Wu Zetian: Bloody Ghosts and Riots - Chinese History - Part 3 - Extra History

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👑 Dive into the mesmerizing tale of Wu Zetian, the Empress of China, as she grapples with the ruthless intrigues of the imperial court. As her enemies are systematically purged and culminates a psychological toll on her. Amidst the backdrop of imperial rule, territorial expansion, and shifting power dynamics, Wu's influence becomes paramount.👑
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Miss an episode in our Wu Zetian Series?
Part 1 - • Wu Zetian: Hated by Go...
Part 2 - • Wu Zetian: China’s Mos...
Part 3 - • Wu Zetian: Bloody Ghos...
Part 4 - • Wu Zetian: Finally Emp...
Part 5 - • Wu Zetian: Boy-Toys an...
Series Wrap-up & Recommended Reading / Lies Episode - • Empress Wu Zetian - LI...
Thanks for the high-quality conversations & for following our community guidelines here: bit.ly/ECFansRNice
Artist: Ali R Thome I Writer: Robert Rath I Showrunner & Narrator: Matthew Krol I Video Editor: Devon House Creative I Audio Editor: Clean Waves I ♪ Music by Demetori: bit.ly/1EQA5N7 I ♪ "Across the Pacific" by Tiffany Roman
#ExtraHistory #WuZetian #History

[@extrahistory]

Watch Wu Zetian Part 4 on Nebula RIGHT NOW: go.nebula.tv/extrahistory to get Nebula for 40% off! Thanks for Watching!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content guys! You're the Best 😊😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@VikingChief01]

Love the latest episode! I just wanted to ask about the music at the end of each episode. Are you still creating new pieces for every series?

[@silentdrew7636]

Will you mention China's recent purges in the Lies episode?

[@also_arles]

This lady is pulling power move after power move, I can't wait to see what comes next!!

[@mrgiraffelover7388]

@extrahistory can you make a video presentation about aquanaut Sylvia Earle and her JIM atmospheric diving suit or female cosmonauts like Svetlana Savitskaya and Valentina Tereshkova ? I would love to see it.

[@nicholascooper945]

I don't have much to say besides the fact I enjoy how Wu is portrayed in this series.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

Have you red something about her prior to compare?

[@olamideolanrewaju4005]

@@sarasamaletdin4574 I've listened to The History of China podcast.

[@axeltopaz5839]

I've only heard how awful she is, but this portrays her as, well a person, as opposed to the complete and uttter baby eating villain history claims her to be. I can imagine planning up schemes like this in those little mobile games I never really got much through before I deleted them (as it was the fantasy of the concubine political intrigue storyline I appreciated much more than the actual piss poor excuse for gameplay riddled with microtransactions), you know the ones from the really tiktoky ads that you wonder how they passed youtube guidelines? Yeah, it's presented as the story of a real person with real thoughts and feeling and motives, instead of a 2d caricature of "lady emperor bad"

[@anniel6479]

This is the first time I'm hearing about Wu expanding her role in the state religion. I'm glad you included it! It's such a clever plan.

[@dayangmarikit6860]

I remember watching a documentary where a giant Buddha statue was carved with her facial features.

[@anniel6479]

@@dayangmarikit6860 dang, she went all in!

[@MustardAndFries]

If you played Civ5 she’s the leader for China

[@anniel6479]

@@MustardAndFries Oh sweet!

[@ethanpack3116]

I suggest watching the Puppet History episode

[@pdruiz2005]

At 3:45. Luoyang is also located right where the great North China Plain starts. So it's way easier to transport food and other farm output to Luoyang than Chang'an. Even more importantly, Luoyang is located right where the Yellow River becomes very deep, meaning that canals can be dredged up to connect Luoyang's Yellow River bank with rivers further south, including the Yangtze. Which meant that Luoyang was the terminus city for the first iteration of the Grand Canal, which was started under the Han Dynasty at around 100 AD.

[@dominicguye8058]

I was waiting for the mention that it was a former imperial capital. That's one of the main things I know it for.

[@aidanpendleton7366]

They were also running out of water in Xi an

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Liu Bang actually preferred to have his capital at Luoyang, recognizing that it was technically the best location for a Chinese imperial capital, but he got stuck in Changan all his life.

[@DeathMessenger1988]

8:32 - ...Why do I have the distinct feeling that this WASN'T an actual power move by Wu, but probably Gaozong, who's pale and clearly not feeling too good, needing to just leave and take a rest and asking Wu to take charge come up with a decent excuse for him to do so without it being considered sacrilegious and causing courtly scandal? XD

[@CrowAkechi_The_Luminary]

It is entirely possible that man just wanted rest and Wu was like "aight, bet"

[@abcdef27669]

The intro scene could totally be on the start of an Extra Mythology episode about Chinese Ghosts. Spooky!

[@girl1213]

Sometimes I think it's good for ghosts to haunt their tormentors, just the remind them that they too are mortal.

[@motherhoodsbeauty9279]

She help her husband rule the county. It’s always nice to help your partner to help you with your work. He probably feel less pressure having her around.

[@Shaheenlia]

LMAO NOT HER BEING BLAMED FOR SLEEPING WITH HER HUSBAND

[@lutherlaosi5294]

they blame her because she share bed with Emperor too many times, see one of the obligation of the empress is to determine who woman in the harem to sleep with emperor in certain day, intead of giving other woman their share, she took most of the time, so she seen monopoling the emperor, also she got accused using sex to control emperor to advancing her own political power in court

[@pendragonxt3674]

Wu is definitely someone who likes to use power plays to get what she wants.

[@atgay2640]

Eh…it’s like every monarch, politician and businessmen in general.

[@blor3664]

Damn, what an original thought about people.

[@OzzieTheHead]

Wow, man, spoilers... some of us are not as quick as you are

[@pendragonxt3674]

@@OzzieTheHead I’m just stating a fact here people.

[@pendragonxt3674]

@@atgay2640 Not all of them.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

"It is what it is." - Wu Zetian dealing with her rivals.

[@Charles-hq7ce]

Chineese history in general is pretty wild. Constant backstabbing, usurping, conquering, suffering defeat, and like once every hundred years someone starts a war that kills like half the population and splits the country into new factions that try to take it all for themselves.

[@Inedow_The_Source_of_Racism]

Its the same thing over And over again occasional interrupting by Turks

[@davidhernando353]

Romance of three kingdoms: The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been.

[@idontfeellikegivingmynamet1298]

I literally jumped with joy when I saw that you guys were doing a series on wu 2 weeks ago this is going to be the best extra credit series since Eleanor of Aquitaine

[@anotherhuman4203]

I wish I could binge these videos all day. Great work as usual!

[@Notsosmartguy453]

Xuanzong and An Lushan sequel would be awesome

[@fromfareast3070]

An Lushan launched rebellion merely after 11 years on power in the military district. Thus ending the golden age of the empire.

[@Sarah_Bragg]

I’m so used to binge watching these after the fact that I got confused for a bit when I couldn’t find episode 4 in the recommended until I saw that this had been posted today

[@KaiserAfini]

7:35 If anything shows Wu's sagacity, it is that she has eyes that can see Mt Tai.

[@Beegirl12345]

0:53 this part is drawn perfectly:0

[@zhubajie6940]

Both Luoyang and Xi'an (former Changan) are great places to visit if you are a lover of history. The Longmen Grottoes are awe-inspiring as are the temples, bell and drum towers, and of course Terra Cotta warriors in Xi'an. Both the provinces of Shaanxi and Henan are packed with history rarely visited by us living in the West.

[@germanomagnone]

What a creepy "intro", Ebenezer Scrooge wasn't the only one to have a "visitation from beyond the grave" It reminds me a lot of the "ghostly visit" to Scrooge in the 1992 movie "The Muppet Christmas Carol" when Statler and Waldorf (they are two seniors who share a gallery seat at the Muppet Show. They love to negatively criticize Muppet shows) as Jacob and Robert Marley. surely those 2 poor people didn't want to sing (that's what they did in the Muppets movie)

[@dominicguye8058]

Wasn't there something similar in a Shakespeare play too? This is a common trope I think

[@kingalfred2014]

@@dominicguye8058 Yeah, Ceasar's ghost appears before Brutus in Julius Caesar. "Haunted by the spirits of those you wronged" is a trope that seems to cross cultural boundaries.

[@germanomagnone]

@@dominicguye8058 Well, vengeful ghosts don't need theater school to "make their points count"

[@Bashkir097]

So many wild stories in Chinese history. I'm disappointed I was never exposed to these in school. Now I need to sit down and start some serious reading.

[@NTXsirens-eas]

I like this history channel!

[@extrahistory]

Thank you!

[@youngman1644]

Is it coincidence that this perfectly aligned with my watching of the anime the apothecary diaries which takes place in A fictional land heavily based on Imperial China revolving around a young apothecary who Ends up getting involved in court affairs and so I immediately understood all this posturing and intrigue as well as the rolls and hierarchy of women in the Imperial court at this time.

[@awesomehpt8938]

Wu Zetian: Execute order 66

[@mistformsquirrel]

"Oops I'm a super traitor, hate it when that happens" lol >

[@strawberrysnowflake5488]

Ohh God I was waiting for this episode to come out

[@anotherhuman4203]

Samee

[@MalikF15]

Awesome video to watch during my lunch hour. Keep awesome content.

[@asies_lavida]

Thank you for uploading!!

[@extrahistory]

Thank you for watching!

[@lemon4378]

oh my gorsh this serious is so beautifully animated its amazing

[@lolmanboss]

Isn't she one of the few women who where draged into the mythos surrounding Tamamo no mae? You know the myth where Tamamo disguised as a human, drained the chinese emperor and controlled him.

[@Fenrisson]

7:38 - What an ominous date.

[@user-tl5gj9dw4x]

We need some chinese actors who can do shakespearean plays in the original mandrin to make this into a series.

[@someonerandom4660]

There are already many drama adaptations of her life!

[@jimlaker6552]

@@someonerandom4660 Empress Wu actually contains some of the events covered in this series. See Gaozong loving his daughter, Wu blaming her death on the Empress and advancing thereof.

[@umjackd]

You can definitely find Chinese-produced drama series about Wu Zetian and other famous people. :)

[@marcc1830]

Technically, the original nine tones Tang dialect is extinct and is preserved in the various southern dialect. In fact Tang poetry rhymes better in southern dialect like Cantonese. This means the Chinese you hear in most N. American Chinatown is closer to the original Tang dialect. Chinese actually called Chinatown, Tang Ren Jie (or Tong Yan Gai in Cantonese) which means Tang people's street. So yeah, Awkwafina, Jimmy Ou Yeong could do a decent Wu and Gao Zhong 😅

[@alaxion5628]

absolutely love this series!

[@zionkitbutsuchi7322]

I freaking love WU she’s so cool and smart and just a radical

[@AyameFyuu]

Oooh I just binged the Wu zetian series and this is amazing. I’m definitely a new subscriber ~!

[@YeDickrider]

would watch a series about this Cat Li fella

[@bananapanda9805]

As a Chinese American, I must know do a triple facepalm, after learning that in ancient China, they did human sacrifices

[@shamusc6863]

In 384 BCE, human sacrifices in pre-imperial/ancient China had been abolished by Duke Xian of the state of Qin. By the time of Wu Zetian (624 - 705 CE) and the Tang Dynasty (Imperial China), human sacrifices have largely been eliminated. The religious rites that were performed at Mount Tai (mentioned in the video) are called Feng Shan, and the sacrifices that the Chinese did are offerings of incense, food (the Five Grains, meat, etc.), alcohol and other inanimate objects like tablets. As with modern Chinese sacrifices/offerings, the food is usually consumed after the rites (hey, why be wasteful?). I cannot find any evidence of humans being sacrificed during the Feng Shan rites of Li Zhi (Tang Gaozong) & Wu Zetian. The video states that the prisoners were released, but I am not sure if that is a euphemism for death. I honestly don't know where they got that part from. That isn't to say that human sacrifices were completely eliminated in China. Some rogue/random people did do it, but it was not the norm and not accepted by the majority.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

​@@shamusc6863 In the Feng Shan rites, prisoners of war were indeed brought in as human sacrifice, but they weren't killed. They were there to be admonished by the Son of Heaven for their evil ways and taught the proper way of serving Heaven. After the admonition, they were deemed "educated" in culture, "released", and told to run down the mountain. At the foot of the mountain they were caught again by soldiers stationed there and their status was changed to house arrest. Basically it's a shaming/hazing ritual for enemies of the state.

[@shamusc6863]

@@andrewsuryali8540 ahhh! Thank you for correcting me! I've learned something new!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

You guys always make My days better! You're the Best!😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤

[@extrahistory]

[@zidarose]

Loving this series

[@handdrawnmemes]

Great video

[@davidgoldenrose]

I'm just getting back into rxtra history after ages so i dont know what tou do or don't have, but I'd LOVE to see more videos likr the one about money or the writing system. For example one on the invention of the printing press and its effect on thr world. Or the establishment of the first postal systems

[@Goat-tz6gs]

Awesome video :D

[@FakeBlocks]

Please do the Greek war of independence of 1821 against the ottoman empire next I've been asking for this since the first episodes of the sengoku Jidai!

[@emperora9]

The shade on the four major streaming networks at the end. 😂😂😂😂

[@ChrisKetcherside]

Someone knows how to play the court

[@ecurewitz]

She had lots of experience in the court before becoming empress

[@171QA]

Great video.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Great work as always! You guys are the BEST history teachers!😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@extrahistory]

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

@@extrahistory ,🤗🤗🔥🔥🔥

[@Liam_Mellon]

Loved that dig at the major streaming platforms!

[@jep9092]

The best channel

[@AshleyGravesreal]

With those videos I am starting to like Wu Zetian as an historical figure

[@baliczek4568]

It's best or second best extra history series after Justinian

[@ferretyluv]

Nah, second best was Sengoku Jidai.

[@wezza668]

in some ways i understand her. in other ways i just don't understand why so many people got killed for her power

[@Jaytaxman]

As they say, 'in for a penny, in for a pound'.

[@ParksMnarks]

You should make a video about general Howe’s dog (if it’s a long enough story)

[@rudmillahnowrin9151]

Nice

[@andrewphilos]

"And bruises mark their throats" yeah about that 😅

[@imao15]

Idk why but your animation style reminds me of swoozies and I like it

[@willlahay1375]

Do episode on hms diamond rock

[@skylord2770]

why don't you do a video series on the rise and fall of Rome?

[@shahansindhi8141]

Imperial robe well designed 4:25

[@Cuboidian]

Can you please do a Pompeii video?

[@crazybabe213]

Stress really does kill

[@KazyQ]

Can you do episodes on Hugh mcgary my great 7x grandfather he has a interesting story

[@00dawn]

Is this video playing glitchy for anyone else? There's certain moments that are just green, with static noise.

[@davidjennings2179]

Interesting how similar such different cultures can be. Rewrite the names and these could be any european asian or african kingdom telling out the tale of murder, romance and political manauvering to take power.

[@ThePilotsFate]

i love how it talks about heaven in 666 CE

[@johannapyle-carter8223]

Wu’s face is missing in 8:17

[@obi-nh9eh]

Neat

[@Ushmadand]

*looks at camera* They're right behind me, aren't they?

[@bthsr7113]

Given the recent reports on catastrophic corruption in the Chinese military, I have to wonder if "assisted chemical retirement" is still used.

[@2.5productions]

cool

[@b1laxson]

Wu? Wu who? Hooray! Woohoo!

[@cosmodoge6565]

That video went too fast :(

[@mekorare]

Chinese court intrigue make GoT looks like drama

[@OkamiThunder]

Oh that's interesting I didn't know Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong moved the capital backed to Luoyang. I wonder how often China's capital has actually been moved because as far as I know it was also the capital at one point during the Han Dynasty until it was burned.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Luoyang is the ideal location for a Chinese imperial capital. Chang'an is actually not that great a place. Originally the reason why Chang'an became the capital was because Qinshihuang's capital Xianyang was nearby and he'd moved all the noble clans in China into the suburbs of Xianyang. Liu Bang moved them over to Chang'an but his long term plan was always to set up a new capital in Luoyang.

[@GreatBigRanz]

I thought Throne of Blood was a great adaptation of MacBeth. Nope, Zetian IS lady MacBeth.

[@miqueiasbarbosa1658]

It really is very interesting to be able to learn history and this is a very good channel. I hope that God can comfort and accompany each one always regardless of where they are or what happens, for some time I have gone through difficult times but I can say with certainty that God has plans beautiful and great for everyone and everything works together for your good

[@nevaehhamilton3493]

I love how it just ends in the year 666. That's the devil's number, y'know. 😂😊

[@dogood8750]

Am I the only one got nebula just to see episode 4

[@Tailikku1]

well there's a reason why she's an Assassin in FGO

[@vinum_bibere_et_mori]

Which is your favorite oreos or chocolate chip cookies

[@anotherhuman4203]

Oreos are my life

[@extrahistory]

Oreos!

[@juliancoenen4917]

I missed maybe my one and only chance to be the first commentor on Extra History's videos, and I do not have the heart to become the first dislike on the masterpieces Extra History regularly makes.

[@CARL_093]

gaozong and wu had a huge problem on the protectorate the former gogoryeo that will soon be balhea kingdom under dae jo young soon king go

[@andrewsuryali8540]

If you're talking about Wu Zetian, then don't forget to do her most famous frenemy Judge Dee.

[@Kilgorio]

Wow

[@jimmypetrock]

Wow. How many episodes will you do? Do this until death?

[@Jupa]

She’s amazing even I got a crush on her

[@Wryyn.]

666 is an excellent year to make a heavenly sacrifice that’s so expensive that it hasn’t been done in 600 years

[@HandsumeAJ]

8:14 Who is the invisible lady in the dress?

[@mimimoneymachine]

wu zetian

[@josefDALL]

the qeen of denmark abdicated

[@khoihn]

bruh I mentioned empress Wang and Consort Xiao last episode

[@frosttoros663]

Why your animation looks sexy for some reason?

[@SusCalvin]

Sacrificing a giant report document to Heaven is something wonderfully confucian to do.

[@jacobs483]

Sometimes a girl’s gotta do some political purges. We get it. We all been there once or twice.

[@user-gw4oz1rk3i]

She is definetly not a psychopath, as portrayed by this Series at least!

[@LlamaJordan]

I enjoy that they complain abput services that show ads even when you pay, but are they not thinking of the folks who pay for KZbin premium? They still see ads. So it looks like them hosting on KZbin is the same as the company's they have called out...

[@vinchester8688]

Make a video about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk please

[@jan-Sopija]

1:05 jesus h fucking christ alive. of all the intros you've done, that is the most terrifying

[@publictoilet223]

I ❤️ you quagmire

[@AudieHolland]

I bet that in much earlier times, they probably not just buried the slabs of stone of messages but the messengers themselves too.