Inside Ancient China's Tomb Of The Controversial Cao Cao | Mysteries Of China 

Alot of us here in the fell in love with the 3 Kingdoms era through video games back in the 80s and 90s. This was a real treat.

Chinese history is like an ocean, so vast and deep.

The same-type of gold/silver-engraved mirror with dragon patterns(金銀錯嵌珠龍文鉄鏡) found from Cao Cao's tomb was also discovered in Kyushu, Japan. So far only one has been discovered in all of Japan. Because this mirror type was rare and precious even in China, some scholars suspect it was a gift from Wei dynasty to Himiko (卑弥呼) in early 3rd century.

I’m an archaeologist and I never ever tire of being amazed by the past. Each excavation reveals something unexpected, but imagine excavating a site like this ❤️❤️. Mind blowingly awesome 🥰🥰

always so amazing to realize how long ago someone like cao cao lived and how massive his impact was on history, finding a tomb like this is always awesome

Asia has been one of the greatest pillars of civilisation in the world and will be on the future. Great culture captivates my mind and heart 🙂

So awesome to hear the names pronounced correctly.

I am loving this series! Please bring us more from Agnes--she's such a great presenter!

Cao Cao was my usual pick playing the games.

Immmm soooo glad Agnes is doing this searies. Im a Hungarian archeologyst and i spend a semester in my uni years in 2019 in China at PKU and i had the chance to see the rich history that this amazing country has. The three Kingdom area were so interesting and i hope we can learn more about Chinese history thru these videos and its get to bigger poularity

《短歌行》 对酒当歌，人生几何？ 譬如朝露，去日苦多。 慨当以慷，忧思难忘。 何以解忧？唯有杜康。 青青子衿，悠悠我心。 但为君故，沉吟至今。 呦呦鹿鸣，食野之苹。 我有嘉宾，鼓瑟吹笙。 明明如月，何时可掇？ 忧从中来，不可断绝。 越陌度阡，枉用相存。 契阔谈宴，心念旧恩。 月明星稀，乌鹊南飞， 绕树三匝，何枝可依？ 山不厌高，海不厌深。 周公吐哺，天下归心。 曹操(155-220) This has always been one of my favorite poems of Cao Cao. A brilliant yet controversial and brutal machiavellian warlord and statesman.

I love to learn Chinese history, especially The Three Kingdom.

I have had a great interest in ancient China for at least 30 years or more. I find nearly everything about this amazing culture and people so fascinating. And there are still so many aspects we still don't fully understand. Even the most simple items can unlock secrets of the past. Still don't understand why I'm so intrigued by Chinese ancient history.

Yes !! More from Dr Hsu-Tang please, she is an amazing narrator who makes these series so excellent .

This is so cool! As many of us in the west, I first found these stories and characters playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2 on my SNES as a kid.

I really enjoy the storytelling aspect of Chinese history. They passed on their rich history through romanticized literature. Very fascinating

I think Cao Cao is so similar to Julius Caesar as they are both at the same time the most glorified and vilified heros one in the east and one in the west

Man I was DEVASTATED when they said the tomb was robbed.

Reading The Story and of China, for the 2nd time. Fascinating story.

It’s heartbreaking that the tomb was robbed of all its historical items that could show and tell so much about the era.

Finally I can access three kingdom history...thank you timeline...was eagerly waiting for this

Dynasty Warriors games played a huge role in my interest on the three kingdoms

I enjoy Dr. Hsu's documentaries. She strikes the perfect balance between the scholarly \ informative and the entertaining.

If you read history books, even Romance of Three Kingdoms, he was not known to be an imposing figure. People keep associating being big as somehow being the same as being capable.

I literally was just watching a clip of Cao Cao laughing as he joysfully runs away. There couldn't be a better time for this video to upload. Lol 💜 Bless Koei Tecmo for their games~!!

I'm pleased to finally know how to properly pronounce his name, thank you !

O gigante chinês ...da sua trajectória que levou da sua grande e antiga cultura ...numa agitada história feita de guerras defensivas e conquistas!! E este documentário interessante retrata o império o que restou dele e as grandes obras fúnebres que personificam o extremo!! Gosto destas escavações profundas ...e as questões que se colocam aquando do encontro das provas que adensam os factos?!?!

During my one visit to China, years ago, I also visited the tomb with the clay soldiers in Xian, after some soldiers, as a claimed first had been lent to a Danish Exhibition in a famous Art Museum, north of Copenhagen. I would like to come back, but as a now elderly man of 75 I doubt it will ever be?

Chinese history is so fascinating

I wish to learn more about the bricks chemistry, the mortars chemistry, as well as the stucco finish. I think these are important to today's needs.

Great video

Fun fact legend has it that Cao Cao funded his vast army by robbing tombs and was credited for professionalizing it for he created specialized armies just for robbing tombs so if this is indeed his tomb it would be ironic that it was ransacked by tomb robbers

Funny how most Vietnamese know every word he (Cao Cao) said. At least the romanticized ones in the novel, which a lot of people still read at least once in their life

great video love it

She may fantasize about the greatness of the three kingdoms, but the reality is there is a lot of bloodshed. People who never experienced true bloodshed will never understand the true terror of it. They have these romantic fantasies when the reality is a lot darker. History will always be different than what is portrayed in stories and literature.

Great Documentary 👍

Excellent documentary. So interesting.

My favorite time period of Ancient China and my favorite figure of that time, great video, my only concern is that the whole tomb including the damaged break-in points look a little to clean and seeing a military soldier poke his head out into view gives me get consternation on maybe not giving you and your crew full access to the entire tomb area.

Just finished watching the Cool History Bro video on the 3 Kingdoms this video came right on time. I'd recommend his channel for in depth history on China.

It is possible that in an era of strife, a military minded man who believed in being Spartan in all things (writing, recycle, put refugees to use) would have a Spartan tomb, too--especially in comparison to the many wasteful nobles who preceded him. I bet the tomb raiders were all disappointed they didn't find a super rich tomb.

It's not a secret Cao Cao tried to convince Guan Yu to pledge loyalty to him.

Drinking game idea. Every time they say Cao Cao, drink. Had a blast, great video :)

China has a long, very interesting history. Future generations will look back on the present era as China's Dark Ages.

Excellent work 💯👏

EXCELLENT!

fell in love with caocao after i watched the whole of the Three kingdoms drama, didnt even know he existed before haha

Total War 3 Kingdoms made me fall in love with the beauty of China 🦄

Cao Cao had 72 decoy tombs as well, and they all likely had the same tablet, with the same writing, so she could be in a decoy tomb. If she’s not & that is his real burial place that is absolutely insane! 💯

So honoled and proud for this cao cao !

very interesting subjects on this channel ty

cao cao is a legend his tomb just confirms it :))

Some pretty good story, I just wish they wouldn't do it like the History Channel over drama everything that said, and repeating everything 20 times

They had (how many) people 1800 yrs ago?😮

They smashed him up because there was so little of value inside when they finally got brave/ lost respect enough to go inside. - kinda be excellent if that was the thing. Anyway, good story. Cao Cao sounds interesting.

Cao Cao dynamism and cunning makes him a very interesting figure to read, combining elements of a ruthless CEO and a battle hungry general. But best of all? His ultimate goal is not that bad either, to unite the land under one banner again and this time under able leadership. This is why he is always portrayed either as a dangerous (but interesting) villain who can always exploit the situation and challenge the protagonists, or a great gray anti-hero, a Byronic rebel reformer ready to to the utmost to accomplish his goals while ruthlessly burning the rotten elements down. He would have been the undisputed master of the post Han world if not for a realm of worthy heroes who opposed him. -Dragon's Armory Update The Wei probably felt a lot more happy and safe after Zhuge Liang's death. He was the guy who keep terrorizing them with military campaigns that always ended in failures. This caused both sides to lost many lives. This includes fathers, uncles, and someone children won't be coming home. The Shu probably felt happy upon Zhuge Liang's death until Jiang Wei pops up. "here we go again" moment to continues ZL's legacy of failures. The best Liu Shan did for his people was surrender to Wei. This put an ends to the never-ending Civil Wars. I want to take a moment to analyze the stress normal citizens have to go through for each northern campaign and expedition. It's a logistics nightmare. This included taxing the population to pay for military expenses such as conscription and general's monthly costs. The population has to ration their food, so the soldiers can eat. The bigger the army, the bigger the provision the civilians have to sacrifice. Reluctant families have to be convinced to let their sons join the army. They know what happened after the battle of Xiaoting. 100,000 went and only a few returned. I don't want to make Zhuge Liang looks bad, so I won't mention the total number of deaths from all his Northern campaign failures.

I'm watching Three Kingdom's series now and this video "just happened to" end up on my suggested videos.

What was the name of the historian doing this? I’d love to see mor of their research, if she publishs any?

I just wish the legend of the three kingdoms was more widely known in the west games like dynasty warriors and others have helped with this but just knowing the fantasy is another level on par to King Arthur and the court of Camelot

I read the romance of the three kingdoms and always wondered how Cao Cao’s name was pronounced pronounced. Thank you for clearing that up

22:15 This is a pretty bad error in this documentary...you sure you meant 207 AD?? Cao Cao was already the strongest military force, imperial chancellor and de facto leader of the entire northern part - he would definitely not have a "fledgling army" at that time. I do like the production, visuals, and experts presented in this piece about this amazing archaeological find. But the narrative and presentation of historical facts is very, very limited and biased toward Cao Cao's favor. That's not to say I'm denying his accomplishments, but due diligence would have been completely sharing the context of Cao Cao's rise to power. It would make the documentary way to long though, and ultimately the focus is on the tomb itself, which I really enjoyed.

I love Chinese history and archeology. Long live China!

It seems that history vilifying Cao Cao or honoring him depends on who wrote the history. They say the writing of history belongs to the victor. Noting nothing is said about the role of Sima Yi. I've watched a lot of stories bout how Sima Yi was a brilliant strategist who served Cao Cao.

Wasn't it Cao Pei, Cao Cao's son who persuaded Liu Shan the last Han dynasty emperor to abdicate the throne to Cao Pei as the new emperor & started the new dynasty🤔 That was what I had read in Wikipedia & history books of ancient China.

Cao Cao sounds little like Tsao Tsao (as pronounced by the narrator).

Really loving the host anybody agree with me she's pretty epic 😊

I first heard about Cao Cao (or Tsao Tsao, as it was spelled in my book) way back in 1st or 2nd grade, in my Reading textbook! He was the featured "king" in a retelling of a folktale, where he is given three seemingly identical statues of a monkey, but told that one is actually superior. He tasks one of his courtiers to find out which one it is, and the courtier eventually figures out that the internal structures of the statue are different. One has nothing but space between both ears, representing a person for whom words "go in one ear and out the other." Another has an opening in one ear, but the space redirects to the statue's open mouth, representing a person who blabs about things told them in confidence. The final, superior one has an opening in the ear that ends in the head, representing a person who hears your words, keeps them in mind, and doesn't spill your secrets. Then thirty years later I find out that Cao Cao was a warlord who contributed to the collapse of the Han Dynasty XD XD XD

*Time-Line World History tomb Documantries China 3 kingdoms appreciate your videos Listening 🌟 from Mass USA TYVM 💙 🇺🇸*

he actually extended (not brought down) the Han dynasty for another 2 decades.

Caocao's regime was unfied with each povinces in northern China. Sandong was really under Cao-cao contemporary. Their unification must be weak in the case of battles in Southern part.

I can't wait to go back to China and see these and other historic sites👍

We, in America, hear so much negative about China, but it is thouroughly enjoying watching channels such as yours, to learn that the people of China are really no different than we are!

Dynasty warriors 4 is when i started and my fav is Dw5 on ps2 Machow will always be my fav character

I love dynasty warriors and I couldnt wait to see something on the real life people

its still impressive even if its one of the decoy tombs, because its still from the year 220, and its still related to him, he had those decoy tombs built. the problem with archeological discoveries in china is the CCP controls all the information. They make history, science and archeology isn't a matter of public record, its controlled by the state.

Dynasty warriors haha I wanna see more about lu bu

What I find fascinating about Ancient Chinese mythology & history is that archeology is always finding more evidence which proves how the folktales of China to be true. While we seem to be finding less evidence regarding such historical figures as Moses and Jesus. I also wish we spent more time translating the thousands of Sumerian tablets being stored in warehouses collecting dust. Along with the thousands of sino-Tibetan manuscripts being stored within temples across the Himalayans.

Is there a podcast version of this video with the Chinese historian parts voiced over? I listen on the go and often miss the subtitles, only getting only half the story.

The Three Kingdoms, Han, Qin, or Zhou Dynasty could match the Song Dynasty in weapons or technology? If Romans were ahead of their time, same can be said for some ancient Chinese crafters or blacksmiths as well?

Ironic the grave robber Caocao gets grave robbed. Caocao is a High iq schemer that took advantage of opportunities and united those he defeated. Like a 5k year game of throne in china, he was smart not to sit on the throne but to control the throne.

8:25 that smile

Wonder if you can do a Hmong timeline from China?

Hmm, I need more info than that. The rise and fall of what?

The only interesting people were Zhogge liang and Zhou Yuo and Semaye in three kingdoms. But the These three men were another one separate three kingdoms. They defeated together but God was with Semaye.

How do the grave robbers know where to find them?

0:31 My Boy Aku thinks he's slick.

You ever wonder how things like this end up underground ?

I would like to see more shows with our lovely host teaching us Tibetan history.

It is a good and unusual episode. and it would have been even better without this garish background - music -.

07:30 must of been a team of Mojin under orders from an Emperor!

How can a man's height be determined from skull fragments? Aren't intact leg bones neccesary to do that?

Yes sir

I think you have many mistakes in the historical research, especially between Cao Cao and Guan Yu. !st, In the battle of the red cliff, it was not Guan Yu who faked surrender, but a Wu General by the name of Huang Gai. Then, it was two Wu general, Lu Meng and Lu Xun who was responsible for Guan Yu's defeat and death. There are many factual errors in this documentary. Who does your research?

There were serious, legit challenges to the legitimacy of the claim, and due criticisms with the methodology of determining the owner of the tomb, which were not properly addressed before the local government rushed to the conclusion that it wss Cao Cao's tomb. Some serious contradictions with the site not matching some specific records, the remains found inside also not matching the profiles of the 3 people that should be there, the inscriptions on the marker that allegedly (but not proven to be) came from the tomb not matching historical norms and therefore requiring further source criticism and etc. One example, would be how Cao Cao specifically ordered his funeral to not include items of luxury, particularly jade items, and the records state his wishes were followed. His funeral also followed the protocols befitting of a king, not an emperor. If those items displayed were indeed found inside, there are some serious contradictions that need to be worked out and studied -- but as it is, they rushed judgement on it too. I understand the limits of a program that simply receives the official info from those who provide it, but I'd advise people to take it in with a grain of salt. Chinese archaeology does good, solid, trusty work in most areas, but when it comes to sites or artifacts that is of potentially high interest to either (a) government politics or (b) big bucks tourism, they have a tendnency to "jump the gun" so to speak.

Greatest legend or usurper? How many 'statesman' get Emperor like tombs and set up their family to eventually become emperor.

My Favorite CHINESE General of Ancient Chinese History

Wish we had back to the future machine

chinese cuneiform ........cool ,was it a box, like the one you see in the king's chamber, in the great pyramid ,in that tomb that's missing ,it looks very familiar ,i would like to see more ,about China

Forget about the tomb, look at how glossy and straight her hair is😍

Dynasty Warriors ❤️

Alot of people wants to see whats inside the first emperors tomb. Will it ever be open?