Qin Shi Huang: The First Emperor of China
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the life and reign of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unify China under one imperial rule. It delves into his conquests during the Warring States period, the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, and his administrative reforms. The video also covers his ambitious construction projects like the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Army, his pursuit of immortality, and the dynasty's eventual fall after his death. Sponsored by CuriosityStream, the video offers a comprehensive look at one of China's most significant historical figures.
Takeaways
- 🌏 CuriosityStream is a subscription streaming service offering a vast library of documentaries and non-fiction content for $2.99 a month.
- 🤴 Qin Shi Huang, also known as Chiang Shi Huang or Shi Huangdi, is a pivotal figure in Chinese history as the founder of the Qin Dynasty.
- 🏰 The Qin Dynasty, though short-lived (lasting only 15 years), had a profound impact on China as it was the first to rule over a united imperial China.
- 🛡 Qin Shi Huang's reign was marked by ambitious construction projects, including the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Army, which continue to be significant cultural symbols.
- 🏹 Before unifying China, Qin Shi Huang was known as King Ying Zheng of the Qin state and emerged victorious during the Warring States period against neighboring kingdoms.
- 👑 Qin Shi Huang's parentage is a subject of controversy, with historical accounts suggesting his real father might have been a merchant named Lu Buwei, not King Zhuangxiang of Qin.
- 🗡 Qin Shi Huang's reign was also characterized by the introduction of new administrative policies that marked a departure from the feudal system, aiming to prevent future power struggles.
- 📚 During his rule, Qin Shi Huang undertook a campaign to burn books and suppress intellectuals, particularly Confucian scholars, in an effort to consolidate his power and erase historical records prior to his reign.
- 🧙♂️ In his later years, Qin Shi Huang became obsessed with immortality, seeking an elixir of life and consulting with alchemists, which ultimately led to his death in 210 BC.
- 🏙️ The fall of the Qin Dynasty was swift, with rebellions erupting shortly after Qin Shi Huang's death, leading to its collapse and the rise of the Han Dynasty.
Q & A
What is the significance of Qin Shi Huang in Chinese history?
-Qin Shi Huang is significant as he was the founder of the Qin Dynasty and the first emperor to rule over a united imperial China, marking a major shift from the Warring States period.
What was the Warring States period in China?
-The Warring States period was a time of intense conflict and warfare among various states in China, which lasted for around 250 years from the 5th century BC until 221 BC, when Qin Shi Huang unified China.
What was the Zhao Dynasty's role in the history leading up to the Qin Dynasty?
-The Zhao Dynasty was a powerful dynasty that ruled over a large territory but lost its power as local military leaders and noblemen asserted their authority, leading to the splintering of the territory into hundreds of small states and the eventual Warring States period.
What was the controversy surrounding Qin Shi Huang's parentage?
-The controversy lies in the claim by the historian Sima Qian that Qin Shi Huang's mother, Lady Zhao, was already pregnant with the child of the merchant Lu Buwei when she married King Zhuangxiang, suggesting that Lu Buwei, not the king, might have been Qin Shi Huang's biological father.
What was the significance of the general Li Mu in the Zhao State?
-Li Mu was a renowned general who played a crucial role in defending the Zhao State against Qin's invasions. His military prowess was a significant factor in the Zhao State's ability to resist Qin for an extended period.
How did Qin Shi Huang's strategy differ from previous Chinese rulers in maintaining control over his empire?
-Qin Shi Huang introduced new administrative policies that centralized power, including the establishment of a central government, the division of the empire into administrative divisions called 'jun', and the forced relocation of aristocratic families to the capital to prevent the rise of local powers.
What was the purpose of Qin Shi Huang's construction projects, such as the Great Wall of China?
-The construction projects, including the Great Wall, were aimed at unifying and safeguarding the empire against both internal rebellions and external threats, such as the nomadic Xiongnu people.
What was the 'burning of books and burying of scholars' incident associated with Qin Shi Huang?
-This was a campaign where Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of books unrelated to medicine, agriculture, divination, or the history of the Qin state and the execution of scholars, particularly Confucianists, to eliminate dissent and control the narrative of history.
What were the circumstances of Qin Shi Huang's death?
-Qin Shi Huang died at the age of 49 during a trip in 210 BC. His exact cause of death is unknown, but it is speculated that he may have been poisoned by an elixir containing mercury, which he consumed in his quest for immortality.
What was the fate of the Qin Dynasty after Qin Shi Huang's death?
-The Qin Dynasty fell apart shortly after Qin Shi Huang's death due to internal rebellions and external threats. It was replaced by the Han Dynasty, which took advantage of the chaos to seize power.
Outlines
🏰 The Rise of Qin Shi Huang and the Unification of China
The first paragraph introduces the historical significance of Qin Shi Huang, the founder of the Qin Dynasty, who unified China for the first time. It discusses his various names, the short-lived yet impactful Qin Dynasty, and his role in ending the Warring States period by conquering neighboring kingdoms. His introduction of new administrative policies marked a significant departure from the past, and his ambitious construction projects, including the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Army, are highlighted. The paragraph also mentions his pursuit of immortality and the controversies surrounding his parentage and early life.
🛡️ The Military Campaigns and Political Maneuvering of Qin Shi Huang
This paragraph delves into the military campaigns of Qin Shi Huang, detailing his strategy and the conquest of the Han and Zhao states. It highlights the challenges he faced, including the formidable General Li Mu of Zhao, and the political tactics he employed, such as sowing discord in enemy courts. The paragraph also discusses the assassination attempts against Qin Shi Huang and the intrigue involving his mother, the Dowager Queen Zhao, and the merchant Lu Buwei.
🗡️ The Conquest of the Warring States and the Expansion of the Qin Empire
The third paragraph continues the narrative of Qin Shi Huang's military conquests, focusing on the annexation of the states of Yan, Wei, Chu, and Qi. It describes the strategies used, including the use of deception and the employment of skilled generals like Wang Jian and his son Wang Ben. The paragraph also touches on the assassination attempt by Jin Ke and the subsequent invasion of Yan, leading to the completion of Qin Shi Huang's ambition to unify China under his rule.
🛕 The Administrative Reforms, Cultural Suppression, and the Legacy of Qin Shi Huang
The final paragraph examines the administrative reforms implemented by Qin Shi Huang to strengthen central governance and prevent the rise of feudal power. It discusses his standardization efforts, construction of the Great Wall, and the infamous 'Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars' incident. The paragraph also explores Qin Shi Huang's obsession with immortality, his death, and the subsequent fall of the Qin Dynasty. The legacy of Qin Shi Huang and the Qin Dynasty's impact on Chinese history is emphasized.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Qin Shi Huang
💡Warring States Period
💡Great Wall of China
💡Terracotta Army
💡Zhao Dynasty
💡Central Government
💡Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars
💡Elixir of Life
💡Xiongnu
💡CuriosityStream
Highlights
Curiosity Stream is a subscription streaming service offering thousands of documentaries and non-fiction titles for just $2.99 a month.
Qin Shi Huang, also known as Chiang Shi Huang or Zhao Zhang, is one of the most important figures in Chinese history as the founder of the Qin Dynasty.
The Qin Dynasty, though short-lived at 15 years, had a significant impact as the first to rule over a united imperial China.
Before becoming emperor, Qin Shi Huang was king of the Qin state and emerged victorious during the Warring States Period, conquering neighboring kingdoms.
Qin Shi Huang introduced new administrative policies that marked a departure from centuries-old practices, aiming to prevent another Warring States Period.
The Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Army are among the ambitious construction projects initiated by Qin Shi Huang.
Qin Shi Huang spent his last years in a pursuit of the elixir of life, aiming to achieve immortality.
The Zhao Dynasty, which preceded the Qin, lasted almost 800 years but began to diminish in power as early as the 8th century BC.
The Warring States Period was a time of violence and turbulence, with seven kingdoms fighting for supremacy.
Qin Shi Huang's parentage is controversial, with rumors suggesting his real father might have been a merchant named Lu Buwei.
Lu Buwei was stripped of his powers and banished following a failed rebellion by a man named Lao Ai, who had an affair with the queen dowager.
Qin Shi Huang assumed full power as king of Qin at the age of 21, with a goal to conquer the other warring states.
Qin Shi Huang's military campaigns included the conquest of the Han state, which was the weakest of the seven kingdoms.
The Zhao state was conquered after Qin Shi Huang used deception to remove their skilled general, Li Mu.
The Yan state was annexed after an assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang by Jin Ke, who became a folk hero in China.
Qin Shi Huang's conquest of Wei and Chu was aided by the military strategies of generals Wang Jian and Wang Ben.
The last state to be conquered was Qi, which was achieved with little resistance due to internal corruption.
After unifying China, Qin Shi Huang faced rebellions and external threats, including from the nomadic Xiongnu people.
Qin Shi Huang's administration included centralizing power, standardizing measures, and improving infrastructure.
His reign saw the construction of the Great Wall and the creation of the Terracotta Army to guard his mausoleum.
Qin Shi Huang's later years were marked by tyranny and paranoia, particularly towards intellectuals and Confucian scholars.
The emperor's obsession with immortality led to the search for an elixir of life and the execution of many who failed to provide it.
Qin Shi Huang's death in 210 BC may have been caused by mercury poisoning from an elixir he consumed in pursuit of immortality.
The fall of the Qin Dynasty was swift, with rebellions and external threats leading to its collapse a few years after the emperor's death.
Transcripts
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sometimes he is called chian shi huang
and sometimes
she huan di sometimes he is called yin
zhang and
other times zhao zhang they all refer to
the same person
regardless of the moniker the man behind
the name represents one of the most
important
figures in the history of china he was
the founder of the qian dynasty it was
short-lived
only lasting 15 years but it had a great
impact on the country that is because
the qian dynasty was the first to rule
over a united imperial china
before becoming emperor chiang shi huang
was king of the qian state and
during an explosive time known as the
warring states period he emerged
victorious in a battle for supremacy
against his neighboring kingdoms
conquering them all and bringing them
under his dominion
this would have been enough to earn qian
xi huang a place in the history books
but the new administrative policies that
he introduced also represented a stark
departure from
the way things had been done for
centuries trying to ensure that
china would never have a warring states
period again
then there were the ambitious
construction projects chief among them
the famed great wall of china
and the thousands of terracotta warriors
that still guard the emperor's mausoleum
to this day
qin shi huang spent the last years of
his life in a bizarre pursuit
of the elixir of life so that he could
live forever things might not have
worked out exactly as he would have
wanted in the end but his actions
certainly immortalized him as one of
china's greatest rulers
before we examine the life of chiang shi
huang we should take a look at the state
of china itself prior to it being
reunified under his reign there was a
powerful dynasty called the zhao which
ruled over a large territory but not
quite
all of what is traditionally considered
the core chinese mainland
they were led by a king who had the
mandate of heaven he was
recognized as the son of heaven and he
possessed the divine right to be ruler
technically the zhao dynasty lasted for
almost 800 years from the 11th century
bc until the middle of the 3rd
century bc however as early as the 8th
century bc the power of the king started
to diminish as local military leaders
and noblemen began to assert their
authority the king simply didn't have
the power to keep all these ambitious
upstarts in line and at the same time
fight off the neighboring powers that
were trying to invade consequently the
territory splintered into hundreds of
small states
on paper they were all still loyal to
the king but in reality
each one of them wanted to assert their
sovereignty of course simply being
autonomous wasn't good enough so
pretty soon the states started fighting
with each other in order to grow their
hedge money this
led to some of these states becoming
large and powerful enough that
they declared independence breaking off
from the zhao dynasty completely
and even going to war against them the
tail end of the zhao dynasty was a
particularly violent
and turbulent time known as the warring
states period which lasted for around
250 years from the 5th century bc until
221 bc
there was a fight for supremacy between
seven kingdoms the qi
the qien the chu the han the zhao
the way and the yan you'll notice that
the show is not among them as by this
point the power that the king of zhou
still had was
merely symbolic he managed to hang on
thanks to alliances and conspiracies
with
other more powerful rulers who wanted to
legitimize their own authority with
approval from the son of heaven but of
course not even this could last forever
and the zhao dynasty finally ended in
256 bc
when the qin state captured the city of
chengzhou and
killed king nan
was born circa 259 bc as his moniker
implies
in the qian state he is usually known as
qian
xi huang or xi huang di but both were in
fact
titles his actual name was yin zheng
sometimes
also called zhao zheng however once he
had conquered all the other states in
unified china he gave himself the new
title
of huang di or emperor and assumed the
regnal names of
xi hong-di which meant first emperor and
chin shi huang his parentage is somewhat
controversial thanks to an ancient
historian named
sima jiang who indicated that ying's
father might not have actually been his
real father
ostensibly ying-jiang was the eldest son
of king
joao jigyang of chin and lady zhao
according to the historian the king and
his future queen met back when he was
still known
as prince yurin he was being held
hostage in zhao another one of the
warring states in order to ensure
peace between their two kingdoms however
the prince was liberated with the help
of a wealthy and influential merchant
named
lu buway who also introduced him to his
future wife
known at the time as xiaoji but what
prince yiran never found out was that
zhao was one of lou's
former concubines and might already been
pregnant with his child when the two
married and therefore
yin zhiang would have actually have been
the son of lou bouwee
and not king zhua zhang of course there
is
no way to verify this it's also possible
the historian invented this to slander
the former emperor but either way
this is a rumor that has persisted for
millennia regardless
xiaojiang only ruled for three years as
king of ching before
dying in 246 bc and being succeeded by
yin zhang his son however was only 13
years old at the time so
lubue stepped in again to serve as his
regent again we're going strictly on the
word of sima
chiang but it seems that once the king
was out of the picture
liu resumed his affair with the queen
dowager zhao
or maybe it never really ended in the
first place who knows
anyway as the years went on and yin
zhang was getting closer to assuming
control of the kingdom
lou was becoming more concerned with the
possible consequences of his illicit
relationship with the young king's
mother
therefore he tried to distance himself
from queen zhao
she was not too thrilled with this idea
not necessarily because of her affection
for lou but because she still wanted
someone to satisfy her desires the two
compromised and
lou found a good substitute who would
have been more than capable of
rising to the occasion his name was
lao-i and he was allegedly so well
endowed that he could spin
a wheel on his erect member of course
the queen wouldn't have been allowed
publicly to have a boy toy so lau-et was
always shaved and dressed to look like a
eunuch queen zhao was
very happy with this arrangement and lao
eye quickly became her core favorite she
gave him titles wealth and power and the
couple
might have even had two children
together but all of this went to his
head and soon enough he started to get
ideas about
overthrowing yin zhang and installing
one of his own sons as the new king
around 238 bc
ying jiang found out the truth after a
drunken lao eye foolishly boasted that
he was the king's stepfather
our aged he decided that it was time to
execute a whole bunch of people
so lao i left with nothing to lose tried
to stage revolt he couldn't get many
people to rally to his cause though and
the rebellion was easily crushed laui
was killed by being torn apart by horses
while three generations of his family
were also executed including his two
sons with the queen of course
as for zhao she was not killed but
condemned to live under house arrest for
the rest of her days for his role in the
affair
lu buway was also punished by being
stripped of his powers and
banished to a remote part of the kingdom
he committed suicide by
drinking poison a few years later many
modern historians put this entire
chapter of qin
shi huang's life under a big question
mark and even argue that
lao eye might not have existed at all
however whether or not it happened the
end result was the same
yin zhang assumed full power as the king
of ching
and was able to dedicate himself towards
his true goal which was conquering
the six other warring states and before
we continue with today's video let me
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let us get back to ancient china
[Music]
right from the start ying jing had an
advantage over his adversaries because
the kingdom he inherited was the largest
and most powerful of the warring state
and also had a good position at the
western edge of the chinese territory
the first of all
was han which did not prove to be overly
difficult
as it was the weakest of the seven
kingdoms it was located
in the middle of ancient china so ever
since it declared independence in the
late 4th century bc
it had always been surrounded by bigger
more powerful states and it could never
expand
unlike its neighbors the main reason why
it had survived thus far was
because whenever one state tried to
invade it another one usually came to
its defense out of self-interest in
order to prevent its enemy from growing
too powerful but this mattered little to
ying since he intended to attack
everyone anyway in 230 bc he marched his
army into han and
the state was conquered that same year
afterwards came a much bigger foe the
zhao state again a lot of the hard work
had been done before yin zheng even
ascended to the throne the two states
had already had a war a few decades
prior it culminated in the battle of
chiang ping in 260 bc
and ended in a decisive victory for
chien therefore the
zhao state that yin zheng faced was a
much weaker one than it used to be
even so this would prove to be the
king's longest military campaign one
that saw him face many setbacks
and even defeats zhao had one big ace up
his sleeve
his name was lee moo and he is
considered one of the greatest generals
of ancient china
he was one of the main reasons why zhao
was not overrun immediately even when
xiang gained territory
li mu defeated them in combat several
times especially
at the battle of fey in 233 bc as long
as he was still
standing the enemy found it difficult to
make any permanent headway in zhao if he
could not achieve
his goal through war yin zhang resulted
to deception
the details were a bit unclear but he
used spies and bribes in order to sow
discord in the zhao court specifically
he got the king of zhao
yomi to distrust li mu and relieve him
of his position the former general died
around 229 bc after being either
executed or forced to commit suicide
afterwards ying found it much easier to
defeat zhao he captured han dan the
state's capital in 228 bc
and executed king yumuy in essence the
xiao state had been conquered and
eliminated as a threat but
one of the king's sons prince jia
managed to flee to the northern region
of the kingdom called
dai proclaimed it a new independent
state and named himself king he lasted
for another six years also before being
ultimately vanquished thus
completing the total annexation of the
zhao state
next up zhen set his sight on the
kingdom of yan the crown prince dan
realized that there would be no match
against qin
in battle so instead he dispatched an
assassin named jin ki to eliminate yin
jing
in 227 bc jinki approached the qin court
posing as a yan nobleman ready to betray
his homeland
he said that he was in possession of
valuable maps of the territory ahead
this was always intended as a suicide
mission armed with a poison dagger
jin ki's deception was only meant to get
him close enough to the king to kill him
as
afterwards he would have surely been
struck down by the guards unfortunately
for him he failed in his assassination
attempt which
also provided ying with a great excuse
to invade yan not that he really needed
one bizarrely enough jingki became
somewhat of a folk hero in china and
during the han dynasty he was
immortalized in poetry
songs and stories later he had a
mountain in a town named after him and
even in modern times he has been the
subject of movies and television shows
the war went decidedly
in ching's favor ying zheng invaded yan
in 226 bc
and soon enough he captured the capital
of ji sheng in a desperate attempt king
shi of yan even executed his own son
crown prince dan and
sent his head to yin zhang as a way of
apologizing for the assassination
attempt this sort of worked as
ying delayed his conquest for a few
years but came back in 222 bc to finish
the job in reality this was a clear sign
to the king of qin that he could focus
his attention on the next target as yan
was no longer a threat and could be
annexed at any time
yin jiang began his conquest of the
saints of wei and chu
around the same time mainly because he
believed that otherwise one of them
might attack his flanks while he was
waging war against the other fortunately
for ying he also had one of the most
skilled generals of that era in his
retinue his name was wang jiang
and his son wang ben became a successful
commander in his own right
in 225 bc ben marched an army and away
while his father took on the more
difficult task of conquering chu
a state that almost rivaled qian in size
and power the kingdom of way proved to
be an easy target
after wang man employed a clever
strategy to redirect the waters of the
yellow river in order to flood the
capital of way the king had no choice
but to surrender chu turned out to be
much more resilient
in fact the first qian invasion which
was not led by wang jiang was
successfully repelled it wasn't until
224 bc that yin jiang sent another army
three times as big
this time led by his skilled general to
conquer chew and permanently add it to
his growing empire
even so it took almost two years before
wang jiang was ultimately successful
only one state was still left to conquer
chi and it turned out to be a bit of a
pushover yin zhang invaded the kingdom
in 221 bc and conquered it later that
same year
encountering very little resistance some
say this was because prior to this he
had
bribed many officials from chi including
the chancellor ho
shang in order to ensure that the
opposing army was poorly organized and
equipped in 221 bc yin zheng had
fulfilled his ambition he had conquered
the warring states and united ancient
china under his rule
from now on he was qian shi huang
founder
of the new qian dynasty
just because qian xi huang conquered all
the other chinese states did not mean
that he was done fighting he had to deal
with a lot of rebellions from small
armies that refused to recognize his
authority
but there were also external threats to
contend with of them all the most
dangerous was the nomadic
zhiong new people who claim dominion
over a vast territory in the eurasian
steppe
the origins of the xiongnu is one giant
mystery since as a confederation of
nomadic tribes they didn't really bother
writing things down or settling cities
or doing anything that would leave
behind some kind of historical record
in fact the first mentions we have of
them come from the chinese and
it has been speculated that the xiongnu
were the ancestors of the huns who were
also a nomadic people who emerged from
the same area a few centuries later
anyway the chinese and xiongnu
had long lasting conflicts that
eventually erupted into a full-blown war
but this happened about 80 years after
qin shi huang's death during his time
the situation was not quite as tense but
the emperor still recognized the
possible threat posed by the
nomadic tribes gathering near his
northern border therefore he sent his
general miang tiang to launch a
victorious preemptive strike against the
xiongnu
in 215 bc inside his empire chiang xi
huang
narrowly avoided another assassination
attempt this one came courtesy of zhiang
liang an official from the former
han state who wanted to avenge the
conquest of his kingdom his plan was to
organize an ambush on the imperial
convoy and destroy the emperor's
carriage
unfortunately for him he picked the
wrong one as qian
shi huang travelled with two identical
carriages for this very reason
zhiang yang might have failed but
ultimately he had the last laugh as he
proved to be instrumental in the fall of
the qian dynasty after xi
huangdi's death for most of his reign
the emperor was concerned with the
administration of his empire he wanted
to distance himself from the feudal
approach that had been present in china
for most of the previous thousand years
because he knew that
as time passed that would lead to the
noble families gaining more
and more power which would ultimately
result in another situation like the
warring states therefore he established
a central government in the capital of
zhiang yang he divided his empire into
36
administrative divisions called jun and
forced all the important aristocratic
families
to live in the capital instead of each
one ruling over their own stretch of
land far away from the government
qian xi huang enacted reforms such as
issuing state coinage
introducing universal standardization
and improving the empire's road and wall
network
in order to safeguard it against
barbarians his most famous construction
project was the great wall of china
although we should mention that some
sections of the wall had existed for
hundreds of years
by that point dating as far back as the
7th century bc
if you want to learn more about this
iconic landmark then good news we did a
whole video on it on our sister channel
geographics
so why not check that out after this one
as the years went on qian xi huang
became more tyrannical than paranoid the
main targets of his oppression were
intellectuals especially those who
followed confucianism he undertook a
large-scale campaign to burn
most books that didn't have anything to
do with medicine agriculture divination
or
the history of the chiang state
basically he didn't want the history of
china to exist before his reign
in his most infamous act qian xi huang
reportedly arrested 460 confucian
scholars and buried them alive
although he certainly punished and even
executed those he perceived as
subversive to his totalitarian regime
whether or not
this specific event actually happened is
a matter of debate among historians
their biggest concern
is that the only source of information
comes to us from the han dynasty
the one that took power after the qin
dynasty fell not only were they enemies
but the hand were followers of
confucianism and this could have been an
attempt to slander their former
oppressor
in his final years the emperor became
quite obsessed with the concept of
immortality i suppose that multiple
assassination attempts might do that to
you he dedicated vast resources to the
search for an elixir of life that would
allow him to live forever and he
traveled throughout his entire empire to
meet with alchemists healers and
magicians who could have provided him
with what he desired
of course none of them could and
consequently most of them were put to
death for being charlatans
it was during one of these trips in 210
bc that
jian xi huang fell ill and died at the
age of 49.
his exact cause of death is unknown but
it may have been incredibly ironic as
the emperor may have inadvertently
poisoned himself by drinking an
immortality elixir
that contained mercury he was buried in
a giant mausoleum that he had built for
himself surrounded by
thousands of sculpted soldiers
cavalrymen horses
chariots acrobats and musicians better
known as the terracotta army
tian shi huang was the jian dynasty
it was not strong enough to survive
without him there was an attempt to turn
one of his sons into the new emperor but
the qian states many enemies quickly
took advantage and
rebellions erupted throughout the empire
just a few years later the qian dynasty
was no more but its legacy
became an inseparable part of chinese
history
so i really hope you found that video
interesting if you did please do hit
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