Did you know? In addition to the North Pole and the South Pole, there's a Third Pole: the highest pole on Earth—the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Located along the Himalayas, which straddle the border between Tibet in China and Nepal, and home to the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, it's no exaggeration to call this place the highest on Earth. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau shares common characteristics with the South and North Poles, namely a cold climate. At the same time, as the highest pole, it also has its own unique feature: thin air and low atmospheric pressure.
It is precisely this unique geographical environment and climatic condition that, as the Third Pole, have kept the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau undisturbed for thousands of years, allowing it to thrive peacefully deep within the snow-capped mountains, becoming a beautiful and mysterious place.
To showcase the pure yet mystical human culture of Tibet, as well as the most pristine landforms of the Third Pole, a large-scale production team composed of the State Council Information Office, China Central Television, and Beijing Five Star Legend Media Company began in early 2013. They deployed six research teams and four filming crews, shooting for a total of 500 days across more than 60 hidden wonders in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau regions of Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan. The result was an epic documentary titled "Third Pole"—the highest-budget Tibetan-themed documentary ever produced to date.
With the same advocacy for harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, and cherishing a happy life, the Volvo Car brand, together with its newly launched XC CLASSIC model, joined the "Third Pole" filming crew to venture into this uniquely captivating Tibetan land to explore its lesser-known local customs and cultures.
As a Swedish car brand also originating from icy and snowy lands, Volvo has long been renowned worldwide for its core values of "quality, safety, and environmental protection." Its collaboration with "Third Pole" further highlights its brand identity. Environmental issues are a field that Volvo Cars has been keen to explore in recent years, and Volvo is also the world's first and only automobile brand to join the WWF’s Climate Savers program. This demonstrates its unwavering commitment to environmental protection and promoting cultural heritage, which is also why the "Third Pole" filming crew chose Volvo as their production vehicle.
Over the course of more than a year of filming, the crew drove the Volvo XC CLASSIC along cliffs at 2,000 meters above sea level to witness the thrilling process of honey harvesting; on the northern Tibetan grasslands at 4,500 meters, they searched for the story of a flute; and at the world’s highest village at 5,000 meters, they followed over two thousand sheep across a five-kilometer frozen lake... After enduring a series of high-altitude and rugged challenges, the XC CLASSIC successfully completed its arduous filming mission at the roof of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, demonstrating its resilience, perseverance, and reliability.
For the Volvo XC CLASSIC, these 500-plus days and over 100,000 kilometers of perilous journey are just the beginning. The seemingly insurmountable obstacles encountered along the way will also become powerful sources of motivation for the XC CLASSIC’s ongoing journey. Behind the conquest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau lies not only the exceptional product quality of the Volvo XC CLASSIC, but also a declaration to the world that this is not only the Third Pole geographically, but also the Third Pole of the human spirit.
Want to embark on a mysterious journey to Tibet like the filming crew? Want to see what fantastical scenes the "Third Pole" documentary has to offer? Stay tuned for the exclusive next release of the "Third Pole" promotional video.