The Cinematic Themes and Visuals of Ancient China - Part 2

The Cinematic Themes and Visuals of Ancient China - Part 2 | Video Essay

Рет қаралды 105,153

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 383

@AccentedCinema 8 ай бұрын

With how many stories we are covering, it is impossible for us to get into the details of it. If you'd like to learn more about the gripping stories of the Chu-Han Contention, or the entire history of the Three Kingdoms, check out our friend of the channel, @CoolHistoryBros, for concise and detailed retellings! www.youtube.com/@CoolHistoryBros

@deiansalazar140 8 ай бұрын

Can you go through the historical archetypes as in lost rightful dynasty, long lost descendant that is rightful heir of lost dynasty, wise old mentor/sage that helps unification etc. And the "Eternal Dynasty" and the historical roots of those Chinese tropes in Chinese history specifically?

@devdixit2440 8 ай бұрын

Could you please tell me what the name of the music playing in the intro is (from 0:00 to 1:02)? I have been looking for it for a while, but can't find it!

@matheusedwin6144 8 ай бұрын

gotta be honest, i want to watch your version of video covering this topic. yours are so immersive

@新思维新思考新境界 8 ай бұрын

Great description about the Chu-Han Contention! I always find it very interesting that there is a major parallel in Chinese history during the Chu-Han Contention and European history during the 2nd Roman Civil War, although both events are slightly less than 200 years apart. Liu Bang is akin to Octavian while Xiang Yu is akin to Mark Antony. Liu and Xiang were united under a common cause to topple the tyrannical rule of the Qin Dynasty, while Octavian and Antony were united under the common cause to hunt down the conspirators and avenge Caesar. Both Liu and Xiang, and Octavian and Antony are allies turned enemies. Liu and Octavian are both bad at commanding military for war. Liu lost all battles against Xiang Yu in the earlier half of the Chu-Han Contention, while Octavian nearly got himself captured and killed during his war against the conspirators. However, both Liu and Octavian are excellent leaders/politicians good at managing subordinates. Liu did not command the decisive battle against Xiang (Battle of Gaixia) himself, but delegated command to his greatest marshall Han Xin. Likewise, Octavian did not command the decisive battle against Antony (Battle of Actium) himself, but delegated command to his admiral Marcus Agrippa. Xiang Yu is good at commanding his military to fight battles (such as battle of Julu against Zhang Han's Qin army that was 10 times the size of Xiang's army), but was overly self-confident to the point of being hubris, which ultimately led to his defeat at the hands of Liu Bang. Likewise, Mark Antony is also good at commanding his military to fight battles (such as his battles against the conspirators, especially against the infamous Marcus Junius Brutus, the one whom Caesar trusted but betrayed Caesar in Caesar's assassination), but is also overly self-confident to the point of being hubris, which ultimately led to his defeat at the hands of Octavian. Even both decisive battles between the 2 pairs, Battle of Gaixia and Battle of Actium, have parallels. Xiang Yu could have made it out of Han Xin's encirclement from all sides but legend has it that he went back into the encirclement to be reunited with his most loved concubine Yu Ji who was still trapped in the encirclement, ultimately leading to Xiang Yu's lost. Mark Antony could have fought on and won the Battle of Actium but legend has it that in the midst of battle, he saw his lover Cleopatra VII's ship sailed off and exited battle. A heart-broken Antony abandoned battle to chase Cleopatra. His soldiers were discouraged by their commander in chief's desertion and gave up fighting, leading to Antony's lost. Even Liu Bang and Octavian/Augustus' wives/empresses were akin to each other at being vicious women. Liu's empress Lv Zhi is known to be cruel, while Augustus' empress Livia was rumored to be a devious woman who subtly killed off all of Augustus' chosen successors to leave the throne for her son Tiberius. Even their deaths are similar: Liu Bang and his wife Lv Zhi, and Augustus and his wife Livia died natural deaths. Xiang Yu and his lover Yu Ji, and Mark Anthony and his lover Cleopatra VII died by suicide, although the order is reversed, with Yu Ji committing suicide before Xiang Yu, while Mark Anthony committing suicide before Cleopatra VII. There is however a few differences between the Chinese and European historical comparison though: Xiang Yu's lover Yu Ji and Mark Antony's lover Cleopatra VII had no major similarities except for the fact that they were women. Yu was a 14 year old virgin teenage girl until maybe the last few nights she spent with Xiang before committing suicide towards the end of the Battle of Gaixia, while Cleopatra's legend is that she was a sexually promiscuous woman in her 30s. And also that although Octavian married his sister Octavia to Antony, Liu Bang never married his sister (if he had any) to Xiang. I don't know if this is a coincidence in history, or did Liu Bang, Lv Zhi, Han Xin, Xiang Yu and Yu Ji reincarnated like close to 200 years later into the Mediterranean region to be reborn as Octavian, Livia, Marcus Agrippa, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra VII?

@johnlee7164 8 ай бұрын

San Kuo should get its own series. So many beloved characters.

@hendraboen7857 8 ай бұрын

In fact, Zhuge Liang's demise wasn't due to heartbreak over Liu Chan's diminishing regard for him but rather stemmed from being overburdened with work. Following Liu Bei's capture of Hanzhong, which was the pinnacle of his career, Shu suffered the loss of numerous skilled officials, both through defeat in battle and natural causes. Consequently, Zhuge Liang was compelled to oversee and manage every facet of the Shu Kingdom. He also embarked on five northern campaigns, frequently facing setbacks due to the incompetence of Shu's generals. Zhuge Liang ultimately succumbed to exhaustion.

@w415800 7 ай бұрын

Zhuge Liang was never known for being abandoned, I don't know where the AccentedCinema gets this knowledge from. What Zhuge Liang is infamous for is his greatness overshadows everyone, including his lords and masters, contemporaries AND his pupils, their growth were suppressed because of his influence.

@hendraboen7857 7 ай бұрын

@@w415800 The loss of Jingzhou significantly hindered Shu-Han's ability to recruit and replace key officials such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong. Unlike Wei and Wu, which had large talent pools, the remote Ba-Shu region lacked sufficient human resources. Even Jiang Wei, who succeeded Zhuge Liang, was recruited from Wei's territory. This talent shortage was reminiscent of the Qin state's decline and subjugation by other states until Duke Qiao issued a proclamation inviting talented individuals-including scholars, administrators, theorists, and militarists-from other states to join Qin. He offered high offices and lands as rewards. Among these foreign talents, Shang Yang successfully implemented a series of Legalist reforms in Qin with the support of Duke Xiao. Despite facing strong opposition from conservative Qin politicians, these reforms laid the foundation for Qin's eventual domination over other states and unifying China.

@ericwong4213 7 ай бұрын

and that's based on "fictional" novel made by Luo Guanzhong who lived in Ming era (over than 1000 years after 3kingdoms), who had no access to imperial archive and simply hired writers, storytellers, poets to work on The Romance of the 3 Kingdoms novel/poetry. Zhugeliang could have been poisoned by factions who oppose the senseless war that bankrupted the Shu Kingdom. Few things for sure, Zhugeliang didn't call the weather in Chibi war. Lu Meng didn't die from seeing Guanyu's spirit. Zhou yu didn't die from jealousy over Zhugeliang. Liu Bei was never a sandal maker. lastly, based on unearthed imperial archives by modern archeologist from various of ancient Han tombs, not a single of them ever mention anyone called Lu Bu. That person was pretty much one of fictional characters made by Luo to spice up the story. Do you also know Sun Jian once commanded army and defeated Liu Bei and served to Emperor Yuan Shu? But in novel, he was mentioned died long before that. He actually escaped when Yuan Shu lost in few major battle led by Cao Cao, and started to build his army in South.

@condorX2 7 ай бұрын

Nice read. I've been thinking about this scenario where Zhuge Liang took on the role of delivery supply instead of forcing a reluctant Li Yan to do it. Before the northern campaign, ZL would select the best commanders to lead the troop by hosting 2 contests. The first one is a written strategy to see who could defeat the enemy without losing any soldiers. ZL will offer translators for those who can't read or write. The second contest is the actual combat itself for the winning contestants. In hindsight, this could solved a lot of unnecessary deaths ( Ma Su, Li Yan, Wei Yan, ZL, his son and many more).

@hendraboen7857 7 ай бұрын

@@ericwong4213 Well, actually, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel draws its roots from a foundational historical text, the Records of the Three Kingdoms. This work, penned by Chen Shou in the 3rd century, emerged shortly after the Jin dynasty reunited China in 280. Chen Shou, who became an official historian under the Jin government following the Conquest of Shu by Wei in 263, dedicated himself to chronicling the turbulent Three Kingdoms period. Before the consolidation under the Jin dynasty, both Cao Wei and Wu had already created official histories. The Book of Wei, authored by Wang Chen, Xun Yi, and Ruan Ji, documented the history of Cao Wei, while the Book of Wu, compiled by Wei Zhao, Hua He, Xue Ying, Zhou Zhao, and Liang Guang, detailed the legacy of Wu. Additionally, Yu Huan had undertaken a private endeavor to chronicle Wei's history, resulting in the Weilüe. Chen Shou utilized these pre-existing texts as the bedrock upon which he built the Records of the Three Kingdoms. However, the state of Shu presented a unique challenge. Unlike Wei and Wu, Shu did not have an established history bureau to document its past. As a result, the Book of Shu in the Records of the Three Kingdoms was composed by Chen Shou himself. He relied heavily on his personal notes about Shu's events and other primary sources he had collected, including his previous compilations of Zhuge Liang's writings. Chen Shou's meticulous work provided a comprehensive and nuanced history of the Three Kingdoms period, drawing from many sources and his firsthand experience as a historian. The Records of the Three Kingdoms not only served as a critical historical document but also as the inspiration for the following literary masterpiece. By integrating the official histories of Wei and Wu with his detailed account of Shu, Chen Shou created a unified narrative that has profoundly influenced the cultural and historical understanding of this significant era in Chinese history.

@DensetsuVII 8 ай бұрын

I'm a little sad that the pacing meant that we couldn't have part 3 be just about the 3 kingdoms... But that means a 3 kingdoms film/tv tierlist is still in the future! :D

@honeybee347 8 ай бұрын

The pinned comment referenced the channel but coolhistorybros has a lot of content about ancient Chinese history.

@achallor 8 ай бұрын

He should’ve gushed over the Chu-Han Contention in more detail, I wouldn’t mind a two hour chapter on it.

@mimisaiko 8 ай бұрын

When I was in school, I actually was looking forward for the part, but actually it's too trivial to even mention more than a sentence. Most of the stuff is fictional though.

@amoviekid 8 ай бұрын

What a surprise, he now made an individual video about the three kingdoms!

@julymonarchy7341 8 ай бұрын

Many often forget the long lost Spon-Sor dynasty,characterized by its extensive use of advertisements and trade. It was often very influential in the economics of the ancient world,which led to many states taking money from it in exchange for advertising its trade routes and merchant.

@17-MASY 6 ай бұрын

Lol, 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

@webinatic216 8 ай бұрын

The story at 10:00 got me emotional. You told it in 20 seconds but it sounded like the best love story ever.

@thequimsnaim 8 ай бұрын

Butterflies...

@juliánito59 8 ай бұрын

Yeah it's one of the most popular love stories there is in Chinese culture, still influential to Chinese media and popular culture to this very day. Alot of pop songs quote them the way Romeo and Juliet are in western music.

@iamyourfather9008 8 ай бұрын

This story has been turned into a famous tune that pretty much everyone in China knows. 'The Butterfly Lovers', and I'm sure you'll love it once you hear it

@azkon7975 8 ай бұрын

"Became sexy for some reason" This dynasty right here, haha. I'd love to learn even more about the Tang Dynasty. Its influence was so big and lasting that we still call ourselves the "Tang People" in Cantonese, e.g. Chinatown is "Tang People's Street". Also, I'm very sad that Wu Zetian got smeared so bad by ancient writers and historians. Her royal court brutalities aside, there's a lot of evidence that her actual governance over the citizens was good, actually. She basically got Cleopatra'd (a very clever and powerful female ruler that got a bad rap, historically speaking).

@Xind0898 8 ай бұрын

in China today, Wu Zetian does not have a bad rap, she is indeed seen as a great leader and was responsible for Tang Dynasty's prosperity post Li Shimin era.

@gelinrefira 8 ай бұрын

@@Xind0898 Female rulers that bucked the patriarchy trend seemed to always get the short end of the stick in historical writings. Just look at Hatshepsut, probably the only female pharaoh that ruled indisputably as a pharaoh and her successors spent a lot of effort to wipe her off history.

@Neuvari 8 ай бұрын

i remember reading her arise as a queen, from a novel, only part 1 though, she is smarter even compared from her husband in managing the country

@Xind0898 8 ай бұрын

@@gelinrefira Wu Zetian, Elizabeth, Catherine, Victoria etc

@eugeneng7064 8 ай бұрын

Not just in Cantonese, but many other Southern Chinese varieties too, like Hokkien and Teochew

@AyubuKK 8 ай бұрын

Mulan started off a nice poem, then made into a live action movie in the 60s, then made into an iconic animated adaptation in the 90s, then completely ruined by the 2020 live action adaptation of the 90s animated version.

@someperson8984 8 ай бұрын

What live action adaptation? I don't remember any live action adaptation. :)

@Cruxispal 8 ай бұрын

@@someperson8984 There was also a half-decent 2009 live adaptation.

@honeybee347 8 ай бұрын

There is also a couple of new live action adaptations from China. I like Vicky zhaos version but it does not end with romance.

@Duiker36 8 ай бұрын

If you were wondering, IMDB lists 8 adaptations of the poem into film. In case you ever want to branch out from Disney.

@chheinrich8486 8 ай бұрын

@@someperson8984very good view point😊

@WesleyPatterson-ph8pz 8 ай бұрын

Are you psychic? Because literally today I was thinking, "Man, I hope accented cinema didn't have to give up on his cinematic themes of ancient china videos, that first one was so cool"!

@EnnameMori 8 ай бұрын

I absolutely hurt myself with laughter at the transition/Xin dynasty bashing. Love this series, and yes, please do an entire video on anything you want from here. I love me some Jin/Wei/North and South dynasties, and have an irrational fondness for the Sui.

@pheezus 8 ай бұрын

A note about Liu Bang: He was a ruthless bastard, but sometimes you have to be to consolidate power and bring stability after long periods of war. What he and his empress did to Han Xin is particularly crazy to me. Han Xin is probably one of the top 10 GOAT'ed generals in Chinese history for me tbh

@Gooong 8 ай бұрын

Isnt there a Chinese saying about getting rid of the monk after mass? What good is a massively popular war genius after the war is over?

@windtracklegend 8 ай бұрын

@@Gooong In Chinese, it's called 狡兔死走狗烹飞鸟尽良弓藏 It's mean ”When you've finished hunting the rabbit, you stew the dog. When you've shot the bird, you put the bow away." BTW this is exactly told by Han Dynasty philosophers

@jerrygu5316 8 ай бұрын

@karaqakkzl You mean compared to a fictious character who wants to exterminate all the orcs, because they are allegedly pure evil? He is exactly like Xiang Yu, except Aragorn has personally killed more "barbarians", while Xiang Yu, being from Chu, was considered a "barbarian" by the Northern Chinese. Regardless, Sic Semper Tyranis.

@szeweisoo153 8 ай бұрын

Basically he was Octavian before Octavian exist

@legendofnoob 8 ай бұрын

@@Gooong There are multiple versions of the same saying. Such as, when the birds are gone, hide the bow; when the cunning rabbit dies, stew the dog; cross the river and destroy the bridge... Etc.

@新思维新思考新境界 8 ай бұрын

I always find it very interesting that there is a major parallel in Chinese history during the Chu-Han Contention and European history during the 2nd Roman Civil War, although both events are slightly less than 200 years apart. Liu Bang is akin to Octavian while Xiang Yu is akin to Mark Antony. Liu and Xiang were united under a common cause to topple the tyrannical rule of the Qin Dynasty, while Octavian and Antony were united under the common cause to hunt down the conspirators and avenge Caesar. Both Liu and Xiang, and Octavian and Antony are allies turned enemies. Liu and Octavian are both bad at commanding military for war. Liu lost all battles against Xiang Yu in the earlier half of the Chu-Han Contention, while Octavian nearly got himself captured and killed during his war against the conspirators. However, both Liu and Octavian are excellent leaders/politicians good at managing subordinates. Liu did not command the decisive battle against Xiang (Battle of Gaixia) himself, but delegated command to his greatest marshall Han Xin. Likewise, Octavian did not command the decisive battle against Antony (Battle of Actium) himself, but delegated command to his admiral Marcus Agrippa. Xiang Yu is good at commanding his military to fight battles (such as battle of Julu against Zhang Han's Qin army that was 10 times the size of Xiang's army), but was overly self-confident to the point of being hubris, which ultimately led to his defeat at the hands of Liu Bang. Likewise, Mark Antony is also good at commanding his military to fight battles (such as his battles against the conspirators, especially against the infamous Marcus Junius Brutus, the one whom Caesar trusted but betrayed Caesar in Caesar's assassination), but is also overly self-confident to the point of being hubris, which ultimately led to his defeat at the hands of Octavian. Even both decisive battles between the 2 pairs, Battle of Gaixia and Battle of Actium, have parallels. Xiang Yu could have made it out of Han Xin's encirclement from all sides but legend has it that he went back into the encirclement to be reunited with his most loved concubine Yu Ji who was still trapped in the encirclement, ultimately leading to Xiang Yu's lost. Mark Antony could have fought on and won the Battle of Actium but legend has it that in the midst of battle, he saw his lover Cleopatra VII's ship sailed off and exited battle. A heart-broken Antony abandoned battle to chase Cleopatra. His soldiers were discouraged by their commander in chief's desertion and gave up fighting, leading to Antony's lost. Even Liu Bang and Octavian/Augustus' wives/empresses were akin to each other at being vicious women. Liu's empress Lv Zhi is known to be cruel, while Augustus' empress Livia was rumored to be a devious woman who subtly killed off all of Augustus' chosen successors to leave the throne for her son Tiberius. Even their deaths are similar: Liu Bang and his wife Lv Zhi, and Augustus and his wife Livia died natural deaths. Xiang Yu and his lover Yu Ji, and Mark Anthony and his lover Cleopatra VII died by suicide, although the order is reversed, with Yu Ji committing suicide before Xiang Yu, while Mark Anthony committing suicide before Cleopatra VII. There is however a few differences between the Chinese and European historical comparison though: Xiang Yu's lover Yu Ji and Mark Antony's lover Cleopatra VII had no major similarities except for the fact that they were women. Yu was a 14 year old virgin teenage girl until maybe the last few nights she spent with Xiang before committing suicide towards the end of the Battle of Gaixia, while Cleopatra's legend is that she was a sexually promiscuous woman in her 30s. And also that although Octavian married his sister Octavia to Antony, Liu Bang never married his sister (if he had any) to Xiang. I don't know if this is a coincidence in history, or did Liu Bang, Lv Zhi, Han Xin, Xiang Yu and Yu Ji reincarnated like close to 200 years later into the Mediterranean region to be reborn as Octavian, Livia, Marcus Agrippa, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra VII?

@tranquoccuong890-its-orge 8 ай бұрын

i have often found both the political & cultural influences of Han dynasty on East Asia and of Roman Empire on Western Europe to be parallel, as both of them set up much of the systems for writing, governance and law for each respective region, for example there are some alternate history scenarios on some subreddits that explore if their respect history were swapped - the Roman Empire became the foundation for a consolidated European empire similar to China in our timeline (OTL), while after the fracture of Han dynasty, East Asia fracture again into something similar to what Europe is in OTL

@tranquoccuong890-its-orge 8 ай бұрын

additionally, if you look further back into both stories, Qin Shi Huang also had his parallel in Julius Ceasar - both were powerful military commanders turned dictators/emperors - Qin Shi Huang's Chinese unification preceded the Chu-Han contention that gave rise to Liu Bang's Han dynasty; Julius Ceasar's dictatorship gave way for Octavian's political consolidation that turned the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire

@新思维新思考新境界 8 ай бұрын

@@tranquoccuong890-its-orge Though Qinshihuang was born to be the King of Qin and thus posed to be emperor after unifying the other warring kingdoms, unlike Caesar who was just one among the three Triumvirate. He had to fight the 1st Roman Civil War to secure power, something Qinshihuang did not need to do. Unlike Caesar who is good at commanding military for war, Qinshihuang did not do that since his generals like Wang Jian are the ones fighting the battles.

@chingyiutang3480 8 ай бұрын

As a chinese who studying world history, I really really like your comparing

@condorX2 7 ай бұрын

Brilliant comparisons. I feel like it was Han Xin who united China and not Liu Bang. This make Liu Bang grew jealous of fearing being replace. He used his wife to kill Han Xin in the most horrific way imaginable. Same for Wei Yan and his contributions in defeating Sima Yi where he nearly kill father and son in a fire attack. Zhuge Liang like Liu Bang used Yang Yi to killed Wei Yan and his whole family to eliminate future competition on succession.

@imnampun2625 8 ай бұрын

In my country, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is extremely well-known due to the translation by a royal government minister in the 19th century. One of the chapters when Guan Yu joins Cao Cao is also included in the 12th grade Thai literature textbook.

@Xerxezkov 8 ай бұрын

Vietnam, similarly to Thai, also teach RoTK in the high school, however, the excerpts are 'Cao Cao and Liu Bei drink and discuss how a hero should be' and 'Drum Rolls at Gucheng'.

@LeaderShaunoftheSheeps 8 ай бұрын

That's neat

@21_muhraihanrayyam54 8 ай бұрын

I am 21st century southeast asian that consume western culture and philosophies (& some tiny part of middle eastern and indian too) my whole life, but since i watch this video i feel that chinese culture n histories actually have something bigger, extravagant, and significance in this world. I am so intrigued and excited !!!!. Can't wait for part 3

@17-MASY 6 ай бұрын

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

@Belbecat 6 ай бұрын

Yeah same... bit gutted that our history actually sounds super banger but my parents didn't force feed me any of this to the point where these videos have been teaching more than I know lol.

@liua42 8 ай бұрын

the Xin dynasty was short and kinda lame BUT Wang Mang’s policies were rather interesting. Like removing slavery and pushing land redistribution. Like a mini proto-socialist era.

@kennywong4239 8 ай бұрын

Wang Mang also interested in forensic science, flying machine and other unusual scientific inventions. He was also the first to develop public housing. Unfortunately, he is also a megalomaniac who like to change names. If your city is names Great Han, he will decree to change to Super Xin. He also triggered war as he renamed the Hunnic Kingdom as Your Subdued Kingdom 降奴服于 which angered the Hunnic king.

@widimira597 8 ай бұрын

Perhaps any manhua/manhwa/manga creator or movie producer want to create and explore more of this particular history, it's shame if not create like isekai or explore more about xin dynasty

@elgatto3133 8 ай бұрын

@@kennywong4239lmao this guy rocks

@terrainrecords6038 8 ай бұрын

@@widimira597 people joke that he is a time traveler for being so progressive at that time. A tool similar to the modern vernier scale was also found in archeological sites from that era.

@hdl9756 5 ай бұрын

On the Chinese Internet, people jokingly refer to Wang Mang as a time traveler who traveled from modern times to ancient times because many of the policies he instituted were ahead of their time.

@KMO325 8 ай бұрын

5:59 Ahh yes, The Three Kingdoms era which gave us Zhuge Liang: the greatest musical mind in Shibuya (this will never get old with me). I really am loving this series, keep it going!

@kaminakaminakaminakamina 8 ай бұрын

Ya Boy Koumei! Chan chan chiki chiki ban ban.

@hirokokueh3541 8 ай бұрын

6:18 the hardest diss track of all time

@deepseer 8 ай бұрын

The 12 episode anime (I didn't read the manga after that) is well received in China. General opinion from Chinese fans is: it is what Zhuge Liang would do if he lives in modern time. He was not a wizard, nor had supernatural power (like depicted in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms), but a wise chancellor that wholeheartedly served his master.

@stellasonabilis9884 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for this cultural/historical course! I was actually brought here by a Chinese TV drama (my 1st one ever) to learn what era the costumes are modeled after. I like the 2009 Mulan version, partly because of its raw aesthetic and unembellished view of war. Your explanation of how the 1998 Disney production led to a revision of the Chinese Mulan reception is very interesting. This is cross-fertilization of cultures at it's best.

@flyingzone356 8 ай бұрын

Your presentations are simply first-class. My only " criticism" - if any - is that the content is too rich for just one video. You have packed too much information, too much insight, and too much analysis into one presentation. In fact, for this particular series, each dynasty merits a one-hour presentation on its own. I know the amount of work you put into each of these presentations is simply astounding, so I can't be demanding too much of you. In fact, my "criticism" isn't actually a criticism because I am simply in awe of the quality of the videos that you produce. You are definitely among the top 10 best KZbinrs in the entire KZbin universe. You, sir, are a genius and my hero.

@KeiPalace 8 ай бұрын

Red Cliff was eye opening for me, I still enjoy watching it!

@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive 4 ай бұрын

10:20 Shakespeare’s most famous plays were adaptations of already well known stories, some of which have been told for generations and evenpredates Early Modern English. Hamlet for example was an (at the time modernized) new take on the Old Norse tale of Amleth.

@JoseyFazzole 8 ай бұрын

Can’t wait for the next one, I love learning about the Tang dynasty period as there are so many interesting pieces of culture

@erich623 8 ай бұрын

I am loving these brief pieces of Chinese history.

@mnkykungfu 6 ай бұрын

I'm loving how this series is going, it's one of this channel's best. I could easily see teachers using these videos for support in school!

@huntress1013 7 ай бұрын

I really love this. I do know a good chunk of what you are talking about (and yes I also love "Two Butterflies". Can't wait for part three and the Tang Dynasty

@bbaii16 8 ай бұрын

So glad you are doing this

@misha7129 7 ай бұрын

I would love an hour video on each dynasty in cinema. I loved your videos! I don't comment much but this deserves it!

@holeeshi9959 8 ай бұрын

Northern and Southern dynasty needs more love. Mulan is one of them, another is Prince of Lanling, the whole development of Buddhism, and the most messed up royal family in China.

@samhendren9126 8 ай бұрын

Honestly it's one of my favorite periods, there was so much going on between the fall of the Jin and rise of the Sui/Tang. Sure there was a lot of chaos but between all the craziness was a lot of innovation and drama and I'm surprised it hasn't been capitalized on more.

@w8ngr 8 ай бұрын

You’ll find mulan is more Vietnamese than anything due to her geography, although it was all china then she has more cultural relevance in Vietnamese historically

@gnz8v 8 ай бұрын

It's a really messed up period. There's also a series called "Untouchable Lovers (2018)". Totally crazy.

@kennywong4239 8 ай бұрын

@@w8ngr Mulan is from north China. She is no where Vietnamese at all. To be frank, Mulan is a Xianbei-style name. There is a general in the Northern Zhou dynasty whose name is Han Xiong, also known as Han Mulan.

@w8ngr 8 ай бұрын

@@kennywong4239 sorry I’m confusion her with the maiden of yue but Mulans story is she isn’t Han Chinese typically you’d be correct but she’s actually more yuan/tuoba who ruled northern Wei because of her father but her mother was said to be Han but because she’s fictional anyway it’s hard to say since the originally text from the guy who wrote it says he read it somewhere else but that piece of evidence is not in existence anymore so yes sorry I was mistaken but I believe that may clear up any misunderstandings

@喵队长 8 ай бұрын

9:08 In fact, Wei, Jin, The north and southern Dynasty is the favorite dynasty in many Chinese dramas as their Historical Setting (including some fictional dynasty setting). For example: Nirvana in Fire, The Blood of Youth, Princess Agents, etc.

@Orhan6125 8 ай бұрын

I’m overjoyed that, with this pacing, there will be many more parts to this excellent video series!!

@athenovae 6 ай бұрын

4:07 Regarding Han dynasty’s impact and calling the words Han zu (I’m Vietnamese so idk how to spell it), old words in Vietnamese are called Hán Việt 😊

@tareginda 8 ай бұрын

I admire your passion for video essays. Thank you for sharing your knowledge about movies. We appreciate it!

@adriandapat1206 8 ай бұрын

Can't wait for part 3...

@Matt-li6gn 7 ай бұрын

What a fantastic series. I am riveted. Excited for the next installment. Only wish each were longer and even more detailed.

@Poohze01 8 ай бұрын

I always get excited when I see you've released a new video, and this series is truly excellent!

@Kingdom_Of_Dreams 8 ай бұрын

This series is really good! I watch a lot of historical Chinese dramas and I like to write stories based on various time periods in different dynasties, but this is a good resource for understanding what themes and philosophies the dynasties were built upon. Thank you for making these videos, and I hope to see more in the future :)

@RememberTheDead 8 ай бұрын

This might just be my favorite series you've made. Fantastic journey through the pop cultural perception of the dynasties!

@ironfistkf 8 ай бұрын

wow! beatiful video as usual, thanks a lot for sharing! Im visiting China for the first time soon, this video gets me excited. Thanks for your excellent work!

@依童哟 8 ай бұрын

欢迎,祝你玩的开心！

@Replicaate 8 ай бұрын

I am loving this series so far!

@grandadmiralzaarin4962 8 ай бұрын

The lore video Longed to be watched must be uploaded Long uploaded must be watched. Thus it has ever been.

@NoelleIsTheGeoArchon 8 ай бұрын

Love your videos as always.

@Jennanby 8 ай бұрын

I love your videos so much! Red Cliff really got me interested into Chinese historical fiction, and this series helps a lot in being able to contextualize its stories and themes. Now I can't wait to explore some of the recommendations you made!

@goaheadmakemyday7126 8 ай бұрын

I was hovering your channel for weeks waiting for this video!!!

@jamesdaly5523 8 ай бұрын

Your videos are so great. Many thanks

@vjara94 8 ай бұрын

Loved this series!!!

@tabbaa6159 8 ай бұрын

Great video as always,look forward to part 3

@Aurekbeshisk 8 ай бұрын

Man, now I remember why I love your videos. I want to read about Chinese history again ;)

@pitzpitz 8 ай бұрын

Love this series of videos, thank you so much!

@JopietheYellow 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for this episode, it's very informative. I am looking forward to ep 3!

@grassina3 8 ай бұрын

In university I studied 3 years of mandarin, plus I wrote some papers about the 少数民族. So, my college life was full of historical dramas. I picked up on pieces of what you talk about in these videos, but it is so enjoyable and enlightening to hear you really break down these aesthetics and explain the core concepts so clearly. I can’t wait for the next part, when we get to my favorite the Qing Dynasty!

@euansmith3699 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for another great video.

@bensantos3882 8 ай бұрын

Please make this again but 5 hours long for each dynastic period please!? Amazing work and I loved your narrating skills.

@rafaeldeleon3386 8 ай бұрын

I don't know why but I found it funny when you threw in "...became kinda sexy for some reason..."

@新思维新思考新境界 8 ай бұрын

The reason is simple. Han culture gets mixed with the sexually open cultures of nomadic tribes during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and Sui and Tang Dynasties. The wife of the first emperor of Sui Dynasty was a woman of nomadic Xianbei (also called Siabi, Sibi, Sibri, from which gave Siberia its name, and probably ancestors of the modern Chinese minority ethnic group Xibo) noble, and the Tang Dynasty's emperors are mixed of both Han and nomadic Xiangbei with by blood.

@Moonstone-Redux 6 ай бұрын

@@新思维新思考新境界The capital of Xianbei was known as Xiandu, which was later Anglicised by Western historians to Xanadu.

@cindyrosser2471 8 ай бұрын

You made me spit out my drink with laughing when you announced "now we come to the lamest dynasty ever" & "oh, it's over already."

@endingalaporte 4 ай бұрын

I'm so proud of being of Chinese culture with your video

@dileepdinendra6544 8 ай бұрын

Love your essays as always ❤

@noaccount4 8 ай бұрын

Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi live rent free in my mind But Wei Yan never got any justice ;[

@warrius8189 8 ай бұрын

Woo! Been waiting for this.

@Validifyed 4 ай бұрын

John Woo's Red Cliff is one of my favorite films of all time.

@NaikaVideo 8 ай бұрын

That was great Yang Zhang. Cannot wait for Part 3!!!

@chickrepelant 8 ай бұрын

amazing video! i knew so little about these eras!

@tvc3mye 4 ай бұрын

The Han dynasty, throughout its early stage, actually practised Taoism (无为而治), contributing to the flourishing and booming of economy...but susceptible to the invasion of the nomad Huns tribe from the North, until one point when the emperor Han WunDi (汉武帝）thought, enough is enough. So, he began strengthening the empire's military power. When the military capabilities reached its peak level, he started waging wars against the Northern Huns tribe..paying back the shame and humiliation he and his ancestors suffered for decades...and his military force almost wiped out the Huns tribe in their entirety.

@mimisaiko 8 ай бұрын

I would like to add: The whole Confucianism is actually a philosophy telling emperors how to make the social stable by popularize Patriotism, Filial piety and some Patriarchy. They tell people what to do and not to do. As you can see, Mulan is originally normal for Xianbei people who have gender equality in nomadic society, but the story is shaped as political and ethical for Han people.

@sunshineyellow 8 ай бұрын

Excellent video!! Like so great. Thank you!

@sheherezahade 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for your work! SO interesting!

@Kalanhikov 8 ай бұрын

The next part is gonna be very interesting :D

@Taka-nq3ys 8 ай бұрын

can't wait for part 3

@MMAACC2014 8 ай бұрын

You don't know how impatiently I've been waiting for Part 2!!!😆

@PsychoGemini 8 ай бұрын

Damn he ended just as he was about to get to my favorite dynasty, the Tang. Can't wait for the next part.

@treeinafield5022 8 ай бұрын

I love this video series!

@kosmonaut5 8 ай бұрын

Love your videos!! ❤

@kreg857 8 ай бұрын

9:08 What's the pinyin for this term, "the mighty Han, the prosperous Tang"? I'm looking for it on the internet, but to no avail so far. I'll appreciate any help.

@marmaladejar504 8 ай бұрын

The term says qiang han sheng tang i found a wikipedia article but nothing in english :\ zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E6%BC%A2%E5%94%90%E7%9B%9B%E4%B8%96

@yiwuliu1358 8 ай бұрын

Qiang Han Sheng Tang, it is basicly a usual way to descirbe these two dynasties, Qiang means strong(as in militarily) and Sheng means prosperous(as in economy)

@comradeofthebalance3147 8 ай бұрын

Qiáng hàn shèng táng

@O.0_9527 8 ай бұрын

你喜欢汉朝的话送你一句中国有名的话来概括汉朝“国恒以弱灭，独汉以强亡”

@朱柏丞-x7k 8 ай бұрын

强汉盛唐 Qiáng hàn shèng táng

@karenburrows9184 7 ай бұрын

I would love to see a movie about Fu Hao of The Axe. Or Princess Pingyang.

@HarryWU-cy1uk 8 ай бұрын

千古傷心往事，一場談笑春風。殘篇斷簡記英雄，總為功名引動。各個轟轟烈烈，人人擾擾匆匆。富貴榮華轉頭空，恰似南柯一夢。

@goranisacson2502 8 ай бұрын

I feel like this video was more about themes rather than visuals, which is interesting too but to someone unfamiliar with the history I feel a got a stronger grip on the differences when I had a "visual" to go along with it first, themes second. But it also seems like these were very turbulent times that changed things around a lot, so maybe there wasn't really time to develop a distinct visual for each era.

@BrotherCheng 8 ай бұрын

I think that's because Three Kingdom, the two folk tale stories, and the Chu-Han contention are very specific tales with well known characters/archetypes that they are more like well known stories than time periods at this point. Three Kingdoms for example is so influential that you usually just identify the specific characters rather than a general visual theme. The Han dynasty is the one that actually works as a general time period setting and the video kind of briefly mentioned that you can notice that by the hanfu / Han clothing style. But yeah I know what you mean. Seems like Part 1 and 2 have a different focus on what it focuses on.

@17-MASY 5 ай бұрын

@devdixit2440 8 ай бұрын

Could anyone please tell me what the name of the music playing in the intro is (from 0:00 to 1:02)? I have been looking for it for a while, but can't find it!

@gazeboist4535 8 ай бұрын

Interesting to compare "the river of Chu, the border of Han" to the western metaphor of "crossing the Rubicon". It's easier for me to think of standard quotations than idioms drawn from specific events or stories, though there are a few others I can think of: the Gordian Knot, the concept of a "marathon", David and Goliath. These are all from Greco-Roman or mesopotamian cultural antecedents, I think because the Greeks and Romans put a lot of effort into denigrating and replacing any mythic cycles or culture heroes that came from further north. Or perhaps because of the size and prominence Rome achieved, which made them and the cultures they respected the template for any future empires in Europe.

@jackeydu108 6 ай бұрын

Man, although the XIN Dynasty is short, it is the most radical period in ancient Chinese history, if you seriously study the XIN Dynasty, to study the emperor Wang Mang, you will find that he is more like a modern man, many Chinese historians laugh at him as a time traveler, because many of his policies and laws are very close to modern times, and Liu Xiu, who overthrew him and rebuilt the Han Dynasty, Chinese historians call him Destiny's Child, and many Chinese history buffs like to joke that this was the only time in Earth's history that a time traveler fought Destiny's Child. Full of strange and advanced ideas.

@ahkl77 7 ай бұрын

Well done

@SeanHiruki 8 ай бұрын

Three Kongdoms is absolutely my favorite and my gateway to Chinese history. Ravages of Time is an excellent but unique adaption

@paiwanhan 8 ай бұрын

I don't think the 必 in 天下合久必分 should be translated as must, rather it should be translated as destined to.

@luckyblockyoshi 8 ай бұрын

that’s pretty much what “must” means, it’s a standard translation of the phrase.

@paiwanhan 8 ай бұрын

@@luckyblockyoshi must sounds like someone could have some agency about it. Destined to implies there's nothing you could do about it.

@luckyblockyoshi 8 ай бұрын

@@paiwanhan "must" means it *has* to happen. There's no other choice.

@paiwanhan 8 ай бұрын

@@luckyblockyoshi Really? I *must* say I don't agree. Do I have agency in agreeing or not?

@luckyblockyoshi 8 ай бұрын

@@paiwanhan Something "must" happen = there's no other choice, it has to happen. Like, a person must eat or they will die. When you say that you "must" say you don't agree, you're saying that you cannot say otherwise. There's no other choice.

@conho4898 8 ай бұрын

The Wei Jin was very interesting because it overlapped with the Sixteen Kingdoms period, and that was the first time in Chinese history when non-Han ethnic groups were also vying for power within China, and built equally large empires in the process.

@shinsenshogun900 8 ай бұрын

and somehow fumble when dealing with Eastern Jin or Liu Song and it's successors

@冇乜嘢 8 ай бұрын

What was the ethnic group of Wei Jin?

@conho4898 8 ай бұрын

@@冇乜嘢 sorry I was mistaken. It was the Sixteen Kingdoms Period, which kinda overlapped with the Wei Jin.

@诡雅异俗 8 ай бұрын

@@冇乜嘢在西晋后期，匈奴人刘渊自称自己是汉朝开国皇帝刘邦的后代，召集军队想要成为中国的皇帝

@shinsenshogun900 8 ай бұрын

@@冇乜嘢 Han Chinese... ruling ethnic groups begin partitioning Northern China and Sichuan at the end of Jin's short first half of history after unifying China.

@SeoulMan 8 ай бұрын

7:13 No worries, he was resurrected and became the manager for an amateur EDM songstress in Tokyo. YEEAA BOOOYY!!

@seanlee7558 7 ай бұрын

Fun Fact: Romance of the Three Kingdoms is not historically accurate, you can say it is a fan version of the original history. Though, on the grand scheme of things, it was mostly accurate.

@w8ngr 8 ай бұрын

Also guan you deverves his own video on his depictions in media

@luvslotsastuff 8 ай бұрын

Ya Boy Kongming mentioned!!!!

@carterlin1719 8 ай бұрын

Very funny of him to have snuck it in the ad spot right next to the R3K section

@zainmudassir2964 8 ай бұрын

He's a man of many talents

@chowyee5049 8 ай бұрын

Hongmen banquet is basically the Red Wedding.

@Jobx.internationalnews 8 ай бұрын

Nice video.can I use your videos in my channel?

@thebashar 8 ай бұрын

I am enjoying your video essays. I am curious if this video covered on the year 3040, when the Eastern Wei fell and Wen Xuan Di comes to power? I am trying to learn more about that time period, both about the culture and the politics.