Independent factual distributor TVF International has unveiled a co-production with Chinese broadcaster Bilibili for a five-part wildlife series, China’s Wild Secrets.  

The 5x45-minute series was unveiled by head of TVF Poppy McAlister at the Wildscreen festival and is in co-production with one of China’s largest streaming platforms and documentary production companies.

Announced at Wildscreen festival, the series looks at the diverse ecosystems in China’s animal parks, from a giant panda cub exploring the world via its teeth to a Siberian tiger tracking down deer and a king cobra in the rainforest.

It was filmed within China’s national parks by a Chinese crew led by director Zeng Hairuo whose credits include The Land of Spirits (also with Bilibili) which was one of China’s highest-ever rated wildlife series.  

“Filming in extreme and remote environments was very challenging” said Hairuo. “To find the most unique animal stories, which haven’t been told before, our production team needed to use their unique understanding of the vast and diverse landscapes found within each National Park, some of which are the size of a whole country!” 

TVF International has joined production for global release, with Julian Chou-Lambert who is TVF’s China lead serving as executive producer.  

Bilibili has collaborated on several international history series previously, including the BBC’s The Green Planet and Dynasties as well as Hairuo’s The Land of Spirits and Nat Geo’s The Hidden Secrets of China.  

TVF will launch China’s Wild Secrets for international pre-sales at Mipcom, which starts next week, with completion expected in early 2025.