10. China's Han Dynasty - The First Empire in Flames
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- čas přidán 23. 05. 2024
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A city in ruins. A dynasty in tatters. An empire in ashes...
This episode, we look at the remarkable story of the first empire of ancient China, the Han dynasty. With ancient Chinese poetry, songs and folk music, we look back at the first empire's rise, its remarkable technological advances, and its first, tentative attempts to make contact with the empires of the west. Finally, we look at all the reasons behind the first age of Imperial China's final, dramatic fall.
Support Fall of Civilizations on Patreon: / fallofcivilizations_po...
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Claire Hynes
Jake Barrett-Mills
Shem Jacobs
Alex Peattie
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: incompetech.com/
Title theme: Home At Last by John Bartmann. johnbartmann.com/
This was a good podcast, Han's down.
lol. that pun was _empirically_ bad. xD
@@Triton1051 yes, it is, I agree...
😑 ... I'm only upset because I laughed as hard as I did
Yes.
Hahahaha!!! Nice one.
A history documentary huh, I wonder how comprehensive it will be?
FOC: "180 million years ago..."
Oh my.
😂
How about last episode?
FoC: Let me tell you about the fall of the Aztecs
Me: Cool
FoC: It all started with this dinosaur and an asteroid
Me: Is this going to be on the test?
@@FallofCivilizations 0000000l0l0l0l
Dear.
Dear. Dear.
"They buttoned their coats on the left"
Truly barbaric behaviour
Dressing in the suiting of drawing the bow with the right hand, back then archery was not practised by Chinese nobilities for half a millennia, dressing in suiting of the horsearchery tradition was indeed held as barbaric.
Women's coats button on the left.
Is it a coincidence? Was it a jab/joke? Or is it one now?
@@givemeurhats do more research before questioning, I never heard in any period of ancient China was there a predominant culture of women to set the button on the left.
Left handed people disagree.
@@armyofninjas9055 left hands in, say, ancient Greece, will break the hoplite formation.
Do know that even in ww2 majority of automatic rifles will causally spit the hot shellcase on left hand guys's face. Before modern times warfare tactic and equipment in a organized army is indeed a strange place to search for diversity and convenient.
"They're barbarous. Their coats button... on the LEFT SIDE."
~audible gasp~
🤣🤣🤣
Those Han Dynasty scholar who wrote this clearly had a witty sense of humor LOL
Girls, then?
Definitely the best history podcast around; I've been binge listening to you for days. The Aztecs episode was especially brilliant and well researched. Cheers, Paul!
Thanks James, I really appreciate it!
@@FallofCivilizations The Aztec one is an epic. I've never felt so engaged by a piece of academia before.
@@BigglesAboutTown I have to say those mesoamerican ancient group's deities and religions are a bit over-taught in comparison to the pagan's deities and religions, just saying.
You are an incredible narrator, thank you for your work. You speak slow and clear enough for me to and process the info. Wish this channel luck as deep as the ocean !!!
Your voice comforts me when I’m anxious and can’t sleep. And I love history. Thank you.
Binging this series, the time and effort that must go into making these is incredible for an independent creator. Great work and can’t wait to listen to the next one!
Thank you Jason, much appreciated!
@@FallofCivilizations thank your parents for us too! TY for this wonderful series.
Fall of Civilizations hrh rnrh
Podcast: This is about the Han Dynasty.
Me: Rad.
Podcast: but first, I need to explain Wilson Supercontinent Cycles to put China in context.
Me:
This is exactly why I love this podcast
I am a storyteller my brother-in-law is a journalist, we often laugh about how we have to fill-in with something interesting or the story might be too short. He even calls it filler in his articles.
Or he is storytelling like Michener, an author who also told historically not so accurate, but detailed history’s.
Yeah that was an epic opening
@@matthewmimmack1076 What is not so historically accurate?
This channel is incredible! I just stumbled upon it by chance (lloking for meaningful history and being very much disappointed by the "great" channels"), I think I found a treasure trove here. I am listening to the Songhai episode now but this will be the next one. Thank you SO MUCH!!!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Hope you enjoy the rest too.
I really like it. It is detailed. I don't know a lot about Chinese History. I live in the US and the public school system here used to teach US history for some odd reason. After I graduated high school I read a lot of history, but never read much about Chinese history before around 1700.
EDIT: History Channel, Discovery Channel, etcetera are all garbage. All the shows are only a summary of the same events over and over. Normandy Invasion, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, Revolutionary War, Sir Francis Drake, The Lusitania, Aliens Built the Pyramids, William the Conqueror, Caligula... and a lot of the information is incorrect.
I agree, I strive to learn as much history as possible and CZcams often seems lacking until I found this channel a few days ago. Has taught me so much that I didn't know
@@BrettonFerguson I live in the US & most of this info. I already knew, granted I was a constant reader. I can no longer read , except for short periods . It was still interesting to listen other reason of failings of civilization & some new info. that wasn't in books. Ty on for the podcasts.
you want real history lesson,?, viper & dttv.?.vids on sumer..then,the rest of history & religion,becomes easy.
I love this channel, the care and attention to detail with editing on each podcast is second to none. Stumbled upon by chance not too long ago and have binging each podcast enthusiastically. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to more in the future.
Thank you! Really glad you've been enjoying
It’s truly a wonderful channel isn’t it, highly recommended.
@@FallofCivilizations uu078u8u
6y I. The h
@@04daltons h 9hh8uu
Glooorious.
Not just you! I'd love it ṭoo!🥰
Wow that was incredible! I would love so many more civilisations, the Carolingians, the Mauria, the Byzantine, perhaps even the Ottomans? I hope you'll keep doing this for ever
Thank you! These are some great suggestions - certainly some are on the list for the future.
@@FallofCivilizations Look forward to an episode on Carthage!
@@FallofCivilizations Please do *the fall of excessively greedy corporations*
@@whothefoxcares That would be a tricky one. Multinationals have been around for a while now, but can we really speak of a corporate culture that early? The rise and fall of the Dutch VOC and WIC, for instance, would be interesting, but I think it would be doing a disservice to actual civilizations to lump them in there.
I'm with Larry, would love to see an episode on Carthage.
I would really like a podcast on Bactria...
This podcast has every quality that makes me love and appreciate history. I have subscribed and rung the bell. Thank you to everyone who worked on this podcast.
Thank you, much appreciated!
If I weren't barely above the poverty line and handicapped, I would literally give you all the money, sir. This channel, your content, and podcast are probably the best discovery I've made on the internet in several years. Keep up the hard work and stoke that passion well, my friend. Good things will come.
Mangoes....
😊Uuoi😊i 23:40 ii😊 23:40 😊ooiii😊😊 i😊z
I'm 😅i😊ii
Fantastic work. I binged the whole series in the last two days. You deserve a BBC show for this. You have an eloquent style that demonstrates enthusiasm and reverence for the periods covered that rivals popular documentarian/historians like Mary Beard and Bettany Hughes. Well done.
I'd suggest some other civilizations (Assyria, Minoa, American Indians, Great Zimbabwe, Lydia, Celts, Goths, Merv, Etruscans -- just off the top of my head) but you probably already have a backlog of suggestions to sift through.
Thank you, that's very kind of you! These are some great suggestions - certainly some I plan to do, and I'll look into the others!
I listen to so many history podcasts but this is different. It's immersive with authentic music, the poetry, the voice overs, and that beautiful voice guiding you through time. To be honest, I listen to these with my eyes covered so the story plays out like a projector playing in my mind. I've listened to all of them at least twice. This one is especially important because what is old is new. It's not just ancient geopolitical stories. This one should help explain a lot of today's happenings.
What a wonderful series of podcasts this has been, beats anything on tv by a country mile. Thank you Paul and the rest of the people involved, it is much appreciated.
Thank you Barry, very kind of you!
I already know so much about this specific time period but I can't stop listening and watching every bit I can on it. Such a magnificent, wonderful, mythical period in history.
Honestly one of my top 5 history channels along with kings and generals, history time, fire of learning and the histrocrat. Every time you upload I can't wait for the next
Thank you! That's very kind of you to say
Wow I never expected the guy who finally brought down this empire to be somebody I myself, as a child, beheaded in a Nintendo game. I think he was the first major boss enemy! Cao Cao lasts much longer, though... in the game at least. That Romance of the Three Kingdoms story has certainly traveled far!
Which version of Dynasty Warriors did you first play?
@@devilravenninja9597 I have never played that series in any form! I was referring to Destiny of an Emperor for the NES. (Something like this could also have happened with the first four Romance of the Three Kingdoms games, which were ported to NES or SNES during the appropriate time period, but I never tried any of those for some reason - I stuck to Koei's Genghis Khan games instead.)
Thanks Paul for another great podcast. It's not given to many to narrate history in an informative and interesting way but you have the gift. Keep up the good work and I look forward to many more to come.
Another superb episode! Brilliant work!
And, all those hours of playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms on SNES paid off as I was able to keep all the names straight in the last portion... It was great to hear about Lu Bu killing Dong Zhou and the detail about the candle burning for days burning off of the fat of Dong Zhou's stomach...
Thank you, glad you enjoyed! Yes there are so many colorful details to choose from.
This is probably the most well produced scripted podcast I listen to. Excellent work don't stop.
Thank you, very kind of you!
Every time I think this podcast can’t get any better... you do it again! Really appreciate all your hard work!
Thank you so much for all the effort you put into these every time!
Thank you, I really appreciate the kind words!
I normally don't listen to podcasts but I fell upon this and hadn't noticed it was a podcast and ended up listening and playing solitaire:) So now I have subscribed because you have a great way of telling history and you don't have to sit and watch the same scenes again and again and having things repeated as docs often do. Thank you for all your work!!
Even tho there are a few months between uploads, it always such a pleasure when the podcast drops. I fully appriciate how you take ur time and create fantastic content that is not only entertaining but well researched and educational. Thanks for all the hard work
I can listen to this over and over (and have!... well fairly big chunks if not all of it... yet). The detail is so razor sharp that I just can't take it all in and have to replay it over. A more fascinating, comprehensive and yes, enjoyable introduction to Chinese history I cannot imagine, as before I played this, I knew next to nothing. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Been waiting for this. These are fantastic. Thank you so much for your time and effort.
Thank you, I really appreciate it!
@@FallofCivilizations Absolutely love your podcast! Glad I found them on Spotify. Any idea why episodes 3 and 7 are not on Spotify? It's like they just disappeared!
@@SaltyMaltyMo Yes I'm having trouble getting to the bottom of that! They are available on other platforms, and hopefully I can resolve this soon.
Agreed
You are one of my favourite podcasts. I wish the episodes were more frequent but I also appreciate all the work you put into them, I’m sure it’s incredibly time consuming. I am captivated but each episode.
Listening about entire civilizations setting ablaze always makes my day!
my guilty pleasure is apocalyptic movies.
As a video game nerd who grew up playing grand strategy games by koei that took place after the yellow turban rebellion(or during but that is boring start date) it was nice to hear the history without the fluff. I read the book about the three kingdoms by Lou guhzhong( probably got the name wrong it has been awhile) and while based in history it is steeped in mysticism kinda like an American tall tale. Great job on this. I loved it.
By far the best history channel out there in this area. The voice, the rhythm of the speech fits perfectly with well edited topics. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, really glad you think so!
Yes. It's excellent. If you ever want more visually. One of similar quality exists called "History Time" and "Voices of the Past" (same producers). HT summarizes history. Voices of the Past provides readings from primary sources. The reader is also British, a bias I favor. Lol. Somehow, it sounds so scholarly.
Bro, I just came across your channel, while looking for a thorough history channel to listen to while falling asleep. Your content, pacing, tone of voice are spot on.
New subscriber well earned!
Thank you! Really glad you're enjoying
As someone who has lived in China for 11 years I greatly appreciate this work. Profoundly helpful in piecing together today’s China. It has brought many things together for me. Again, extremely grateful, thanks.
Once again outstanding content. I listen to far to much CZcams. But these really stand out and this is now up there with my favourite channels. Genuinely top notch podcast.
These all have been extremely well done and have certainly expanded my view of world history. Very well written and elegantly produced
I can probably say that this is the most reliable content on any podcast right now. You have continued to improve as well imo. Remarkable job!
Thank you, very kind of you!
as the author says,,history is part guesswork. Educated guesswork but guesswork.
Ottoman empire history is rich, it would be a good podcast
A small clarification, Qin Shi Huang means the founding (shi) emperor (Huang) of the qin (qin) dynasty, rather than the name.
His actual name was Ying Zheng and he was a captive in the kingdom of Zhao before becoming king of the qin, which later unified China.
Yeah, it's kind of similar to how Gaius Octavius later became known as Caesar Augustus. It wasn't his birth name, and from a historical perspective, it wouldn't necessarily be accurate to refer to him as "Augustus" when referencing the time period before he assumed that title.
Bonus knowledge!! Thank you.
I just found this series and I'm mesmerized. Magical. I'm binge-watching the entire thing. I'd love to hear your take on the Indus River Valley civilization. And I do hope you're taking notes on what's happening right here in the USA right now. Cheers.
So glad to see the notification for your current installment. If you dont have a historical grant, it's a crime against humanity.
Thank you! I'm supported purely on patreon subscribers at the moment.
best history podcast out there. Listened and watched numerous times.
Great for bedtime stories, especially when there's VO actors involved
Finally, a new video..been waiting for a new one for so long..thanks
Thank you! Hope it's worth the wait.
@@FallofCivilizations 😉sure it is..
You are remarkable. We are so lucky to be gifted such incredible content. Thank you for sharing these wonderful episodes. They are brilliant and much appreciated.
Thank you Kristina, that's very kind of you!
Everything on these podcasts are absolutely beautiful! Well done!
The Han Dynasty was not a continuation of the Han Kingdom from the Warring States. The two most important Warring States kingdoms were probably the Qin and Chu. Chu was conquered by Qin but then led a rebellion that destroyed the Qin Dynasty. Chu was then reestablished as the Kingdom of Western Chu, and fought the newly formed kingdom of Han in the War of 18 Kingdoms/Chu-Han contention. It was this new Han Kingdom that created the Han Dynasty. Liu Bang was also not born in the Warring States kingdom of Han, but in the Warring States kingdom of Chu.
In Chinese characters the Han kingdom of the Warring States period and the Han dynasty are written differently. The former 韓， the latter 漢。After the Qin was toppled Liu Bang was made the Lord of Hanzhong (漢中) (in today's Shaanxi Province bordering Sichuan Province). From there with the help of the legendary general Hanxin (韓信) he set out to reunite China. Taking the first character of Hanzhong, he named his new empire Han.
Loved the episode. Thank you for the good work. I just wished you would've gone into more details when discussing the reforms of the Qin, especially those of Shang Yang, such as the utilisation of collective punishments for military units and civilian households, establishments of twenty ranks of nobility that enable soldiers to climb the social hierarchy through the slaying of foes in battle, and the control of food prices through the restriction of trade on agriculture produces. When discussing ancient historical reforms people often merely touches it briefly without going into details, making it difficult for the audience to truly understand how they impacted the society and were the society bettered compared to its past and other societies around it.
Although I am not an expert in history myself, there are a few inaccuracies in the video which I've noticed. Some was probably due to the simplification of history to make this easier for those less knowledgeable to consume. Nonetheless, I've like to clarify below for those that wishes to know more.
1. Toward the end of the Warring States period the two most important states were Qin (秦) and Chu(楚), not Han(韩).
2. Qin Shi Huang(秦始皇) was not the name of the first emperor of Qin, that was his title, meaning The First Emperor of Qin. His actual personal name was Yin Zhen (嬴政).
3. Qin Shi Huang did almost none of the reforms himself. The most important reforms were largely implemented by the six Qin kings that came before him. The reason for Qin Shi Huang's successful wars was due to the hard works done by his ancestors.
4. The first state to deploy large quantity of cavalry in warfare was the state of Zhao, not Qin.
5. Qin Shi Huang killed scholars that politically against him, not for them unable to provide him with medicine of immortality. He also kept copies of the books which he burned in the imperial library. the library was later burned by the rebel Xiang Yu (项羽).
6. The first emperor of Han (汉) comes from the state of Chu (楚), not the state of Han (韩). The Chinese character for the dynasty of Han (汉) and the Chinese character for the state of Han (韩) are different and unrelated. The Han (汉) dynasty was named after the the commandery of Hanzhong (汉中), where Liu bang (刘邦), the founder of Han (汉) dynasty, first established his capital after the overthrown of Qin (秦), being enthroned as a king by his hegemonic overlord, the king of the newly revived kingdom of Chu. The commandery itself was named after the Han River (汉江). The name Hanzhong (汉中) literally means 'The Middle of Han (River)'.
Talking about the reforms of Qin would require talking about the Warring States period which produced Qin. This would inevitably lead to talking about the Spring and Autumn period. This video could be easily 100 hours long lol.
Fall of Civilizations Podcast? Finally, a podcast specific to my interests!
The story about the rivalry between eunuchs and dowagers was perfect
The Chinese early inventions are mindblowing
You might like the books "China: Land of Discovery and Invention"and "The Genius of China: 3000 Years of Science, Discovery and Invention", both by Robert Temple.
@@hreodbeorhtcheesewright4889 I *will* enjoy these, thank you
Amazing content! One of the best Historians on youtube by far!
A great prelude to watching the 3 kingdoms show
A mind boggling and engaging retelling of pertinent historical information previously unknown to many, including myself. Thank you!
Just last night, I was astonished by the movement of what is now the Indian subcontinent toward Asia, and what it did to create the Himalayas. I almost couldn't believe it, though I have seen the illustrations of the movement many times. What a weird coincidence this recording discusses it!
Not going to lie. I spend a lot of time on YT. This is currently my favourite channel.
Amazing. So difficult to find Chinese History literature in English, this is a great substitute. Looking forward to a part 2 of sorts :)
"the sounds of ancient Han-era poetry in their original Mandarin" is an anachronism. The problem with studying China as opposed to other ancient civilizations is that its poetry is written in a language that is legible to well-educated modern Chinese, but NOT in its "original" language (which depending on the context is either Old or Middle Chinese). To give a not-entirely-relevant analogy, it's like someone from China talking about the Anglo-Saxons, getting an English person to read a modern English gloss of "Beowulf" or the like, and then calling it "the sounds of ancient Anglo-Saxon poetry in their original BBC English".
it not "original" "dialect" it still the same language which you can still see the lineage of middle chinese in mandarin or cantonese , unlike another language from the world which become independent from it origin
Anyone interested in learning more about how Qin unified China should check out Victoria Tin-bor Hui's "War and State Formation in Ancient China and Early Modern Europe." I'm assuming anyone listening to a podcast like this doesn't mind reading academic histories, as opposed to popular histories.
I enjoyed this a bit more as Ive played some dynasty warriors, which uses the romance of the three kingdoms as its basis. My friend really loves this era so naturally I sent it to him.
Thank you! Hope they enjoy too.
Can you do all of China’s imperial dynasty in the coming episode? Personally I think the end of Song is very tragic, on par with the Aztecs. Han wasn’t that bad since all the cultural lineage gets inherited and passed down.
What an excellent series. I've listened to four episodes so far and I think you have done a fantastic job. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
A true Knight. Thank you for putting together these podcasts. Very enjoyable. I actually smiled and said “Sweet” when I saw this come up today!
Thank you, very kind of you!
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel is so fascinating and entertaining. You can find lots of media about it, i really enjoy the strategy games about it.
Also the Dynasty Warriors series.
yesterday i just finised with ALL episodes!(listening them for two weeks)and today Han China?! as we say here- Ester day is already:)))
Really hope you enjoy!
@@FallofCivilizations oh yeah this is the brain candy alright, good on ya!
Bravo! Love the intro, the voice, the pace, and the content! Top work.
Thank you, really glad you enjoyed!
One of the best history podcasts on the web. Thank you
The only complaint I have about ur vids... There's not enough of them! Lol! I want more! Fr though great work. Keep it up!
Thank you Bethany! Really glad you've been enjoying
Superb! Travelling from Glasgow back to London, extensive podcasts are a must! Thank you for your perfect timing, and captivating stories.
My pleasure! Glad I could make the journeys pass quicker.
Be glad you don't have to commute across the state of Texas, 1310 km.
@@frankkolton1780 It was 10 hours or so through snow and rain, so much to see out of the windows. I do hope to drive across Texas, when the world's whole again. All the best , and be well
Thank you for the upload. Saw this in the morning, but had to go to work. Been looking forward to giving you a listen all day.
My pleasure! Hope you enjoy.
Thank you for this amazing content. I was searching for a comprehensive content in one place. 👍💯
I have been there. and these words still make me cry.
Another superb episode. I could listen to that voice all day. That was 3 hours and flew by. Just ordered your book too. Here's hoping for more content soon.
This is one of the very best series on You Tube! If only you had the budget of a BBC production! Will you be doing the rise and fall of the Tang dynasty?
That is a story so dramatic, and a civilization so brilliant, that it would perhaps make your best episode.
Thank you! This is a great suggestion, and I'd love to do it one day.
Chinese call their Chinatowns overseas as ‘Tang people’s mall’ or 唐人街
Shakespeare would have done much with the Han. "The old graves are plowed up into fields. There is no road back."
No he would not, as it would not profit the Tudors. Shake-spear was first and foremost a propagandist.
@@partialintegral : like propaGandhi?
@@partialintegral I thought that Tudors were car models: you know, like tudor and fyodor sedans?
@@partialintegral ummm, proof?
@@meyerweinstock9567 Ghandi ROCKED.
Comprehensive and excellent as always. I've kept a running interest in systems collapse since the end of school. BTW in light of COVID-19, would an episode on the Black Death bringing an end to the Western Medieval world and the changes it wrought leading to the rise of the Early Modern period be possible? It's not exactly complete collapse but it was very close to that. I would argue that is was the end of a civilization, just as Ancient Egypt didn't need a complete systems collapse to stop being itself. Even that would illuminating: the quiet senescence as a collapse into something else.
Thank you! This is an excellent idea, and I'll have a think about how to do it. Thanks for the suggestion.
This is great. I just wanted to mention that the Himalayas aren't the highest mountains on earth. They're the highest mountains on earth above sea level. Parts of hawaii are much higher, just much submerged below the ocean.
thank you! amazingly done in every aspect!
Thank you for this series, it's incredible! Really has kept me engaged during lockdown.
Thank you, glad I could help!
I just love this series. The description of the crash of continents was evocative.
Brilliant work. Thank you.
Wonderful Channel and wonderful news to hear
FoC: "Before we talk about the fall of this civilization, we should start with the Big Bang . . ."
Me: ::completely accepting of this, listens::
I don’t, “comment, like, and subscribe.” Except when one of your videos come out. Thank you for what you do!
What an fantastic episode! I especially loved the bits in Mandarin, that added so much atmosphere!
I cannot wait until you drop a new podcast, I’ve listened to all 10 now.
HURREY!!! Been waiting for the next one - really look forward to I'm sure repeated listenings!
Really hope you enjoy!
Nearly 3 hours of complete bliss.....thank you 😍
Your channel and podcast are simply fantastic! Thank you for your hard work!
Thank you! Really glad you're enjoying
Love your work and eagerly wait each new episode. Would love to hear what you come up with for the Tartarian Empire.
I love these series. Such effort and detail. Fantastic!
Thank you, very kind!
Great episode! Very informative. You always do a great job.
Thank you! Glad you thought so.
I keep listening to your podcasts over ons over. Superb!
Best history channel I've seen on yt so far, keep it up!
Great as usual, however I think you have to also make a visual version of it. It's a completely different experience when you can actually see images of the Himalaya's, the great rivers, Terra cota soldiers etc...
Thank you. Yes it will be on its way in the coming months!
Always enjoy your podcasts! Thank you for your efforts!
Great Podcasts!
Fantastic series of podcasts! Tons of information. Easy to understand language. Thanks👍🏻😊 Can you make a podcast about the huns? I think there is a lot to tell about them, as well.
There is some amazing content coming out on this channel!!!
Thank you, glad you're enjoying!