China's Hidden Tomb of the Princess | Full Documentary | TRACKS

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In the 1960s, archaeologists working in China made an extraordinary discovery. They unsealed the twelve-hundred-year-old tomb of a princess. Its walls were covered in magnificent murals - an unprecedented glimpse into life during the Tang dynasty.

This documentary tells the fascinating story of the great Empire that made those murals, of the Silk Road that connected it to the world, and of the rebellions and disasters that brought the dynasty crashing down.

TRACKS publishes unique, unexpected and untold stories from across the world every week.

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[Expectationss]

Fun fact, Tang Dynasty paintings had everyone painted fat because being fat meant they were well-fed and wealthy. Even the horses and other animals were painted fat.

[htang]

I'm an overseas born Chinese and had been English educated throughout my life.
Since my retirement 10 years ago, I have begun to research into my cultural roots and have since learnt a lot of its history.
I had even travelled many times to China, including Xian, being the capital of many imperial dynasties and was most impressed with its preservation of many historical buildings and mausoleums.
I would love to re-visit Xian again and your video gives me more reason to do so.

[clarimm]

This video was really really interesting thank you! However, I can't stand it when people talk about Wu Zetian and only talk about her cunning and brutal ways when male royals have been doing the exact same things (and worse) for millennia. Just because she's a woman, doesn't make it any more or less calculated and brutal, but that's just how it was back then. She had to adapt to the men around her to get to where she wanted to be, simple as that

[mooncake]

When I was in high school, my mom brought me to China. Our roots are Chinese, but we were born and raised in the West. I got to see the terracotta warriors in Xi’an and still remember how great and awe inspiring it was to this day. It really was a great feat, all the buildings, tombs, soldiers, palaces...it was a great empire.

[anitalewis]

I'm so grateful for all these videos of ancient civilizations.

[kaylizzie]

I’m only just learning about Chinese ancient history and it is fascinating. I’m glad they are excavating so slowly since so much was lost in the rushed excavations of Egypt. The Chinese have so much respect for their ancestors and it is beautiful to see.

[waterwitch]

I admire her. She was a woman who had to be strong to be able to rule as hard as a man and she did that. Just because she was a woman people say she was cruel, i think she stood strong because she had too. The history of China is truly fascinating. I love learning about it.

[voraciousreader]

I’m surprised that not one expert mentioned that the history of Wu Zetian was written by men who came after her, and that they would have done everything possible to keep another woman from amassing so much power. The biggest criticism by men of powerful women is that they act “unwomanly”—ie, like them, men—and they have always tainted these women’s legacies by painting them with their own brushes. Of course, a woman who could proclaim herself emperor of China must have had very tough qualities, but her reign was prosperous, peaceful, and provided wealth and security to the majority of her subjects. The arts and crafts are truly amazing. There was religious tolerance. And after Wu Zetian? The men after her went back to stupid factional strife leading to civil war, which destroyed the wealth and security she gave her country….what’s so great about _that?!?_ China obviously needed more female emperors!

[jeansempe]

Those wall paintings are so vibrant and beautiful!

[gregb]

Very interesting, but I would like to have seen more of the murals, and less of the aerial desert shots.

[skygrey]

Tang was a great dynasty after the 3 Kingdom Period. Would love to travel to Chang An one day to visit all the histories. Everyone needs to watch “the longest day in Chang An”. Great movie set during the Tang Dynasty.

[thomaslai]

Great documentary, however one mistake they made was the name of the Tang Capital. Nowadays it is called 西安 “xī ān, Western Peace”, but during the Tang it was known as 長安 “cháng ān, Perpetual Peace.”

[benignocampo]

Very interesting and historical videos of ancient Chinese and shows how industrious, creative, hard working people.

[markokada]

I feasted my eyes on this grandiose deeds of the emperor in ancient China that seems an unparalleled, almost incomparable, & rare splendor unlike any others in the entire world. Sooo unutterably impressive & remarkable that those historical remains made an impressive & favorable impact on my mind & body, & will probably last in my mind for eons. Soundly enjoyed, admired, & appreciated it to the core at the comfort of my

[theweilee]

Wonderful narrative and interviews with the 3 experts, thank you.

[johannakadar]

Im an archeologyst student and i spent time in China working in an exavation, i can't see these tombs, or the famous terracotta soldiers, but i saw so many historycal places, and its realy fascinating. There you have a feeling that people truly live whit their history. And thru this video i can see, how much more thing is there that i should, and will see.

[JohnTandy]

I'm a huge anime fan which got me interested in Japanese culture; now I've been learning more about the Chinese cultural history's. I recall the damage of the cultural revolution & its devastating iconoclasm. But there is a wealth of knowledge, history & secret yet uncovered to tackle. From Confucius, to Dao Buddhism, Tangs, Songs to Mings, Great Walls to Silky roads. China is amazing, forget the Politics for now, we need to understand each other, taking an example from our ancestors that shared ideas, philosophy, religion and technology, were our forefathers enlightened where we are xenophobes ?

[bajoobiecuzican]

Informative and interesting documentary. Thank you ✨

[heidimiller]

I think this narrator is my friend Phillip from Central Lutheran Church in Capitol Hill Seattle. I love this video on China. Can you make more like this?

[mrvlog]

Beautiful documentry keep it up we went more this kind of video