I'mma be honest, I spam watched this "History of China" series and flexed my new found knowledge to my mom (I'm Chinese born Canadian). Safe to say she was incredibly impressed. Actually matter of fact all the movies I watch with my parents are Accented approved films (She thinks I'm a Chinese scholar now). Keep up the good work so I can keep up the facade of being a good Chinese son :3
You know something's gone terribly wrong when the Austro-Hungarian army is colonially exploiting you, when it could barely establish a foothold just over its own border
They are part of a gang called "Alliance of 8 nations", which is honestly welcomed by the Qing Empire to quell rebellions like the Taipings and the Boxers. Being part of the gang, they hoped to get some money to strengthen their own crumbling Central European Empire.
Funny thing is the austro hungarians are the only ones who didn’t actually exploit the Chinese in their territories… They straight up gave them citizenship.
Please make an additional video on the depiction of the warlord era, Republic of China and People's Republic of China in Chinese movies also. Love this whole series ❤❤
I laughed and spat part of my breakfast out at the start of the Squarespace ad. Thanks for posting such a well-written and entertaining introduction to Chinese history through cinematic themes.
@@sheena9178 and that should really start with the OGs, Huanzhulouzhu, Wang Dulu, etc... before getting to Jin Yong, Gu Long, and Liang Yu Sheng. perhaps with a preface of Water Margin as the grandfather of martial arts/heroism fantasy.
ANOTHER excellent, educational, and extremely well-crafted video from you -- thank you! I learned a great deal from this series, and it deepened my appreciation of Chinese history and cinema. (On a minor note, Squarespace should send you a personal letter of appreciation for the way you present them as your sponsor. I have NEVER been as entertained by anyone else mentioning them!)
I remember watching The Last Emperor on VHS in 1989 when I was seven. It was completely stunning and so colorful yet so quiet and confined to that city. Thanks for taking us from the beginning to the end to the new beginning.
King Hu is a master of the cinematic Ming dynasty, his films Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen are some of the most beautiful Chinese period films I've ever seen
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes: Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets. Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam. Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads. Tang - Abbasid Caliphate. Song - Ayyubids against Crusades. Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols. Ming - Ottoman Caliphate. Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization. Chinese republic - Modern time
Ancient China's culture and technology were more advanced than those of its neighbors. So although the Mongols defeated China, which was dominated by Han civilization, they were unable to govern China. And the Manchus defeated China, but were defeated by the Chinese Han culture, and they also called themselves China. But in the 19th century, China's culture and technology did not have an advantage over the West after the Industrial Revolution, so it was a disaster for China that had not been seen in 2,000 years. Countless Chinese want to save their nation, the Qing feudal class learned Western technology, the Republic of China bourgeoisie practiced the Three People's Principles, and the Communist Party of China practiced Marxist communism. The Chinese tried everything, and countless people gave their lives. Gladly, they succeeded, and now China is back to where it should be. China also has an advantage that is unique to the whole world, China's history is long enough, and everything that happens in the world today has happened in China's history. So the Chinese know what an empire looked like before it fell.
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes: Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets. Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam. Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads. Tang - Abbasid Caliphate. Song - Ayyubids against Crusades. Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols. Ming - Ottoman Caliphate. Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization. Chinese republic - Modern time
The Wrath of Lee Khan directed by King Hu is one of the better Yuan Dynasty films to me. It was also Sammo Huang’s debut as an action director. This was a good series, and I enjoyed watching it.
The Wanli Emperor was also ruling during Japan's invasion of Joseon Dynasty Korea, better known as the Imjin Wars. The strain on Ming's involvement in that conflict was another factor in it's decline.
Learn the basic version in elementary school for a few years. Repeat again with more details and context in junior and senior high schools. It’s drilled into Chinese students 😭
Would you believe that I didn't *hate* The Curse of Turandot? But probably because the opera it was based on is even WORSE (that is, plot-wise; the music is amazing.)
Puccini would have agreed with you seeing that when he died the opera still wasn't finished since he couldn't figure out how to give it a satisfying ending.
the last comment kinda hurts, the fact that china is still trying to "catch up" centuries later due to how far the decisions of the qing dynasty tripped them up. this is the main reason why we need to learn from history, and from the history of other nations
Yang, I know you are a weeb, i hope you have discovered Jufutei Raden the hololive Vtuber. She does similar historical-cultural breakdowns as you but regarding the Japanese art and history. And she is a bubbly anime girl (which makes her better already). You will love her stuff.
Hello! Would you upload the timeline of China's dynasties somewhere? It looks very good and comprehensible, it could be a very useful piece of info to save, learn and teach for newbies to Chinese history
The silver countries that received Cixi will be cursed. Before Cixi died, she cursed these countries, so the internal drug corruption party struggle in Eight-Nation Alliance was too much like the late Qing Dynasty.
Correction, as Europeans set sail, etc., not "the rest of the World" - Europe is not the "World" The Shogunate was even more isolationist at the time, ditto Joseon. The Mughals weren't sailing anywhere. Neither the Safavids. Lets not normalize a picture of history that acts as if European actions are somehow the "default."
true. and let's not forget that the only reason why Europe grew so powerful was because of the riches they stole during their colonial exploitation of Africa and the Americas
If we're being precise, then let's be precise - it was specifically Western Europeans. All the different Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe weren't exactly sailing anywhere either, and neither were Romanians, Greeks, Albanians, Hungarians, Balts, Tatars or Finns. Lets not normalise a picture of history that acts as if Western Europe is somehow the "default Europe" ;P
Qing dynasty is most easiest to spot. For one they are villains in many movies. Their hairstyle, armour, official helmet with peacock feather, and beads.
Yeah, the Qing court costume really did end up becoming the archetypal uniform of every Fu Manchu, "oriental villain" type. Rather unfortunate since it's really quite beautiful clothing.
You've made many great videos over the years, but this series has been my favorite work of yours. History, culture, and comedy, edited together in a compelling multi-part story covering thousands of years of media. What a series!
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes: Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets. Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam. Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads. Tang - Abbasid Caliphate. Song - Ayyubids against Crusades. Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols. Ming - Ottoman Caliphate. Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization. Chinese republic - Modern time
I gotta go for the Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy featuring Jet Li as my favorite Qing Dynasty-centric movies because they don’t simply display impressive martial arts stunts but it tells a story of China slowly changing with the times and the ways people embrace the change surrounding their country with folks either embracing change or stubbornly defying it.
Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy is my favourite from my childhood days and the Red Cliff saga from my youth days. Also love the film Hero. --An Indian fan of Cinema on Historical China
Yup. In the second film he played a part on protecting young Sun Yat-Sen to the port so he can leave the country for the time being, and there was a McGuffin Parcel, containing… THE VERY FIRST KMT PARTY FLAG.
White Snake and Chang'An (about the famous poets during the Tang dynasty) are both excellent animated features in recent years, not to be missed, both made me shed tears.
The Yuan period is absolutely fascinating to me because as you said it was a strange time. The conquered people fearing extermination or assimilation, the conquerors trying not to become assimilated themselves, the fact that China was merely the easternmost point of the largest empire on the planet but also was sort of its own khanate; there's a lot of conflict and jumbling and contrasts to dig into. It's probably also oft neglected as a setting since it was a pretty brief dynasty, barely a century when others lasted millennia.
Yet it still lasted longer than the Qin dynasty. Though the Qin had more identity and cultural contributions such as uniting the lands and establishing the imperial system.
Considering that the Yuan dealt with the beginning of the little ice age, as Kings and Generals noted, it was a miracle that the Yuan even last to a hundred years. The Yuan, like nearly every splinter Mongol empire, had to wrestle with the dilemma of adopting and eventually assimilating into local culture or stay to the old ways. After Kublai’s death, there were Han Chinese who knew Mongolian and Mongols who knows how to speak proto-Mandarin.
I suppose there is also the whole aspect that the first Qin emperors ancestors, the kings of the Qin state lasted longer. So perhaps while the dynasty and emperors didn't last long, it fits into a narrative of Warring States prior to uniting.
@tekinfomediKorean and Japanese are also just straight up different languages that aren't as intimately connected to Chinese, so Mongol rule or not, they would always have their own evolution. Same with Vietnamese in the South.
Hey, I enjoyed the history lesson, but I think the visual themes that were presented in in the previous videos of the series aren't talked about so much here. For example, Ming could mention the basket-style hats or the circular helmets. Tbh, I still can't identify quickly the difference between Song and Ming. Qing dynasty could've definitely talked about the Manchu queue, the women's broad hairdresses, and the distinct cone-shaped hats with red tassels that even foreigners know. Growing up with Pearl Princess and Kangxi, I thought those were the definitive traditional Chinese look. I even made Qing mandarin costume for my 3rd grade halloween (which was really hard to explain to my friends).
What you thought were the definitive traditional Chinese are actually Hanfu (the Han people's clothing before Qing changed it) and their long hair bundled in topknot
I grew up in the Philippines, and we had a high school class about Asian history, with Chinese history being a feature. I've learned much from your four-part series than I had in my high school classes. Amazing videos!
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes: Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets. Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam. Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads. Tang - Abbasid Caliphate. Song - Ayyubids against Crusades. Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols. Ming - Ottoman Caliphate. Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization. Chinese republic - Modern time
@@truezyf Well, the curriculum is mostly Asian-centric, and in the earlier years, Philippine-centric. We're only taught about the Spanish Liberal Revolution in the 1800s because of them appointing a lenient Governor General, who was then replaced by a more repressive one that started the long path to the 1898 revolution.
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes: Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets. Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam. Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads. Tang - Abbasid Caliphate. Song - Ayyubids against Crusades. Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols. Ming - Ottoman Caliphate. Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization. Chinese republic - Modern time
It's sad that Netflix axed Marco polo only after 2 seasons. It was actual quite a exotic and well made show set against the backdrop of the Yuan Dynasty. I remember some Hong Kong TV series about Genghis Khan too as a kid. But the Yuan dynasty felt quite refreshing comparing to most shows and movies based on Tang and Qing.
i enjoyed this series throughout part 1 to 4...it's like reviewing my junior history textbooks. i love this so much and i just hope more people can see it
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes: Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets. Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam. Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads. Tang - Abbasid Caliphate. Song - Ayyubids against Crusades. Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols. Ming - Ottoman Caliphate. Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization. Chinese republic - Modern time
I'm sad the series is over. I love ancient Chinese history. It's fascinating to see how society is shaped by changing values, evolving art forms, and outsider involvement. I would love to see more videos focusing on specific stories of unique individuals in Chinese history, strange or interesting events, or regional festivals and customs throughout the ages.
I think despite not many Chinese film set in the Yuan, there were a lot of the late Song/Early Ming TV series with at least some presence of the mongols, and the west did make a lot of Mongol films inspired by Yuan. and early Qing is also a favorite for TV dramas, since Emperor Qian Long is kind of a legendary figure, though most of it are talking about his concubines and are aimed at women....
Actually, quite a lot of opera were set in the Yuan dynasty, as that was the time when Chinese opera was in its foundation year. One famous example was The Unjustified Sentencing of Dou Er. However, probably due to the tragic nature of these stories, they were not favoured to be adapted into movies.
Hello, Mongolian fan here. Another informative and well-structured essay, as always. This time as a Mongolian it was interesting to see how my culture influenced Chinese's history and its films, keep up the good work!
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history The dates are not parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes: Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets. Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam. Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads. Tang - Abbasid Caliphate. Song - Ayyubids against Crusades. Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols. Ming - Ottoman Caliphate. Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization. Chinese republic - Modern time
Very little influence. Yuan was well-known for its laissez-faire politics. That's its strong point and weak point, the strong being people could do whatever they wanted! The weak also being people could do whatever they wanted! That's why there was an over-correction in Ming, where the Ming emperor, literally said Yuan dynasty fell because it was too laxed, and then proceeded to impose some of the toughest restrictions ever seen in Chinese dynastic history. Mongolian culture had more influence during Qing dynasty, with music and wrestling being favorited by the Qing court. Religion-wise, Mongol went on mass conversion to Tibetan Buddhism during Ming to early Qing period, so the culture changed a lot within itself.
Just gonna throw down another recommendation for Ruyi's Royal Love because I'm obsessed! :D It's Qing Dynasty and so so so sad/tragic I love the way it hurts lol All on TH-cam too! Also, Winter Begonia for the opera and vibes.
@@fatcat1399 It hurts so bad, but i kinda love it. And the acting is so good. its a little more real to me than Yanxi Palace. I feel like Ruyi could have been a real person, that kind of misery she goes through is very true of many of us.
Nice series of videos! I know that this is on cultural perception, and the way it is portrayed here is how it is generally viewed, but modern scholarship is making great efforts to restore the reputation of various late Ming emperors (Wanli foremost) and some of the leading statesmen, like Zhang Juzheng and Wei Zhongxian. Basically, the sources we have are extremely hostile to them because they were written by members of the privileged gentry that staffed the bureaucracy and paralyzed the country (particularly Donglin or Fushe partisans). Basically, the gentry adopted a worldview, based on zealous Neo-Confucianism, in which the country and emperors were supposed to serve them, which manifested in extreme resistance to independent action by emperors and massive scale tax evasion, as well as systemic appropiation of land and resources. There were since the mid XVIth century various pulses to fight against this trend, of which Wei Zhongxian's tenure represented the last one, and in these phases focused on the state itself is when unsurprisingly the Ming are stronger. Zhang Juzheng ended the wokou and Mongol threat and issued the much needed single-whip reforms, Wanli presided a mini-revival of the Empire until his last 15 years and tried to tax the ever more sheltered gentry, and Wei Zhongxian managed to finally stall the Manchu threat and create an effective defense network in Liaodong. The best English-language works in this regard are "State Versus Gentry in Late Ming Dynasty China, 1572-1644" by Harry Miller, the first part of "A Dragon's Head and a Serpent's Tail: Ming China and the First Great East Asian War, 1592-1598" where the Imjin War is contextualized in Wanli's reign, and "The Military Collapse of China's Ming Dynasty, 1618-44", that covers the Ming perspective on the last 2 decades of the Empire. The last two books are by Kenneth Swope.
I will never forgive Netflix for cancelling Marco Polo just before we got to see Prester John. Also for making Nayan a Catholic convert rather than a Nestorian by birth, that just felt like a huge middle finger to the Church of the East's long history of missions into Asia.
"one emperor was stupid enough to print too much paper money causing a runaway inflation" you say? that is pretty much one of the base campaing pillars for the elected president of Argentine. never tought that kind of economic issue was even possible back in those times too.
You ever notice that there are no wuxia movies set in the 20th century? My theory is that The Boxer Rebellion was such a memetically traumatic event that it created a hard line in the Chinese psyche between the time of mythical qi-gong when xian dwelled among us as hidden dragons and the time when people understood that no amount of training is going to teach you to stop or dodge a bullet.
Director Xu Haoning is adding more and more entries to that niche. Depending on how broadly you define wuxia, even Let the Bullets Fly by Jiang Wen may qualify
Not true. Huo Yuanjia, a folk hero in 19th-20th century, had many movies/tv show adaptations. Ip man, while not having any qingong, borders on magic with its kungfu
Your theory hold no water. You mixed xianxia with wuxia entirely. The earlier's story about supranatural while the latter is all about gallantry in the marginal society. See a story about yakuza or some good guy in mafia family standing up for the right things? Those are essentially wuxia stories
It’s big miss too not talk about the infamous Qing policy of Tifayifu 剃发易服 in a visual-related video, for the longest time Chinese period dramas are divided into Qing and non-Qing, the hairstyle and clothing are so fundamentally changed during this period that make Qing the most obviously identifiable dynasty.
To oversimplify history, Qing dynasty manchus were former Jurchen people who ruled northern china as Jin dynasty during the Southern Song period. So, quite a comeback.
Dear Yang, I discovered Accented Cinema just today. I was captivated by the series on the cinematic image of Chinese dynasties, as I work on a similar topic in Italy (the image of Greek and Roman Antiquity in cinema, especially in silent cinema, that is when the ‘iconographic canon’ was created from different sources). Of course I am now so curious to watch all the movies from which sequences have been taken… Huge congratulations on your work!
old movies have issue with the costume due to limited costume available, lack of information, they can use what's available. new movies have issue with the costume due to young viewer wanted to see ancient movie that has RPG element, therefore the armor heavily propped up, remodelled and actor face looked like dolls.
Yuan Dynasty rule - teaches East Asia, especially Toyotomi Hideyoshi, that while only House of Yamato, descendants of Sun God can be the Emperor of Japan, anyone can be the Emperor of China - hence their attempt to invade Ming through Korea. Mongol's attempted invasion of Japan, while failed, also sparked the Sengoku Jidai period (warring period) - exposing the weak Ashikaga Shogunate. Ming Dynasty isolationism in turn also inspired Tokugawa Shogunate to adopt similar policy of sakoku. Their embracing of Ruism ("neo-Confucianism) also pretty much shaped the traditional modern Japanese core culture. Qing Dynasty rule - also mocked in both Korea and Japan as "barbarian rule" - the start of disrespect of China that pretty much still last to this day to some degree. Imperial Japan revisionism changed the hardline neo-Confucianism attitude towards the "Barbarian" Jurchens into Manchurian "brothers". Perhaps the only positive depiction of this era is from my visit to Taipei's National Palace Museum that shows off the extraordinary flairs of Qing craftsmanship products, especially its imperial kiln. It is definitely super high quality, super detailed, almost mind-boggling to imagine that 200 years ago, they carved jades or ivories into such amazingly detailed diorama - including detailed expressive faces of its mini human depiction. It just lacked the industrial scale. I exited the museum with newfound respect for Qing era - which I grew up mostly watching Wong Fei Hung or Fong Sai Yuk defending the national honour or something like that.
Yeah their attempt to invade China through Joseon Korea (Imjin war), imagine if they won and waiting China collapse and swooping in to conquer, feel familiar? It's what happened with Manchu in our original timeline. The Japanese would probably be a minority because of heavy sinicization Their kimono would influence the Hanfu and vice versa
To consider the Qing as the only reason of China's "fall" is not only biased, but also, at some point, wicked, And to highlight the "un-uniqueness" of the origin of a Chinese emperor whilst not giving the very concept of Chinese nationality and "Han people" a thought is merely a failed attempt conducted by Japanese imperialists. Which both are still the primary goals of many "deep-state" belongings of many forces lurking and eagerly wishing to have this nation divided and carved up for them. Oh, and many things that happened or are happening in TW just happens to be a perfect example of such things I mentioned above.
No, it was during the Tang Dynasty in China that Japan started to want to wage war and invade instead of the Ming Dynasty simply being defeated by the Tang Dynasty and then paying tribute to learn from China
Thank you for this beautiful history lesson ❤ I've been waiting for part 4 and was so excited to see when most of my fave movies take place in the timeline! Thank you for adding context and and real life experiences to these wonderful stories. I appreciate you!!!
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes: Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets. Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam. Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads. Tang - Abbasid Caliphate. Song - Ayyubids against Crusades. Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols. Ming - Ottoman Caliphate. Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization. Chinese republic - Modern time
Qing is not just the century of humiliation, it major has three period, all have many movies and tv dramas. First is bloody conquer, Manchu people defeat what left of Ming dynasty and other resistance. And force Han chinese to take a the hair style like them, or be slaughtered in thousands. Second period is Qing's Golden Age, which in movies and TV drama, heroic Emperors or officals fighting against unjustice and corruptions. And the last is so called the century of humiliation you know. Even some emperor and officals want to save the empire, they are too late and too weak to do this.
Best ad for a sponsor I have ever seen, bravo ! (watched it completely and it is actually attractive, instead of habitual deterrents ) The video is fascinating, instructive, and fun too. It is also interesting how your publicity for your sponsor has evolved over the four videos.
I do think that focusing on film only to talk about ancient costumes is such a pity. With the TV series, you can go much deeper and clearer in numerous dynasties such as Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing.
That's a brilliant educational work done on how China's dynasties are portrayed in film and other media. The least I can remember is the Singapore musical Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress, set during the time Westerners encountered the Qing Dynasty, Yuan dynasty always having Marco Polo and such
Bravo and a standing ovation *clap clap*. I grew up watching wuxia and other Chinese films but having largely grown up in Australia, I've been mostly ignorant of the nuances surrounding the history of the Chinese empire and its many dynasties. This series of video essays has enlargened my view of Chinese history and the cultural touchstones throughout each. It was great to finally understand some of the historical and cultural rationales for the aesthetics depicted in the Chinese films I grew up watching. Thank you so much for doing this!!
Would really like to see a follow up video essay how the themes depict China today. Still underdogs and "humiliated"? Maybe the themes today are of a China that leads the world. Thanks for a great and well researched video essay, was super interesting!
There was a brief moment I think around 2000s to 2010s that features some western movies and literature depicting modern (or near future) China in generally positive light. One example came to my mind - in The Martian, the Chinese space agency was depicted as capable and willing to support the rescue mission of the main character who was stranded in Mars.
He actually sampled each dynasty and skipped a lot of not so significant or long ones. He could actually have spent one single video talking about just one dynasty before moving on.
Thank you for all the work you've put into making this videos. Chinese history is absolutely fascinating. Would you have a list of movies and books for each period, or important historic moment, such as the opium war, the fall of dynasties, etc? I'd love to do a deeper dive =)
This might be the best sponsor spot I've ever seen on youtube.
It was informative too. Who knew that Genghis Khan had a website?
seriously, it should win an award. I was about to skip it, but then the inventive absurdity and silliness captured me to the ending.
I'mma be honest, I spam watched this "History of China" series and flexed my new found knowledge to my mom (I'm Chinese born Canadian). Safe to say she was incredibly impressed. Actually matter of fact all the movies I watch with my parents are Accented approved films (She thinks I'm a Chinese scholar now). Keep up the good work so I can keep up the facade of being a good Chinese son :3
You know something's gone terribly wrong when the Austro-Hungarian army is colonially exploiting you, when it could barely establish a foothold just over its own border
seems that was what they claim "history" in china?
They are part of a gang called "Alliance of 8 nations", which is honestly welcomed by the Qing Empire to quell rebellions like the Taipings and the Boxers.
Being part of the gang, they hoped to get some money to strengthen their own crumbling Central European Empire.
Funny thing is the austro hungarians are the only ones who didn’t actually exploit the Chinese in their territories…
They straight up gave them citizenship.
@@nothinghappenedatpearlharb7426 Having citizenship doesn't mean they weren't exploited
But they had such a mighty navy. Some of their ships nearly didn't sink!
Please make an additional video on the depiction of the warlord era, Republic of China and People's Republic of China in Chinese movies also.
Love this whole series ❤❤
It can be more detailed: Warlord era, KMT era, Japanese Invasion, Mao's era, Deng's era, and the 21st century
I laughed and spat part of my breakfast out at the start of the Squarespace ad. Thanks for posting such a well-written and entertaining introduction to Chinese history through cinematic themes.
Will you do a series on Jin Yong's novels & adaptations?
And also how Jin Yong's 3rd edition novels were heavily based on his views in Buddhism.
I wanted to request a guide on Wu Xia too!
@@sheena9178would be cool in time w/ when there's like 4-5? upcoming wu xia games. And it'll be beneficial in channel algorithm
The Condor Trilogy notably was one of the few that was set during the late Yuan period.
@@sheena9178 and that should really start with the OGs, Huanzhulouzhu, Wang Dulu, etc... before getting to Jin Yong, Gu Long, and Liang Yu Sheng. perhaps with a preface of Water Margin as the grandfather of martial arts/heroism fantasy.
I agree. There are a lot aspect can be analyzed from Jing Yong novels. The nationalism shown on the novels or the role of females in the novels.
ANOTHER excellent, educational, and extremely well-crafted video from you -- thank you! I learned a great deal from this series, and it deepened my appreciation of Chinese history and cinema. (On a minor note, Squarespace should send you a personal letter of appreciation for the way you present them as your sponsor. I have NEVER been as entertained by anyone else mentioning them!)
You're probably the best marketeer of squarespace in YT, such funny and light way to presenting it.
I remember watching The Last Emperor on VHS in 1989 when I was seven. It was completely stunning and so colorful yet so quiet and confined to that city.
Thanks for taking us from the beginning to the end to the new beginning.
Yeah it was filmed in the actual Forbidden City, *and* mostly if not totally lit naturally.
I have been enjoying this series of videos immensely! I dont want it to end, but it also has me excited to find out what we will see in the future.
This has been an incredible series to watch. Thank you for your hard work and for sharing this.
King Hu is a master of the cinematic Ming dynasty, his films Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen are some of the most beautiful Chinese period films I've ever seen
I love all your videos, but this series has been exceptional. Such concise layout of history. Thanks for another rabbit hole to go down.
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history
The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes:
Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets.
Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam.
Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads.
Tang - Abbasid Caliphate.
Song - Ayyubids against Crusades.
Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols.
Ming - Ottoman Caliphate.
Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization.
Chinese republic - Modern time
I loved this series a lot. It's been a fun ride.
Such a beautiful afterword, I absolutely LOVED this series! Thank you so much for all your hard work and efforts into making these videos.
Ancient China's culture and technology were more advanced than those of its neighbors. So although the Mongols defeated China, which was dominated by Han civilization, they were unable to govern China. And the Manchus defeated China, but were defeated by the Chinese Han culture, and they also called themselves China.
But in the 19th century, China's culture and technology did not have an advantage over the West after the Industrial Revolution, so it was a disaster for China that had not been seen in 2,000 years. Countless Chinese want to save their nation, the Qing feudal class learned Western technology, the Republic of China bourgeoisie practiced the Three People's Principles, and the Communist Party of China practiced Marxist communism. The Chinese tried everything, and countless people gave their lives. Gladly, they succeeded, and now China is back to where it should be.
China also has an advantage that is unique to the whole world, China's history is long enough, and everything that happens in the world today has happened in China's history. So the Chinese know what an empire looked like before it fell.
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history
The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes:
Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets.
Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam.
Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads.
Tang - Abbasid Caliphate.
Song - Ayyubids against Crusades.
Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols.
Ming - Ottoman Caliphate.
Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization.
Chinese republic - Modern time
不元朝忽必烈还是自称中国皇帝只不过他们统治不行
China and India actually. Both are the advanced countries of older times.
It’s honestly fascinating that dynasty that ruled China when Marco Polo visited is seen as unremarkable from a Chinese perspective.
I've been a long time subscriber to your channel and i can say this is your best series of video essays. Well done!
The Wrath of Lee Khan directed by King Hu is one of the better Yuan Dynasty films to me. It was also Sammo Huang’s debut as an action director. This was a good series, and I enjoyed watching it.
I'm HERE FOR THE MING DYNASTY
Such a shame this series is over, loved it!
The Wanli Emperor was also ruling during Japan's invasion of Joseon Dynasty Korea, better known as the Imjin Wars. The strain on Ming's involvement in that conflict was another factor in it's decline.
Fantastic work once again.
What an amazing series.
Watching the sponsored segment made me imagining a modern mongol nomad on a horseback working on laptop
great series
dope!!! i loved this series
Americans only have to learn roughly 250 years of our countries history. I can’t imagine history class in China!
Learn the basic version in elementary school for a few years. Repeat again with more details and context in junior and senior high schools. It’s drilled into Chinese students 😭
true, but history class would never be boring😂
Would you believe that I didn't *hate* The Curse of Turandot? But probably because the opera it was based on is even WORSE (that is, plot-wise; the music is amazing.)
Puccini would have agreed with you seeing that when he died the opera still wasn't finished since he couldn't figure out how to give it a satisfying ending.
the last comment kinda hurts, the fact that china is still trying to "catch up" centuries later due to how far the decisions of the qing dynasty tripped them up. this is the main reason why we need to learn from history, and from the history of other nations
next is the republic era!!! how its first founded??
这正是我们在这个时代所需要的优秀视频🎉🎉🎉
Yang, I know you are a weeb, i hope you have discovered Jufutei Raden the hololive Vtuber.
She does similar historical-cultural breakdowns as you but regarding the Japanese art and history. And she is a bubbly anime girl (which makes her better already).
You will love her stuff.
Hello! Would you upload the timeline of China's dynasties somewhere? It looks very good and comprehensible, it could be a very useful piece of info to save, learn and teach for newbies to Chinese history
Wikipedia has that covered
Cool History Bros cover Chinese history better. This is a film channel 😂
Bro have you watched Rebel Princess? I would like to see your review about that show too. 😊
Wow the Qing dynasty. I like the clothes of that era
5:47 as a Singaporean, I recognise Jack Neo?
now im interested if there are any movies dedicated to the taiping rebellion and if anyone here had recommendations (any genre will do)
yooo, Kung Fu Cult was the shit. I still have the VCD from like 3 decade ago.
And now we are living in yet another era where an 8 nation alliance entity has appeared once again.
yup. Five Eyes + Germany + Japan + S. Korea
@@AznAfroMan513 Also Phillipines and india I guess.
The silver countries that received Cixi will be cursed. Before Cixi died, she cursed these countries, so the internal drug corruption party struggle in Eight-Nation Alliance was too much like the late Qing Dynasty.
Correction, as Europeans set sail, etc., not "the rest of the World" - Europe is not the "World" The Shogunate was even more isolationist at the time, ditto Joseon. The Mughals weren't sailing anywhere. Neither the Safavids. Lets not normalize a picture of history that acts as if European actions are somehow the "default."
true. and let's not forget that the only reason why Europe grew so powerful was because of the riches they stole during their colonial exploitation of Africa and the Americas
India at the time had sea connections with middle East and also sent pilgrims to Hajj.
@@zainmudassir2964 Sea trade and overseas colonial empires are two different things.
If we're being precise, then let's be precise - it was specifically Western Europeans. All the different Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe weren't exactly sailing anywhere either, and neither were Romanians, Greeks, Albanians, Hungarians, Balts, Tatars or Finns. Lets not normalise a picture of history that acts as if Western Europe is somehow the "default Europe" ;P
This video isn't about history, but rather how a normal/uninformed Chinese person sees history and what the cultural stereotypes are
like ur video❤
Wei the eunuch is eerily similar in character to J. Edgar Hoover
Dai Li is Eastern Depot.... there is no war in ba sing se.
6:44 300 ships is nothing the English established New England (modern day Crimea) with that much ships AFTER they had been conquered
Ah I see The Mongol’s schedule follows the Conan method.
Other way around.
@@GrandArchPriestOfTheAlgorithm touché
结尾很棒！
🏞
If you love Wuxia, then Manchus are the bad guys.
only china could unite the anglosphere, central and eastern europe, and japan. theres always a silver lining
Qing dynasty is most easiest to spot. For one they are villains in many movies. Their hairstyle, armour, official helmet with peacock feather, and beads.
Yeah, the Qing court costume really did end up becoming the archetypal uniform of every Fu Manchu, "oriental villain" type. Rather unfortunate since it's really quite beautiful clothing.
I would think it's thanks to the Chinese vampire movies
@Replicaate Many Wushu and HK martial arts films have manchus as villians.
@@sairadha674 because Machus are not considered ethnic Han Chinese but more as northern invaders
I never see a non-qing styled jiangshi, why's that though?
I'm surprised you didn't mention the biggest visual indicator of the Qing Dynasty: the queue. The iconic men's hairstyle.
Fantastic video, as always.
Yes, that was an odd mistake.
in fairness, he did mention it in the opener for the first part
Oh the ones who conquered the han chinese china the foreigners from manchuria right who conquered china
He did mention it in Part 1 of this video series. Maybe he felt that it's a given by now and thus no need to mention it again?
maybe he dosn't like it. most Chinese don't like the Qing hairstyle and cloth.
You've made many great videos over the years, but this series has been my favorite work of yours. History, culture, and comedy, edited together in a compelling multi-part story covering thousands of years of media. What a series!
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history
The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes:
Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets.
Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam.
Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads.
Tang - Abbasid Caliphate.
Song - Ayyubids against Crusades.
Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols.
Ming - Ottoman Caliphate.
Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization.
Chinese republic - Modern time
I gotta go for the Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy featuring Jet Li as my favorite Qing Dynasty-centric movies because they don’t simply display impressive martial arts stunts but it tells a story of China slowly changing with the times and the ways people embrace the change surrounding their country with folks either embracing change or stubbornly defying it.
Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy is my favourite from my childhood days and the Red Cliff saga from my youth days. Also love the film Hero.
--An Indian fan of Cinema on Historical China
OUATIC 2 ❤❤❤
@tekinfomedi Weird, since 2 is clearly the best of them,
The most profound line from the movie 'If there really is a mountain of gold, what are these western ships doing in our harbour?'
Yup. In the second film he played a part on protecting young Sun Yat-Sen to the port so he can leave the country for the time being, and there was a McGuffin Parcel, containing… THE VERY FIRST KMT PARTY FLAG.
White Snake and Chang'An (about the famous poets during the Tang dynasty) are both excellent animated features in recent years, not to be missed, both made me shed tears.
The Yuan period is absolutely fascinating to me because as you said it was a strange time. The conquered people fearing extermination or assimilation, the conquerors trying not to become assimilated themselves, the fact that China was merely the easternmost point of the largest empire on the planet but also was sort of its own khanate; there's a lot of conflict and jumbling and contrasts to dig into. It's probably also oft neglected as a setting since it was a pretty brief dynasty, barely a century when others lasted millennia.
Yet it still lasted longer than the Qin dynasty. Though the Qin had more identity and cultural contributions such as uniting the lands and establishing the imperial system.
Considering that the Yuan dealt with the beginning of the little ice age, as Kings and Generals noted, it was a miracle that the Yuan even last to a hundred years.
The Yuan, like nearly every splinter Mongol empire, had to wrestle with the dilemma of adopting and eventually assimilating into local culture or stay to the old ways. After Kublai’s death, there were Han Chinese who knew Mongolian and Mongols who knows how to speak proto-Mandarin.
I suppose there is also the whole aspect that the first Qin emperors ancestors, the kings of the Qin state lasted longer. So perhaps while the dynasty and emperors didn't last long, it fits into a narrative of Warring States prior to uniting.
@tekinfomediKorean and Japanese are also just straight up different languages that aren't as intimately connected to Chinese, so Mongol rule or not, they would always have their own evolution. Same with Vietnamese in the South.
元朝时候中国的泉州以贩卖奴隶出名，你肯定想象不到这些被贩卖的奴隶全是蒙古人🙂
Hey, I enjoyed the history lesson, but I think the visual themes that were presented in in the previous videos of the series aren't talked about so much here.
For example, Ming could mention the basket-style hats or the circular helmets. Tbh, I still can't identify quickly the difference between Song and Ming.
Qing dynasty could've definitely talked about the Manchu queue, the women's broad hairdresses, and the distinct cone-shaped hats with red tassels that even foreigners know. Growing up with Pearl Princess and Kangxi, I thought those were the definitive traditional Chinese look. I even made Qing mandarin costume for my 3rd grade halloween (which was really hard to explain to my friends).
Good point, the series was great but he forgot the figurative thread on this one, the style, he did point out the furniture remained similar.
颜色。明代的颜色比宋代的颜色更艳丽，后者更倾向于素雅和保守。事实上，这也许是因为蒙古人给汉人带来的影响太深了，导致汉人尽管成功复国，也被迫植入了DNA。另外，明代的汉人服饰有很多蒙古色彩，比如蒙古风格的帽子以及由蒙古袍演变而来的曳撒
What you thought were the definitive traditional Chinese are actually Hanfu (the Han people's clothing before Qing changed it) and their long hair bundled in topknot
你认为的是满族人的传统造型，不是汉族人的，去看看兵马俑去，那些才是汉族人的传统造型
I grew up in the Philippines, and we had a high school class about Asian history, with Chinese history being a feature. I've learned much from your four-part series than I had in my high school classes. Amazing videos!
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history
The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes:
Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets.
Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam.
Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads.
Tang - Abbasid Caliphate.
Song - Ayyubids against Crusades.
Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols.
Ming - Ottoman Caliphate.
Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization.
Chinese republic - Modern time
what Philipine school teach? Spanish history more than Asia?
@@truezyf Well, the curriculum is mostly Asian-centric, and in the earlier years, Philippine-centric. We're only taught about the Spanish Liberal Revolution in the 1800s because of them appointing a lenient Governor General, who was then replaced by a more repressive one that started the long path to the 1898 revolution.
I was on the brink of tears after I listened to the afterword. This is so well made and well written. Thank you.
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history
The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes:
Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets.
Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam.
Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads.
Tang - Abbasid Caliphate.
Song - Ayyubids against Crusades.
Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols.
Ming - Ottoman Caliphate.
Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization.
Chinese republic - Modern time
Yes, the line 'people live on' moved my heart...
It's sad that Netflix axed Marco polo only after 2 seasons. It was actual quite a exotic and well made show set against the backdrop of the Yuan Dynasty. I remember some Hong Kong TV series about Genghis Khan too as a kid. But the Yuan dynasty felt quite refreshing comparing to most shows and movies based on Tang and Qing.
i enjoyed this series throughout part 1 to 4...it's like reviewing my junior history textbooks. i love this so much and i just hope more people can see it
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history
The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes:
Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets.
Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam.
Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads.
Tang - Abbasid Caliphate.
Song - Ayyubids against Crusades.
Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols.
Ming - Ottoman Caliphate.
Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization.
Chinese republic - Modern time
@@17-MASYIt'd be an interesting video essay for sure,but definitely gonna take a lot more since the Islamic world isn't just one country
@@claudius3359 Yeah, we are currently in a divided interregnum era with no caliphate.
Your videos are amazing. Thank you so much for this series! So useful and interesting!
I'm sad the series is over. I love ancient Chinese history. It's fascinating to see how society is shaped by changing values, evolving art forms, and outsider involvement. I would love to see more videos focusing on specific stories of unique individuals in Chinese history, strange or interesting events, or regional festivals and customs throughout the ages.
I think despite not many Chinese film set in the Yuan, there were a lot of the late Song/Early Ming TV series with at least some presence of the mongols, and the west did make a lot of Mongol films inspired by Yuan. and early Qing is also a favorite for TV dramas, since Emperor Qian Long is kind of a legendary figure, though most of it are talking about his concubines and are aimed at women....
Actually, quite a lot of opera were set in the Yuan dynasty, as that was the time when Chinese opera was in its foundation year. One famous example was The Unjustified Sentencing of Dou Er. However, probably due to the tragic nature of these stories, they were not favoured to be adapted into movies.
The schedule part absolutely killed me. Genghis and Conan would be proud.
Hello, Mongolian fan here. Another informative and well-structured essay, as always. This time as a Mongolian it was interesting to see how my culture influenced Chinese's history and its films, keep up the good work!
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history
The dates are not parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes:
Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets.
Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam.
Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads.
Tang - Abbasid Caliphate.
Song - Ayyubids against Crusades.
Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols.
Ming - Ottoman Caliphate.
Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization.
Chinese republic - Modern time
蒙古粉丝，可以去看《成吉思汗》，很棒的电视剧。
@@17-MASYVery interesting. Haven't considered this perspective.
Very little influence. Yuan was well-known for its laissez-faire politics. That's its strong point and weak point, the strong being people could do whatever they wanted! The weak also being people could do whatever they wanted! That's why there was an over-correction in Ming, where the Ming emperor, literally said Yuan dynasty fell because it was too laxed, and then proceeded to impose some of the toughest restrictions ever seen in Chinese dynastic history.
Mongolian culture had more influence during Qing dynasty, with music and wrestling being favorited by the Qing court. Religion-wise, Mongol went on mass conversion to Tibetan Buddhism during Ming to early Qing period, so the culture changed a lot within itself.
You are not Mongolians. Mongolians are Mongolians in Inner Mongolia. The Golden family is Mongolians in Inner Mongolia.
Just gonna throw down another recommendation for Ruyi's Royal Love because I'm obsessed! :D It's Qing Dynasty and so so so sad/tragic I love the way it hurts lol All on TH-cam too! Also, Winter Begonia for the opera and vibes.
Yessss one of the most beautiful and bittersweet dramas!!!💜
@@fatcat1399 It hurts so bad, but i kinda love it. And the acting is so good. its a little more real to me than Yanxi Palace. I feel like Ruyi could have been a real person, that kind of misery she goes through is very true of many of us.
Ruyi’s actress is one of the best in her generation! Glad this series has its fans. Its production and writing are incredible.
@@mhawang8204 I thought its writing and directing got a liiiiittle silly or lazy or boring at time, but overall yes, its an amazing series.
THEY MADE A CHINESE VERSION OF TURANDOT, WHICH IS AN ITALIAN OPERA THAT WASN’T REALLY BASED ON ANYTHING CHINESE!?!
Nice series of videos!
I know that this is on cultural perception, and the way it is portrayed here is how it is generally viewed, but modern scholarship is making great efforts to restore the reputation of various late Ming emperors (Wanli foremost) and some of the leading statesmen, like Zhang Juzheng and Wei Zhongxian. Basically, the sources we have are extremely hostile to them because they were written by members of the privileged gentry that staffed the bureaucracy and paralyzed the country (particularly Donglin or Fushe partisans). Basically, the gentry adopted a worldview, based on zealous Neo-Confucianism, in which the country and emperors were supposed to serve them, which manifested in extreme resistance to independent action by emperors and massive scale tax evasion, as well as systemic appropiation of land and resources.
There were since the mid XVIth century various pulses to fight against this trend, of which Wei Zhongxian's tenure represented the last one, and in these phases focused on the state itself is when unsurprisingly the Ming are stronger. Zhang Juzheng ended the wokou and Mongol threat and issued the much needed single-whip reforms, Wanli presided a mini-revival of the Empire until his last 15 years and tried to tax the ever more sheltered gentry, and Wei Zhongxian managed to finally stall the Manchu threat and create an effective defense network in Liaodong.
The best English-language works in this regard are "State Versus Gentry in Late Ming Dynasty China, 1572-1644" by Harry Miller, the first part of "A Dragon's Head and a Serpent's Tail: Ming China and the First Great East Asian War, 1592-1598" where the Imjin War is contextualized in Wanli's reign, and "The Military Collapse of China's Ming Dynasty, 1618-44", that covers the Ming perspective on the last 2 decades of the Empire. The last two books are by Kenneth Swope.
I will never forgive Netflix for cancelling Marco Polo just before we got to see Prester John. Also for making Nayan a Catholic convert rather than a Nestorian by birth, that just felt like a huge middle finger to the Church of the East's long history of missions into Asia.
It would be epic if you do a modern China series.
"one emperor was stupid enough to print too much paper money causing a runaway inflation" you say? that is pretty much one of the base campaing pillars for the elected president of Argentine. never tought that kind of economic issue was even possible back in those times too.
Hi. What do you think about "The Last Emperor" by Bertolucci? How he depicted the Qing dinasty?
You ever notice that there are no wuxia movies set in the 20th century? My theory is that The Boxer Rebellion was such a memetically traumatic event that it created a hard line in the Chinese psyche between the time of mythical qi-gong when xian dwelled among us as hidden dragons and the time when people understood that no amount of training is going to teach you to stop or dodge a bullet.
Director Xu Haoning is adding more and more entries to that niche. Depending on how broadly you define wuxia, even Let the Bullets Fly by Jiang Wen may qualify
"I have yet to meet a man who can outsmart bullet" -Heavy, TF2
Not true. Huo Yuanjia, a folk hero in 19th-20th century, had many movies/tv show adaptations. Ip man, while not having any qingong, borders on magic with its kungfu
Your theory hold no water. You mixed xianxia with wuxia entirely. The earlier's story about supranatural while the latter is all about gallantry in the marginal society.
See a story about yakuza or some good guy in mafia family standing up for the right things? Those are essentially wuxia stories
pei pei pei pei. Kung Fu Vs. Acrobatic (摩登如來神掌) is a damn fine classic. lol 🤣
great heros love to eat hamburgers!
It’s big miss too not talk about the infamous Qing policy of Tifayifu 剃发易服 in a visual-related video, for the longest time Chinese period dramas are divided into Qing and non-Qing, the hairstyle and clothing are so fundamentally changed during this period that make Qing the most obviously identifiable dynasty.
To oversimplify history, Qing dynasty manchus were former Jurchen people who ruled northern china as Jin dynasty during the Southern Song period. So, quite a comeback.
Just the same name
@@snakecalmi5923Yup. Aisengero Nuerhachi founded the Jin dynasty in 1616 and history books would call it “Latter Jin”.
To be fair, the Guangxu Emperor did attempt the Hundred Days...
also didn't work :(
Dear Yang, I discovered Accented Cinema just today. I was captivated by the series on the cinematic image of Chinese dynasties, as I work on a similar topic in Italy (the image of Greek and Roman Antiquity in cinema, especially in silent cinema, that is when the ‘iconographic canon’ was created from different sources). Of course I am now so curious to watch all the movies from which sequences have been taken… Huge congratulations on your work!
old movies have issue with the costume due to limited costume available, lack of information, they can use what's available.
new movies have issue with the costume due to young viewer wanted to see ancient movie that has RPG element, therefore the armor heavily propped up, remodelled and actor face looked like dolls.
Yuan Dynasty rule - teaches East Asia, especially Toyotomi Hideyoshi, that while only House of Yamato, descendants of Sun God can be the Emperor of Japan, anyone can be the Emperor of China - hence their attempt to invade Ming through Korea. Mongol's attempted invasion of Japan, while failed, also sparked the Sengoku Jidai period (warring period) - exposing the weak Ashikaga Shogunate.
Ming Dynasty isolationism in turn also inspired Tokugawa Shogunate to adopt similar policy of sakoku. Their embracing of Ruism ("neo-Confucianism) also pretty much shaped the traditional modern Japanese core culture.
Qing Dynasty rule - also mocked in both Korea and Japan as "barbarian rule" - the start of disrespect of China that pretty much still last to this day to some degree. Imperial Japan revisionism changed the hardline neo-Confucianism attitude towards the "Barbarian" Jurchens into Manchurian "brothers". Perhaps the only positive depiction of this era is from my visit to Taipei's National Palace Museum that shows off the extraordinary flairs of Qing craftsmanship products, especially its imperial kiln. It is definitely super high quality, super detailed, almost mind-boggling to imagine that 200 years ago, they carved jades or ivories into such amazingly detailed diorama - including detailed expressive faces of its mini human depiction. It just lacked the industrial scale. I exited the museum with newfound respect for Qing era - which I grew up mostly watching Wong Fei Hung or Fong Sai Yuk defending the national honour or something like that.
Well said
Yeah their attempt to invade China through Joseon Korea (Imjin war), imagine if they won and waiting China collapse and swooping in to conquer, feel familiar? It's what happened with Manchu in our original timeline. The Japanese would probably be a minority because of heavy sinicization
Their kimono would influence the Hanfu and vice versa
To consider the Qing as the only reason of China's "fall" is not only biased, but also, at some point, wicked, And to highlight the "un-uniqueness" of the origin of a Chinese emperor whilst not giving the very concept of Chinese nationality and "Han people" a thought is merely a failed attempt conducted by Japanese imperialists. Which both are still the primary goals of many "deep-state" belongings of many forces lurking and eagerly wishing to have this nation divided and carved up for them.
Oh, and many things that happened or are happening in TW just happens to be a perfect example of such things I mentioned above.
No, it was during the Tang Dynasty in China that Japan started to want to wage war and invade instead of the Ming Dynasty simply being defeated by the Tang Dynasty and then paying tribute to learn from China
Thank you for this beautiful history lesson ❤ I've been waiting for part 4 and was so excited to see when most of my fave movies take place in the timeline! Thank you for adding context and and real life experiences to these wonderful stories. I appreciate you!!!
I wanted to make some comparison to Islamic history
The dates may not be parallel especially in the first half because the focus is more on themes:
Xia/Shang - The times of the Prophets.
Zhou - Dark chaotic age between the previous prophets and the rise of Islam.
Qin/Han - The rise of Islam and the start of the Caliphate with Rashiduns & Umayyads.
Tang - Abbasid Caliphate.
Song - Ayyubids against Crusades.
Yuan - Mamluks against Crusades & Mongols.
Ming - Ottoman Caliphate.
Qing - Decline of the Ottomans and colonization.
Chinese republic - Modern time
Nothing wrong with your pronunciation, I just realised eunuchs sounds like UNIX.
"Ming government employed UNIX in high official positions"
:D
Qing is not just the century of humiliation, it major has three period, all have many movies and tv dramas.
First is bloody conquer, Manchu people defeat what left of Ming dynasty and other resistance. And force Han chinese to take a the hair style like them, or be slaughtered in thousands.
Second period is Qing's Golden Age, which in movies and TV drama, heroic Emperors or officals fighting against unjustice and corruptions.
And the last is so called the century of humiliation you know. Even some emperor and officals want to save the empire, they are too late and too weak to do this.
You could've touched on the Taiping rebellion and the impact it caused in the late Qing dynasty.
Yeah and there’s at least one Chinese blockbuster that covered it called 投名状
ETA 11:11
Best ad for a sponsor I have ever seen, bravo !
(watched it completely and it is actually attractive, instead of habitual deterrents )
The video is fascinating, instructive, and fun too.
It is also interesting how your publicity for your sponsor has evolved over the four videos.
I do think that focusing on film only to talk about ancient costumes is such a pity. With the TV series, you can go much deeper and clearer in numerous dynasties such as Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing.
If you had told Dylan Sprouce was in a Chinese box office bomb I would have called you crazy. Yet here we are.
Marco polo stole nopdles from China and rebrand ot as spaghetti 😅
Been anticipating the final part since you started this series, absolutely beautiful work
That's a brilliant educational work done on how China's dynasties are portrayed in film and other media.
The least I can remember is the Singapore musical Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress, set during the time Westerners encountered the Qing Dynasty, Yuan dynasty always having Marco Polo and such
Bravo and a standing ovation *clap clap*. I grew up watching wuxia and other Chinese films but having largely grown up in Australia, I've been mostly ignorant of the nuances surrounding the history of the Chinese empire and its many dynasties. This series of video essays has enlargened my view of Chinese history and the cultural touchstones throughout each. It was great to finally understand some of the historical and cultural rationales for the aesthetics depicted in the Chinese films I grew up watching. Thank you so much for doing this!!
p社！看这个视频，谁教你把东厂西厂理解为北京东西两座城，eu4赶紧改一下
This video series is absolutely brilliant! I loved learning about all the Chinese dynasties. There were so many!
The Peoples Republic of China now posesses the Mandate of Heaven.
Would really like to see a follow up video essay how the themes depict China today. Still underdogs and "humiliated"? Maybe the themes today are of a China that leads the world.
Thanks for a great and well researched video essay, was super interesting!
There was a brief moment I think around 2000s to 2010s that features some western movies and literature depicting modern (or near future) China in generally positive light. One example came to my mind - in The Martian, the Chinese space agency was depicted as capable and willing to support the rescue mission of the main character who was stranded in Mars.
Ohhhh so that's who the Dai Li were based on, gotcha
This series has been my favourite one from your channel so far.
其实可以做成一个系列。十级那种，介绍第一部中文电影，介绍不同年代的电影美学，不同风格，不同朝代，各个视角不同。看过五十年代的古装电影，黑白的，还挺有意思
If only there were thousands more years of Chinese history to continue the series.
He actually sampled each dynasty and skipped a lot of not so significant or long ones. He could actually have spent one single video talking about just one dynasty before moving on.
I'd rather he go back to talking crap about modern China so I can make fun of him.
Thank you for all the work you've put into making this videos. Chinese history is absolutely fascinating.
Would you have a list of movies and books for each period, or important historic moment, such as the opium war, the fall of dynasties, etc? I'd love to do a deeper dive =)