paddle over to the Olympic rowing, canoeing and whitewater kayaking venue, the first of its kind. From there, they head to Beijing’s beach and hang out with Olympic volleyball girls.



Chapter II FAQ:

So you guys really did swim to Beijing?
No, that was a stunt.

What was it that grabbed your leg?
We assume it was a weed.

Was that mountain, lake and island in Beijing really made by hand as a birthday present?
Yes. It was for her 60th in fact.

What's Good Luck Beijing?
They are practice events held at the real Olympic venues. China wants to test whether the venues are truly ready to meet the masses that will arrive in August 2008.

Is it difficult to get to the Olympic venues?
Right now, it's not perfect. But Beijing intends to improve the transportation system greatly by the Opening Ceremonies in August 2008. See Chapter III for more on the improvements. The Shunyi Rowing and Canoeing Park, a scene in this chapter, is more difficult to reach than the others because it's about an hour outside downtown Beijing. China's capital is huge, a block can feel like a kilometer, and getting from one side of town to the other can prove a challenge.

Who are the Olympic volunteer volleyball cheerleaders?
They are a group of beautiful women organized by a dance club in Beijing. According to a media rep at the event, some of their backgrounds include being professionals in medicine and law. Beijing copied the idea of volleyball cheerleaders from the Athens Games and, by the looks of it, ran away with it.

Did you get any of their numbers?
No comment.

HIGHER and HIGHER: Chapter III

BEIJING: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Summary:
The Haier Brothers visit the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven. They see how the old Beijing is making room for the new. The brothers soon find themselves caught up in the Olympic frenzy, but this time on two wheels. Oh yeah, and they get into a Kung Fu fight.




Chapter III FAQ:

How did you get back onto the Great Wall?
We stood on the shoulders of the women and children. Together, the Haier Brothers and the woman and children defeated the Great Wall, but we did not show this in the film due to camera difficulties.

How near is the Badaling portion of the Great Wall to downtown Beijing?
An hour to an hour and a half by bus. The ride is cheap, about a dollar. Simply catch bus 919 from the old gate of Degshengmen, a half kilometer from Jishuitan subway stop.

What days do you most often see the music groups at the Temple of Heaven?
Go there weekends, Sundays especially.

Are the Hutongs safe?
Yes, as long as there are no Kung Fu masters milling about. Such occurrences are rare though.

Where can I rent a bike in Beijing?
All over the place. If you're stumped, ask a hostel or hotel. They'll have suggestions. We really do recommend bikes in Beijing. It's amazing how much the city shrinks with two wheels. Without them, Beijing for us was just too big.

How do I get tickets to see the Olympic road bike race?
It's one of the few events you can catch without spending a dime. Just find a spot along the conceived route posted on the Beijing 2008 Web site (google it.)

Can you bike to Laoshan from downtown Beijing?
Sure. It takes about an hour, but the trails on the hill are a blast. It's amazing the park is in Beijing actually. There are routes for all levels of riders. Just don't take a wrong turn, crash and tumble into the wild reefer bushes, especially if your an Olympic athlete. The IOC will get you.

HIGHER and HIGHER: Chapter IV

The Olympics in Beijing: The greatest show on Earth

The Haier Brothers head to the nerve centers of Beijing’s history and future. They sneak into the Forbidden City and also venture onto the largest public square in the world: Tiananmen. The Haier Brothers then leave the old center and head for the new one: The Beijing Olympic Green. A party starts back in Tiananmen and the Haier Brothers get their best idea yet.



Chapter IV FAQ:

Why didn't you highlight some of the more controversial history regarding Tiananmen Square, specifically the 1989 pro-democracy protests? Regardless of being sponsored by Haier to make this film, we never intended the film to be political. We aimed to briefly touch upon China's history and parallel it to the dramatic development the nation is currently undergoing. If you want a decent overview of the protests in 1989, google Frontline and check out the documentary "The Tank Man."

Can anybody access the Olympic Green right now?
Sort of. If you want a peek, you can go to the Fourth Ring Road and stand upon one of the bridges to get a glance of the southern, most dramatic end (that's where the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube are). Also, you can try one of the entrances and explain to the gate guards (in Chinese, they don't speak English) you want to see the grounds. They may, or may not, allow it.

Are the Olympic Volunteers really helpful?
It depends. They're learning to be, we can say that much. At some moments, the volunteers were so eager to greet us that we felt overwhelmed by their smiling, eager faces. However, if we asked them a question or raised a concern, commonsense often hadn't caught up with their willingness to help. For example, the Olympic venues didn't allow bicycles, nor did they provide bike storage, a defeating attitude for "The Green Olympics." Later, some of the venues starting coming up with ways to park bikes and even had volunteers willing to keep an eye on them. To us, this showed the volunteers will increasingly become more capable of thinking on their feet. They just need practice.

During the countdown celebration, why didn't you ride actually onto Tiananmen Square? The government blocked the square so it could hold a special concert. Without special permission, you weren't allowed in. But that didn't stop Beijingers from coming out and standing on the fringes of the celebration, just close enough to see glowing lights in the night sky. In so many ways, the energy and enthusiasm felt on the fringes, amongst the masses, was much more telling than the concert.

HIGHER and HIGHER: Chapter V

Lhasa Sky Train for a higher journey

Summary:
The Haier Brothers waste no time to make their idea a reality. They cross China on the highest train in the world to reach Lhasa, Tibet. Their ultimate aim is Mt. Everest.




Chapter V FAQ:

How much does is cost to ride the Sky Train from Beijing to Lhasa?
It costs about $50 U.S. for a seat, $100 for a bunk, and $160 for a soft bed in a shared compartment. It's incredibly cheap considering it takes nearly 48 hours and covers more than 4,000 kilometers. Let's put it this way, China is not making money on the venture right now. Due to our filming timeline, we couldn't plan far enough ahead to get a bed, so we did it the hard way, 48 hours in a seat. It was uncomfortable, but a great way to meet people. If you can plan far enough in advance, we reccommend a bed, which makes the ride much more enjoyable. By the third day, without ever having been horizontal, you start to lose your sanity.

Do the conductors and other train staff speak English? Some do, some don't. We helped them improve the English translations of the menus to kill some time. Anyway, non-Chinese speakers can get by just fine with English.

Can you give me some train facts? Watch the movie knucklehead. We tell and show you all sorts of cool stuff.

HIGHER and HIGHER: Chapter VI

LHASA: SPIRITUALITY ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD

In Lhasa, the Haier Brothers find the spiritual connections to their journey run much deeper than they imagined. They take this new found inspiration and use it to help them fulfill their vision: bike to Mt. Everest, the highest point in the world.




Chapter VI FAQ:

1. Do you really need a visa to get into Lhasa, Tibet?
Let us help make a clarification. It's not a visa you need, but a Tibet Tourism Bureau permit. Travel agencies can help attain the permit, which is expensive, and will probably attach a guide as a package. Agencies claim the Chinese government requires tourists have a guide. This is somewhat bogus. To their credit, the guides often can be very knowledgeable, but for our purposes a guide was unnecessary. We were just trying to prepare for the bike trip. We asked for a refund since we didn't need the guide, but the travel agency didn't want to hand us back a few hundred dollars claiming they were responsible for us. Really, the agency couldn't have cared less if we never showed up for a guided tour. Knowing this, we changed our story. We lied and said we were leaving Tibet straightaway. The travel agent then said we needed a train ticket to prove it, but we demanded they just give us the money. After a lot of hemming and hawing, the agent agreed and paid cash. From there, we had our permits and no guide. On a side note, our permits were never examined, not once.

However, there's more to it. Besides the Tibet Tourism Permit, there's another called the Alien Travel Permit that you must purchase if you want to venture most places outside Lhasa. You must go to the Public Security Bureau to obtain the permit. However, guidebooks say the Lhasa PSB won't grant individuals a permit, they must go through an agency which will attach a guide. In a town further up the road (you don't need an ATP to go), called Shigatse, guidebooks say the PSB office there will grant individuals permits. But hold on, we met two foreigners who own a rafting shop in Tibet. Contrary to the advice in guidebooks such as Lonely Planet, they said the PSB in Shigatse wasn't as kind to foreigners, at least not anymore, probably because they felt they were being taken advantage of.

The real point is, these same foreigners laughed off the idea of dealing with these permits if we were riding bikes. On a bike, if you do get stopped by the police, they'll likely just fine you. We in fact were stopped by the police at a check point on the road, but they didn't even ask for a permit. Moreover, they explained that because we were on bikes, we were welcome to continue on our journey. If you want to travel freely in Tibet and disappear into China policy limbo, sit on a bike.

HIGHER and HIGHER: Chapter VII

TOWARD EVEREST: A JOURNEY HIGHER and HIGHER

The Haier Brothers set out across Tibet on bikes. They cross some of the highest, and most daunting, passes in the world, all before a backdrop of pure beauty. It’s almost too big and too high to imagine.




Chapter VII FAQ:

How much did the extreme elevations play into this adventure?
It was hard. I (Brusie) had a sinus infection. The elevation exacerbated the problem in the form of painful pressure headaches. Seabass also had headaches due to the elevation, and on the first two days of the trip experienced altitude fatigue. But our bodies adjusted quickly, and I got some antibiotics in Shigatse.

How long did it take you to complete the trek?
We reached Everest in nine days, or about half the time of what most bike tours take. We reached Katmandu, Nepal in 12.

I'm fifty years old. Do you think I could do it?
If you have a healthy heart, yes. We met a Belgian on the trip; let's just say after we met him we stopped whining so much. He was in his fifties, and had ridden from Belgium to Tibet! We were honored to be in his presence. The man had also accomplished a trip from the north of Africa to the south.

How did you get your bike to Tibet?
Good question. We used China's rail express. It's incredibly cheap and efficient. Although figuring out the pick up/drop off system is a challenge. We bought our bikes in Qingdao, then had them sent to Beijing East Train Station. The bikes arrived a day after we did. To get them, we had to go into a dungeon below the train station. It was fascinating as well as a long walk. From the east train station we rode to Beijing West Train Station. We sent the bikes to Tibet, and they arrived two days after we did. Truly, it was amazing. We feel we were lucky because we didn't do as much research as we should have to deal with the logistic nightmare.

Were those really chickens in the bathroom?
Yes. They wanted out of the rain. We have to admit, it was distressing to use the pit toilets knowing 10 live chickens were next to you at head level.

Did you have a run in with the Chinese authorities in Tibet? Did you see any of the repression often talked about?
Here's an anecdote to consider. The area between Shigatse and Lhatse is an empty desert, devoid of trees, and the road progresses constantly uphill. We ran out of water and decided to hitch a ride to a store to refill. We had a filtration pump, but we were exhausted and, frankly, were lazy. If we could, we wanted a ride up Lagpa Pass too because we were so dead. We lucked out and a Tibetan in one of the huge orange dump trucks (very common on the highways, you see them in the video) picked us up. Of all things, we ran into a Police check point, the first and only one we saw all journey, just a few kilometers up the road. A police officer waved the truck over and told us to climb down. The driver, who we could not communicate with as he spoke very little Chinese, stuck his tongue out at us, we thought as a way to offend us and say "Thanks a lot, jerks." We felt awful. The police officer arrested him. We argued with the officer for about a half an hour, telling him that the driver was helping us. We showed the officer we had no water and added that we would not leave until the man was let go. Finally, the officer relented and said he would let him go, but only after we went up the road. We accepted his promise grudgingly, as how could we know he wouldn't just take the driver away after we left. We felt we had little choice but to take him for his word. We never saw the driver pass us again. Later, I spoke with another Tibetan who knew Mandarin. He told me Tibetans stick there tongues out at you to say they're sorry.

HIGHER and HIGHER: CHAPTER VIII

EVEREST: THE HIGHEST PLACE ON EARTH

Summary:
Eager to fulfill their mission and finally grasp what they’d been seeking, the Haier Brothers make the final push towards Mt. Everest,. But was Everest going to cooperate and offer its inspiration? Suddenly, the Haier Brothers are faced with this most difficult question.




Chapter VIII FAQ:

How high is Everest?
The peak is 8,850 meters or 29,035 feet. It's high.

Are they really going to build a hotel at Everest Base Camp?
The word via the media is yes, however such plans are not official, official. The last official line we've heard is, while there exists no plan, the option is open.

What was Seabass eating?
A dried lamb's leg. It was really good, tasted like buttery jerky.

The pancakes good?
Awesome.

Are you two concerned about the environmental impact of the road to Everest?
Of course, however, we're not so hypocritical to poo-poo the project outright. The idea is politically contentious in some camps, regarding Tibetan autonomy and the environment. But, sometimes letting the world have better, and safer, access to nature's wonders sows the idea that we must take care of them, and everything between them for that matter. Nature's own beauty is its best advocate. Seabass and I are from Washington state in the U.S. We love Mt. Rainier. We have climbed it. The road to the mountain was integral to us visiting the summit; and climbing the summit further solidified our belief that we must care for our earth. By doing so, earth, in it's most natural way, will take care of us.

Did you guys really ride to the peak of Everest?
To know that, you'll have to wait for the sequel.