WEBVTT

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[music]

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China, a dominating power

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on the world stage, today.

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While all the other great civilizations
of the ancient world are falling,

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China has endured.

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[music]

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A lost city that brings legend to life.

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A 4,000 year old dragon,

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a murdered Princess.

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[music]

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These clues may help unlock the mystery
of Chinese civilizations power.

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[music]

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How did this exceptional
civilization originate?

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Archaeological excavations
are underway across China.

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Dramatic discoveries made at these sites

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may hold the key to unraveling
the mysteries of China,

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2000 B.C..

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[music]

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The Chinese civilization
is shrouded in mystery.

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[sil.]

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Eight hundred kilometers,
Southwestern Beijing,

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lies the village of Taosi
in Shanxi Province.

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Four thousand years ago, this was the site

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of a prosperous settlement
that suddenly vanished.

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[music]

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Skeletal remains are scattered in an

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unceremonious violent manner.
What could have happened here?

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[music]

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The key to the puzzle may be in the
remains of one woman discovered among

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the bones of pigs and cows
in a waste disposal site.

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[music]

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The condition of her teeth and nutritional
content of her bones indicates

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that this woman was a
member of the upper class.

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[music]

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Her head was decapitated.

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And she was stabbed through the
abdomen with the bull’s horn.

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[music]

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Who might have murdered her? And why?
What can this woman’s remains

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tell us about what was going
on in China, 4,000 years ago?

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This murder mystery sheds light on a
powerful struggle in ancient China.

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One, that ended with the rise of a

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mythological dynasty called Xia.

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Archaeology is revealing that
the legendary Xia may be real.

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[sil.]

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In this elementary school in Beijing,

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students are taught one word
that connects them all.

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Huaxia takes one character from the formal
name for China, and the other from China’s

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oldest dynasty, Xia.

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The people of China singled out

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the Xia dynasty as their one true origin.

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But until recently, no one was sure
the Xia dynasty was even real.

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[music]

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A project in search for the
origin of Chinese civilization

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may have unearthed the truth
behind the mid of Xia.

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[music]

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The village of Erlitou in Henan Province

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spreads out along a branch
of the Yellow River.

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[music]

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What appears to be a quiet farming village,

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has turned out to be one of the most important
archaeological sites in Chinese history.

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[sil.]

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A number of unusually large palaces

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have been uncovered.

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Then, a startling discovery.

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Blue turquoise fragments
shimmered through the dust.

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[music]

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It’s the symbol of Chinese civilization,

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the dragon.

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The dragon was a mythical creature

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used by successions of Chinese
emperors as a display of their power.

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But the dragon in Erlitou

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predates the Emperor’s by 2,000 years.

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Pointing to the fact that this might be
the seat of the legendary Xia dynasty.

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Another discovery reinforces the theory,

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a three legged bronze wine
pitcher unique to China.

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The technology required to cast bronze

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as then as this was more advanced
than anywhere else in the world.

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With this imperial dragon,

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and a culture of advanced bronze, where the project team
believes Erlitou was the capital of the Xia dynasty.

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If it’s true, this is a
remarkable discovery.

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A lost city mentioned only in legend.
But, can archaeology prove

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whether this remote area actually
is the birthplace of modern China?

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[music]

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Archaeologists have
discovered evidence of a

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vast settlement in China’s Central Plains.

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The evidence points to this, being the site of a legendary
dynasty which unites all Chinese people, today.

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The Xia, and ancient empire
that survived only in legend,

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but now has been revealed by

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modern archaeology.

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From archaeological evidence, a model
of the village can be reconstructed.

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Common people lived in these dwellings.

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Six and a half meters square,
the size of a modern bathroom.

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[music]

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This fencing closed workshop
produced some of the

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world’s highest quality bronze at the time.

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This area is where the nobility lived.

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And at this elevated area, the palace.

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What may have been the seat
of the ancient Chinese world?

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Based on the archaeological evidence,

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the population is estimated to
have been over 20,000 people.

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In its prime, it would have been one
of the world’s largest settlements.

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The archaeology makes a
compelling case that Erlitou

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is the seat of the last Xia dynasty,

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but there is another candidate that
archaeologists are also exploring.

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Liangzhu is located downstream on the Yangtze River. A
large settlement was discovered here five years ago.

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Chinese media reported
that the massive city wall

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pointed to Liangzhu as the
capital of the oldest dynasty.

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The wall is roughly seven kilometers long.
Inside the wall,

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is a huge village with an area
of three million square metres.

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The scale of this village implied that this
may be the ancient lost capital of Xia,

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not Erlitou.

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But there is a problem.

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Further excavation revealed that
Liangzhou fell roughly 200 years

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before the rise of the Xia dynasty.

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Layers of deposit in the ruins reveal that Liangzhou
was abandoned and could not be the palace of the Xia.

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This layer of thick white sand is the aftermath
of a series of floods that struck China.

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During this time, all
of China was ravaged by

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vicious natural disasters.

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Analysis of pollen reveals
historic temperature

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and precipitation levels.
From 3000 to 2000 B.C.,

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there was a severe drop in temperature,
at the same time as a drastic increase

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in precipitation.

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The people of the time suffered a
repeating cycle of droughts and floods.

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Entire Chinese cultures disappeared

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one after the other. But as others fell,

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the capital of the Xia
dynasty, Erlitou rose.

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And there is an historical
record that traces that rise,

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long thought to be folklore.
It may be grounded in fact.

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Long ago, this world was ravaged by floods.

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With no one able to tame the raging rivers, the
people were forced to live miserable lives.

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At that time, one young man rose up

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and brought the raging flood
waters under control.

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After a decade, the land gave
birth to a bountiful harvest.

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[music]

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The people welcomed the young man as their ruler,
and this was the beginning of the Xia dynasty.

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[music]

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The young man would one day
be called Yu, the great.

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The legend has it, he controlled the floods
with magical powers. Yu was actually

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an engineer.

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He controlled the water with a series of canals
which revolutionized Chinese agriculture.

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The Emperor so admired his skills,

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he passed the throne to him
rather than to his own son.

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Yu, the great, founded the Xia dynasty.

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This legend defines modern China.

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But why did Yu, the great choose Erlitou
as the capital of the Xia dynasty?

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Archaeologists now think,

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they have found the answer.
They take soil samples

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from three meters beneath the surface at the
level where the ancient palace was discovered.

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The results of analysis
revealed a simple answer,

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food and lots of it.

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Millet…

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wheat…

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soybean, and, of course,

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rice. While most areas

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struggled with meager crops,
Erlitou was able to cultivate

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five other major grains at once. This
gave the people here the upper hand

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in the battle against starvation.
And agriculture

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marked the beginning of the end
of nomadic culture in China.

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The luck of good agriculture made
Erlitou, a survivor. At this time,

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the great dynasties of Egypt
and Mesopotamia were dying out

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suffering from food shortages
and a social chaos that ensued,

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but the seed of modern China
survived and endured.

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Geography may also help
explain Erlitou’s survival.

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Erlitou had access to five
major Chinese Rivers.

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Experts believe, that these rivers
gave the people of Erlitou,

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the chance to explore other areas
and to import their agriculture.

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The rivers reveal another clue.

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Ceremonial vessels have been discovered
at various points along the rivers.

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This map shows locations where
the vessels were found.

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This is vital evidence hinting at
the reach of the Erlitou empire.

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Modern archaeology seems to prove
that the ancient legends are true.

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One man may have given birth
to the only ancient empire

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to survive to the modern era,

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but agricultural prosperity
is the first of many clues.

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[music]

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An unassuming village in rural
China now appears to be the seat

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of a 4,000 year old dynasty,
lost to history until now.

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And the site of ancient Erlitou

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continues to reveal secrets
that resonate in China, today.

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One clue lies in the design
of the ancient palace,

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the Emperor symbol of power.

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The defining characteristics of the palace
make it stand out from other sites in China.

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This is a reconstruction of
the Erlitou site palace.

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Based on findings from the excavation,

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the researchers were struck by how
much area this palace covered,

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a cloister surrounds the
complex, and a south gate opens

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into a courtyard that could
accommodate over a thousand people.

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At the front of the atrium
stands of giant building.

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It is believed this complex was designed to accommodate
events with a large number of invited guests.

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What was the purpose of the space?

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Experts examine the palace and are
stunned at what they discover.

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Researchers reached a startling conclusion.

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The design of the Erlitou palace has
been preserved throughout the dynasties.

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That evidence is clear at
China’s famous Forbidden City,

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built in the early 1400s.

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The main palace is situated just in front of the south
gate, where visitors enter just as that as at Erlitou.

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And the design of the main palace itself

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also echoes the ancient one at Erlitou.

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Both palaces bare a striking similarity.
The basic design went unchanged

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for 4,000 years.

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Erlitou Palace is the earliest known
example of a palace that defines

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one of China’s most famous sites.

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The palaces are similar, but what
about the rituals of the Lost City?

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Researchers are putting together the pieces

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and they speak to the same
end, making a god of a man.

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[sil.]

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The same rituals were conducted
in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia

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transferring great power to the leader.

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The Emperor holds a jade
tablet engraved with a dragon,

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a symbol of his power.

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The dragon found at Erlitou is the
first example of a sacred symbol

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associated with China’s first empire.

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This one predates that
empire by 2,000 years.

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If the dragon represents strength,

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metal represents advanced technology.

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The Emperor reveals a sparkling gold colored
object that creates admiration and fear.

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It’s the bronze three legged

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wine pitcher called a Jue. Simple now.

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In China 2000 B.C., it
was an object of mystery

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and had a ceremonial function
within the Xia dynasty.

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Ritual was important to the
Xia dynasty to stabilize

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the authority of the Emperor
and his right to rule,

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while harmonizing all people
according to social status.

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By declaring itself both powerful and
advanced, the people came to believe

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that China was the center of the universe.

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[sil.]

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The Emperor became the living
symbol of that belief.

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And the fractious tribes

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of the ancient world slowly began
to unite around this idea,

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an idea of nationhood.

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Though China no longer has an emperor,
it’s people still hold on to the idea

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that it stands alone as
a nation above others.

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Before this unification around the
notion of a god like Emperor,

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the people of China sometimes
rose up against the nobles.

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A 4,000 year old female skeleton
found at a site outside

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Beijing speaks to this bloody conflict.
She was discovered,

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decapitated, and stabbed through
the abdomen with a bullhorn.

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This woman was murdered by
people under oppression

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who exacted revenge. The
succeeding Xia dynasty

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aimed to stamp out the violence
by uniting the factions under

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the idea that the people and the
benevolent Emperor were one.

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As the power of an idea took hold
over this vast diverse country,

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the Xia Dynasty was about to be destroyed

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by more violent rulers with the
hunger for the Xia’s legendary power.

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Modern China is founded on an ancient idea.

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The people of China believe that
various ethnic groups are united

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as one through the power of nationality.

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The origins of this unifying idea
can be traced back 4,000 years

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to the first, last dynasty of the Xia.
Until recently, there was little

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archeological evidence that the Xia
was anything more than legend.

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Jade tablets from the Xia Dynasty carry the

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distinguishing mark of the dragon. These
unique tablets have been discovered

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thousands of miles from Erlitou.
This suggests that the dynasties

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influence swept Asia. The
turquoise dragon suggests

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that China’s last past
has been rediscovered.

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Researchers now believe that this dragon is the
key to the survival of the last ancient empire.

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The dragon was adopted by
each successive dynasty as

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a symbol of power. China
flourished with a core to erlitou

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surging with health and wealth.
With all other subcultures

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withering in its wake,
today, erlitou village is a

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tranquil place far from
the bustle of Beijing.

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Yet, this is where China’s oldest
Dynasty took its first steps

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becoming the origin of Chinese
culture as we know it.

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As the Xia Dynasty flourished in Erlitou,
it was about to find itself confronted

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with a new powerful enemy.

00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.999
Around 1600 B.C., a tribe called the Shang,
arrive to challenge the authority of the Xia.

00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.999
While the Xia had mastered bronze,

00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.999
the Shang used that technology
to mass produce bronze weapons.

00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.999
And the Xia Dynasty was overwhelmed.

00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:29.999
A large number of human remains
that appear to have been massacred

00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.999
by the Shang was uncovered
at this Xia excavation site.

00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:43.000
[sil.]

00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.999
However, the Shang invaders
did something unexpected.

00:27:55.000 --> 00:28:00.000
They killed everyone, but left every site intact
and kept this amazing palace for themselves.

00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.999
They also adopted the
use of the bronze Jue.

00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.999
The Shang understood that Xia’s idea of a

00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.999
united China was a powerful one.
Though they wiped out the Xia,

00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.999
they clung to their believes, their
technology, and their rituals,

00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:35.000
knowing that this was the
key to the Xia power.

00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.999
The dragon, the concept of

00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.999
nationhood, the rituals, the palace design,

00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:09.999
all have echoes in modern China.
This makes China the only

00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:14.999
modern country to have an unbroken
connection with the ancient past.

00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.999
[music]

00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.999
While the empires of Egypt
and Mesopotamia fell,

00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.999
China endured. And in the 21st
century, China appears once again

00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.999
on the path to becoming a powerful empire.

00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:39.999
[sil.]

00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.999
Shortly, before 5 o’clock in the morning,

00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.999
an incredibly large number of people are
gathering in Beijing Chinaman Square.

00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.999
Every morning, Chinese
people from every corner

00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
of their vast nation gather here.

00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
Their numbers can reach

00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:09.999
into the tens of thousands.

00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:14.999
[sil.]

00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:19.999
At sunrise, the Chinese flag is raised.
China today,

00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:24.999
is a diverse country made
up of 56 ethnic groups.

00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:29.999
The groundwork for this integration
of diverse groups is an idea called

00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.999
Zhuangxiang ideology. It was born

00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:39.999
out of a desire to bring the ancient Xia
culture into modern Chinese belief.

00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:44.999
But just, what is this Zhuangxiang?

00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:49.999
It’s a uniquely Chinese worldview
established 2,000 years ago,

00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:54.999
by Qin Shi Huang, the first
emperor of the Qin Dynasty.

00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:59.999
And recent discoveries suggest, the
first emperor drew his traditions

00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.999
from another era, the last Xia Empire.

00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.999
The outskirts of Xi’an, Shanxi Province.

00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.999
[music]

00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:19.999
More than 2,000 years ago, Qin Shi Huang
Constructed a vast capital city here.

00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:28.000
[sil.]

00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:34.999
In one corner of it,

00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:39.999
strange objects have been unearthed.

00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:44.999
Five thousand lumps of clay,

00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.999
they are clays seals.

00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.999
From these clay seals, we know that
precious items such as gold and salt

00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:59.999
were gathered here in large amounts.

00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:04.999
It’s evidence

00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:09.999
that this was the site of a particularly important
building within Qin Shi Huang’s capital.

00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:14.999
[sil.]

00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:19.999
It reminded researchers of a
certain legendary building.

00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.999
It is described in the Shiji translated as

00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
records of the grand historian
written in the first century B.C..

00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.999
The Shiji refers to a great polar temple

00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:39.999
modeled after the North Star
in order to honor the heavens.

00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.999
Researchers wondered

00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:50.000
if this could be the location
of the polar temple.

00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:04.999
The places where the clay seals
were unearthed are superimposed

00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.999
over a satellite photograph and analyzed.
The results revealed,

00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.999
that just like the North Star, the
center of the heavens, this location

00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:19.999
was in the center of the capital city.
They are now convinced

00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:24.999
that this must be the polar
temple referred to in the Shiji.

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
From ancient times, the North
Star was known in China

00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
as (inaudible) or Emperor,
and worshiped as a deity

00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
deciding the fate of mortals.
Qin Shi Huang built

00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:44.999
Zhuangxiang Empire which controlled
a vast spectrum of people

00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:50.000
using the ultimate authority
of the North Star.

00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:09.999
This early history of the Qin

00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:14.999
has been shrouded in mystery, but
recent excavations have revealed

00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:19.999
a great deal and mostly that the first
emperor did everything in his power

00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:24.999
to draw from the Xia.

00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:29.999
This is a tribal grave in the former Qin
territory, currently undergoing excavation.

00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:34.999
This is the first time
it has been made public.

00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:39.999
Buried within is a giant
chariot to honor the dead.

00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.999
Amazingly, it is decorated with
gold and silver ornamentation.

00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:49.999
\"Golden Tigers chasing silver sheep,\"

00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:54.999
simple motifs befitting a nomadic culture,

00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
but what does it mean? Researchers
think, they might have an answer.

00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
They believe the chariots are meant to
represent an older more pastoral time,

00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:10.000
the last era of the Xia.

00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:34.999
The people of the Central Plain refer
to the descendants of the Xia.

00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.999
Above all others, the Qin wanted to
conquer the Xia and take their land

00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
in order to make claim that they were
the true inheritors of the Xia’s power.

00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
It was their first step towards
building a Zhuangxiang Empire

00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
based on the 2,000 year
old legend of the Xia.

00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
The Qin gathered their forces

00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.999
and started their invasion
into the Central Plains.

00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.999
[music]

00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
They were met with a formidable opponent.

00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
The armies of the Central Plains throw

00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
the Qin back and their army was decimated.
But the Qin would not

00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.999
give up in their quest to
become the inheritance of Xia.

00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.999
The states of the Central Plain
began to deeply fear the invasions

00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.999
by the Barbarian Qin.

00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.999
This fear held by the states of the Central Plain,
actually helped create the Zhuangxiang ideology.

00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:49.999
Around this period, the
characters play among,

00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:54.999
began to appear in historical texts.

00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:59.999
The characters mean to
gather and swear a covenant.

00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.999
The states of the Central Plain which had
been fighting one another, began to unite.

00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:09.999
In Shanxi Province in the Central Plain,

00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.999
valuable items were found which
show the nature of the alliance.

00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.999
Crimson characters drawn on stone tablets.

00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:24.999
These are the covenant scripts
from when the alliance was formed.

00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
[sil.]

00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
A source of strength for the states of the
Central Plain was their pride in their heritage

00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
as the center of Chinese civilization

00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:45.000
from the time of its
oldest dynasty, the Xia.

00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.999
In one move,

00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:14.999
the Qin revise the concept of Xia. To me
not just the states of the Central Plains,

00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:19.999
but all the states in the surrounding
regions that fell to its rule.

00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.999
The concept of Zhuangxiang was now theirs,

00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.999
appropriated from the last dynasty of
the Xia and sealed in bloody battle.

00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.999
Qin Shi Huang now expanded
his influence conquering

00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.999
state after state. Unification was achieved

00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.999
in 221 B.C.. Many independent states and

00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:49.999
their diverse cultures were brought
together. What Qin Shi Huang built

00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:54.999
was a vast empire based on a skillful
use of the Zhuangxiang world view.

00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.999
That world view born of

00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.999
ancient tradition is the engine
which drives modern China.

00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:09.999
It lasted for over 2,000
years, until the 20th century.

00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:14.999
And even when the imperial
age came to an end,

00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.999
the Chinese people refused to let
go of the ancient ideas that had

00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.999
held them together for so long. In China,

00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:29.999
they call him the first emperor.
Qin Shi Huang came to power

00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:34.999
in 221 B.C., beginning 2,000
years of an imperial dynasty

00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
that would survive into the 20th century.
And he built that empire

00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.999
on ideas that date back to the
true first empire of China,

00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.999
the legendary Xia. How he did that is
being unearthed by archaeologists,

00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.999
and studied by researchers all across Asia.

00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:59.999
[sil.]

00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.999
As Emperor, Qin Shi Huang attempted to establish
himself as the center of the universe.

00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:09.999
[sil.]

00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:14.999
He constructed a vast capital city

00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:19.999
far to the west of the Central Plain in order
to make it a new center for all to worship.

00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:24.999
He drew inspiration from the universe.

00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:30.000
[sil.]

00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:39.999
Dr. Kazuyuki Tsuruma has been analyzing the
position of the ruins, such as palaces,

00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:44.999
using satellite photos. He
points out that Qin Shi Huang

00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:49.999
laid out his entire capital including
the palaces in line with the

00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:55.000
constellations in the heavens with the Polar
Temple representing the North Star at the center.

00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:09.999
How did that Qin capital
represent the heavens?

00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:18.000
[sil.]

00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:29.999
He compares the ruins superimposed on a satellite
photograph to the actual constellations.

00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:34.999
[sil.]

00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:39.999
The positions of the stars have
gradually changed over many years.

00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:44.999
He reproduces the star chart
as seen 2,200 years ago,

00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:50.000
during Qin Shi Huang’s time.

00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.999
The Capitals layout corresponded with the constellations
in October, the beginning of the new year for the Qin.

00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:09.999
[music]

00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:14.999
Xianyang Palace, north of Weishui River,

00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:19.999
it matches up with the
Pegasus Constellation.

00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.999
In China, the square of
Pegasus is called Yingxiu,

00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:29.999
meaning Palace. The ruins
of a bridge crossing

00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:34.999
Weishui River was unearthed
in the summer of 2012.

00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:39.999
This site matches up with the
Cassiopeia Constellation. In China,

00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.999
Cassiopeia is called (inaudible), signifying
the bridge crossing the Milky Way.

00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:49.999
And the Polar Temple’s
location, perfectly coincides

00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:54.999
with the position of the
North Star at that time.

00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.999
[non-English narration]

00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
Qin Shi Huang designed his capital

00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:09.999
to recreate the celestial world.

00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:14.999
[music]

00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.999
The Qin Shi Huang’s capital
was constructed far away

00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
from the Central Plain,
birthplace of the Xia.

00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.999
He maintained that this was the true center of
the universe, based on the absolute authority

00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:34.999
of the North Star.

00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:39.999
In this way, Qin Shi Huang’s
Zhuangxiang Empire was completed.

00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:44.999
With the Emperor reigning Supremes
in the center of the universe,

00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:49.999
all drawn from ancient
legends, reinforced by

00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:54.999
modern archaeology.

00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:59.999
As China today, grows to become
the world’s next superpower.

00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:04.999
It does so based on ideas that are
as old as the pyramids of Egypt.

00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:09.999
This modern culture has an unbroken
link to its ancient world.

00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:14.999
The only country today can make that claim.

00:44:15.000 --> 00:44:23.000
China looks to its future with one
foot planted firmly in the past.