Emperor Han Wudi - Ancient China's Greatest Conqueror

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Kings and Generals' historical animated documentary series continues with a video on the history of China continues with a video on Han Wudi (Wu of Han) - the emperor of the Han dynasty who was the most prominent conqueror in early Chinese history.
More videos on Chinese History: • Chinese History
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The video was made by Andrés Cornejo and Emiliano Scolnik, while the script was researched and written by Qihan Long and Leo Stone. This video was narrated by Officially Devin ( / @offydgg & / @gameworldnarratives )
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#Documentary #China #Han

[@KingsandGenerals]

Don't have anything fun to say, as usual. Blinkist is good, though: www.blinkist.com/nc/partners/kings-and-generals

[@wangkevin3514]

second！

[@camrendavis6650]

Please oh please *OH PLEASE🙏* make a video on the Ming Dynasty Imperial Guard (Jinyiwei)

[@jordanimatedstreaming]

love the channel. can't stop watching!

[@pranabmallick01]

Please make video on Indus Valley Civilization or Seleucid-Mauryan Wars

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

You reserve the fun sayings for your videos.

[@QuestionEverythingButWHY]

“Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.” ― Sun Tzu

[@hyltoniali257]

King GouJian of Yue's bronze sword never rusted

[@budakbaongsiah]

"Well, duh." - Internet user, 2020

[@varun-xu8gv]

@Kroi Albanoi first of all the quote is not comparing two things, also the job of a sword can't be done by a spear and vice versa.

[@wisdomleader85]

"Are you sure about that?" --- Lao Tzu

[@aysseralwan]

That reminds me of the Roman Emperor that declared war on the sea I forgot his name tho

[@TheGetout04]

Chinese History is insanely dense and fascinating

[@Cys62]

Infighting throughout its tenure...and across dynasties... and yet their blood contained mostly the same genetic components among themselves. Yet they identified themselves as from different kingdoms and will fight for it to their death.

[@ihatetobethatguybut7175]

way denser than romcom anime protagonists, people really should start looking into classics for entertainment again I think

[@nehcooahnait7827]

@@Cys62 oh no... people bullshitting again

[@Cys62]

@@nehcooahnait7827 how so? Could you explain further? The infighting to my knowledge is factual, and plenty of reference materials available. Thats why there are so many dynasties, and so many murderings even in between blood related families...

[@cynkauvanyau2059]

@@Cys62 你咁講又冇話錯，但又啱唔曬，因為其實有好多外族加入嘅。咩五代十國呀，咩金人，咩蒙古，女真叉叉。。。 你可以話，全部都係中國人，咁但係點為之"中國人"？點先可以叫"same genetic components"?

[@PlayGames-mb9gh]

Han Wudi was a name given posthumously. "Han" is the dynasty, "Wu" was given because of his many military conquests during his reign, and "Di" literally means "Emperor". "Emperor Han Wudi" in the title literally has 2 'Emperors' in there

[@Zoey--]

Neat detail to know but no English speaker will know that so the title stands to inform you instead.

[@PlayGames-mb9gh]

@@Zoey-- Yep I get that :)

[@henryyeung1729]

@K John Di means emperor already. It's just like in Chinese people translated "Charlemagne" to 查理曼大帝（Charles the great the great）. It doesn't make sense

[@garyang7166]

also it can be read as unparalleled or without a match so thats fun

[@aegystierone8505]

漢武帝 literally 'Han Warrior Emperor' ....or Warrior Emperor of Han China

[@abcdef27669]

"Philosophers had no place in an Empire constructed by sword". That some Robert Erwin Howard quote right here, boys.

[@joshkoh5143]

"Your majesty may have won the empire on horseback, but can you rule it on horseback?" That was the a perfect contradicting quote from on of his advisor

[@austinng1137]

Reminds of Pompey’s “stop quoting laws when we carry swords!”

[@adebisischibetta2940]

"Conquering the world on horseback is easy, it is dismounting and governing that is hard" - Kublai Khan

[@edwardwang9170]

Romans and Greeks are exceptions for this statement?

[@JonatasAdoM]

@@edwardwang9170 They kept bickering among themselves so I'd say no.

[@Dragons_Armory]

Ultimately Wudi was both, internally he was very heavy handed and severe, and externally ruthless. However those qualities alone still does not take away his achievements. Internally Wudi's war efforts were crippling to the populace, with heavy taxes and demands for fresh soldiers. During his long rule he was not loved nor particularly respected by his own citizenry. Remember the K&G episode where it mentioned that the Han frequently killed their failed generals? Well- that, more than anything was more emblematic of Wudi's reign, where he frequently killed his generals and if he suspected treachery from them- exterminated their lines. This is not to mention his castration of the Grand Historian himself Sima Qian for criticizing him. Externally made even less friends. In short, whenever his ambassadors are killed his armies soon relentlessly followed. One has to be somewhat in awe at someone who fought tattooed Yue, the mighty Xiongu and other fierce steppe nomads, the bright haired and bright eyed Tocharians, and even Greeks and fought all of them in 1 life time- some right during the 1st contact between these peoples. Despite his rapacious wars he was unimaginative in his campaigns, despite championing the virtues of Confucianism in reality he was a harsh legalist. At the end of Wudi's rule he was so troubled with his own rule, and his wrongful forced-killing of his Crown Prince that Wu himself has to draft an Edict named "Repenting Edict of Lun Pavilion," where by he publicly apologized for parts of his misrule, his heavy taxes, and his wrongful killings as Emperor and promised the empire would turn to peace after his death. Though to be fair, this final act alone is extremely rare among political figures in history. That being said, despite all of these unsavory qualities, as previously mentioned, one cannot ignore his achievements. and must also examine his excesses In context. At Wudi's worst he was still not as draconian as Qin Shihuang. For someone who lived half a century before Julius Caesar, he didn't do to his enemies the same outright genocide as committed by Caesar on the tattooed Gauls in merely 1 generation. By contrast, Yue culture stubbornly persevered even well after the fall of the Han dynasty 200 years later. Or measured by that of his bitterest foes, the Xiongnu and the Khagans of the steppe, who frequently destroyed whole tribes and forcibly assimilated them into a greater Confederacy. At the end of the day? Perhaps Wu should be measured by his objective merits: of the qualities that endured. He roughly doubled the size of the Han empire of China during his reign, much of which even today are part of China. Confucianism became a mainstay of greater society and governing principle for 2,000 of the following years. He was the man whose heavy hands shaped 1/4 of the planet's population for millennias. In that matter (in terms of land and culture) he has few equals. For~ unlike what many, so many conquerors have done in all of history, very few of their gains could be felt by their descendants today...as compared to this harsh monarch's own.

[@williamtheconqueror7807]

And at least his empire didn't fall apart instantly like Alexander the Great.

[@idk-wv1sf]

Ok I dont know if this is a copypaste or this guy has so much time to just write a comment to get liked

[@AlIskanderZhao]

@@idk-wv1sf Dragon's Armory has his own blog

[@MrSafior]

Very interessting.

[@lerneanlion]

He then became the examples of many Emperors in the other dynasties to follow. And Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty is one of them.

[@Carlos-wp7jq]

There is a mistake in the map. Xi'an and Chang'an are the same city. Chang'an is just the old name of Xi'an.

[@wong625]

Correct

[@benitomussolini3271]

Are Chinese descendants of Mongols?

[@max26888]

@@benitomussolini3271 Some chinese are descendants of Mongols.

[@shadowl6839]

@@benitomussolini3271 Mongols are minorities

[@dongf2618]

@@benitomussolini3271 a genetic testing by the Fudan University of the Han Chinese population north and south found 1 in 1000 carried typical Mongol genes, other than that, these are pretty distinct groups and inter-marriage was quite minimal.

[@user-so8zd6bq1n]

This emperor gave the Chinese people so much confidence that since Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty, the Chinese have called themselves "Han people".

[@_Wai_Wai_]

Or Tang Ren...

[@sonicluffypucca96]

@@_Wai_Wai_And Hua Ren~

[@QQ-tv9qs]

@@sonicluffypucca96 华人包括现在中国的少数民族

[@sonicluffypucca96]

@@QQ-tv9qs 啊是的，那是中华民族

[@berrybear2465]

Han, Tang, Hua, Zhong Guo

[@grandadmiralzaarin4962]

It's always a delight to see a Kings and Generals video about China.

[@nomadichorseman]

I'm so glad to have been born in a time where such a detailed description of an Emperor is available for free.

[@eden6056]

You can read the Records Of The Granr Historian and Book Of The Later Han for more concise descriptions of his reign

[@obsidianstatue]

A mistake the video made, "Wu Di" is the Posthumous name the imperial court gave him AFTER he died. Wu Di 武帝 , means Martial Emperor. These names uses one or two Chinese characters to describe the Emperor's reign, It can be positive or negative or neutral or sympathetic. among the positive ones are Wen Di, which means "scholar emperor", Wu Di got his name of Martial Emperor for the obvious reasons.

[@david-lonewolf8924]

@@gdaman2681 Correct. The title was given after the death of each emperor, and the choose of title word depended upon the merits of the late emperor.

[@ineshvaladolenc6559]

@@gdaman2681 Actually, it was originally a 3 character posthumous name 汉孝武帝 (Han Xiao Wu - Di) The three characters from the left being 汉 indicating Han, his dynasty 孝 meaning filial And 武 meaning martial The final character 帝 is 'emperor' Later on the 孝 was dropped. Oh yeah and his birth name was 刘彻 or Liu Che.

[@heartgood950]

Han dynasty's name came from that Liu Bang, first emperor of Han dynasty was previously conferred the tile of the King of Han. "Han"(漢) referred to the region located south of Shaanxi province of modern day China. The region got the name "Han" due to it is adjacent to River of Han. The River of Han got the name because "Han"(漢) means the milky-way in ancient time and the River of Han is viewed as a reflection of the milky-way on earth by ancient astrologist. I'd like to share all these because the region of "Han" is the place where my parents were born. : )

[@ronaldkoh5281]

Thanks

[@jackgoodnight2]

I just now know that the Han are really powerful and greater. Wow.

[@Abeturk]

Kak-mak=to give direction (kakqaeun> Kakgan=which one's directing>Hakan>Kağan>Han) (Baş-khan>Başkan=president) Kak-der-mak>kaktırmak= ~to set aside Kak-al-mak>kağılmak =to be oriented via/ to get fixed anywhere >kalmak= to stay Kakıluk-mak=to tend upward >kalkmak =to stand up / to get up Kak-al-der-mak>kağıldırmak>to make it being steered away> kaldırmak = to remove Kak-en-mak> kağınmak=~to be canted> kanmak / ikna olmak= to ac-know-ledge it's so, to be convinced Kak-en-der-mak> kağındırmak= kandırmak (ikna etmek) = ~ to trick (to persuade) Tan= the dawn /旦 Tanımak= to get the differences of. /to recognize Tanınmak= tanı-en-mak= to be known/recognized Tanıtmak= tanı-et-mak=to make known /to introduce Tanışmak=tanı-eş-mak= to get to know each other =(to meet for the first time) Danışmak= to get information through each other Tanılamak=tanı-la-mak= diagnose /to identify Denk= Sync/登克/~equal > a-thank>Denge =balance Thenğe-mek>Denemek=to try to get a harmonious response in return Thenğ-mek>Değmek= to touch / to achieve a harmonious reaction teğet= tangent / tenger> değer=sync level > worth / teng-yüz>deŋiz=sea eşdeğer=equivalent / eş diğerine denk= equal to each other Deng-en-mek>değinmek = to mention / touch upon Deng-eş-mek>değişmek =to turn into something else equivalent /to get altogether a change. Deng-eş-der-mek>değiştirmek =to change it /~exchange

[@heartgood950]

Chinese language is based on hieroglyph. 汉、韩、含、旱、函、焊、翰、寒....are all pronoucned as "Han". It has nothing to do with Turkic language. Thank you.@@Abeturk

[@Abeturk]

Yeğ / Yüğ = upper, superior Yeğ-mek > Yemek (to eat)= to add on oneself, to take it in one's essence Yeğ-im> Yem= provender, fodder > Yemiş= fruit Yüğ-le-mek > yeğlemek = to keep it on top of others, make it relatively superior, ~to prefer Yüğ-ka-yer-u > yukarı =(which side is on top) = Up Yüğ-ce > yüce = superior in level /sublime Yüğ-ce-al-mek > yücelmek = to achieve superiority in level Yüğ-sü-ek > yüksek = high Yüğ-sel > yüksel = exponential , superlative Yüğ-sü-al-mek> yükselmek = to rise to a high level, to ascend Yüğ-sük > yüzük =(ring)= jewelry worn on the finger top Yüğ-sü-en-mek > yüksünmek= to feel slighted / take offended Yüğ-ük > yük =(load)> carried on top, undertaken Yüğ-ün > yün =(wool)> the feathers that on sheep Yüğ-üt > yiğit =(valiant)> superior in character Yüğ-en > yüğen /yeğen =(nephew)> which is kept superior, held in high esteem, valued, precious (yüen > yen 元) Yüğ-en-cük > yüğençüğ > yinçi (inci) =(precious little thing)> pearl , 珍珠 Yüğengi >yengi> yeni =(new)> it's coming on top, coming after Yüğenge > yenge =(brother's wife)> who's coming after, added to the family later (new bride) Yüğ-üne /Yeğ-ine > yine/ gene =again /over and over > yeniden = anew /once more Yüğ-en-mek> yenmek = to overcome, to cope with, to subdue Yüğ-en-el-mek > yenilmek= to be overcome, to be subdued, to show weakness Yüğengil > yengil =remains on top of, light, weak Şan= Glory, splendor 單于 > Şan-Yüğ =Exalted glorious Yormak=to tire= to arrive over someone (too many). (too much) to go onto (Yörmek)> Örmek=(to operate on something), to weave on top , to wrap around (Yörümek)> Yürümek= to go over something, to wander around (yöre=precincts) (yörük=nomad) Yürümek= to walk (yürü=go on) Yülümek=to go by slipping over something Yalamak= to lick >~to take swiping/ by scraping on something off Yolmak= to pluck=to pull by snatching off, tear off (~flatten the top) Yılmak=to throw down from the one's own top (~get bored), to hit the ground from above (yıldırım=lightning…yıldız=star) Yurmak= to pull onto, cover over (yur-ut>yurt=tabernacle) (yur-gan>yorgan=quilt) Yırmak=to bring it on top of, to take it off (yırışmak>yarışmak= to race> to overcome each other) (Yır-et-mak)>Yırtmak= to tear= to get it inside-out or bottom to top (by pulling from both sides) (~tide over, get rid of it) Yarmak= to split, to tear apart= go vertically from top to bottom, separate by cutting off Yermek=to pull down ,pull to the ground Germek=to tense= to pull it in all directions > Sermek= to spread it in all directions Yıkmak= to demolish= overthrow , take down from top to bottom, turn upside down Yığmak= to stack= put on top of each other, dump on top of each other (yığlamak=shed tears over and over, cry over) Yağmak=get rained on, get spilled on / to pour down from above Yakmak= to burn out=to purify matter by heating and removing mass , reduce its volume Yoğmak=make condensed=to tighten and purify, narrow by turning, get rid of own volume (~get dead) Yoğurmak= to knead=tighten and thicken , reduce volume, bring to consistency (Yogurt=thickened milk product) Yuğmak=to purify squeezing to clean (Yuğamak>yıkamak= to wash) Yiv = sharp, pointed (yivlemek= sharpen the tip) Yuvmak=to squeezing thin out, narrow (yuvka>yufka= thin dough) (yuvka>yuka=thin, shallow) (yuvuz>yavuz=thin, weak, delicate) Yuvarlamak=to round off=narrow by turning (yuva (smallest shelter)= nest) (yavru (smallest)= cub ) Yummak=to shut by squeezing, close tightly (Yumurmak=make it closes inward) (yumruk=fist) (yumurta= egg)

[@jasonyin9091]

After the incident in 90BC, the emperor released an edict (罪己诏) outlining his crimes for burdening the populace during his reign with various projects and conquests. Few emperors throughout Chinese history have had the humility to admit their own shortcomings.

[@user-rf2pk1dw2i]

确实，前两天有个本子的频道讲汉武帝我也回复的和你一模一样

[@baa0325]

Least of all the current dynasty.

[@howiechang8516]

@@Joshua_Nguyen0630 Just like your life

[@szw7729]

@@Joshua_Nguyen0630 poor you.

[@makcjiw7704]

@@Joshua_Nguyen0630 Sure professor, mind explain it for us why is it fake, and show your evidence? Otherwise people will only think about you as a bullshiting bot.

[@Dragons_Armory]

Emperor Wu, ~ Wu 武 could be translated as The "Martial One" or the "Warrior" signifying his half century of wars. * A qualifier that his successors bequeathed on him

[@Dragons_Armory]

@@Muramasa1794 Damn straight, Pal 👋😎

[@akapbhan]

Every warring dynasty has a Wu. Only weird Wu is Wu of Liang. Man would one second be ruling normlly next second showing up in Buddhist monastery

[@richardlouis779]

Western ppl still don’t know what Wudi means, Wu means this emperor stronger in military or territory, Di means emperor, ex. Wendi , wen means this emperor good at culture, education or empire management, Wudi or Wendi or other di is a royal respected honorific (just one Chinese character) given by next emperor and imperial government when the emperor complete his duty.

[@amdiel2422]

“Only when a Mosquito lands on your testicle will you truly understand the meaning of solving a problem without violence ”- SUN TZU

[@Alfaspring]

Wtf. Sun Tzu said that?

[@AlexanderaPopova]

@@Alfaspring i think it's a joke ..

[@jerryzheng7114]

This is a good one, my friend.

[@TK-pl9cu]

What would you be doing that would allow a mosquito to land on your testicle?

[@bernardoheusi6146]

ROFLMAO

[@sidtovey]

I've been subscribed for a few years now and if anything I'm becoming more amazed at the quality of these videos, especially given the frequency. Completely without equal, even compared to full TV studios.

[@jifa17]

Wow, that's a truly marvelous video. Very informative. Han Wudi cannot be understated, indeed.

[@Intranetusa]

Great video. These more focused videos that discuss a single person and/or a shorter timeperiod are much more appropriate than much less focused videos about broad subjects and timeperiods (such as K&G's previous video about ancient Chinese armies that tried to cover a huge topic spanning a thousand years and ended up riddled with inaccuracies and other issues).

[@scharlachnachtfalter1900]

I would argue Tang is China's golden age, culture-wise, influence-wise and martial-wise.

[@petermills3814]

It seems that China had several golden ages throughout its long history.

[@1984417rock]

Han dynasty is more like Militarism dynasty, at that time han Chinese more warlike people, still carried those spirit from The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. You know Confucius was not just a thinker and educator, but he was also a warrior, he is tall and strong, record says he is 190CM tall. He knows how to fight, he is good at toxophily and he always carry a sword with him. He also taught his students how to shoot arrow and that's one of his teaching from his education. Unfortunately those original teaching faded away after when people modified it and only focus on his literature education rather than physical education.

[@lordkent8143]

Han is like China's Ancient Golden Age. Tang is Medieval Golden Age. Ming could have been the Renaissance Golden Age with the treasure fleet but alas it was too short and couldn't ignite for it to be one.

[@dongf2618]

@Daisy Wong Song dynasty was hosting the largest professional army in pre-modern history, too.

[@richardlouis779]

@Daisy Wong Song is a super rich Dynasty and great in culture but the military operations too weak and a bit shame to talk about it.

[@Monke-fj2qz]

I love this channel, you guys cover content from all across the world. Learned stuff here that I would never have learned elsewhere.

[@dimitribagatelas1714]

I love the new quality of the infographics and animations! Keep up with the great content. I´m a loyal subject of the kings and Generals Banner!

[@richardcharay7788]

Another excellent and interesting historical video. Thanks!

[@akapbhan]

Wu of Han is possibly the most ballsy emperor ever. Who even thinks about invading steepe nomads on Horse back through a desert. He paid a huge cost in horses and man power but escaped Xiongnu hegemony and became emperor of China.

[@AlIskanderZhao]

Kangxi is also mentioned in this video. But Kangxi led a vast army into the heart of Mongolia to fight Galdan, and by some kind of miracle, won.

[@muic4880]

@@AlIskanderZhao It is different, Kangxi had the support of the Mongolians who was part of the Qing's banner army.

[@AlIskanderZhao]

@@muic4880 For sure it's not the same. But still, while his army had Mongolians he still had to maintain massive grain supplies like a traditional sedentary army would. Though. Yes, the Mongol allies were a massive help during the campaign.

[@TheSamuraijim87]

It is not so much ballsy as arrogant and unwise. It's difficult to continue an effective campaign when an army is bleeding to death. There's not much sense in leading an infantry army on a chase against mounted archers. WuDi succeeded in winning a victory, but the Xiongnu remained and he lost hundreds of thousands of men in the endeavor. Good for his reputation, but not for China. China's history works in cycles - unity or division, Han vs Non Han, North and South, nomadic or feudal domination. While he may have made a moment of strength, hundreds of thousands died for it, and the nomads remained. New khans would always be ready to take advantage of a moment of weakness in the cycle.

[@day2148]

@@AlIskanderZhao also when Kangxi was emperor, the Manchu still relied on their Eight Banners as their army, who were nomadic of background and didn't need a massive logistics train. Han Wudi meanwhile had to use... well, han troops, from sedentary agricultural societies.

[@maldito_sudaka]

thank you so much for this video. It's hard to find truly exciting East Asia history videos such as these.

[@huseyincobanoglu531]

Great documentary, thanks Kings and Generals Team!

[@azazzelx]

he did made an enduring mark in the Chinese history and its national identity...

[@henkwilliemadriannusvander1955]

How this channel only has 1.5M subs is beyond me. Free unbiased lessons in the history of the world, well-narrated with high-quality visual aids, it should be in the subscription list of everyone with access to the internet on this planet.

[@lukang72]

Fascinating! Your videos on China, especially about the uniqueness of the different people in the south, are fantastic!

[@TDD-xf9ij]

These videos are fantastic. Glad I found them! 🙂 Very immersive.

[@SM-gd2rn]

The art style looks amazing I hope you use It more often

[@aa-uq1qj]

This is the number 1 history channel on KZbin, hands down! Everything from your in depth research to your amazingly animated videos really bring history to life. Please keep it up!

[@beno1129]

At this point, I always go ahead and click 'like' before even watching K & G content. The level of consistency and continuous improvement in quality is first-class!

[@deanzaZZR]

好好做。Bravo! This will serve as a great teaching tool for many years.

[@zakariamussa3703]

east asian history is underrated

[@budakbaongsiah]

@@YuuSHiiiN Oddly it's also constantly about its military history.

[@Fenniks-]

@@YuuSHiiiN Nothing wrong with that besides it makes sense for Europeans to be taught European History and for East Asians to be taught East Asian History. Of course i still think its important to know other world history rather than just European :)

[@zakariamussa3703]

@@Fenniks- rome is European empire? Never knew bro, i was told my home country of Syria is rich in roman history.

[@Fenniks-]

Of course the Roman Empire is European by your logic the British Empire was an Indian Empire because It had territory in India

[@zakariamussa3703]

@@Fenniks- also more roman emperors from the Middle east And North african than most European countries

[@doringgray6952]

While I see lots of people are talking about the "Wu" meaning, Wu is given by the government scholars. And I can give you a short list here: Wu(武): successful in conquer and military activities Jing(景)：successful in economics activity. Wen(文): knowledgeable , kind successful guided the empire. Zhao(昭): Kept the empire runs in nice shape. Xiao(孝): loyal to the empire and it's people. Xuan(宣): Controlled by other nobles but the empire runs nicely. Guan Wu (光武): successfuly re-covered a empire. Li(戾): Tyranny. Yang(炀): Pervert and and scary. Huan(桓): stupid piece of sh*t. Ling(灵): nothing but a f*cking idiot Ai(哀): dead before he can do anything.

[@derekblackwell2601]

Seriously, Are the last 4 true? If it is, I laughed.

[@doringgray6952]

@@derekblackwell2601 Yes, Direct meaning Yang(炀): Hot smoke : Very enthusiasm (too much), can't control his emotion. Huan(桓) : A side beam of some building : Nice shape, but If I put it away, the building would still be ok (Useless) Ling(灵): Spiritual....While in the west spiritual would mean something religious and good, however, in here it means the guy (emperor) always thinking "spiritual" or his mind is some-how un-stable. Ai(哀): Sadness...Most emperor that named by a scholar with this word after death means: he dead before 15

[@patriceesela5000]

Fascinating portrayal...you've done it again, K&G

[@thedirty530]

I saw this recommended this morning and got so excited! I really am thankful for all your videos! It's the absolute best method for teaching those who want to learn...I think videos like these could influence the way we look at education. Especially in the age we live in now!

[@richaragonzales1355]

Sweet! I have been really in to Chinese history/mythology since watching the Three Kingdoms tv series, I hope you eventually cover it in as much depth as Rome and Greece

[@TheWolverine01]

@@unlivethesystem8634 lol what that guy have said?

[@TheWolverine01]

@@unlivethesystem8634 disgusting

[@TheWolverine01]

@@unlivethesystem8634 a strange man 😂 what world we live in

[@sigmalew6651]

Little travia which relates to latest news. If you are into Chinese mythology, look it up of all the names of the rockets, satellites, landed rovers, they are all named after Chinese mythology in relate to the specific planet or space they go. For example, the sloar detection satellite was name KuaFu 夸父，who is a part of the Chinese Genesis, he chased the sun till he die. The very latest Mars rover is called ZhuRong 祝融，he's the first God of Fire, who gives fire and lumiere in the night to human.

[@firestorm1088]

I'd like to see a comparison of Confucius' ideas about ruling by sagely virtue and Plato's ideas about the philosopher kings.

[@JonatasAdoM]

I went from watching the Danelaw, to the Ikko Ikki to the Emperor Han Wudi. Your channel sure is an eclectic one.

[@danshakuimo]

H&G needs to make playlists for the different series.

[@Dwumper]

The illustrations are top notch, love em'.

[@HNCS2006]

I would love a video by Kings and Generals on the rise of the Qin empire. Such an amazing story with lots of colourful characters, like the King who was crushed to death because he tried to raise with his bare hands a super heavy sacred 'pot'.

[@yao842]

Yes. And many well-known battles occurred during that time. For example: Battle of Changping.

[@jingshen5679]

and this man was known as the king Wu of Qin. Yes the same Wu “武” as Han Wu Di himself

[@jayshen84]

Go read the manga "kingdom"

[@HNCS2006]

@@jayshen84 Ah. I've read many novels based on this era. My main request is for Kings and General since they do amazing documentaries.

[@denglinzhiniao]

秦武王😂

[@day2148]

Two amazing facts left out... (1) Wudi is one of the few historical leaders who elevated a "slave" to one of the highest ranking positions in the Empire -- Wei Qing, a stablehand serf before Wudi met him, was promoted all the way to "Grand Commandant" of the Empire's armies. (2) Wudi is also one of the only monarchs in history to issue a nationwide edict apologizing for his policy-making mistakes (too much war and neglecting the society's welfare, mistakenly killing the crown prince) in the Repenting Edict of Luntai.

[@thisasiankidistrashfordram374]

Another Fun Fact: Emperor Wu blessed the union of ex-serf General Wei Qing to Wu's favorite sister, Princess Yangxin. Princess Yangxin's/Pingyang's 1st marriage happened to be into the family that Wei Qing used to serve, so she knew him & his sister(the future wife of Emperor Wu) from when they were still Serfs. Princess Yangxin was also the matchmaker between Emperor Wu & his new Empress Wei Zifu. So the Wei siblings both became real life Cinderellas.

[@aGr3atD4y]

Excellent video, as always!

[@allanhunnicutt8887]

Brillisnt, as always.

[@UniversalHourglass]

His voice already make a marvelous history.

[@sanshunjin5965]

Thank you for doing this

[@kingofcrimson4177]

Qin Shi Huang needs a video too, along with the other Ancient Chinese emperors. Good work btw. Didn't know about Han Wudi until now.

[@neojso]

I am not sure if I missed it or it doesn't mentioned at all - actually it was the two previous two emperors (Han Wu's father and grand father) that made everything possible. In the half century, they ruled the China so good that it was said there was too many food the storage could not hold, too many money (made of steel) turns rusty and the society was so safe that people didn't have to close door at night. These two emperors played equally significant role as Wu, if not bigger. Anyway great video, I am already looking forward to the next episode, would it be the famous three kingdom era? 👍😁😍

[@TsunamiMT]

Han Wudi is the title given after his death, roughly translated as temple title. Han is the name of the country, wu roughly translates to fierce/military/fighting ability as a summary of his achievement, di means emperor.

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , K&G .

[@jessjiang7337]

From the Spring and Autumn Period (followed by the Warring States Period) to the Three Kingdom Period is probably one of the most interesting and fascinating eras in world history.

[@Eiensakura]

The Civ 6's rendition of Jasmine Flower just fits so well.

[@budakbaongsiah]

Geoff Knorr's works on that game is just immaculate.

[@AkasakaS2000]

A small correction at 5:17 Chang'An is the old name of Xi'an. They are the same (geographically)

[@jqliu987]

Xian on map is probably Luoyang

[@AkasakaS2000]

@@jqliu987 very likely indeed!

[@eloy618]

During Tang Dynasty there was no “city”, only prefectures (府) over counties (县). Tang palace was located in ChangAn County (长安县) which was part of Capital Prefecture (京兆府). Capital Prefecture was renamed XiAn Prefecture (西安府) in the 1500s, which then became XiAn City (西安市) in modern China. The core areas of ChangAn County (like where the Tang palace was located) was divided into the several urban districts of XiAn City, while the remaining parts became modern-day suburban ChangAn District (长安区) under XiAn City. It confuses most Chinese as well, so people will just say ChangAn is the old name of XiAn, which is not wrong.

[@znco180]

@@jqliu987 No,in China there is a saying 'Chang'An is the capital in the west,LuoYang is the capital in the east'.LuoYang is still called LuoYang nowadays,while Chang'An changed into Xi'An.

[@jqliu987]

@@znco180 The map in video is incorrect.

[@stephenschan]

Great video! However, the phrase is “something is so great and influential, its impact cannot be OVERstated.” Keep up the good work!

[@cheekuchaudhary8426]

Nice work

[@aryachris1908]

Finally some ancient history Edit: i love this channels i just like ancient history more

[@JonatasAdoM]

Ancient and History go hand to hand.

[@kevingao6853]

Amazing use of Civ 6’s amazing rendition of 茉莉花！

[@enesakhan4032]

is it just me or did they release 3 videos within 4 days? omg thats a damn good thing to see :D

[@MyVoidsVoice]

Taking a class on the art during this period nice seeing this

[@Galland780]

Oh ma gad, a video about a Chinese emperor? From the Han Dynasty? Damn my day couldn't get any better!

[@yuanruichen2564]

Restore the Han at all costs

[@Galland780]

@@yuanruichen2564 make Han great again!

[@purevjargalpuujee4845]

@@Galland780 make Virus great again!

[@andrewcheng2113]

@@purevjargalpuujee4845 Sure

[@lyhthegreat]

@@purevjargalpuujee4845 it's still doing great all over the world now isn't it?

[@edwardtan7283]

I still believe that domestically, the greatest contributor to the rise of western Han dynasty was Han Wendi. He basically reconstructed the Chinese society. Which suffered the chaotic wars during the Qin-Han transitioning era, and the massive militaristic power struggles between empress lv and other feudal lords after Gaozu's death. Wudi had a very stable nation and a massive treasury under his command when he ascend. He was also clever at using the right personnel and course correct at dire times. The path he chosen could easily him made him into more controversial figures like Qin Shihuang and Sui Yangdi. They all made remarkable contribution to the future of Chinese civilization but at the expense of the vitality of the empire.

[@Mi-guo-wai]

Since you guys have already done a couple of videos about Philip of Macedon's rule, military eforms of Alexander the Great and the wars of Diadochi, could you cover the pre-prequel and the main story as well? Main story is obviously Alexander's rule and conquest whereas the pre-prequel would be the awe-inspiring March of the Ten Thousand a.k.a. the Anabasis which (as far as I know) inspired Philip to devise a plan to conquer Persia. Apart from that, great video here, I'm studying Sinology so Chinese-themed content is always much appreciated. Keep it up guys!

[@dma8728]

like this video a lot, please make more on Chinese history

[@HNCS2006]

Yes Yes Yes! Haven't watched it yet, but hopefully you guys mention Wei Qing and Huo QuBing, who are both basically buried next to the emperor out of thanks for their achievements. now on to watching. liked!

[@wertin200]

Have they been mentioned?

[@eggtarts286]

They were mentioned in the battle of Mobei.

[@HNCS2006]

@@wertin200 for 1 second yes. haha. i thought this was going to be a more military focused video since it was titled "conqueror". but turned out to be much more political and broad.

[@QuestionEverythingButWHY]

"Not all battles are fought for victory. Some are fought simply to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield." -- Ravish Kumar

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

Who is this person

[@sunilkumarroy3735]

@Muhammad Saqib he is an Indian media reporter.

[@pinkyfinger9851]

@@ShubhamMishrabro NDTV waala jhantu

[@Account.for.Comment]

True.

[@HVLLOWS1999]

K&Gs Historical biographies are fire! I’d love more of them.

[@curiousalchemist]

Such a great video! Thanks so much! Though, the usage of the Civ 6 soundtrack kept making me switch to Steam, only for me to realise the game wasn't on...

[@user-zy3vh1qp1n]

fun fact:Han means galaxy in the ancient chinese,even few chinese know that in modern time

[@gordonchao3074]

If Han came from the Han River and the Han River's name came from the galaxy, what's special about the Han River so that it was named after the galaxy?

[@duonglam8055]

Come on, Liu Bang was King of Han Zhong and he named his new kingdom is Han, that’s it

[@user-zy3vh1qp1n]

@@gordonchao3074 古人喜欢讲天人合一，地上的大江和天上的银河流向一致就强行配对了

[@user-zy3vh1qp1n]

@@duonglam8055 before Liu Bang was born， Han was used to refer to the Milky way，it was first recorded in the "The Book of Songs"West Zhou，long before Han dynasty

[@lyhthegreat]

@@gordonchao3074 probably because the river was used as line to separate the chu and han territories after the fall of the qin dynasty? kinda like the one on the chinese chess. tbh i thought the han river was in korea.

[@lerneanlion]

Can you do a video about Kangxi Emperor, please? His reign is considered be the peak of the Qing dynasty.

[@emperorkaido8539]

great video i hope that you get to 2million subs soon

[@animegeek8288]

the whole china is a long history still learning more ...good video keep it up 👌

[@eden6056]

Probably due to the tradition of keeping historical records. If you are interested , you could read the 24 histories , which are 24 books that document most of Chinese history from the mythical Huangdi to the Ming Dynasty

[@nguyenhabinh5713]

Could you make a video about Han Xin ?

[@pimppvevo9225]

You need to do a series on the MING DYNASTY of china and the QING

[@thanakonpraepanich4284]

Ming, the last hurrah of Han Chinese culture and some would argue actually better than Tang? And could we consider Qing Dynasty the cradle of Modern China, where the world kicked the door down into China making splendid isolation a thing of the past?

[@user-ni1fh8fr9h]

@@thanakonpraepanich4284 Qing sucks

[@t.3465]

@@user-ni1fh8fr9h what about kangxi

[@t.3465]

@@thanakonpraepanich4284 hongwu be like

[@bambooim9977]

qing is a pain in every han chinese

[@Darth_Enigma]

Wow I'm actually super early for once, feels good man.

[@patriciospamer1995]

Best KZbin channel ever

[@KennyDog]

I am Chinese. Thanks for making this awesome and fantastic video. In my opinion, I don’t think Hanwu Di is the greatest conqueror in Chinese history. I think Hongwu Emperor who is the founder of Ming Dynasty is the greatest. Hongwu Emperor saved China out of Mongolian’s hand and conquered Yuan Dynasty which was founded by Mongolian. Also he is the only emperor who conquered the country from south to north successfully. The most important thing is that he was a beggar at beginning but rose to the top in Chinese history. Could you please make a video to introduce the Hongwu Emperor: Zhu Yuanzhang. Thanks!

[@mr.k1611]

No. The Greatest were the soldiers who did all his biddings.

[@Al-waqwaq]

岳飛はどうですか

[@mr.k1611]

@@Al-waqwaq I see

[@transhah5444]

Could you maybe also give us a history of the countriesof ancient South-East Asia. Particularly Malaya or even Vietnam.

[@jgordon9022]

A few things to note: 1. Liu Che chose Confucianism mainly for its agenda of "harmony" and the hierarchical understanding of society. The Confucianism under his rule was re-created and reimagined by his scholars led by Dong Zhongshu and is vastly different from what Confucious originally had in mind. 2. "Han Wu Di" is the title given after his death, an honorary title to conclude his deeds in life. If you called him that when he was alive, it would be a quick one-way ticket to the chopping axes. 3. The Dowager represents the historically powerful branch of nobles known as "外戚", relatives of the emperor but not part of the royal family. They are usually the emperors' spouses, powerful concubines, and their family circles. The emperors of China have gone through centuries and centuries trying to rid themselves of the influence of this type of nobilities, and the Han dynasty is one that was notoriously plagued by the influence of the so-called "外戚".(Just Imagine the Lannisters to Robert Baratheon)

[@jiahaowang736]

Thank you for another great video! Small observation though...the character for Han is written incorrectly several times...it should be written as this: “漢”, whereas the flag is missing the left side radical and has the wrong top radical in another segment.

[@ArturHolanda91]

At 5:10 chang`an and xian are portraited as different cities, but if i`m not mistaken xian is just modern chang`an

[@laiyuzeng8195]

Xi'an is modern (peace in the West), Chang'an (eternal peace) is ancient name of modern day Xi'an. I think the video wanted to portray Xi'an's location (judging by its more Eastern location and closer to the yellow river on the map) as Luoyang, but got it mistaken.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Well, Xian on the map is where Luoyang is, so they screwed up the Han's twin capitals. Luoyang, btw, was the better capital because it was defensible from all sides. The River to the north, mountains to the south, and the Gates to the east and west.

[@musAKulture]

@@andrewsuryali8540 actually luoyang had always been the worse capital defensively. that's one of the main reasons why chang'an was selected as the han capital to begin with. ask zhang liang and xiao he.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

@@musAKulture Luoyang was geographically more defensible than Chang'an, which is why it was the fallback position of many dynasties facing nomadic incursions. By the time of the Song it had become the "western" capital and the bulwark of the dynasty's defense, primarily due to the poor showing of Chang'an with the numerous sacks it experienced after the An Lushan rebellion. While a supernatural explanation is often given for Liu Bang's motive to try to move the capital to Luoyang, the more likely reason is that he already understood that Luoyang would be better to defend in the long term. The reason Zhang Liang convinced him not to move was because in his lifetime the enemy was not the barbarian to the west but the Chinese to the east. Chang'an had strategic depth that the ideal capital, Luoyang, didn't, against the vassal kings. Also, at this time they could rely on the existing defenses of Qin's massive wall at Han Gu Guan but Hu Lao Guan had been in an unfortified state for decades. Refortifying Hu Lao Guan would have sent the wrong message to the vassal kings. Furthermore, Zhang Liang fully understood that Chang'an was weak to attacks from the west. That was exactly why he forcefully settled the nobles there, to get them to focus on the Xiongnu problem. This situation remained the same all the way to Wudi's reign, when he finally solved it. However, he also solved the barbarian problem by his expansionist policies, so there was no need to move the capital during the height of the empire's power. By the time of Wang Mang, control of the West had been largely lost and Chang'an would later be sacked by a peasant rebellion. Guangwudi looked at a very different situation than Liu Bang. The Chinese to his east were loyal (but not completely trustworthy) and the barbarians to the west looked scary. He needed a capital that was easily defended from all sides, not one that could provide him strategic depth against his own subjects. So he went east, moved the capital where Liu Bang had intended, and INVERTED the facing of Han Gu Guan's gate to the west. The barbarian situation took another century to resolve with a slow and painful reestablishment of imperial control to the west. When the capital moved again, the situation had again reverted to that of Liu Bang's time, with a ruler who needed strategic depth from fellow Chinese.

[@laiyuzeng8195]

Honestly when I play Total War 3 Kingdom, Luoyang and Xi'an were some of the hardest place to capture and keep. I felt that Luoyang was more vulnerable as it's more on a crossroad. Xi'an was more towards the edge of the middle Kingdom, surrounded 3 side by mountains. When I captured Luoyang, I tend to be attacked from all direction XD don't forget that Luoyang was closer to the Yello river which serves as Highway for s log of armies of different factions

[@oldwong5977]

Many people will ask how powerful is the Han Dynasty under Han Wudi. I tell you Chinese remember ourselves as Han or Tang. Han Wudi defeated the Huns so many times that a portion of them migrated westwards and caused the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.

[@Freya27395]

Huns attacked Romans like 5 centuries later. How does these two relate?

[@benitomussolini3271]

China fake history

[@Freya27395]

@Barry Stern yes but not 500 years!

[@aboutraore6754]

@@benitomussolini3271 get educated please

[@lanheg]

4:59 Small note - During 154 BC, the reigning emperor to fight the 7 kingdoms rebellion was the "Jing" emperor Liu Qi. On the screen it wasn't implied, but looked like GaoZu was still reigning from an earlier point.

[@1984417rock]

I hope Kings and Generals will make another video about one of the greatest general huo qubing from west Han dynasty. He led a campaign into the Gobi Desert of what is now Mongolia to defeat the Xiongnu nomadic confederation, winning decisive victories such as the Battle of Mobei in 119 BC, then continued his pursuit as far as Lake Baikal. He achieved all of that just in his age 21 and died in age 23.

[@neocomp92]

Speaking about the beginnings of the Han dynasty, you should have touched upon the preceeding era of Chu-Han Contention. Specifically the incident at Hong Gate. Also, should have explained much about familial extermination. Hint: it doesn't just kill the immediate nuclear family of the convict.

[@lyhthegreat]

but the whole point of the video is to speak about han wu di, not his ancestor's struggle for the throne

[@jackysun2986]

The greatest Eastern emperor, Han is the east equivalent to west Rome empire.

[@aegonii8471]

@@purevjargalpuujee4845 Wtf are you talking about dude China was easily on the West and Middle East level of not greater in some parts of antiquity.

[@madterps]

The Mongols are the equivalent of Alexander the Great and maybe even greater.

[@dwarasamudra8889]

You mean East Asian emperor

[@user-nj7me9th2i]

@@purevjargalpuujee4845 哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈哈啊哈哈哈哈

[@user-nj7me9th2i]

@@purevjargalpuujee4845 无知到这种地步真是可笑

[@benyangbinghan4759]

Please do cover how Liu Bang came into power! His interactions with Xiang Yu is the stuffs of legends with historical events like "Hongmen Banquet"!

[@kashishahmad5818]

Hats off for animation!!

[@razif2450]

China's only Golden Age: Han Tang: Hold my gunpowder. Song: Hold my paper money.

[@petermills3814]

Ming Dynasty: Hold My Treasure Fleet Hold My New Capital City of Beijing Hold My Forbidden City And Hold My Own Ming Version Of The Great Wall of China! Qing Dynasty: Hold My Opium! = I Mean Catnip!!! 🚬🚬🚬🚬😂🤣😅😆😋❗💲🤑😢😭😨😩🤯🥵😳🤪😵🥴😷🤒🤕🤢🤮🥳💀☠👻

[@hyltoniali257]

Gunpowder was invented in Song. Paper currency started in Yuan

[@plushsu8078]

@@petermills3814 PRC: Hold My Grand Infrastructure

[@lololman]

@@petermills3814 Actually Ming was also the first nation in history to field large numbers of cannons and other gunpowder weapons, the only problem was their manufacturing industry hadn't caught up with the advancement in weapons design, otherwise, there might not be a Qing Dynasty.

[@xiaoriben100-um7nz]

@@hyltoniali257 paper currency originated in Song dynasty. Yuan dynasty made paper bonds.

[@yousafmehmet]

Long live the Han!

[@NightcorEDM]

🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳 glory to China and Chinese people

[@benitomussolini3271]

Long live corona virus

[@seppnines7331]

@@benitomussolini3271 Long live you idiot

[@temujinborjikin7223]

@@benitomussolini3271 shame on your name

[@lyrdios8086]

@@purevjargalpuujee4845 So ironic that people first infect in the brain.

[@EstbXCIII]

Well.. looks like I'll be binge watching Kings & Generals history of China👍🍿👌

[@willemneill5418]

This is such a fascinating period of history! Do you have any book recommendations I could find that might compliment this video? Classical Chinese history is a new area of study for me, but one I'm growing more interested in. Thanks!

[@user-gt8bl9wx5d]

the Cambridge history of China is a good one. if u can get the access to The Book of Han it would be even better，since the Book of Han is the primary source for this period.

[@willemneill5418]

@@user-gt8bl9wx5d Thanks so much!

[@user-gt8bl9wx5d]

@@willemneill5418 plus this channel has two more documentaries about this time，the battle of mobei and the war over heavenly horses，which u can find in the playlist.

[@nalcoh]

9:50 "The official scripture of the Han Empire: Live, Love, Laugh" Vsco girls had it right this whole time

[@Monke-fj2qz]

Damn it

[@paiwanhan]

Clear direct lineage to Chinese writing occurred in the Shang dtynasty, as early as 1200 BCE. It preceded the Spring and Autumn period by at least 400 years. Writing is common among the ruling elite by the Spring and Autumn period. Also, a period called the Warring States happened between the Spring and Autumn and Qin Shi Huangdi. The banner used in Qin Shu Huangdi's conquest has the word 漢 Han written on it, when it should have been 秦 Qin instead.

[@11borat]

Thanks!

[@hnt510]

不错，KZbin英文频道能很少有up主把中国历史讲的仔细又正确的。

[@isaacnickel]

I would like to know about the song dynasty and the struggle against Kublai 😀

[@eden6056]

You could read about the Battle Of Diaoyucheng , which apparently indirectly saved Europe from Mongol domination

[@alwintoh]

do note that the Chinese character on some of the flags should be "漢".

[@Ragnarosable]

They forgot the water radical five minutes into the video. It is particularly important as that character originally referred to a river.

[@horatiowong4807]

@@Ragnarosable More precisely, the character means "the Galaxy", which is also called as "silver river" by Chinese.

[@Ragnarosable]

​@@horatiowong4807 Doesn't it refer to the Han river 漢水 or 漢江 in modern-day Hubei? One of the affluents of the 長江. I always thought that the "Milky Way" was referred to as 銀河. Could it be that the original meaning of that character was later applied to the Milky Way as a way to describe the "Silver River"? In the 説文解字 nothing is stated about it refering to the Milky Way. Perhaps the meaning was added later. 説文解字: 漾也。東爲滄浪水。从水，難省聲。

[@fingerling54]

@@Ragnarosable One of the beautiful poems compiled by the famous 曹操 goes as: 日月灿烂，若出其中。星漢灿烂，若出其里。Here, "星漢“ means the river of the stars, which is the Milky Way. So, indeed, ancient Chinese did use 漢 to particularly refer to that river in the heaven. However, I think 漢 still originally refers to that river you mentioned.

[@minghaiweng9753]

@@Ragnarosable cuz the river’s location and way correct response the milky way on the sky, so the river got the name.

[@FamousFleming]

At 20:36 i think you meant to say "cannot be overstated". Nevertheless a great video i learned a lot!

[@Number1Irishlad]

Hey, can yall do a history of rhodes? I havent been able to find much in the way of "leaders of rhodes" apart from some admirals and memnon.