Exploring Liao Dynasty history in INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA!

[@Odanti]

I'm glad inner Mongolia still has things to see from a longtime ago. ❤️🙏❤️

[@nickinchina2552]

Yep, some nice history here. It is such a huge province though...i need another trip!

[@johnsamu]

The great thing about your videos is that you go into the remote and NOT touristy areas. Finding REAL ancient buildings/ artifacts is refreshing. I just returned from a Guilin/Yangshou trip. This area is beautiful but has been overflowed with mass tourism which destroys the purity of it's past

[@Patches9427]

Wow! Such Beautiful Pagoda’s the rock work looks amazing!

[@koshinippo6351]

Absolutely, Inner Mongolia has many attractions worth visiting. The White Pagoda in Balin, Chifeng, and the White Pagoda in Hohhot are quite famous.

[@nickinchina2552]

It's so different from further south in China and there are so great pieces of history....but you need some long journeys to get to many of them!

[@lgeng7473]

Thank you Nick for taking us to this part of the world that seems rather isolated..❤

[@nickinchina2552]

My pleasure! Really wonderful part of the country, and yeh...not very visited it seems

[@stanbimi]

You have to publish a book on China's pagodas. (7:02) The ancient "Stone House" (Chinese Shifangzi 石房子) located within the Liao dynasty Zuzhou (祖州) prefecture established next to the Zuling (祖陵) Mausoleum for Emperor Taizu of Liao (r. 916-926) at Shifangzi Village, Bairin Left Banner, Inner Mongolia. Some scholars believe that this stone house was used for memorial rituals. Based on the calculation that granite weighs 2.94 tons per cubic meter, the total weight of these seven stone slabs is at least over 280 tons. There are still many unsolved mysteries about this stone house.

[@stanbimi]

Found online: (15:24) White Pagoda of Ancient Qingzhou in Bairin Right Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, located near Chifeng City. Constructed between 1032 and 1055 (est.) The octagonal pagoda, about fifty meters high, has seven storeys. Originally a staircase in the first storey led to upper levels, but it was dismantled later and the first storey was turned into a prayer hall. The pagoda gives the appearance of a typical multi-storey wooden structure. Each storey has brick columns, rafters, brackets, doors and windows.

[@clueless485]

Nick knows more about Chinese history than most Chinese. Respect!

[@nickinchina2552]

Still a lot to learn!

[@charleneji6759]

Exactly. Respect!!

[@nivzfrabx3718]

Amazing video as always Nick, Chinese history it's so fascinating

[@nickinchina2552]

Thanks! Some great places here. One more video to go in Inner Mongolia...then new adventures 😎

[@johnsamu]

a really good video. I am also in China now btw albeit not near Mongolia but in the South (Guangxi) It's very funny to hear you saying "I NEVER bring an umbrella" while the next shot is you holding an umbrella.

[@nickinchina2552]

It wasn't mine! my taxi driver forced me to take it 😂😂 Where are you in China?

[@koshinippo6351]

Inner Mongolia has relatively long dry seasons, especially in the grassland areas.

[@deanzaZZR]

That first pagoda deserves some more screen time. Funny that 巴林左旗南塔 gets you zero images on Google Maps but a general web search brings up content and images. This certainly is an out of the way corner of an already out of the way part of China. Yet history abounds.

[@never4ever386]

I only know about the Barin tribe because of Ying Fei, an imperial concubine to the QianLong emperor 😅

[@nickinchina2552]

I had a lot of unusable footage from the first pagoda unfortunately - It's a beauty! One more video from Inner Mongolia to go

[@koshinippo6351]

Yes, Google Maps often requires user contributions for more detailed and accurate information, and many places in Inner Mongolia are indeed unmarked.

[@个人主义-h7t]

The stone house is astonishingly beautiful. thank you Nick for taking me to the places I never knew. By the way , 07:34 was that pheasant?

[@nickinchina2552]

You are welcome, the stone house is wonderful! A pheasant? it didn't see it!

[@个人主义-h7t]

@@nickinchina2552 I mean ,,the sound😅

[@baatarbeifong7869]

Amazing video as always! The dolmen and the white pagoda were spectacular. For the latter, to carve out stone dougongs that last even until now with such recognizable and sharp forms is impressive. I wonder what is inside past the fake doors~

[@nickinchina2552]

They are beautiful aren't they! I love that they are so 'untouristy'. Thanks for your kind words!

[@soltanakouider5922]

THK U

[@MrMarlonliu]

An interesting umbrella you borrowed

[@nickinchina2552]

Hahah, it matches the prayer flags around the pagoda! ....and was full of holes 😂

[@SinglespeedB]

A very famous Khitan who I admire the most was Qiao Feng...

[@nickinchina2552]

I had to wikipedia this 😂

[@fargr5926]

Fictional figure😂

[@stanbimi]

@@nickinchina2552 The heroic protagonist in one of Jin Yong's novels. (Louis Cha Leung-yung GBM OBE, better known by his pen name Jin Yong, was a Hong Kong wuxia novelist. Wikipedia)

[@DucaTech]

Demi-Gods & Semi-Devils. Classic.

[@MightySteve001]

You have visited so many Pagodas. Have you considered writing a book on Pagodas?. I wouldn't be surprize if no one thought about it.

[@nickinchina2552]

Perhaps i should! I think by the end of winter it will be over 100

[@User-kjxklyntrw]

🎉

[@yingqiangli6026]

Fun fact, the Cathay Pacific Airway is literally the flag carrier of Liao Empire😄, since Cathay means Khitan.

[@never4ever386]

And the word for China is based on in Russian being “Kitay”

[@nickinchina2552]

Liao Dynasty Airlines, connecting the world since 916 😎

[@syncmaster915n]

Shamanism was the main religion in Northern China before Buddhism arrived. Most likely the stone structure was dedicated to that.

[@ddpete7321]

The stone house was quite interesting. I wonder how did they mined, shaped and trasported those huge stone slabs. Do you think that the stone was mined locally or do you think it's kind of like the stone statues on Easter Island?

[@RovexHD]

They still use the traditional script in Inner Mongolia. Mongolia (country) is also planning to revert back from the Cyrillic alphabet, which they adopted in the communist era.

[@ddpete7321]

Interesting to see the sign post had english translations on it. I assume that you must have a good grasp of Mandarin. Did you find much use/understanding of the english language there?

[@zhangwhack]

the com mies and later apartment builders demolished almost all the han city walls, yet they left these alone. makes you think, innit?

[@kecinakim8974]

Wait, so that dolmen is not related to the first Liao emperor’s tomb? Dolmens should be much more ancient than the 10th century… but somehow it’s right by the emperor’s tomb. I wonder if there is research on that particular one.

[@nickinchina2552]

Most studies seem to say its probably Liao, but that is basically because of it's location near a Liao tomb. A book i was reading whilst travelling stated there is a big chance it is much much older

[@oldtechie6834]

這個七層佛塔 就是七級浮屠。

[@edwardsnowden8821]

where the heck are tthe khitan people now!!

[@fargr5926]

Mostly merged into Han people. Han and Kitan were deeply mixed back in Liao dynasty.

[@DucaTech]

They are Daur Mongols, Jurchen (or Manchu), Han. Some migrated to neighbouring Kyrgyzstan and other STAN countries.

[@RovexHD]

Russians call Chinese “Khitans”.

[@zarzum]

Nick, you never disappoint! What an awesome story. Unlike most of the China related content on youtube, you certainly do a decent amount of research on your destinations. We just came back from a 45 day trip to China - the general feel is that it is getting overbuilt and commercialized , often with very little concern on preservation. But it is still a vast, ancient and beautiful country with a lot of hidden gems to be found. I guess this is where you come in as a person of genuine curiosity and a will to do research and do some travels on dusty roads. Best of luck and safe travels.