Was China's First Emperor Really Driven Mad With Power? | China's First Emperor | Timeline
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ค. 2020
- Qin Shi Huangdi. He is the man who united, and indeed gave China its name. He conquered six powerful warring states and, in 221 BC, declared himself emperor of all China.
During his reign, he introduced sweeping reforms, built a vast network of roads and connected the Great Wall of China which to this day stretches over 2400 kilometers. His legacy not only includes the Great Wall, but also his astonishing tomb, guarded by the famed Terracotta Army constructed almost 2,200 years ago.
This major drama-documentary offers unprecedented access to new excavations at the major sites, and through major dramatic reconstruction narrates how Ying Zheng became the king of Qin state at 13 and the first Chinese Emperor. It reveals the personality and motivations of this remarkable but still unknown leader.
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Be grateful we can watch some high quality documentaries for free. Massive respect to the creators of this
Appreciate the film, but the selection of the actors is terrible. Qin Shi Huang was a prince and his mother was a beauty, he must be a very handsome and noble man, but the actor looks like a foot soldier, not even like a general.
@@Shadowless_KickI feel like that's a personal issue. It's a documentary, not a docudrama. It's nice they have cut ins like this at all. It's a very history channel thing too lol
My dad says that although he killed many and ruled with a ruthless iron fist, his unification of China, implementation of a system that ended thousands of years of feudalism, warlords, kings, ended the never ending wars and actually made China stronger than ever before as a united land. And to achieve all that within his lifetime is nothing short of a miracle given the vast size of China. Excellent documentary here!
That’s just how modern Chinese nationalists want you to see the history. Plus, eastern Zhou lasted only 500 years, not thousands of years. Geographically speaking, what he united was only a small portion of the modern China for a couple decades. Then it led to a bigger chaos until Han dynasty
This is the take on him in Hero (2002) as well. The assassin goes to kill him for conquering and destroying the assassin's state, but then the assassin is won over by the emperor's vision of having only one correct way to write each character, unified standards and laws, and that the diversity of the different states and their peoples must be destroyed for that unity to be brought into existence.
Truth is to make progress You have to make them move. Sad part is some do not want to move with You. So either You move the mayority by promises and compromise or move them at weapons length
@@anssellIt's also the reality, Zhou lasted 500 years but the dynasties preceding it combined lasted thousands. That's what the OP meant with "ended thousands of years of feudalism". Qin's accomplishment's weren't about the nominal amount of China he controlled, it was about showing that it could be done. Despite the later supposedly return to Confucianism, China governed effectively via the legalist system he created. A system which was created 2000 years ago that included both separation of power for the bureaucrats, and consolidated control for the emperor. This is something unique not to China but to unique the world, I would dub Qin as the first real dictator in the world. He is truly the first ruler to have complete control over every minutia of his empire AND his people. After reading about life under that regime, 1984 loses it's satirical value. And remember, for him, his court and his people, he ruled over EVERYTHING, not China. From the perspective of the Qin dynasty, they controlled the entire civilized world. Go east, sea, go north, barbaric tribes that can't even forge iron, let alone steel, go west and you get the same result. So he also established the concept that China or the Chinese emperor's reign was not dictated by borders, but by whether a region could even be given the honor to be under the rule of god's son himself.
Anyways this is a long way of saying, the guy was a really really cruel guy, but you can't really dismiss his accomplishments.
@@dv9360 that's what the one world system wants us to believe
Wow, I wasn't expecting the production and storytelling like this.
I feel like schools don't teach enough about this. People should learn many figures who shaped the entire world.
these are way better than just watching short blended action clips with most of the video seeing the historian talk.
schools currently only have one purpose to make you a subservient factory worker schools have been behind the times for sometime now oh and they also jam whatever current political views are at the time down your throat so you do as you're told when you graduate. the schools we have now just make slaves taught not to ask questions or step out of line.
I agree, it was amazing, American schools never touched on this, only a brief mention of the great wall. This should be a Hollywood movie ! The acting was amazing and had me riveted thruout.
You only need to know it was Africans that built the world. Believing otherwise is racism
don't worry，many Chinese don't know Octavian either
When you think about it, Qin Shi Huang *did* achieve immortality. We know his name and his accomplishments. He’s a major and important historical figure. Maybe he didn’t get immortality in the manner he wanted, but he still achieved it
He accomplished those things by being a terrible person though. We should always remember this and never repeat the same mistakes.
@@WalrusesAreTheOne you sir here take my like
@@shawnodonle9674 Thank you. I am a woman but I appreciate it
He was hated by the boshi (cultured gentlemen) and shidafu (the scholar-officials/mandarin) not just due to his bloodthirsty obsession of power (which is common), but to his needless destruction of the even older books on literature, poetry, and history. He and his advisor Li Xi discovered that complete violence was not enough, complete suppression and forgetfulness of a prior past age is necessary to accomplish total power. What he did amounts to cultural genocide of the older states, especially of the vibrant culture of the state of Chu, who were admittedly much weaker but much more culturally advanced that the Qin. The Ru scholars, now known as Confucianists almost suffered total destruction had not few of them fled to the mountains. Official histories since Sima Quien vilified him, and deservedly so. He laid the foundations for what is happening today in Xinjiang and Tibet.
you think thats impressive? there are egyptian pharoahs whose bodies still exist and are safely preserved by musuems. When cloning technology progresses you dont think someone will use mummy dna to see what happens? now thats immortality
Its amazing how they speak english despite being chinese 2k years ago.
Even better english than me
😂
well,english is originally from china.
they are actors
English people are descended from Chinese
Lesson: Never underestimate the ingenuity of the ancients.
This is one of my favorite documentaries bc of the actor who plays the Emporer. And everyone, really. The narrator is fantastic, everyone just brings this history to life so well 🙏
This was when Qin was powerful. Qin, for hundreds of years before is a poor state. Look up Shang Yang and Duke Xiao of Qin to see how they contribute and strengthen Qin. Qin state is chaos, internal fighting, warfare, infertile land, no man lands, nomads, barbarian, slaves, unwanted criminals from other states and etc.
That was a fantastic performance from all actors' especially the emperor. Brilliantly written with smooth narration.
the actor playing the emperor is utterly fantastic
Did he mention 6 was his favorite number?
You're joking right?
@@Greenhouse444 no I’m not, I guess you did not enjoy the doc, never mind.
@@Greenhouse444 Lol, I know, right?
I like Mr. Riegel. He always seems like he can barely contain his excitement for whatever he's talking about.
Tyrant or not, he is a legend. Imagine ruled over the biggest nation in the world and that time and your story still being told thousands years later
Yea
We arent gonna have to worry about you now are we?
his greatest success is that he essentially created the conditions for his nation to still exist today
He didnt just ruled he ended the war of states and unified china, which is quite big feat. Though war was the only option.
Well i like the kingdom aine for that
@@rishnerabrera4368 🎉🎉🎉
Ive seen a lot of documentaries of the great Pyramids of Egypt and their Kings tombs. I thought those were fantastic, but this guy had them all beat. Really good documentary. Thanks.
Ehh not all imo but definitely most
这座陵墓还没有被发掘，但可以确定的是，它有着比金字塔更丰富的内容和文化。金字塔是个谜，而这个陵墓能揭开很多谜。
Everyone wants to top Africa, but it will never happen because Africa is the birthplace of all humanity. Now top that if you can. Europe is definitely not the birthplace of humanity, and neither is Asia. Africa will never be topped. No, not ever.
This is one of the greatest History channel docs of all time. I wish they still made stuff like this.
OMG，how much money did you guys invested for this documentary？really respect for your professionalism and dedication
Your dad Xi invested in it.
@@JessiOz2k07 plz have some confidence to your self，looks like you feel inferior as long as you see a chinese
Great propaganda
@@lianghao7128
Hahaahaa
I have to look 2 feet downwards when J look on a Bat eater.
Massage girls are sexy though. I will give you that.
We like them around here in Sydney.
@@JessiOz2k07 thats what you do when you do not have confidence，talk about how great you are
I love that how more powerful people get the more paranoid, angry and aggressive they become. One of the reasons power is not destined for me
Shut up flanders
I like your display picture, the eye of Sauron 😍
@@VeronicaCalud why do you like fantasy
@@buridah328 Not really but LOTR is an exception.
@@VeronicaCalud will you be my friend and like read my stories before bed 🛌
The ending is crazy, I want a HBO drama series of him like Rome, it doesn't need to be historically accurate, but the reality was already insanely epic enough I want to see how a well written fictional drama would enhance all the history and all the legends.
There are many Epic Chinese historical drama series about him. Some of them have English Subs like this one th-cam.com/video/rjK2oKO_uTk/w-d-xo.html.
I wouldn't want HBO to touch our hisotry ever, what they have done to the Egyptian history is just horror. HBO can't make any decent and truthful historical drama of other ancient civilizations besides Greek and Roman.
@goodfella1234 thank you!
i found this to be one of the most beautifully produced documentaries . Thank you so much.
I thoroughly enjoyed this document. I wish it was longer.
th-cam.com/play/PLUg6CGAXr7plEC_spiDqQ1Wmz6Lh74pHg.html
Lately I have been studying ancient Chinese cultures - I really enjoyed how you put this together. "thumbs up!"
Same.
Im a big fan of Chinese Historical drama and now I’m searching for this kind of documentary,
Have you seen the Daming palace doc yet? If you haven't it's a joy to watch.
Just be aware that ancient Chinese don't speak fluent english 😅 This documentary while good is sadly influenced by Hollywood.
@@roahnosh hahaha the ancient chinese l'm not understand,l only understand madarin
Been to Xian before Covid, to see the scale of what the Terracotta Army is just beyond fascinating. Definitely shows the power and sheer will of this emperor he left on the nation
It has almost been demostrated the the Terracotta Army are influenced by Greco-classical world. Most probably from the Bactrian Kingdom. The figurines arevery helenistic and are a VERY sharp contrast to the statues made before. However, this is very taboo by Chinese authorities and Chinese scholars who supported this theory had to take it back or dismiss it influenced by the blacklash of the government.
@@Alejojojo6 The tradition of live burial has been practised in China since the Shang dynasty. But in the late Spring and Autumn period (Qin was only a small state in the west at this time) live burials were abolished but replaced by human dolls according to Confucianism. And if you look at a map of the world, Greece is almost on the other side of the world to China.
Of course if you have any evidence, please list it and I will refute it all.
@@Alejojojo6 i agree with @user-lk6zb1jv9g in fact Chinese authorities or even Chinese Textbooks for student even emphasize about in 5th century that trends of chinese buddhist sculptures was influenced by the Greco-classica because of the silk road, but Qin Dynasty was age before the silk road, maybe there is slightly possibility but there is no evidence, and there are many different ancient Chinese writings mentioned that using the dolls instead of the live burials to reduce killing and increase productivity. you have too much political bias tbh
@@user-lk6zb1jv9g don't bother about him. He's European probably which means he's nothing but a nutcrack. Well, that's what most of them are...
@@Alejojojo6 you know nothing!
I was so impressed by the carvings we saw everywhere we traveled in China...from the shops to the street vendors, but most of all just by plain people. I brought home a beautiful carved jade horse, it is the most precious item in my home. But we also bought large carved jade beltbuckles from vendors. And Buddist prayer beads each bead carved to represent one of the 18 Buddist gods. Very talented people. represent
Agree..
I watched this documentary back in 2005 on Discovery Channel and still remember it vividly. This was a great documentary!
This episode was in 2005?
@@lenbathin9182 Ya that's when I remember seeing it on Discovery. I was in grade 10 at the time. Not all these documentaries are new. Some I remember watching years ago.
@@lenbathin9182 prolly he's right cuz the scene of the street seems like 1997-2003 of China
I’m so used to Chinese historical dramas that hearing the actors speak English is so weird to me
So true. It simply doesn't feel right.
There is also a distinct lack of fatuous lords and crafty villains.
@@Comintern1919 why do i feel like that's a reference
@@shinebrightlikeadoitsu1120 The incredible 2010 Three Kingdom Series, in my opinion the best portrayal of the Three Kingdom Period and the best Cao Cao ever.
Watch the series and you know what these two are a reference off ;) .
A quick example, here's the "crafty villain":
th-cam.com/video/2WJXSTfCOL4/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/pD-0-HH_4as/w-d-xo.html
And here the fatuous lord, watch the scene for a few minutes:
th-cam.com/video/A7dLwhwOcT4/w-d-xo.html
And here is a Playlist. this person is currently uploading the entire series in HD, the series is also already fully uploaded on TH-cam but in much less quality. Here's the HD Version:
th-cam.com/play/PLGNP0mpB4W3mZSwAnR8XNh0PNlVGVIIwC.html
It helps us a fair bit though, lol. 😘
Beth Bartlett it does
Ever since I played Romance of the Three Kingdoms game series as a kid I’ve been fascinated by ancient Chinese history/culture. Love watching these kinds of documentaries!
@@tmoneyquaden9981 I just wish they would stop the entire kingdom control they do in some of the games and allow you the option to be a free retainer, general, low soldier. That was always my favorite thing to do and allowed for more replay ability
I think "I'm absolutely 100% going to give you an elixir of immortality, I just need to go to like the other end of the planet or maybe a distant star to look for it" is a pretty classic maneuver to avoid death at the hands of an increasingly crazy king.
😂😂 it’s not going to be like the movie
(The forbidden kingdom)
🤣
20 years later.... "Still looking for it! I just need to hang out here for another few years but I'm pretty sure I'm getting close!"
@@WalrusesAreTheOne "Even if it takes the rest of my life, I vow I will not return without it!!"
I've got a feeling that a life in self-imposed exile with truckloads of gold was probably way better than whatever he would have done to them if they went back and reported having failed. They probably went to Greece or Africa or something and were like "Hey, you guys ever seen anyone who looks like us before? Ever heard of rice or silk? No? Perfect."
Part of me wants to see his tomb opened, just for the sake of the historical knowledge we could gain from it, but the other part knows we should leave the dead to sleep in peace
@NaomiPhoenix though I too would like to witness the treasures of the past, currently opening the tomb is impossible because if we open his tomb which has been preserved for thousands of years and expose it to oxygen all the treasures and objects in his tomb including his body will basically turn to dust because they haven't been exposed to oxygen for so long. Not to mention that there are several booby traps within his burial room so it's impossible to even get to his body without removing the traps which will possibly damage or destroy parts of the tomb. So until we find a way to solve these issues opening the tomb is impossible.
@@sirmisc5780 and how do we know about legitimate booby traps if the tomb has never been opened? Or is this a Dr Jones moment?
What would yo8 possibly do with whatever perception of the information that you would perhaps see by opening a dead Mans world ?
I wish that it will be opened before i die. want to see that .
The dead have long moved past the remains of their previous bodies they left behind, and most likely do not mind the disturbance.
I thought unraised dead armies were only confined to the movies but to have a whole armies standing, waiting to be resurrected with their emperor is just dumbfounding.... its like a fairy tale .... magical, mysterious and so suspenseful...
They have their reasons and now their reasons are puzzles to us
i hope this is not your 1st discovery of the tarcotta army
The old belief that man has an immortal soul still controls most people´s lives.
So you haven’t watched the third Mummy movie?
China is so cool. It's a shame we learn so little about their history in western schools
@@chongyunwithdiarrhea3880 Nonsense you anti Chinese brat.
And that was for only 1 dynasty.imagime china's many dynasties with their many kings and each king has stories to tell
I don't know much about there history but I can predict there future, fire ball.
Schools are systematically made for individuals to receive nationalist doctrine.
@@mikebeesley3150 cope and seethe fascist. china stays winning lol
This needs to be remade again into a Netflix series. So much better than Game of Thrones!
There is a manga-anime based on this called 'Kingdom'
th-cam.com/play/PLUg6CGAXr7plEC_spiDqQ1Wmz6Lh74pHg.html
yep ,since it's based on actual history,way more interesting
Chinese history is basically Game of Thrones in Steriods for every 200 years
Chinese Spring and Autumn and Warring States, Three Kingdoms, and other periods pre Mongols were Game of Thrones in Chinese, add more thousands of troops than those raised by the Westerosi.
One of the things I read in National Geographic about the terra cotta army is that though the crafts men used molds to form the soldiers, they mixed the forms so that no two soldiers are identical.
back in the days when national geographic was not touched by ideology and politics
As you obviously are not...
Yes, the individuality extends to even the small statutes ...subtle, beyond impressive ....there are many covered sites in various states of recovery ...beautiful country
@@temujinkhan6326 what. What's this new controversy now
that mustve taken a lot of time and effort and labour and blackmailing people into doing that labour
He built the wall in fear of vengeful spirits out of paranoia.... in all I do really love this and wish there was more...
He had the "terracotta army" built to protect him in the afterlife. The Great Wall was to protect his people from nomadic invaders and raiders.
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The old belief that man is inherently immortal.
@@NapoleonCalland 2²22²22
The wall was to keep out nonBlack people. Shalom.
the actor portrait him as crazy person from the beginning. But he's not. He's calm yet ruthless, thirst for blood yet wise king. He went crazy in the end of his life when he can't find the elixir
Who is the actor?
@@sophiecat5713 the actor who play the emperor in this documentary
@@julianjulian2957 the person means who's the actors name
Sorry i don't wanna make you feel dissapointed but there is no way for you or anyone else to know his actual personality there are too many historical documents state different facts than eachother you can't certainly say that he was a calm person which he is not in my opinion he was as crazy as cenghis khan or other rome empires
Wise and thirst for blood are contradiction to each other.
In Buddhism wise come from Morality, loving kidness.
You meant could be he is a good administrator to maintain his power.
Qin Chi Huang only lived to the age of 50. How on Earth did he have time within his lifetime to build a necropolis layout so detailed as that only within the span of his 50-year lifetime? Remember he didn't actually take the throne until I believe he was in his mid-twenties so that would only give him a time frame of about approximately 20 to 25 years to build and to set up such an elaborate endeavor. He must have employed hundreds of thousands of people in order to have it built.
He started when he became king at the age of 13
Qin Shi Huang Di was famous/infamous for using wide-spread deadly force on citizens to do his physical labor. He had a huge social constructs in place that he "developed" and used to build large ramparts that became the building blocks of the Great Wall. It's not a big stretch to go from building Great Walls to a much smaller project of building a single big tomb...especially if you don't care whether or not your workers live or die.
It’s amazing that Qin is the most well know Chinese Emperor even though his empire only lasted for 16 years.
While other thirty year olds now are playing video games , this emperor done a lot at an early age
unfortunately it's not so easy to take over countries lmao
@Hannah Meaker ....mine craft 😂
He suffered hardship throughout his childhood, which made him who he was later, also explained why he would become so paranoid, oppressive, and tyrannical in his final years.
Grabe din yung history ng China's First Emperor, brutal yung ibang nangyari, kudos to all the historians, and the one's who made this documentary story, you made us understand all, big respect to all of you.
hhhahahahahahaaaaa
Thank you for the English translated about China of its richness on their history for us to grasp. China is rich in history and amazingly to know. Again, I Thank you. pearls🌻
No wonder Imperator seek for immortality. Just imaginе, how much he done, how much achieved. And after long time of fightings, betrayals, survivings from multiple assassinations you have to leave everything back and die?
How many people die because of him
@@buridah328 For some people it doesn't matter, only themselves. Different perspective, different people's life doesn't exist. Only theirs.
@@nurizhumakhmet4897 that’s cold
@@buridah328 Just an observation.
@@nurizhumakhmet4897 are you Kazakh
Emperor Qin Shi Huang is absolutely legendary! 👏👏👏
There's an ongoing wonderful manga entitled "Kingdom" which is based on China's unification. I first knew bout it after watching its amazing live action film! 😍 Because I couldn't get enough of the "Kingdom" movie, I even binge-watched the anime seasons 1-4 & currently obsessing over its manga! 😍 Such an epic story! 🙌
I highly recommend all adaptations of "Kingdom" --- simply one of the best!!! 🙌🙌🙌
Kingdom is a great show, but Qin was a tyrant more than anything, also, kingdom is based on Korean culture and history.
@@wallythetrooper9127 Korean culture and history derived from China as well as more than 50% of Korean vocabulary
@@wallythetrooper9127 Oh man, not another Korean nationalist trying to claim all of history as their own... Culture and history stealing - how low can you people stoop?
@@wallythetrooper9127 Oh man, not another Korean nationalist trying to claim all of history as their own... Culture and history stealing
@@wallythetrooper9127 wait how tf you led into that conclusion
Very interesting film. The role and importance of Lady Zhao, mother of Qin Shi Huang, is under represented. She was a maverick for her political intelligence and scholarship. She helped set the stage for her son's phenomical achievements.
What an epic story…but also epic performances/production! So enjoyed this!
When you heard the 1st emperor of China saying "hello, hi" XD
China is so great even English was invented by the great first Emperor of China.
Hahaahahaha
time stampppppppp
25:24
And don’t forget “Mama...” 😆😆
It might not be in the way he expected, but he got his wish. We’re talking about him still, aren’t we?
yep
the way this was put together is so amazing.. the music and cinematography is all such a delight!!! Truly captured every second of my attention, really appreciative of the detail too
Wow truly amazing docu. What a life story of the First Emperor of China. He started as being a king at a very young age. Getting manipulated by his mom and his mom's lover. Then winning wars against other factions and being an established warrior in his early twenties. Creating the crossbow that gave him an advantage against other warring kingdoms. Avoiding getting dethroned by his half brothers and banishing his mom and killing his mom's lover. Surviving assassination attempts and ended up conquering the other lands to unite them all by becoming the emperor and he accomplished all that in his thirties. Sending his prisoners of war to build a massive wall so that he can protect his lands from foreign invaders. Then creating his own overly sized tomb. He just went insane in the end because he is so afraid of death and being so obsessed with immortality and that obsession pretty much killed him.
I went to some Ming Dynasty Tombs in China and those were stories below earth, a whole underground tunnel. And that was impressive. I can only imagine Qin Shi Huangdi's .
Yeah and the Ming tombs are considered relatively recent as the Warring States and the short Qin dynasty, we're talking hundreds of years before 0 AD
I was trying to listen to this while trying to sleep but the english speaking Qin Emperor shocked me
Bish u thought it was a dream HAHAHAHA
Why would you listen to this... for sleep? 🤔
😅😅😅😅😅 betul bro and I'm Chinese, I find it weird.
@@friendlytiger6023 some of us watch documentaries into our sleeps. 😁
Listen to the fall of civilization podcast. Theres one about the fall of the Huan dynasty. It's good
If the legend of the sacrificed concubines, builders and engineers is true, imagine the experience for the first archaeologists who enter the tomb, if such an excavation is ever permitted? That in itself would be both traumatic and fascinating. Gives chills to the max, but still fascinating!
They'll find skeletons, probably look better than a skull containing an arrowhead.
秦始皇的陵墓2000多年以来被很多盗墓者光顾过。但现在仍旧保存下来一部分，8个北京故宫的大小。陵墓的一大部分到现在还没被发掘，我期待将来发掘的那一天。不知道秦始皇藏了多少宝贝。 2000多年前就这么富有了，清朝的圆明园应该也差不多，可惜被西方国家的8国联军队洗劫一空。
Lol no archeologist worth their salt would find that traumatic.
@@lolnahnvm208 You are easily triggered, I see!
@@lolnahnvm208 Completely agree. Archaeologists sign up for that. idk what this idiot is talking about with "triggered". Perhaps he's triggered that you called out his idiocy.
This was one of the best documentaries I have ever watched. Very well done.
I'm gonna 3D print 1million terracota warriors for my burial.
I can see covid-19 lockdown affected your brains... 🤦♂️🤦♂️😂😂😂
Lol
I’m assuming you’ve made atleast a cpl hundred by now? My real question is where does one store this plastic army? 😂
How are you going to 3D print something made out of dirt?
@@Pelagion98 There’s a 3-D machine that Print house using Dirt or Clays and cement mixer 3-D machine or very advanced right now using a lot of different materials
The craftsmanship on these weapons is absolutely astounding. They look like they were made last week with CNC machines.
实际上它可能比现代的工艺更精美，现存的一把来自那个时代的剑，它有着精美精细的几何图案，没有生锈，寒光闪闪，可以轻易切开几十张纸。现在没有人知道那些武器是怎样打造的。 在我家乡的博物馆展出的那个时代的青铜武器上刻着工匠的名字
I understand that when Genghis Khan died, all in his funeral procession and all of burial diggers were killed too.
As a result, his burial site has never been discovered
This was a traditional fool not only chinies but Egyptian Mayan Incas to Roman empire ottoman empire almost everywhere they were doing this
So who killed them? They new where the burial site was 🤡🤡🤡
@@gdmonks1959 they could have distanced themselves from the burial site before being killed.
@@Tryckert yes they could but it’s only conjecture until these burial sites are uncovered then we just accept the romantic version, do we 🤔
Legends say camera men are immortal.
Ya know..although he died fairly young, he still can be viewed in a certain way immortal since his life and accomplishments live on.
I guess if you think about it, living to 49 in 210 BC is still longer than many Kings of England or France or Spain did in 1500 AD... geez they were even dying in their 30's and 40's in 1600-1700, even Queen Victoria's husband didn't make it to 49, he died at 42 and that was only 150 years ago... let alone 2200 years ago!
People who think 2000 years and immortality are the same have a lot to learn about immortality...
@@jgawad bruh obviously we can't say how it's gonna be in the future but it's amazing that he's still being remembered today
Not sure about others, but as long as there is still China and Chinese descendants on Earth, he will be forever remembered.
@@DS-us1vi they died early due to excessive inbreeding
There's a great manga based on this. It's called "Kingdom" and it already has a live action movie and an upcoming second part of the live action movie next year. It tackles the story of the Qin Shin Huang and his rise to power and how he unified China along with his devoted soldiers.
I'm planning to read Kingdom! Is it good?
I'm reading it now and it awesome ☺just waiting for the update
It's one of the best manga out there. I'm super into it
Though of the anime straight away, when hearing Qin.
Anime version is amazing!
I love this documentary. I love Chinese history.
My favorite part is when Qin Shi Huang speaks English “THAT IS TO CONQUER!!!” E P I C!!!
One of the best documentary about China's 1st Emperor that I have seen until now, so 1000MERCIS/thank You!!!
China's history, and this 1 Emperor's history of course here is just GREATLY AMAZING, beautiful, interesting etc...
China is A VERY VERY GREAT BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY!!!!
I love/ j'adore la Chine !!!!
1000mercis from France...
La découverte de l'armée de terre cuite = all is just WOUAHOO 💓😍🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩...
Je suis très très très impatient de visiter la Chine
Mother: You have two brothers.
Shi Huang: I HAD brothers.
You beat me up while you love your other children. So I will deal with them as you dealt with me.
didn't one of his little half brother from another mother attempt an coup against him when he was an child? i dunno, i only read the manga, "kingdom"
This is an absolutely brilliant and enthralling history video. I am not exaggerating it is very very good. This is how to get people into a subject I had only passing interest in. Now I want to visit China. Great performances in the drama and very interesting commentary.
These actors are badass. Love that bit tho when he just goes "Hello! Haiiiii!" gorsh that's adorable. Wholesome hours before slaughter.
Fabulous and fascinating! The look is totally authentic. The fact that it’s in English makes it much more accessible for an English-speaking viewer, as it becomes less quaint and exotic and there isn’t a barrier to entering into the psychology, politics and history of this ancient period. I love the episode with physician Zu Fou, who sounds like Stephen Fry!
i think the alchemist's name is Xu fu, legend has it that the island they sailed to was japan but was ultimately unable to find the elixir of eternal life and he decided to stay there as returning empty handed meant his death sentence anyway, as a matter of fact there are numerous temples built in japan that are dedicated to him.
Woow
I don't agree. Let the actors speak their natural language and have us read through subtitles. It's so awkward and cringe it feels disrespectful as a Chinese.
Imagine drinking metal juice to become immortal but dying instead
Hehehohe slurrp
@@greyvii511 SHUT UP IM NOT TRYNA LAUGH AT THIS TIME AT NIGHT✨😭💀💀
It was the irony that killed him, not the mercury
I think he was unto something.. It didn't work but at least he tried..
Pepega
The army was first found by a farmer not the archaeologist. 06:20
Yes.accidentally discovered by a farmer.
Well done. A very good interesting story. Timeline you have hit the nail on its head and not left me disappointed. Incredible acting to brings the story to life. Thank you for such amazing living history
Fun fact : the fella who plays QinShiHuang also played Rain in big trouble little China.
Close. He's James Pax who played Lighting.
Nice one 👍🏽
Thank you both for the heads up. I'll be looking for him.
Wait so it isn’t a recording of the real Qin Shi Huang?
@@j.a.weishaupt1748 LMFAOOOOOO
What an awesome documentary!! Thank you! I learned a ton. What a fascinating history
I think this is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen in my life
OMG I'm getting so excited I'm at the point where they're going to see if he is actually buried under the map and it's amazing I love history so well done
Very enjoyable - great pace, informative with action reconstruction.
Wow, what a documentary
For anyone asking, James Pax is the actor who played the Emperor.
Very great one. with some small funny anachronism. The scene where the emperor goes on the mount to call the skies, there is a field of corn on their way. Corn was cultivated in America exclusively until Columbus many centuries after.
Hh i h. 😅😅😅😅😅 buty u😅 bh b v n 🤔 mo😊😊u
Didn't notice that. Way to nerd above and beyond....I respect that ish.
Ignoramus. The Great Chinese Fleets circumnavigated the World and charted the whole planet. Marco Polo bought back these Maps, and Columbus followed the Maps to the New World. Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes were already in the outreaches of the Pacific Islands. White European History is a nothing to those of the peoples of the Pacific, Asia and the Indus.
The director overlooked historical matters such as corn when making the film. Corn came to China during the closing days of Ming Dy through the Philippines. The chinese migrant there brought back the corn to grow. It was brought to the Phillipines by Spainards.
Time stamp? Also, bamboo looks kind of like corn in the fields to me. But yeah it probably was lol
Fabulous! Fascinating documentary! - Of course I heard of the Terracotta Army, but I have little knowledge of Chinese history... ~colour me informed 😊 Great post, thank you!
I absolutely love Chinese history
Whoever put this together.
Well done.
Even the actors.
My parents took my brother and me to see the terracotta army when they came to the British museum. Just fascinating to see up close! The intricate detail, and uniqueness of each soldier... Just so impressive, I'll never forget it.
This emperor’s tomb is located in my hometown which was his capital and the capital for more than 13 Chinese dynasties; and my house back in the city is just near the tomb of his son, the short-lived second emperor of the dynasty. There is a point I want to add on the life of this emperor since the history written and considered as official was made during the dynasty after his with many records from this dynasty destroyed in the ensuing wars after this emperor’s death: the recent exploration of the first emperor’s tomb has discovered that it is much smaller than the official sources written during the second dynasty claimed and there were very good historical reasons why the second would smear the first for two held very different ideologies upon the ways of ruling. I think with many good reasons (since this empire is very short and is poorly recorded by the historians of their time) that the empire and the emperor himself we now learn is very or immensely different from what it was.
I am currently studying about the Qing dynasty & watching programs about it. Extremely interesting.
@Casey Levins lol, are the actors actually speaking english? If this is what my fellow Chinese people do back home these days, then I must say, the CCP should just give up; the Chinese people are no longer worth helping. Just give it all to the "dissidents" and become an irrelevant country.
Casey Levins It is actually much smaller than the account given by the history written in the second dynasty as far as I know. Also the structures above the ground which was a part of the tomb was burnt down during the ensuing wars after the first emperor’s demise by one of the leading warlords whose ancestors were from a great noble family of a country which was put to an end by the first emperor and I think the resentment towards the first empire and first emperor was the reason he lighted that tomb on fire. However, also because of this great fire, it was for thousands years difficult for people to know the true size of the tomb but instead gave their trust to the historical records from the second dynasty.
苗媌緢喵瞄描 I don’t speak English in this manner for I practiced a lot and lived in various English-speaking countries for years, but I assure you that English is not used quite often back in China which I think was the reason why the people are not generally good at English.
@郭學憲
Thank goodness for that
If that is true I think I will begin to like this first emperor as he preserved the great Chinese civilisation.
Those Chinese clothes put to shame T-shirt, Jeans and sneakers as fashion!
😏I agree.
ok but Rick Owens could body every robe maker back then on my momma 💯💯
True but this is romanticized I bet in reality a lot of folks back then in loin cloths (all over the world)
Dude I take pride in wearing a t-shirt and jeans and sneakers
@@loganmccombs942 Is that as far as your dress code goes? You wear that to eg., weddings, funerals, dinner parties etc,? - in the UK such attire is worn to the Opera even......"Clothes maketh a man" says it all.
I really enjoyed watching this. Thank you for your work guys 🙌
this is epic!! kudos to the team and the actors for this legendary documentary
Love this historical channel
That dude yelling assassin got a filipino accent lol
Filipinos are everywhere
@Casey Levins - Thank you... by the way would you want to learn more about Philippine history?... I could share some videos and articles.
th-cam.com/video/dpbWBwf7c54/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/U_BjtFu7L38/w-d-xo.html
www.quora.com/What-are-some-remarkable-ancient-civilizations-most-people-dont-know-about/answer/Dayang-C-Marikit
www.quora.com/Were-there-any-pre-Hispanic-kingdoms-in-the-Philippines/answer/Dayang-C-Marikit
@@dayangmarikit6860 salamats bro 🤣
@Casey Levins that's why we're proud og our heritage
I noticed that as well 😆😆🤣🤣
Thankyou everyone for a wonderful and educational documentary❤❤❤ watching this many times and still going back to rewatch it over the years
Loved this. Thank you.
As a fellow chinese myself, i actually studied about the attempted assassination of the king written in classical chinese at 39:00 , the classical chinese wrote one of the assassins actually ran around a pillar to try to kill the king. Also the king does not allow anyone to bring weapons inside except for him, so they only stood beside and yelled “take out the sword from your back”. Only then he could defend himself and he strike back and stabbed the assassin’s right thigh (yes, it‘s very detailed), the assassin fell onto the ground and still laughed at the king. The assassin still didn’t give up yet, he took out a poisonous dagger from his pants and threw at the king but missed. Then the king stabbed the assassin 8 times and died (they did not say what happened to the other assassin, but i assume the king beheaded him).
这在中国历史上可是最出名的刺杀事件，进一步补充：因为皇帝（当时还是秦王）的剑太长了，他在慌乱中被刺客追赶剑拔不出来，一个御医叫“夏无且”高喊：“王把剑放到背上”皇帝反应了过来把剑背在背上拔了出来。这个医生受到了重赏，另一个刺客“秦舞阳”被外边的卫兵剁成了肉泥。
Love this documentary especially the actor portraying the emperor.
Great documentary! This helped me understand China’s history better.
This documentary is incomplete because it doesn't mention that Emperor Qin Shi Huang also built roads and canals. Similar to ancient Rome, these roads were also used for military expeditions to the south to fight and drive out the non-Chinese tribes in the south and forced or assimilated into Chinese.
Drives out and force assimilated ? Where did you learn this ? BBC , CNN or NYT ?
Google learns about Chinese general Zhao Tuo and the army of 500.0000 men sent by Qin Shi Huang to conquer the non-Chinese tribes in the South. After Qin Shi Huang died and the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Zhao Tuo declared himself as King and founded the Nanyue kingdom but he didn't "drive out" and "forced or assimilated" the non-Chinese tribes, instead he encouraged the Chinese and the non-Chinese live in peace together. And according to the ancient records, he even wore non-Chinese tribes' clothing and practiced customs to promote it.
And If you had learned Chinese history, you would know the Chinese didn't even need to force anyone to be assimilated into Chinese. Many other non-Chinese tribes around China in ancient times were pretty much admired and all wanted to become the "civilized Chinese". Even those who had conquered some part of or whole China. (For instance: the Xiongnu, Xianbei, the Mongols, Manchu, all became Chinese more or less later...). Because the Chinese civilization back then was simply the greatest and mightiest civilization in the Far East and arguably in the whole ancient world, (just like the Roman civilization to the West). Just look at how much Japan, Korea, and other East Asian countries were being influenced by Chinese culture...
@@The_Art_of_AI_888 Let's not sugarcoat it that much though. Maybe far later on when "Zhongguo" actually becomes itself and has a legacy it was something to aspire to for "barbarian" peoples. But that was never to say they were gonna submit to them either lol. Mongol/Manchu's are a good example... and you shouldn't feel the need to defend forced assimilation or conquest, it's ancient times lol.
@@TheBucketSkill I only defend the truth and facts of what really had happened, everything I said is based on historical facts that everyone could do some research and fact-check about it, the historical records speak for themself...only ignorant lazy fools who are not educated enough or people with "personal biased feeling" toward modern China would look down on and have low regard for the influence and cultural assimilation (without even need to using forces or conquests) of Chinese civilization in history.
Beautiful and very well done - a piece documentary on early history od China - the Chin dynasty.
Scene point 1:22:38 when he is calling to the sky. Such a good actor.
I am loving the new way they doing the documentaries these days....great!
WOW INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL DISCOVERY OF THE FIRST EMPEROR!! LOVE THE VIDEO AND RESEARCH! THX FOR SHARING!
This is really marvelous story about the first emperor of Chine. Even I am a Chinese has never known such a details description of the tomb. I visitedChina several times and visited the tomb area, but no one told me the story like you did.
Thank you and your team.
Because you had not looked for the information. There are many EPIC Chinese documentary series about the First Emperor AND It's tomb. You need to look for it. They exist.
它就在那儿
Awesome documentary!
I've been to Xi'an city twice just for the Terracotta warriors. Seriously one of the most beautiful cities in the world, terracotta army aside and I've been to dozens of cities around the world.
LL ll
Oœ
L
L lol
But it’s China so no good.
this is really done well...i was fascinating and suspenseful!!!! what an emperor
you would think he would have tested the mercury on a prisoner before taking it himself
Should make the person who suggested taking mercury for longevity to try a large dose first
@@mchutube Most things that are good for you will kill you in large doses.
You'd be amazed how many great men, women and others (e.g. eunuchs) died because of mistakes by doctors and alchemists.
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@Casey Levins The First August Emperor of China was prescribed mercury by his doctors (i.e. people who at least claim to know what they're doing). Donald Trump knew that his suggestion was "experimental" because he was the one suggesting it.
He wouldt let the prisoner drink that
Without him, China should now be split into many countries like Europe, and it is still talking about it. Moreover, he unified the writing and language in many aspects, which ensured that there would be no faults in Chinese civilization. Even if they were invaded by other ethnic groups, those ethnic groups were quickly assimilated by Chinese culture
True...he did unite a huge country of many separate states. But comparing it to European countries isn't a very good comparison. Though the different states in what was China before its unification were different and unique, they were also very similar in their beliefs, cultures, cuisines, etc....and could be easily assimilated. Eurpoean countries in Europe aren't like that. The people have different cultures, beliefs, customs, cuisines, languages, architectural styles and many many more differences that would keep them from being able to unite and assimilate under one rule. There's a reason the attempts at unification in Europe always failed, and its because they are very very different countries all on one large land mass. It would be a more accurate example to have used the United States. The US has different states, who are also unique in their differences to each state, but hold the same core values and beliefs, so they can coexist relatively peacefully under one united nation.
@@mysticmama_3692 China is China . United States is United States . Europe Is Europe . There shouldn’t be any comparison in between these 3 completely different countries / continent . Geeezzz .
And yes . Without the unification of ShiHuang De . Mainland China might get divided by 2 or 3 countries by now . But then again these warring states had alot similarities in cultures . only 2 different main languages are Mandarin and Cantonese .
All of a sudden I've become really interested in learning about Chinese dynasties, in particularly the huang Shang dynasty. I watched another TH-camr with videos about this dynasty. He has been researching and studying about them. He told us and showed us the figurines/sculptures made of jade, and these artifacts are depicting dragons and reptile looking creatures taking over the minds of humans. He also stated that the pharaohs were serpents and that the sign of the cross meant human sacrificing. The pharaohs transformed into humans by shape shifting. However, I haven't heard anyone mention this in any of the TH-cam vids. about this dynasty or topic.
Thank you 😊
Name of the channel you're referring to please?
@D. Daniels - Just remember that people posting TH-cam videos have no one overseeing the information they’re putting up. Is what you’re watching valid? Is it true? You have no way of knowing, bc the sources aren’t ever given in videos. And be advised that real learning can’t be done via passive means (watching videos of other people’s work). If you want the knowledge, you’ve got to read books by established authors who add an index of citations to their books so people can check the validity of their ideas and sources. Otherwise, you could watch documentaries for a decade and not know very much at all.
@@voraciousreader3341 hi very much aware of what all you said however a video really inspires me into learning more..thanks! 😁
Are you referring to the mythical era before the Xia(probably mythical too) and Shang(really existed) dynasties? There isn't a dynasty named Huang Shang, the closest translation for Huang Shang that makes sense to me is just "emperor". Your description of serpents and human sacrifices though, matches very well with Shang dynasty and beliefs about Xia and beyond. There are demi-gods, people who were so cool they became gods, sage-kings, and such. You can google "three emperors and five sovereigns" to learn more about stuff like that.
@@josilynblackthorn 他看的可能是封神榜
I rarely like docudramas but this one is well made and I like it.