Dunhuang, una ciudad situada en el extremo occidental de China, es un lugar lleno de historia y misterio. Conocida como una antigua fortaleza en la frontera, Dunhuang jugó un papel crucial en las rutas comerciales de la antigua Ruta de la Seda. Este documental explora su rica herencia cultural y su importancia histórica. Descubriremos las famosas Cuevas Mogao, patrimonio mundial que contiene miles de manuscritos budistas antiguos y arte impresionante que data del siglo IV al XIV. Aprenderemos sobre los desafíos enfrentados por esta ciudad fortificada a lo largo del tiempo y cómo sobrevivió a numerosos conflictos militares.
Las dunas cantarinas cercanas ofrecen un espectáculo natural único que sigue atrayendo visitantes internacionales. Además, exploraremos el impacto económico y cultural que tuvo Dunhuang durante siglos como punto clave para comerciantes, monjes budistas y viajeros aventureros.
Este video no solo proporciona información educativa sobre Dunhuang sino que también transporta visualmente a los espectadores a través del tiempo con impresionantes imágenes arqueológicas e históricas. Entenderemos por qué Dunhuang sigue siendo un punto focal tanto para historiadores como para turistas modernos interesados en el pasado glorioso de Asia Central.
Hashtags: #DunhuangDocumentary #AncientFortress #SilkRoadHistory
Keywords: Documental Dunhuang, antigua fortaleza china, frontera histórica China, Cuevas Mogao patrimonio mundial, Ruta de la Seda, comercialización, histórica ruta, budismo, antiguo manuscritos, arte mogol, dunas cantarinas, espectáculo, arqueología turística, educacional
Las dunas cantarinas cercanas ofrecen un espectáculo natural único que sigue atrayendo visitantes internacionales. Además, exploraremos el impacto económico y cultural que tuvo Dunhuang durante siglos como punto clave para comerciantes, monjes budistas y viajeros aventureros.
Este video no solo proporciona información educativa sobre Dunhuang sino que también transporta visualmente a los espectadores a través del tiempo con impresionantes imágenes arqueológicas e históricas. Entenderemos por qué Dunhuang sigue siendo un punto focal tanto para historiadores como para turistas modernos interesados en el pasado glorioso de Asia Central.
Hashtags: #DunhuangDocumentary #AncientFortress #SilkRoadHistory
Keywords: Documental Dunhuang, antigua fortaleza china, frontera histórica China, Cuevas Mogao patrimonio mundial, Ruta de la Seda, comercialización, histórica ruta, budismo, antiguo manuscritos, arte mogol, dunas cantarinas, espectáculo, arqueología turística, educacional
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00:00:00In the year 1900, in the caves of Mogao, near Dunhuang, in western China,
00:00:08a Taoist monk makes a great archaeological discovery.
00:00:12In a sealed cave he finds tens of thousands of ancient manuscripts,
00:00:18full of stories not told about heroic warriors,
00:00:24mysterious travelers, and legendary kings and rulers.
00:00:31This was an incredible amount of unprecedented material
00:00:36that was discovered, and that basically revolutionized the history of Chinese history.
00:00:44The scholars have discovered that the oasis of Dunhuang in the desert
00:00:48flourished until it became an important landmark.
00:00:52Those who dominated the western region
00:00:55had under their control an enormous wealth and power.
00:01:01And that Dunhuang took advantage of its position in the ancient Silk Road,
00:01:05a network of trade routes that extended from China to Rome,
00:01:09to become a thriving metropolis,
00:01:12enriched by its incredible diversity of cultures, languages and cults.
00:01:17But who were the protagonists of Dunhuang's turbulent history?
00:01:22From a general with great aspirations beyond his borders...
00:01:27It is during the Han Dynasty when China and Rome for the first time
00:01:31are aware of their mutual existence.
00:01:34...and a sagacious ruler who uses his foreign allies to fight corruption.
00:01:39In this period, the arrival of the Octavian merchants to China takes place,
00:01:44who will exert a great influence in the following centuries.
00:01:48Even a fearsome tribal leader who tries to take advantage of the division of China.
00:01:54The empire has to crumble and reunite.
00:01:57It is a pattern that is repeated in the history of China.
00:02:01The fate of Dunhuang, with powerful enemies in Alza, hangs by a thread.
00:02:12Dunhuang, the ancient fortress on the border, the shining lighthouse.
00:02:19At the border of the Taklamakan desert, one of the most inhospitable in the world,
00:02:24is the oasis of Dunhuang.
00:02:27Today it is a destination for tourists who come to take refuge in the desert,
00:02:32in the shade of the sand dunes and in the waters of the Half Moon Lake.
00:02:38But in ancient times, Dunhuang was much more than a place of refuge.
00:02:43It was the border of the world.
00:02:49The Dunhuang region was founded in 111 BC by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty,
00:02:56with a garrison to protect the border.
00:02:59When they were attacked, fire alarms were lit, hence its name, Dunhuang,
00:03:04shining lighthouse.
00:03:07Dunhuang was on the very edge of China.
00:03:11It was where the merchants passed from China to the Western world.
00:03:16And it was a military area, guarded by Chinese soldiers.
00:03:20From there, they were several weeks' march to the capital.
00:03:27The location of Dunhuang has been carefully chosen.
00:03:30Two thousand kilometers from the capital of the Han Empire, Luoyang,
00:03:34protects the mouth of the Gesi Corridor and keeps the invaders at bay.
00:03:40From Dunhuang, commercial routes that extend around the world,
00:03:44bordering the Taklamakan desert,
00:03:47saving the Pamir mountain range,
00:03:49and crossing the Wusang and Barto Empires,
00:03:52until reaching Rome.
00:03:56Over time, these ancient commercial routes
00:03:59were named Silk Road,
00:04:01and on their way, various goods and ideas
00:04:04that came from far away could be exchanged.
00:04:09Many people think that the Silk Road
00:04:12was only three ways from East to West.
00:04:16But they are very wrong.
00:04:18In reality, it was an extensive and complex network
00:04:22that covered everything.
00:04:27The trade and taxes of the Silk Road
00:04:30generate immense profits,
00:04:32strengthen power, and tighten bonds.
00:04:36The greatest treasures in the world
00:04:38are bought and sold in Dunhuang.
00:04:40Leather, glass, silk, and spices.
00:04:45Over time, the fortress of the desert
00:04:47becomes a crystal of cultures, religions, and ethnicities.
00:04:52However, at the end of the first century AD,
00:04:55the Dunhuang region has become more and more unstable.
00:05:00People are constantly afraid of being attacked.
00:05:05The land of the Wusang is a sacred place,
00:05:07and the Wusang people have been sending their people
00:05:10to this sacred place,
00:05:12the Dunhuang.
00:05:16The territory of the Wusang has been given to the Wusang
00:05:20and is now a part of the Qing dynasty.
00:05:25The Wusang have been a great support
00:05:27of the Qing dynasty,
00:05:29with the help of the Qing dynasty's military and military forces.
00:05:34The Xiongnu tribes in the north and south of the Tarim Basin
00:05:38forge alliances with several state cities.
00:05:41These alliances are a danger to the Han Chinese.
00:05:45Only Dunhuang can prevent the peoples of the Mongolia plateau
00:05:50and the Tibetan mountains from uniting to block the Silk Road.
00:05:55The Xiongnu represented such a great threat
00:05:58that the Han built a wall between the two tribes
00:06:01to keep them apart, the Great Wall.
00:06:08But in this immense desert,
00:06:10not even the Great Wall is enough to contain the Xiongnu,
00:06:14who already control part of the Silk Road
00:06:17and threaten to invade the central region.
00:06:24In the year 73 AD, Emperor Min decides that it is necessary
00:06:29to send a new military force to Dunhuang.
00:06:32His success will depend on the least thought-out man.
00:06:36His name is Ban Chao.
00:06:40Like his father, Ban Chao is a historian of the court
00:06:43and is dedicated to documenting the present
00:06:45and disseminating millenary knowledge.
00:06:48But Ban Chao longs to change the pen for the sword.
00:06:53The spirit of the warrior marked life in the days of Ban Chao.
00:06:58The same public officials wore swords.
00:07:02Everyone dreamed of going to war for the honor it represented.
00:07:12And finally, the time has come.
00:07:15The emperor needs men to fight in the Western Front.
00:07:19Ban Chao is ready as an official,
00:07:21and soon he will be recognized as a man of valor,
00:07:24capable of forging his own destiny.
00:07:30When the Ham government offered him more troops,
00:07:33he replied,
00:07:34many men would be a nuisance, 36 would be enough.
00:07:41Each of his 36 men is personally chosen.
00:07:46The soldiers he trusts the most are Lieutenant Gan Jin
00:07:50and his good friend, De Hu.
00:07:59Ban Chao knows that defending the Chinese border won't be enough.
00:08:03He must try to control it.
00:08:06If Dujuan falls,
00:08:08on a small scale, it means that the Hexi Corridor will fall.
00:08:12And on a large scale,
00:08:14it means that the West and the Central Plain will be separated.
00:08:19The future of the Han Empire is at stake.
00:08:22But the Western Territory is immense.
00:08:25It would take a long time to conquer it.
00:08:28It would take a long time to conquer it.
00:08:31It would take a long time to conquer it.
00:08:34It would take a long time to conquer it.
00:08:37Ban Chao uses diplomacy to get stronger.
00:08:40Ban Chao uses diplomacy to get stronger.
00:08:43His risky plan requires the cunning of a fox
00:08:46and the intuition of a player.
00:08:50Ban Chao's First Step
00:08:55Ban Chao's First Step
00:09:00Ban Chao's First Step
00:09:03Ban Chao's First Step
00:09:05The first thing Ban Chao does is meet the powerful King Guan in Shanshan.
00:09:10The first thing Ban Chao does is meet the powerful King Guan in Shanshan.
00:09:13Drink, eat!
00:09:15Today we welcome the emissary of the Han Empire.
00:09:18Cheers!
00:09:20The kingdom of Sansan has a strategic position on the Silk Road, west of the region of Gesi and Dunhuang.
00:09:28Masters of commerce, the Sansan deal with both the Xiongnu and the Han.
00:09:35And Ban Chao knows that they change their ally faster than the wind of the desert.
00:09:43It could be a trap.
00:09:47Only the one who enters the tiger's den can catch his puppies.
00:09:57Long life and health to the distinguished emissary.
00:10:03Thank you, Majesty, for your hospitality.
00:10:12Ha ha ha!
00:10:43Ban Chao's suspicions will soon be confirmed.
00:10:48While the king is attending to his guests,
00:10:51there are Xiongnu warriors ready to attack.
00:10:55They have come to kill Ban Chao.
00:10:59But the cunning general has a surprise.
00:11:03Ha ha ha!
00:11:06His men come out of the darkness like ghosts at night.
00:11:37There is no man left alive.
00:11:57Take what you like as a gift and as a present, great ambassador.
00:12:04Thank you, Mr. Wang, but first accept my gift.
00:12:09Guards! Guards!
00:12:15Ban Chao's risky strategy has worked.
00:12:19King Wang swears absolute loyalty to the Han.
00:12:34The news of Ban Chao's victory over the king of Shanshan and his allies, Xiongnu,
00:12:39spreads rapidly along the Silk Road.
00:12:44Ban Chao's triumph in Shanshan
00:12:48automatically changed the image of the Han in the western region
00:12:53and marked a milestone for his subsequent relations with the entire region.
00:12:59Ban Chao's success confirmed his position in the eyes of the emperor.
00:13:04The humble historian became one of the highest-ranking generals on the western border.
00:13:14In the following decade, Ban Chao forged alliances with numerous tribes and states,
00:13:19from the desert to the distant mountains of the west.
00:13:25However, beyond the limits of the snow,
00:13:28another threat, even greater, was looming.
00:13:31The Kusan.
00:13:35The Kusan Empire stretches over 3 million square kilometers.
00:13:40It has 10 million subjects and an army of 200,000 men.
00:13:45The Kusan control one of the most important sections of the Silk Road
00:13:50and plans to conquer the entire western region.
00:13:56King Bheema Kadsises, of the Kusan Empire,
00:13:59considered himself at the level of the emperor of Rome.
00:14:02In fact, he even used the title of Caesar.
00:14:05The Caesar of Kusan has seen how the Han consolidated their power in the western region.
00:14:10But Ban Chao is an incognito and makes him nervous.
00:14:14That is why he sends his ambassadors to offer a marriage of political convenience.
00:14:20The Han despised the Kusan,
00:14:22and their logic to forge marriage of convenience was
00:14:25either I am weaker than you and I cannot touch you,
00:14:28or you submit, I offer you a political marriage and we are allies.
00:14:36The Kusan represent a danger to the security of the Han
00:14:40and to the valuable supply of jade that arrives in China by the Silk Road.
00:14:46The Chinese did not call it the Silk Road,
00:14:49that was a European invention of the 19th century.
00:14:52If they had given it a name, it would be the Jade Road,
00:14:55because it was where the jade of Jotan arrived in China.
00:15:00Today, one of the oldest doors of the Great Wall of China
00:15:03is still preserved at the border of the Dunhuang region.
00:15:07For centuries, most of the jade that entered China passed through here.
00:15:12Hence its name, the door of jade.
00:15:17For Ban Chao, the door of jade marks the limit of the Han border.
00:15:23He must carefully consider the proposal of the Kusan ambassador.
00:15:27The future of the Han Empire depends on his decision.
00:15:38Finally, he decides to reject peace.
00:15:41He will go to war,
00:15:43although he knows that this means facing the greatest adversities.
00:15:55The Kusan send an army of 70,000 men to conquer the Eastern Han Empire,
00:16:00led by one of their best warriors, General Xie.
00:16:05Ban Chao must defend the central region,
00:16:08but he only has a few thousand men.
00:16:11Even his most loyal lieutenants fear that this time,
00:16:15the great general has bitten more than he can chew.
00:16:20If they want war, we will give them war.
00:16:24How can we defeat them? There are tens of thousands of men.
00:16:28I have an even more powerful army.
00:16:33When it was founded, Dunhuang was an indomitable border,
00:16:37a place where very few would voluntarily go to live.
00:16:42When the Han initially established their migratory policy,
00:16:46the idea was to move degraded ex-convicts and officers,
00:16:50along with their families, from the central plain to the Hexi Corridor.
00:16:56In the year 90 AD, many of Dunhuang's 40,000 inhabitants are merchants.
00:17:02But there also live soldiers and ex-convicts who try to make a living.
00:17:08And it is to them that Ban Chao goes.
00:17:14They don't look like soldiers.
00:17:19Look.
00:17:22You.
00:17:29You.
00:17:33Kill him.
00:17:53Enough!
00:17:55Appearances can deceive.
00:18:08While Ban Chao recruits his defense squadron,
00:18:11the army of 70,000 Kusan soldiers continues their advance towards Dunhuang.
00:18:24One!
00:18:26Two!
00:18:28Three!
00:18:30Four!
00:18:32Ban Chao's small squadron doesn't seem to be able to do anything
00:18:36against the formidable Kusan army.
00:18:40But Ban Chao and Gan Jin will compensate for their disadvantage with training and cunning.
00:18:47They had to cross great mountains.
00:18:50They marched through the desert.
00:18:52They have traveled thousands of kilometers.
00:18:55Such a large army must be exhausted and almost without food,
00:18:59having come so far.
00:19:01There is no need to defeat them.
00:19:04Their recklessness will do the work for us.
00:19:10The Kusan army has crossed the Pamir mountain range at an altitude of 4,000 meters
00:19:15and they notice the wear and tear.
00:19:23But the Kusan army is still 20 times stronger than Ban Chao's.
00:19:29They must find a way to equalize the odds.
00:19:34Buzhen.
00:19:36You must lay an ambush for them,
00:19:38cutting their supplies.
00:19:41As the general assumed,
00:19:43the Kusan are running out of water and food.
00:19:46General Xie sends a unit to get supplies from a local ally.
00:19:51When they cross the mountain pass,
00:19:53Ban Chao's warriors are ready.
00:20:17BAN CHAO'S LAND
00:20:35Although the forces that rise against him are powerful,
00:20:39Ban Chao knows that the time has come.
00:20:47BAN CHAO'S LAND
00:20:53Now!
00:21:03The Kusan army is isolated from their support.
00:21:07There is no escape for the Han.
00:21:16BAN CHAO'S LAND
00:21:34Elbow to elbow, Ban Chao fights alongside his men until the end.
00:21:47BAN CHAO'S LAND
00:21:51The Han Empire and its army were more coordinated and more engaged in battle.
00:21:56The number advantage of the enemy was irrelevant.
00:22:02The military machinery of the Han was one of the most advanced of the time.
00:22:08Their forces must have been very powerful.
00:22:12BAN CHAO'S LAND
00:22:16For Ban Chao, that battle was the fate of a nation.
00:22:20BAN CHAO'S LAND
00:22:38After the victory, Ban Chao makes an unusual decision.
00:22:44I forgive you for the life, for the grace of my emperor.
00:22:49March!
00:22:53Sir.
00:22:59By allowing him to keep his head, we have gained a powerful and grateful ally.
00:23:05Isn't that more valuable?
00:23:13BAN CHAO'S LAND
00:23:18In the year 93 AD, after 20 years of forging political alliances and reinforcing the border,
00:23:25Ban Chao has achieved peace in the entire western region.
00:23:31The great general has combined the lessons of history with his vision of the future
00:23:36to build the solid foundations of the future prosperity of the Silk Road.
00:23:43Dunhuang is safe.
00:23:46Within its walls, the city has become a paradise of security and wealth
00:23:51for the merchants who come from the furthest corners of the world.
00:23:57In ancient times, those who dominated the western region
00:24:01had under their control an enormous wealth and power.
00:24:07But their aspirations do not end there.
00:24:10In the year 97 AD, Ban Chao entrusts to his trusted man
00:24:14the mission of traveling as far as he can to the west.
00:24:18Come back alive.
00:24:23Ban Chao's mission was to cross the four empires of the Silk Road
00:24:27and continue as far as he could.
00:24:30This 8,000 km expedition was then as difficult as traveling to the moon today.
00:24:37In his epic mission, Ban Chao reaches the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea.
00:24:43He was the first member of the Han people
00:24:45who was aware of his arrival at the borders of the Roman Empire.
00:24:50Having fulfilled his mission, Ban Chao returns to China
00:24:53with important knowledge about other cultures of the world.
00:25:01It was during the Han dynasty
00:25:03that China and Rome for the first time became aware of their mutual existence.
00:25:09The epic journey of Ganymede gives faith to the vision of China that Ban Chao had,
00:25:14an empire at the borders, connected to the world.
00:25:20In the coming years, Dunhuang will flourish and become a shining beacon.
00:25:27People of many cultures and religions come to this remote place
00:25:31making it an important center of world trade.
00:25:39But the development of Dunhuang will not always be peaceful.
00:25:44The turbulent period of the Three Kingdoms shines on the horizon.
00:25:57From the victory of Ban Chao against the Xiongnu in 90 AD,
00:26:02Dunhuang is a key strategic position.
00:26:06Its trade routes extend to Rome, where it is said that Chinese silk is worth its weight in gold.
00:26:12It is a great center of world trade.
00:26:16But throughout the following century, China returns to a period of great turbulence.
00:26:22Chieftains and kingdoms fight for power in one of the most violent moments in the history of China.
00:26:30It is the period of the Three Kingdoms, Wei, Shu and Wu.
00:26:36In their struggle for supremacy, the Wei gain more power over the vast western region,
00:26:41although they do not have absolute dominion.
00:26:45It has been 100 years since the times of Ban Chao,
00:26:49and Dunhuang has become a dangerous place.
00:26:53The wealth and power generated by the trade of the Silk Road have brought rot.
00:26:59Many leaders have become cruel and corrupt,
00:27:02and the plain people are the ones who suffer the worst consequences.
00:27:08Emperor Shaohui sends another governor to the city.
00:27:14Shanxi has a very special mission.
00:27:17He must find out what is not working in Dunhuang and find a solution.
00:27:22Shanxi is approaching the end of his career and should prepare for his retirement.
00:27:27Instead, he will have to face his most difficult challenge in Dunhuang.
00:27:32Sir!
00:27:34A help, please!
00:27:37A help!
00:27:38Step aside!
00:27:39Back!
00:27:44Shanxi recognizes that the situation is much worse than he had imagined.
00:27:50When Shanxi arrived in Dunhuang,
00:27:52the civilizations of the East and West were in full decline.
00:27:55Dunhuang is just one of the few cities left.
00:27:58Before Shanxi arrived, the governor had been gone for 20 years,
00:28:01which indicates that the central government's control over the West was totally insufficient.
00:28:17The region's lack of governance has serious consequences.
00:28:21Gangs of thieves assault imported goods,
00:28:25These attacks undermine trade security.
00:28:32The future of Dunhuang and China's access to the Silk Road are in danger,
00:28:37unless Shanxi manages to find a solution.
00:28:43While he analyzes his options,
00:28:45a group of merchants approaches Dunhuang.
00:28:49The leader of this caravan is Shen,
00:28:51from the merchant's clan, Nanna Bandag.
00:28:55Shen and his group are Sogdians,
00:28:57an ancient Iranian people who dominated the trade of the Silk Road.
00:29:03The Sogdians have taken advantage of the turbulence of the Silk Road
00:29:06and have taken over the Silk Road.
00:29:09The Sogdians have taken over the Silk Road,
00:29:11and the Sogdians have taken over the Silk Road.
00:29:15The Sogdians have taken advantage of the turbulence in the Roman Empire,
00:29:19the Kushan, and the Eastern Han,
00:29:21to create a vast trade network throughout Eurasia.
00:29:25To reach Dunhuang, Shen has traveled 3,000 kilometers
00:29:29from his distant capital, Samarkand.
00:29:34In this period, the arrival of the Sogdian merchants to China takes place,
00:29:39who will have a great influence in the following centuries.
00:29:44Knowledgeable in many languages,
00:29:46the Sogdians connect the world by bringing goods, knowledge,
00:29:50science, and culture to great distances.
00:29:54Apparently, they were great merchants.
00:29:56They were all born with a gift to enchant,
00:29:59and they sold everything to everyone.
00:30:02Undoubtedly, they dominated the trade of the Silk Road
00:30:05from the 3rd century to the 8th.
00:30:10Shen, a skilled and very competent woman,
00:30:13has led her caravan through the hardest regions of the world.
00:30:19For her, the risks are the usual gauges of trade.
00:30:23But the attacks are increasing,
00:30:25and as she approaches Dunhuang, she knows that the danger is greater.
00:30:33With a certain relief, Shen and his caravan
00:30:36finally enter Dunhuang.
00:30:39They arrive only a month after Shanxi.
00:30:44Please.
00:30:48As is customary in the Sogdian religion of Zoroastrianism,
00:30:51it is time to thank God.
00:30:59In the name of Aura Mazda,
00:31:01giver of all good, of spirit, of wisdom,
00:31:04creator of animals and cereals,
00:31:07creator of heaven and earth,
00:31:10and of all good things.
00:31:14But their prayers receive an unexpected response.
00:31:35For Shen, it is a catastrophe.
00:31:38The thieves have not only stolen his merchandise,
00:31:41but also his precious amulet.
00:31:48Immediately, the voice is heard,
00:31:50and the news of the assault does not take long to be heard.
00:31:55The people of Dunhuang are in a state of panic.
00:32:00Immediately, the voice is heard,
00:32:02and the news of the assault does not take long to be heard.
00:32:06The head of the Sogdian community of Dunhuang.
00:32:09Shabao, they have assaulted the merchants.
00:32:13Let's go.
00:32:15The last attacks have caused tensions
00:32:17between the Sogdians and the rulers of the city.
00:32:21Shabao is pressured,
00:32:23and decides to invite Shanxi to meet him
00:32:26at the inn where Shen was attacked.
00:32:32Did you see the assailants?
00:32:34No.
00:32:36I didn't see anything.
00:32:38It's unacceptable.
00:32:43Another assault.
00:32:47And this time inside the city's shutters.
00:32:51I'll get to the bottom of this.
00:32:57DUNHUANG
00:33:07Shanxi may be the city's highest authority,
00:33:10but he is a foreigner in Dunhuang,
00:33:12and that makes his power limited.
00:33:16Instead, the commander leads the city's security forces,
00:33:20and is a powerful leader of Dunhuang.
00:33:23Shanxi must ask for advice.
00:33:27Commander,
00:33:28can we offer military escort?
00:33:32With all due respect, sir,
00:33:34my resources are limited.
00:33:36I see.
00:33:37Well,
00:33:39we'll have to do something.
00:33:44When you take possession of your position,
00:33:46you will be responsible for finding a solution.
00:33:51I guarantee you that I will.
00:33:56In the desert, justice is always imparted locally.
00:34:01The dangers that Shanxi faces in his new position,
00:34:04far from his emperor,
00:34:06are beginning to become evident.
00:34:09Why did the previous governor abandon his position?
00:34:13He had an accident, sir.
00:34:15The kind that doesn't wake you up.
00:34:26To successfully exercise his new position,
00:34:28Shanxi must learn how to move
00:34:30among the people's ethnic and economic interests.
00:34:36In secret, he investigates the most powerful lords of Dunhuang.
00:34:41Sir,
00:34:44it turns out that the commander's great-grandfather
00:34:47was one of the 36 warriors of General Banqiao.
00:34:57A century earlier,
00:34:59when the western region was settling,
00:35:02Banqiao had rewarded his most loyal followers
00:35:05with lands and titles.
00:35:08They dominated the land with effort
00:35:10until they obtained fertile and valuable land.
00:35:13And over time, their descendants prospered
00:35:16and became rich.
00:35:18In the time of Shanxi,
00:35:20these families formed the high class of Dunhuang.
00:35:26But these gentlemen have forgotten
00:35:28the idealism of their ancestors.
00:35:30Governors in public, kings in private,
00:35:33they take everything they want
00:35:35while the poor suffer.
00:35:38On your knees!
00:35:41Bow your heads!
00:35:44Without a government,
00:35:46local clans proliferate and acquire a lot of power.
00:35:49They have an army, food, wealth,
00:35:53property and population.
00:35:55It is not a small thing.
00:35:58In the year 227 AD,
00:36:01Shanxi takes possession of his position
00:36:03as governor of the Dunhuang region.
00:36:07It is an honor
00:36:09that the emperor has sent
00:36:11one of his oldest officials.
00:36:15I sincerely hope that the governor
00:36:17can take over the charge
00:36:19of directing the future of Dunhuang.
00:36:23Congratulations to the governor!
00:36:28This should be the moment
00:36:30when Shanxi can finally claim its authority.
00:36:33But the commander has another idea in mind.
00:36:37Commander!
00:36:39What's up?
00:36:45Commander, you were right.
00:36:47He confessed. He's the thief.
00:36:50Shen, is this one of the thieves?
00:37:05I don't know how to say it.
00:37:07They had their faces covered.
00:37:09It doesn't matter.
00:37:11He confessed.
00:37:13Take him away.
00:37:16Our governor will execute him.
00:37:20Move!
00:37:30Years of experience have refined
00:37:32the intuition of Shanxi,
00:37:34who is able to discern
00:37:36the true character of people.
00:37:38Lushuan, that man is innocent.
00:37:45Sir, you don't have an army.
00:37:48Despite your title,
00:37:50you don't have power.
00:37:53If the commander says he's guilty,
00:37:55he has to be.
00:37:57But the new governor is not convinced
00:38:00and goes to the terrible prison of Dunhuang
00:38:03to meet the version of Sun Yon.
00:38:07Bring Sun Yon to me.
00:38:16And again, the commander has other plans.
00:38:21In my humble opinion, many only...
00:38:26deserve a sentence.
00:38:29Death.
00:38:32Governor, please.
00:38:46Death.
00:38:54Have a good day.
00:39:09Apparently, the new governor
00:39:12has not made Dunhuang a safer place.
00:39:16Shanxi and its merchants
00:39:18form the caravan again
00:39:20and embark on the 3,000-kilometer journey
00:39:23back to Samarkand.
00:39:25But with so many losses,
00:39:27Shanxi's family business
00:39:29could never recover.
00:39:38The new governor
00:39:40looks like a puppet.
00:39:43Step aside.
00:39:45The royal power resides in the army,
00:39:48the commander and his henchmen.
00:39:52But nothing is what it seems.
00:39:56Shanxi has not really gone.
00:40:00His departure is a trick
00:40:02that is part of Shanxi's elaborate plan
00:40:05to catch his prey.
00:40:11Stop!
00:40:28Shanxi's plan began months earlier
00:40:31with a letter sent to Shain
00:40:33asking him for help
00:40:35to unmask his enemy.
00:40:38I need your help
00:40:40to successfully complete my mission.
00:40:42His Majesty has entrusted me
00:40:44with the responsibility of governing Dunhuang,
00:40:47and Dunhuang needs your help.
00:40:49I have spread the rumor
00:40:51that your caravan carries valuable items.
00:40:54That will tempt the bandits to attack it.
00:40:57Then I will make them follow you in secret
00:40:59and maybe that way I will be able
00:41:01to bring them to light.
00:41:03From the moment Shain left Dunhuang,
00:41:06Shanxi ordered a loyal beggar
00:41:08to follow his caravan.
00:41:13Shain and Shanxi knew what would happen
00:41:16and after the attack
00:41:18they followed the bandits to their hideout.
00:41:24At last,
00:41:26the band of thieves from Dunhuang was discovered.
00:41:37Shanxi knew that the trap he was going to set
00:41:40required meticulous preparation.
00:41:42With Sun Yong,
00:41:44he has set free many prisoners,
00:41:46all innocent of the charges against him.
00:41:49After receiving instruction in secret,
00:41:51these men now form a loyal guard
00:41:53for the governor.
00:41:57Shanxi is now ready to attack.
00:42:02His enemies had labeled him
00:42:04as old and weak,
00:42:06but age and wisdom
00:42:08are a powerful combination.
00:42:35At last, security reigns in Dunhuang
00:42:38and Shanxi is about to regain
00:42:40the trust of the people.
00:42:47Shanxi helped the traders
00:42:49on the Silk Road a lot.
00:42:51He was a very good trader.
00:42:53He was a very good trader.
00:42:55He was a very good trader.
00:42:57He was a very good trader.
00:42:59He was a very good trader.
00:43:01He was a very good trader.
00:43:03When he entered the Silk Road,
00:43:05he was very caring with local clans.
00:43:07He guaranteed the traders
00:43:09a fair deal and a decent security,
00:43:11giving them escorts.
00:43:13He was also handing in recommendation letters
00:43:15that made it easier
00:43:17to purchase goods.
00:43:19These letters, called Wosuo,
00:43:21were equivalent to the current passport.
00:43:28The wise ruler is now concerned
00:43:30with one of the greatest problems
00:43:32of the time. But, sir, the land belongs to me. You choose. Either you pay the taxes,
00:43:44or you give the land. In the period of the Three Kingdoms, the land of cultivation was
00:43:52abandoned due to the lack of field workers. Freeing the population from the feudal system
00:43:57and forcing the landowners to pay taxes were priority issues for the local governors.
00:44:07Shanxi draws up a plan to promote unity and understanding among the different ethnic groups
00:44:13of Dunhuang, and makes the population of the city grow by promoting intercultural marriage.
00:44:29In just a few years, Dunhuang goes from being a dangerous and anarchic locality to a thriving
00:44:36commercial city, with multiple cultures, languages, and new ideas. The door of China to the world.
00:44:54Shanxi ruled Dunhuang until his death in the mid-2030s. During his brief term, he became
00:45:01the most famous governor in the history of the city. Under his inspiring government,
00:45:06Dunhuang is a paradise in a time full of turbulence, a lighthouse in the middle of the Silk Road.
00:45:12At his funeral, people of all conditions and all cultures attend. Following the tradition,
00:45:20the Octavians make cuts on the face as a sign of respect for the great man.
00:45:37Shanxi leaves Dunhuang shining like a pearl in a sea of sand.
00:45:49But dark days are approaching. The fury of the caudillo Lu Shui Hu will bring down the
00:45:56weight of revenge on Dunhuang. A legendary king arrives.
00:46:11It is the year 417 AD. Two centuries have passed since the time of Shanxi. The region of Dunhuang
00:46:19and the entire western region are plunged into chaos and division. Violence spreads like a plague.
00:46:27People live in fear. China is not the only part of the world plagued by ungovernment
00:46:36at the beginning of the 5th century. In the West, the war has torn apart the former powerful Roman Empire.
00:46:42In the East, although the three kingdoms were unified by the Jin,
00:46:47opposing tribes fight in the northern and western regions, and the Jin dynasty has fallen apart.
00:46:54It is the period of the 16 kingdoms.
00:47:01This is another period of disunion. China is divided into increasingly smaller kingdoms
00:47:06that fight each other. The empire has to crumble. And when it has fallen, it must fall apart.
00:47:14It is a pattern that repeats throughout the history of China.
00:47:21In the period of the 16 kingdoms, five powerful nomadic tribes come to dominate the western region.
00:47:28They are Shanbei, Di, Ye, Xian, and Xiongnu. Their names will resonate in history.
00:47:36From a branch of the Xiongnu people, a king stands out among all the others. His name is Yuchu Menshu.
00:47:58Yuchu is not an ordinary leader. He is as capable of shedding blood and sowing terror as he is of being merciful and wise.
00:48:18He had the wild nature of a nomad, but also an intense influence of Chinese culture.
00:48:26The book of Jin describes Yuchu Menshu as ingenious, versed in history, and exceptionally gifted in astronomy.
00:48:36Menshu has his eyes set on the ultimate trophy, Dunhuang.
00:48:43If he succeeds in controlling the city of the desert, he will have the resources he needs to dominate the entire region.
00:48:52Despite the wars in the central plain, Dunhuang continues to prosper.
00:48:58The city is overflowing with people fleeing the conflict.
00:49:02Here, people from the western region, the Hexi region, and the central plain live in harmony.
00:49:11The control of Dunhuang allows access to the wealth of the Silk Road, and for this reason the city becomes the capital of the Western Lian Dynasty.
00:49:23The Duke Li Hao, the highest authority of the Western Lian, has protected Dunhuang and the Silk Road for 17 years, but has fallen ill.
00:49:35And there can be no more.
00:49:41During the long reign of the Duke, the Western Lian and the Central Lian have been at war.
00:49:47None of the sides has won.
00:49:50Yuchu Menshu now dominates more than half of the Hexi Corridor, and is one of the most powerful and fearsome rulers in the region.
00:50:00Until now, the forces of the Western Lian, led by the Duke Li Hao, had managed to resist King Xiong.
00:50:10But the Duke is dying, and his son, Li Xin, must rise to protect his people and his kingdom.
00:50:17Father.
00:50:19My son.
00:50:21I leave my kingdom in your hands.
00:50:25You must defend my empire from the barbarians.
00:50:30You must be careful.
00:50:35Do not worry.
00:50:37I am better than all the barbarians.
00:50:41They will be destroyed.
00:50:44The Duke is dead!
00:50:47With the death of Li Hao in 417, the fate of Dunhuang rests on the shoulders of a new generation.
00:50:55Will the new Duke and his army be able to defeat Menshu?
00:51:00Or will King Xiong Nu end up conquering Dunhuang?
00:51:05In the year 1900, in the caves of Mogao, near Dunhuang, in western China,
00:51:11a Taoist monk and a monk of the same name, Li Xin,
00:51:17went to the caves of Mogao, near Dunhuang, in order to find a way out of the caves.
00:51:25In the year 1900, in the caves of Mogao, near Dunhuang, in western China,
00:51:31a Taoist monk made one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.
00:51:38In a sealed cave he found tens of thousands of ancient manuscripts,
00:51:43full of stories not told about heroic warriors,
00:51:49mysterious travelers, and legendary kings and rulers.
00:51:57The vast amount of totally unprecedented material that was discovered there
00:52:04revolutionized the study of the history of China.
00:52:10The scholars have discovered that the Dunhuang oasis in the desert
00:52:15flourished until it became an essential hub of the ancient Silk Road,
00:52:20with an amazing diversity of cultures, languages, and cults,
00:52:24and that it became an important center of Buddhism,
00:52:27where spectacular works of art were produced until they declined,
00:52:32and their history was buried in the desert for hundreds of years.
00:52:39But who led the turbulent history of Dunhuang?
00:52:45From a fearsome tribal leader who tried to take advantage of the division of China?
00:52:50The empire has to fall apart and reunite.
00:52:54It is a pattern that is repeated throughout the history of China.
00:52:57And an ambitious courtesan with her eyes set on the greatest trophy of all?
00:53:02There were no precedents for a woman like Wu Shetian.
00:53:05No one like her had existed in the past or would exist in the future.
00:53:09Even a Buddhist monk has decided to leave a legacy.
00:53:13The diversity of materials that we find in the library is unique in the world.
00:53:17There is nothing like it.
00:53:19But what do the new investigations tell us about the controversial expiry of the treasures of Dunhuang?
00:53:25Stein swindled Wang, acquiring those valuable objects in exchange for almost nothing,
00:53:30and took them to London.
00:53:33Dunhuang, the ancient fortress on the border.
00:53:37Ascent, fall, and rebirth.
00:53:41At the beginning of the 5th century, not only in China prevails the disgovernment.
00:53:46In the West, the war has torn apart the former powerful Roman Empire.
00:53:51In the East, although the three kingdoms had been unified by the Jin,
00:53:56tribes have invaded the northern and western regions,
00:54:00and the Jin dynasty has fallen apart.
00:54:03The turbulent period of the 16 kingdoms begins.
00:54:11Juchu Menshun, the powerful warrior Xiongnu of the Lushuihu tribe,
00:54:16takes advantage of this chaos with his army of Jin,
00:54:19and has his eyes set on Dunhuang, the gateway from China to the world.
00:54:25Until now, the forces of the Western Liang, of the Lihao duke,
00:54:30had managed to resist the king Xiongnu.
00:54:33But in the year 417, the duke dies.
00:54:37His son Lixin must take his place to protect his people and his kingdom.
00:54:42The duke has died!
00:54:49The new duke, impatient to proclaim himself new governor of the Western Liang
00:54:54and worthy successor of the Lihao,
00:54:57goes out to confront Juchu, overflowing with confidence.
00:55:02Lixin thought that the achievements and power of his father were his own.
00:55:07His father defeated Juchu Menshun twice,
00:55:10and he was convinced that he would also succeed.
00:55:13His mother and the ministers advised him not to go to war with the Northern Liang.
00:55:18He knew that the soldiers of the Western Liang
00:55:20had fled, frightened by the military force of the Northern Liang.
00:55:26For three long years, the young duke tried to subdue the Xiongnu.
00:55:31Lixin had to come out victorious to fulfill the promise he made to his father.
00:55:36But over and over again, Juchu Menshun defeated the duke
00:55:40and escaped by imprisoning himself in the desert.
00:55:45In the year 420, the men of Menshun tried another tactic.
00:55:50They challenged Lixin's army to wage a battle in the plains.
00:55:56As his army advanced, Lixin heard the news
00:55:59that Juchu Menshun's army had just conquered a city further west.
00:56:05But in reality, it was a trap invented by Juchu.
00:56:09Lixin fell right into the trap.
00:56:25Charge!
00:56:55Charge!
00:57:25Charge!
00:57:29Charge!
00:57:33Charge!
00:57:38Charge!
00:57:46With the victory, Menshun regained control over Dunhuang
00:57:50and the Silk Road.
00:57:55Menshun sends a governor to Dunhuang,
00:57:58but the local military leaders refuse to accept a Sionnu governor.
00:58:03In less than a year, they reject their delegate,
00:58:06appointing Li Hao's youngest son, Li Shun,
00:58:09in his place, in an attempt to restore the Western Lian.
00:58:16Menshun marches towards Dunhuang with 20,000 men
00:58:19and launches an ultimatum.
00:58:26The letter of Menshun, written in the most courteous Chinese,
00:58:30explains the rise and decline of dynasties throughout history
00:58:34and their inevitable end.
00:58:36Appealing to the common sense of the prince,
00:58:39Menshun tells him that the Hao dynasty is over
00:58:42and that it must go in peace without bloodshed.
00:58:48The letter of Menshun, written in the most courteous Chinese,
00:58:53explains the rise and decline of dynasties throughout history
00:58:56and their inevitable end.
00:58:58How should we respond, sir?
00:59:00The barbarians will never be able to defeat us
00:59:03if we remain within these walls.
00:59:10The official head of state cannot enter his own city.
00:59:14It is the offense that fills the glass for Yuchu
00:59:17and a decisive moment for the future of Dunhuang.
00:59:23In a maneuver that disconcerts everyone,
00:59:26his soldiers surround the city without launching an attack.
00:59:34The cheapest way to besiege a city
00:59:37is to establish a fence around it.
00:59:40However, this requires sufficient logistics
00:59:43and the supply of foodstuffs.
00:59:45Yuchu Menshun does not have them.
00:59:47Perhaps he lacks provisions for his army,
00:59:51but what I'm sure Menshun does not have is patience.
00:59:55He has decided to make Dunhuang kneel before him in a few weeks.
00:59:59What do you think that madman is doing?
01:00:02We have food and supplies for a year.
01:00:17But Yuchu Menshun is not alone.
01:00:21He is preparing to attack.
01:00:24Go ahead.
01:00:34The Dan River will be Menshun's lethal weapon.
01:00:37He has built a canal that diverts the course of the river
01:00:41directly against the walls of Dunhuang.
01:00:51The water, a precious resource essential for life in the desert,
01:00:55will lead to the fall of the city.
01:00:58Menshun had already used the floods in his region before.
01:01:02Dunhuang was on the edge of the Dang River,
01:01:05which represented a tactical advantage.
01:01:09As the foundations move, the walls cannot withstand the pressure.
01:01:14Before the Tang Dynasty,
01:01:16the walls of the cities were built with flat earth.
01:01:20The water can completely dissolve the foundations.
01:01:43After passing the wall, the Xiongnu soldiers invade the city without effort.
01:01:49Dunhuang, the great city of the West, has fallen.
01:02:02Dunhuang has already defied Yuchu Menshun before.
01:02:06He must make sure that it does not happen again.
01:02:09Kill them all!
01:02:12Let the blood of Dunhuang flow!
01:02:19Menshun's army sows chaos.
01:02:22Prince Lishun has no escape.
01:02:36After ten years of war,
01:02:38the great traitor Xiongnu is defeated.
01:02:41The city of Dunhuang is now in the hands of the Tang Dynasty.
01:02:46After ten years of war,
01:02:48the great king Xiongnu sits on the throne of the enemy.
01:02:53At last, Yuchu Menshun fulfills his ambition,
01:02:56the absolute power.
01:03:01Menshun has achieved what many considered impossible.
01:03:05He has pacified the entire western region
01:03:08and established peace on the Silk Road.
01:03:11However, although he has unified the Hexi region,
01:03:16he has not achieved the union of those who follow him.
01:03:19After years of war, the people need hope.
01:03:22The solution will come from far away on the Silk Road itself.
01:03:29From its origins in India,
01:03:31Buddhism began to spread through China in the first century.
01:03:35But it was in the period of the 16 kingdoms
01:03:38when it began to flourish in the Hexi region.
01:03:41Dunhuang is a crystal of cultures, ideas and philosophies.
01:03:46And Buddhist monks also come to the city.
01:03:49They come to transmit their teachings to the inhabitants of the city.
01:03:53One of the most venerable is Dharmaksema of India,
01:03:57known in China as the Abbot Tambushen.
01:04:02Apparently, he was a person with an impressive memory.
01:04:08At the age of 20,
01:04:10he had already memorized several million words of the scriptures.
01:04:14He was also an expert on spells,
01:04:16so he could use these spells to do magic.
01:04:20Juchu Menshun names Tambushen as his advisor.
01:04:24He thinks that being a monk who has come from the cradle of Buddhism,
01:04:28he will be a powerful symbol that will help him to win the trust of the people.
01:04:36The king and the abbot launch an unprecedented campaign
01:04:39to translate the Buddhist scriptures
01:04:43and build sacred caves throughout the region.
01:04:46The idea of building temples in caves is native to India.
01:04:50It was what the Hindus did on the sides of the great mountains.
01:04:54And it is what the monks would have seen in their pilgrimage to India.
01:05:02Menshun and Chen supervise the construction of a set of Buddhist caves
01:05:06throughout the Hexi and Dunhuang region.
01:05:13The oldest of the Mogao Caves,
01:05:16known as the Three Caves of the Northern Yan,
01:05:19is built during the reign of Menshun.
01:05:22Its construction and decoration are unique
01:05:25and reflect the extraordinary fusion of cultures in Dunhuang at that time.
01:05:32The art of the Mogao Caves,
01:05:34which began to flourish in the reign of a Xiongnu,
01:05:37is now considered one of the most important sacred treasures of antiquity.
01:05:43Tan Buchen contributes to the foundation of the reign of Menshun
01:05:47and is revered in the Northern Yan.
01:05:50But war drums sound to defend their most eminent monks.
01:05:56In the year 433,
01:05:58the figure of Tan Buchen captures the interest of the greatest adversary of Juchu,
01:06:02Emperor Taibu of the state of Wei in the northern region.
01:06:06Emperor Taibu is the son of Emperor Taibu,
01:06:10but when he finds out that Tan Buchen has accepted the emperor's invitation,
01:06:14Menshun gets angry and becomes jealous.
01:06:19In the year 436,
01:06:21the figure of Tan Buchen captures the interest of the greatest adversary of Juchu,
01:06:25Emperor Taibu of the state of Wei in the northern region.
01:06:29But when he finds out that Tan Buchen has accepted the emperor's invitation,
01:06:33Menshun gets angry and becomes jealous.
01:06:49The death of the king
01:06:54King Xiongnu is tormented by the fact that he killed Tan Buchen.
01:07:00In the year 433,
01:07:02Juchu Menshun, conqueror of the region of Gesi,
01:07:06owner and lord of the Silk Road, falls ill and dies.
01:07:14With the death of his powerful ruler,
01:07:18the kingdom of Lian falls into the hands of his arch-enemy, Emperor Taibu.
01:07:28Although the reign of Juchu Menshun was brief,
01:07:31its legacy in the art of the sacred caves found throughout the region
01:07:35and its influence in the Buddhist faith will last for centuries.
01:07:39The flourishing of Buddhism and its prophecies
01:07:42will also serve as inspiration for a young concubine of the royal court,
01:07:46driving her out of servitude
01:07:49to become the most powerful woman in the world.
01:08:09In the third decade of the 7th century,
01:08:12a young monk undertakes an epic journey.
01:08:16The mission of Xuanzang is to recover the ancestral roots of his Buddhist faith.
01:08:21His journey coincides with a wave of religious fervor
01:08:24that sweeps Europe and Asia.
01:08:28From his cradle in Jerusalem,
01:08:30Christianity has spread to the countries of the Middle East.
01:08:35From the Mecca, Islam, founded by Muhammad,
01:08:38is in full swing in the Middle East.
01:08:41From Sarnath, in the north of India,
01:08:44Buddhism has not ceased to grow for more than a millennium.
01:08:48And since the period of the 16 kingdoms,
01:08:51Buddhism has prospered in the central and western regions of China.
01:08:56In the central plain, Buddhism has spread
01:08:59and new religions have emerged.
01:09:03Xuanzang wanted to find the original sutra
01:09:06to clarify its true meaning.
01:09:10In his epic mission, Xuanzang travels more than 5,000 kilometers.
01:09:16Beginning in the capital of Tang,
01:09:19Chan'an crosses the Tarim Basin
01:09:22passing through Dunhuang, Turfan, Kucha and Samarkand.
01:09:26He must cross the river,
01:09:30between the western region and central Asia
01:09:33to reach India,
01:09:36where he meets the most eminent monks he can find.
01:09:4317 years later, the monk returns.
01:09:46Xuanzang is famous.
01:09:52Look! The monk has returned!
01:09:55The first important Chinese city
01:09:59where he passes is Dunhuang.
01:10:02Girl! The monk has returned! Tell them he has returned!
01:10:06The monk has returned!
01:10:09When Xuanzang embarked on his journey,
01:10:12the Tang dynasty had only begun to stabilize.
01:10:15Since then, the Tang have put an end
01:10:18to the chaos that reigned in the central plain
01:10:21and a time of prosperity has begun.
01:10:24Dunhuang has become a peaceful and prosperous center.
01:10:28For trade and Buddhism, it is the Silk Road.
01:10:33Dunhuang is gaining more and more importance
01:10:36in the spread of Buddhism.
01:10:39In the city, all the Buddhist monks
01:10:42who were on their way to India or returning from there stopped.
01:10:45It could be said that it was a welcoming hostel for Buddhists.
01:10:49He has returned!
01:10:51Who has returned?
01:10:53The monk Xuanzang!
01:10:56Xuanzang carries a sacred secret with him.
01:10:59Hundreds of ancestral sutras
01:11:02that he has translated from Sanskrit to Chinese.
01:11:05In all living beings
01:11:08there is the heart of Buddha.
01:11:11It can be seen in everything colorful and incological.
01:11:14In the Tang dynasty, the number of Buddhists
01:11:17exceeded that of Taoists.
01:11:20His teachings spoke of the concern
01:11:24for the land and became very popular
01:11:27among the people of China.
01:11:32The rich and powerful also embrace Buddhism.
01:11:39On the outskirts of the city,
01:11:42rich families of merchants like the Jin
01:11:45demonstrate their power and devotion
01:11:48by building temples in caves.
01:11:52In the year 366,
01:11:55when the first cave in Mogao was built,
01:11:58hundreds of caves were added
01:12:01to create a unique set of sacred temples
01:12:04full of statues and frescoes.
01:12:07The style merges the art of the western region of China
01:12:10with influences from the most remote places
01:12:13of the Silk Road.
01:12:16For hundreds of years,
01:12:20the artists of Dunhuang absorbed the aesthetics
01:12:23of Greece, Persia, India and Afghanistan
01:12:26to create a spectacular and inspiring style
01:12:29that is unlike any other style found in the world.
01:12:42After spending several weeks in Dunhuang,
01:12:45the monk Xuanzang continues his journey
01:12:48to Chang'an, where he will request an audience with the emperor.
01:13:02Chang'an had 2 million inhabitants,
01:13:05of which more than 200,000 were foreigners.
01:13:09The urban area of Chang'an
01:13:12was over 83 square kilometers.
01:13:15It was the largest capital in Chinese history,
01:13:18surpassing Beijing in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
01:13:21It was seven times larger than the Byzantine Constantinople
01:13:24and six times larger than the Baghdad of the Arab Empire.
01:13:32The monk has returned home
01:13:35loaded with knowledge that will have consequences
01:13:39of great reach for China and Buddhism.
01:14:01You have come a long way, monk.
01:14:04Tell me, what have you seen and learned in your travels?
01:14:08Amitabha.
01:14:11Taishong is so impressed with his story
01:14:14that he orders the monk to write
01:14:17about everything he has seen and learned
01:14:20on his trip to the West.
01:14:25Among the emperor's lowest-rank concubines
01:14:28is a young woman named Meiniang.
01:14:31Seventy steps east of the temple
01:14:34is an exquisite building
01:14:38with a Buddha statue facing east.
01:14:43The young concubine takes a bold step forward.
01:14:48Holy Master, I bow to you with reverence.
01:14:51I beg you for a blessing
01:14:54for my life and my future.
01:14:59For such a low-rank concubine,
01:15:02addressing such an eminent monk
01:15:05is a huge risk.
01:15:08But it has been worth it.
01:15:11She has caught the attention of the court
01:15:14and it will not be the last time.
01:15:17In the years to come, Meiniang will rise
01:15:20to become one of the most powerful people in the world,
01:15:23Wu Shetian.
01:15:26She was an ambitious woman.
01:15:29The insignificant intrigues of Laren did not fill her
01:15:33Buddhism gave Wu Shetian the opportunity to shine.
01:15:44It is a lesson that will be remembered for a long time.
01:15:47Forty years later, life has changed
01:15:50for the old concubine.
01:15:53Now Wu Shetian is the wife of Emperor Gaozong,
01:15:56the third emperor of the Tang.
01:16:03Gaozong fell seriously ill
01:16:06and all the power passed to the hands of the empress consort.
01:16:14But despite his influence in state affairs,
01:16:17Wu Shetian's position had never been formalized.
01:16:25When the emperor dies,
01:16:28Wu Shetian knows he is in danger.
01:16:33At the death of Gaozong,
01:16:36Wu Shetian's third son, Lixian,
01:16:39becomes emperor.
01:16:42But Wu Shetian is afraid of losing his loyalty
01:16:45and six weeks later he is deposed.
01:16:53Wu Shetian's youngest son, Ruishong,
01:16:56is proclaimed emperor in his place in 684.
01:17:00Ruishong is weak
01:17:03and the widow empress trusts to be able to control him.
01:17:20Look at his face,
01:17:23how he shrinks when he sees his son on the throne.
01:17:27The internal struggles of the royal family
01:17:30were bloody and cruel.
01:17:33As for Wu, his fear was that
01:17:36if he lost power, he would also lose his life.
01:17:41Soon, Wu's enemies
01:17:44try to gain the emperor's trust.
01:17:51If they manage to manipulate him,
01:17:55it will be their end.
01:18:00To reinforce his position,
01:18:03Wu puts Ruishong's family under house arrest
01:18:06and forbids him to have contact with the ministers.
01:18:10She has the control,
01:18:13but she has enough time in the palace
01:18:16to know that having power and preserving it
01:18:19are two very different things.
01:18:22Wu Shetian wants to be empress by her own right,
01:18:25but it is an impossible aspiration.
01:18:29In China, at that time, Confucianism prevailed.
01:18:32It is blasphemy to even think
01:18:35about the possibility of a woman as empress.
01:18:38Instead, Buddhism does allow
01:18:41a matriarchal narrative.
01:18:45Make it public.
01:18:48The time for change has come.
01:18:52Shangguan, bring the news to the whole nation.
01:18:56Yes, my lady.
01:19:02To support his ambitious plan,
01:19:05Wu discovers an ancient Buddhist scripture
01:19:08known as the Great Cloud Sutra.
01:19:15She underlined a prophecy of the Great Cloud Sutra,
01:19:18according to which one day
01:19:22a female incarnation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya
01:19:25from the West would bring happiness.
01:19:29The Great Cloud Sutra is part of the sutras
01:19:32that the monk Xuanzang brought with him from India.
01:19:35And now it could be the key to Wu Shetian's ambition.
01:19:41The sutra prophesies that a female incarnation
01:19:44of the Bodhisattva will rule the world one day.
01:19:48Wu orders the construction of a temple
01:19:52in each of the 300 states of the country.
01:19:59Thousands of copies are made by hand
01:20:02and distributed throughout China.
01:20:10In one year, Wu carefully creates
01:20:13the legend of a living god.
01:20:16Based on the Great Cloud Sutra,
01:20:20he creates a new sign based on the Chinese characters
01:20:23that represent the light and the sky,
01:20:26Yao, and adopts it as his new name,
01:20:29which proclaims her as the enlightened and savior of China.
01:20:36In Chang'an, the news of Wu's conspiracy
01:20:39unleashes indignation.
01:20:44How is it possible that a woman has all the control?
01:20:48There is no precedent for the ascension of a woman to the throne.
01:21:04But in the Tang Dynasty,
01:21:07things began to change.
01:21:10Women had the power to choose their own destiny.
01:21:13Many enjoyed the exotic fashions and treasures
01:21:16that came through the Silk Road.
01:21:20The variety of products and make-up
01:21:23and the evolution of fashion
01:21:26were trends unknown in the previous dynasties.
01:21:29Even more so,
01:21:32now women had the freedom to socialize.
01:21:37The last years of the 7th century
01:21:41were also years of catastrophic climate and environmental changes.
01:21:44Hunger, cyclones and plagues
01:21:47ravaged the land.
01:21:52Wu Shetian tells his story
01:21:55taking advantage of the fears of his people.
01:22:04Wu used religion to promote his ascension to power.
01:22:07His royal clerics documented all the events
01:22:11that foretold that Wu would be the next empress.
01:22:16The people placed their hopes of stability and salvation
01:22:19in the palace.
01:22:22A salvation prophesied in the Buddhist scriptures
01:22:25personified in a woman, Wu Yao.
01:22:30The Buddha has spoken.
01:22:33Perhaps you should advance your departure.
01:22:37She will not last.
01:22:40Remember my words.
01:22:59Ruishun understands that she must abdicate.
01:23:03An implacable desire for power
01:23:06has given the victory to her mother.
01:23:20In the year 690 AD,
01:23:23Wu Shetian becomes the first empress
01:23:26and becomes the first female empress
01:23:29to reign in China.
01:23:49For more than 50 years,
01:23:52Wu has ascended from her humble origins
01:23:56to become the most powerful woman in the world.
01:23:59She has used her Buddhist beliefs
01:24:02to impose herself on her enemies.
01:24:05The people believe that she can be Maitreya,
01:24:08an incarnation of the Buddha
01:24:11who has come to bring salvation to the world.
01:24:14The empress orders that the prophecy of Maitreya
01:24:17be taught throughout the empire.
01:24:26In Dunhuang, the Jin family,
01:24:29with their political sagacity,
01:24:32sees an opportunity in Wu Shetian's edicts.
01:24:35The opportunity to elevate the position of the family
01:24:38to the eyes of the imperial court.
01:24:41He could win the favor of the empress
01:24:44if he manages to impress her with his homage.
01:24:47The Jin raise a gigantic statue of Maitreya
01:24:50in a cave built to the effect of Mogao.
01:24:54It is one of the largest Buddhas in the world
01:24:57and is part of a line of giant Buddhas
01:25:00that extends from China to Afghanistan.
01:25:03The features of the Maitreya Buddha
01:25:06were round and feminine
01:25:09and his gaze was compassionate.
01:25:12It is said that it was sculpted
01:25:15in the image and likeness of Wu Shetian.
01:25:18The Maitreya Buddha, built by the Jin family,
01:25:22is still standing in Mogao's Cave 96
01:25:25safeguarding the immortality of Wu Shetian.
01:25:33During the reign of Wu Shetian,
01:25:36Dunhuang progresses as an important center of Buddhist worship
01:25:39and flourishes the construction of caves.
01:25:43Only in the heyday of the Tang dynasty
01:25:46more than 80 temples are built.
01:25:50Artists and monks from all over the central plain
01:25:53go to work with the artisans of Dunhuang
01:25:56whose art reaches a higher level of complexity.
01:26:04During the heyday of the Tang dynasty
01:26:07a very interesting change occurs.
01:26:10The caves become amazingly Chinese in their style.
01:26:13The statues of the Buddha
01:26:16stop looking like gods from another world
01:26:19to look more like real people with Chinese features.
01:26:25New styles of Chinese Buddhist art emerge.
01:26:28The deities known as flying apsaras
01:26:31are a fusion of the celestial being of India,
01:26:34the spirit of the western region
01:26:37and the enlightened being of Chinese Taoism.
01:26:43The flourishing of art in Dunhuang and China
01:26:46is only a small part
01:26:49of the extraordinary legacy of Wu Shetian.
01:26:52Under his rule, Buddhism becomes
01:26:55the predominant cult of China
01:26:58and spreads to Japan and the Korean Peninsula.
01:27:03The Empress governs during a period of prosperity
01:27:06and unprecedented stability
01:27:10that contributes to guarantee the success of the Tang dynasty.
01:27:15Apart from the military talent of the Tang,
01:27:18their culture spread over the seven seas
01:27:21giving rise to an Eastern leader
01:27:24and, over time, an important international superpower.
01:27:34There were no precedents for a woman like Wu Shetian.
01:27:38No one like her existed in the past or will exist in the future.
01:27:43But although he has achieved supreme power,
01:27:46Wu Shetian knows that his permanence in power will be limited.
01:27:50In the last years of his life,
01:27:53Wu Shetian faced a dilemma
01:27:56that no emperor had faced before.
01:27:59As a woman, what name would her heir bear?
01:28:02She knew very well that her dynasty
01:28:06was about to disappear.
01:28:11Wu Shetian's life ends in a great tragedy.
01:28:14He is left alone, apart from his children.
01:28:20The young servant who had confronted
01:28:23the entire male ruling class
01:28:26is now overthrown by a coup d'état.
01:28:29The great empress dies a year later,
01:28:32in 705 AD.
01:28:36Buddhism continues to flourish in Dunhuang
01:28:39long after Wu Shetian's death.
01:28:42But dark clouds gather on the horizon again
01:28:45and soon a change will take place.
01:28:57In 846 AD, the ancient city of Dunhuang,
01:29:00now called Sha Zhou,
01:29:04is occupied by the Tibetan Empire.
01:29:07The Tibetans are fervent Buddhists.
01:29:10The monks work tirelessly
01:29:13on the writing of Tibetan scriptures
01:29:16for their new rulers.
01:29:19Buddhism continues to flourish.
01:29:22Almost a century earlier,
01:29:25the Tang Dynasty had been destroyed
01:29:28by the An Lushan Rebellion.
01:29:31The Tibetans took control of the territory
01:29:34by the Uyghurs and the Tibetans.
01:29:37In a few decades, the Tibetans occupied
01:29:40the Gesi Corridor and cut off
01:29:43the connection between Dunhuang and Chanan,
01:29:46thus giving China access to the Silk Road.
01:29:49As a result of the An Lushan Rebellion,
01:29:52the Tang withdrew their forces from the Gesi area
01:29:55to send them to the central plain.
01:29:59A hundred years later,
01:30:02Dunhuang remains in a delicate balance
01:30:05under the command of Hong Bian,
01:30:08a Chinese Buddhist leader appointed by the Tibetans.
01:30:11The fate of Dunhuang depends on him.
01:30:14The pain of the loss of his native land
01:30:17at the hands of the Tibetans
01:30:20had left a deep mark on Hong Bian.
01:30:23Although he had grown under the rule of the Tibetans
01:30:27Hong Bian still identified himself with the Tang Dynasty.
01:30:30The control of the Gesi Corridor by the Tibetans
01:30:33now out of the reach of the Tang Dynasty
01:30:36has restricted the traffic on the Silk Road
01:30:39and has isolated Dunhuang.
01:30:42Life is hard for the Han people.
01:30:45Among them is a feeling of anger.
01:30:48They long for change.
01:30:57In secret, Hong Bian has been training
01:31:00an army of warrior monks.
01:31:03But he knows that attacking the powerful Tibetans
01:31:06can be a danger to the population of Dunhuang.
01:31:09He must wait for the right time
01:31:12and find an ally to trust.
01:31:17Shan Jichao, born into an important family in Dunhuang,
01:31:20is highly respected among the people.
01:31:24He is a man with a fervent desire for change
01:31:27and a revolution in his mind.
01:31:30Perhaps Hong Bian has found in Shan Jichao
01:31:33the ally he needs to make change in Dunhuang.
01:31:42The assassination of the Tibetan king Landarma
01:31:45in the year 842 has shaken the western region.
01:31:48The power of the Tibetans has declined.
01:31:52And that makes them unpredictable.
01:31:55Hong Bian asks his people for patience.
01:31:58In addition, he has received the terrible news
01:32:01of a purge of the Buddhist cult
01:32:04that Emperor Wusong has carried out.
01:32:07It will be the persecution of Buddhism
01:32:10of the Huichang period.
01:32:13Hong Bian understands that even if a rebellion
01:32:16prospers in Dunhuang, the Buddhist monks
01:32:19will be killed.
01:32:30Can we count on your support?
01:32:34Hong Bian agrees.
01:32:38In the monasteries of Dunhuang,
01:32:41the monks receive instructions.
01:32:50Until the news arrives
01:32:53that Emperor Wusong has died.
01:32:56The time has come for Hong Bian.
01:33:02The monastic order is to kill him.
01:33:06A quiet summer morning in the year 848
01:33:09Shan Jichao approaches the city gates
01:33:12but he is outnumbered.
01:33:17I order you to open the gates and surrender.
01:33:22Go to hell!
01:33:30Get rid of them!
01:33:36Inside the city walls,
01:33:39the monks of Hong Bian raise their weapons.
01:33:50While the Tibetans are unprepared,
01:33:53in the summer of the year 848,
01:33:56Dunhuang is finally reconquered by the Tang.
01:34:00Freedom for Dunhuang!
01:34:04Freedom for Dunhuang!
01:34:09Shan Jichao does not stop in Dunhuang.
01:34:12He reconquers eleven more prefectures,
01:34:15including Huayou, Ganzhou and Jizhou
01:34:18which were in the hands of the Tibetans.
01:34:21Eleven years after the rebellion in Dunhuang,
01:34:24the Telgesi Corridor is once again
01:34:27under the control of the Tang.
01:34:34Hong Bian remains in Dunhuang.
01:34:37He has fulfilled his father's dream
01:34:40of liberating the city
01:34:43and is now embarking on the construction
01:34:46of a magnificent three-story cave in Mogao.
01:34:49The cave will document and honor the legacy of his family
01:34:52but it will also give rise to a mystery.
01:34:59To commemorate the achievements in Hong Bian's life,
01:35:03a side chamber was built where he used to meditate.
01:35:06His statue was placed in that added part of cave 16.
01:35:14Hong Bian, the soul of the Buddhist community of Dunhuang,
01:35:17dies in the year 862.
01:35:28In the centuries that follow his death,
01:35:31great changes take place in China.
01:35:34Dynasties rise and fall.
01:35:37Cultures evolve and progress.
01:35:40The Silk Road, still used by some merchants,
01:35:43loses its strategic importance.
01:35:49The Silk Road declined
01:35:52after the Yuan Dynasty.
01:35:55The main reasons are the rise of maritime technology
01:35:59and the displacement of the Chinese economic center
01:36:02from the north to the south.
01:36:05Dunhuang falls into decline
01:36:08and its sacred caves fall into oblivion.
01:36:11A thousand years of history buried in the sand of the desert.
01:36:16Until one day,
01:36:19a lonely Taoist monk arrives in Dunhuang.
01:36:22Wang Yuanlu was a soldier.
01:36:25When his army dissolves,
01:36:29he finds the caves of Mogao in a terrible state of abandonment.
01:36:40And this is where the incredible discovery takes place.
01:36:48The monk knows that he has found something important,
01:36:51but he does not have the knowledge to appreciate its true value.
01:36:55Rumors of the discovery circulate through the Silk Road.
01:36:58The British explorer of Hungarian origin, Aurel Stein,
01:37:01is interested and travels to Dunhuang
01:37:04to see the treasures for himself.
01:37:12It is the oldest paper archive in the world.
01:37:15These scrolls and manuscripts,
01:37:18most of them are in Chinese,
01:37:21but also in other local languages.
01:37:25This is the time when paper makes its appearance in Europe.
01:37:31It is unknown why this extraordinary collection of documents
01:37:34was pre-printed in the cave,
01:37:37but scholars have unearthed most of the history.
01:37:43After the death of Hongbian,
01:37:46the monks began to deposit the documents and writings
01:37:49in a small antechamber excavated on one side of his temple.
01:37:55If it was to protect them from war or an act of veneration,
01:37:58it is a mystery.
01:38:02What is certain is that around the year 1002
01:38:05the chamber was sealed
01:38:08and its treasures were hidden for centuries.
01:38:16The range of materials that we find in the cave,
01:38:19thousands and thousands of manuscripts
01:38:22about the aspects of everyday life,
01:38:25in a context of hundreds of caves decorated
01:38:28with a rich variety of materials that span more than a millennium.
01:38:31It is unique in the world, there is nothing like it.
01:38:34The most important of all is a Buddhist sutra,
01:38:37the Diamond Sutra.
01:38:40It dates from the year 868
01:38:43and is the oldest book that has been found
01:38:46produced by a revolutionary printing technology.
01:38:50In addition to the Buddhist scriptures,
01:38:53there are documents on art, history, geography,
01:38:56literature, astronomy, medicine
01:38:59and many aspects of everyday life.
01:39:03Stein received from Wang the relics of the cave of the library,
01:39:06which included 24 boxes of manuscripts
01:39:09and 5 of paintings.
01:39:12He swindled Wang, acquiring those invaluable objects
01:39:15in exchange for almost nothing,
01:39:19and took them to London.
01:39:23Stein's arrival in Dunhuang
01:39:26puts the world on the alert of the importance of the cave of the library.
01:39:29Archaeologists and scientists from all over the world
01:39:32go to the ancient archaeological site.
01:39:35Thousands of manuscripts are transferred abroad
01:39:38for study and analysis.
01:39:42The vast amount of first-hand material
01:39:45that was there
01:39:48completely revolutionized
01:39:51the study of the ancient history of China
01:39:54in the West, without a doubt.
01:39:58With the attention of the world focused on Dunhuang,
01:40:01the impressive art created for centuries
01:40:04in the caves of Mogao also begins to be appreciated.
01:40:07Today it is considered one of the most important
01:40:11treasures of antiquity.
01:40:24The materials from Dunhuang,
01:40:27the paintings and the manuscripts,
01:40:30are of an incalculable value in many ways.
01:40:33They show us the great diversity of cultures
01:40:36that emerged in Dunhuang
01:40:39and also that they all coexisted in harmony.
01:40:47The caves of Mogao and the ancient manuscripts
01:40:50cover 700 years of the history of China.
01:40:54They are words and facts of the lives of others
01:40:57that speak to us through the sands of time.
01:41:02They reveal who we are
01:41:05and who came before us.
01:41:09Ban Chao, the great general Han
01:41:12who defeated the Kushan
01:41:15and subdued the western region.
01:41:20Shanxi, who fought against corruption in the city
01:41:23and returned to it its condition
01:41:26as the center of commerce and cultural diversity.
01:41:29Juchu Menshu, the caudillo Xiongnu
01:41:32who conquered Dunhuang
01:41:35using the force of nature.
01:41:39He was the ambitious courtesan
01:41:42who took advantage of the fame of Dunhuang
01:41:45as a sacred Buddhist place to ascend to the throne.
01:41:48And Hongbian, the builder of the cave of the library
01:41:51who fought for Dunhuang
01:41:54and the dreams of freedom of his father.
01:41:58DUNHUANG
01:42:08Despite the chaos, political turmoil and wars
01:42:11Dunhuang grew to become
01:42:14an important border fortress
01:42:17on the ancient Silk Road.
01:42:20A lively, rich and prosperous city
01:42:23with many cultures, languages and cults.
01:42:27Much before the current globalized world
01:42:30Dunhuang was a shining beacon
01:42:33and left a rich cultural legacy
01:42:36that persists to this day.