The Full Story of Yangtze-31 Chinese Submarine - Fallout 4 Lore 

"sea monsters aren't real" says the sole survivor that came back to life after sleeping for 200 years and finding a new world with Deathclaws, super mutants, ghouls,mirelurk queens, behemoth mutants, etc.

That kid is more hostile than Zao.

*been frozen in a vault for 200 years* Lone survivor:5 minutes in the commonwealth and fights a death claw Also lone survivor:"sea monsters aren't real"

"Curious cat gets murdered" - Captain Zao

The kid wanted to see a fight because he knows he's invincible.

"Sea monsters dont exist" Far Harbour: oh yeah of course

I wish there was a DLC where you can go to China with Zao and interact with the Chinese citizens

Him talking about his crew, that raw emotion in such a minor character is so freaking GOOD!

He becomes the sole survivor of China. Imagine a Chinese version of Preston

Ox: *gets torn in half by a sea monster Donny: T H A T W O U L D B E A W E S O M E

I've always helped Zao. This is a man broken by time and the weight of his actions and made to endure a hell of watching his crew and friends turn into unrecognizable creatures. All he wants to do is return home, help with whatever restoration efforts there might be, or just die somewhere familiar.

This VA is in a class of his own. I feel sorry for those players who didn't encounter him and his story.

I always hate that you can't tell people that you are over 200 year old and tell the stories before the war

I am chinese, and Zao speaks authentic mainlander mandarin, it's so authentic it hurts. 10/10 would create a new character to play again

This would’ve been such a cool dlc. Imagine sailing to China. Seeing other parts of the world. Instead we got that vault one. Fine but not great

This kid is the best voice actor in the whole damn game. A+++ for delivery and believability. Excellent performance!

Pretty bold statement from the Sole Survivor to say sea monsters aren't real when he/she was frozen for 200 years during a nuclear apocalypse, only to come out from a vault into a world where deathclaws exist.

200 years, think of everything that happened Fallout 1, 2, 3 etc. months of travelling in the wasteland, weeks in a suspension tank, exploring new sttlements... ALL this time this guy has been in this room in his submarine, with nothing else to do than peek through that periscope. Just how has he managed to retain his sanity and not turn batshit crazy or at least leave the submarine is beyond me.

23:00 to be honest, the fact that the event 260+ years ago makes it make a ton of sense when you attack Zao since you watched "what feels like last month" take place right in front of you. Zao had all that time to sit in his little hull and mull over what happened and process it.

Even through the guilt of nuking a nation, of razing it of all life and structures, and the loneliness with being sealed in the dub with no one but semisentient zombies who were once his family, he still has pride in his nation, and wishes to atone for his nation. All while still looking for the hope that he can one day complete this task. Zao is what every captain should be. Willing to fight for his pride but also always hoping to find other ways to solve a problem. Even with his history he was only following orders and doing what he thought was necessary for his people. I have the deepest respect for zao even if he isn't real.

“Xie Xie” means “Thank you!”

I love the voice actor hearing him say he can’t kill them because there family you can hear in his voice that he wants to cry

y'know, when i first encountered this i ofc helped him but when i pictured in my head Cpt. Zao building China House by house, brick by brick. it made me feel....sad but also hopeful if that make sense? i mean he's all alone basically yet he has the optimism to keep going, despite that fact. idk why but that touched me on a personal level.

The interior of the sub was super disappointing, but "I leave the fire here" is one of the most underrated lines in the entire Fallout franchise.

That what you said about not being able to tell him that you are over 200 years old is a real shame, it is an unique situation only in fallout 4 and it should have been used more.

Sea monster aren't real yeah says the person that has fought a mire lurk queen

As a Chinese, every time he said “home” and “family” in mandarin, it sting my heart so bad. as a Chinese a lot of old people that I know of, only wants 2 things, their own home and family. Legit tear out

Was surprised when the kid says “shit” lol

Whoever voiced zao is amazing his portrayal of a broken general is spot on!

That is the most genuine child voice I think I’ve ever heard in any kind of media

My theory is that not all the crew became feral ghouls, i think some of the crew might have become regular ghouls and left to live semi-normal lives in the commonwealth but a captain goes down with his ship so he probably stayed while his non feral crew left

This was 10 times funnier for me because I found this mission by accident near the end of the game. When Nate says "Sea monsters aren't real" I literally said outloud "We just fought a giant mirelurk coming out of the ocean at The Castle!"

Zao: DON'T PUT THE WARHEAD IN OR YOU"LL DOOM US! Me: *quicksave then put the warhead in*

Zao would have made a friggin' dope follower.

I love Zao, he has some amazing voice acting. He even tries and finds the english translations when he cannot think of a word. It sounds authentic. Reminds me of a holotape you can find, where a mother and her son are being hunted by a ghoul or monster. Her voice acting sounds very authentic and afraid. It's real good. There are more, but that's the one I got at the top of my head.

I really want the dialogue option where you can tell Zao that you were there. Like Opt 1: "I was there when the bombs dropped. You're not the only one who's 200 years old" Zao: "After all this time. I. I thought I was the only one who saw the fire. The fire, that burned... People. That burned... Me with guilt" Opt 2: "I was there when you launched those nukes! You burned my country! I saw it with my very own eyes!!" Zao: "I. Understand how you feel. Especially, you were there. But. I was. Also there. And I am punished by 2 centuries of guilt. Sins of past. Must be erased" Opt 3: "You're our enemy! I was there, when you burned Boston, when you burned America! Die commie bastard!" Zao: *Turns hostile* Opt 4: "You received orders? From whom. I was there, Zao. I saw it all, just like you did. What happened afterwards?" Zao: "From command. I. I didn't know you were there. After receiving instructions. Command... Silent. Fēicháng bàoqiàn. Terribly sorry."

Every time I watch this and I see him bargain off his sword it pulls my heart strings

He genuinely reminds me of Parthunaax, with all his language blending and regretful personality.

16:08 The Chinese really understood the IC in ICBM ^^ The art of launching Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles from 5 kilometers away...

I wont lie, the more i read and see about fallout's lore and history in game, i start to enjoy it more and more, even if it has it's issues and problems, i like it.

"America liberating Anchorage? Now that was a good joke." He just roasted the Americans

I really loved the character of Captain Zao. He maintains his military bearing, despite two centuries of loneliness. There is a tragic sort of honor associated with the Captain. He regrets the past, the nuclear fire, and his role in the end of the world. However, his pride in his boat was unbreakable. In a better world, the Captain of the Yangtze would be at the helm of his boat, riding the waves under a bejeweled sky; a proud man and the open sea. Xie xie, Captain Zao. Your war is over.

"But now I must... warn you. There is danger. Wei xian! Old crew... still down there." [ Beer has worn off. ]

Imagine how cool it would be to actually fight a sea monster

Fun Fact: Yangtze’s name is after the longest river in Asia. (Yangzi or Yangtze River)

[ Liberty Prime hated that ]

This mission made me want a fallout based in China. So much lore to be had

I never think nuclear war should happen but as a Beijingner I stand with Zao, in these desperate times humanity should unite and find new resources instead of fighting over it.

"Curious cat gets murdered." I love language differences sometimes

Oxhorn: this man is responsible for ALL of the destruction in Boston. This man created the Glowing sea. He destroyed downtown Boston. Zao: * spins around in a tight circle*

I really wish Bethesda put more effort into making your character a man/woman out of time that knows of an America before the wastes. Especially during your interactions with the Brotherhood that would be quite the usefull perk.

13:00 I always thought that was because the sub has been on American shores for 200 years and Zao brought some American tech on board after the blast

The Yangtze seems like a bit of a missed opportunity. A DLC where after you help Zao, you can tag along with him to go explore China with him being a follower/giving you quests to help people and rebuild would be epic.

It is never mentioned directly, but Zao’s dialogue options give the idea that he and his crew made incursions into Boston after he docked. It is possible that some, or even most, of his crew died looking for supplies to repair the submarine.

8:24 I like how she went from “you bastard!“ To “sure, I can help.“

“Monsters aren’t rea-“ **Flashbacks to Deathclaws and Super Mutants** “Never mind.”

"200 years and your jokes are still bad. Now America liberating Anchorage? That was good joke." Damn hahaha

A underwater submarine needs your help here I will mark it on your map

why is he even a ghoul, he says he's stayed in his submarine to avoid raider attacks and i'm pretty sure a nuclear sub would be pretty safe from radiation...

Fun Fact: The submarine is named after China's biggest river. But actually, Chinese people do not usually call the river "Yangtze(揚子) River", we are more accustomed to call it "長江 Changjiang (The Long River)" . I'm living in Wuhan (Yes you know where that is), the river runs through the city.

Zao is the kind of man you’d want to sit down and have a cigarette with.

Zao is definately one of my favourite characters, as just like the sole survivor, they still think like a normal human, and havnt became corrupted or anything like any other characters.

It’s possible the sub posed as an American sub, waiting to strike at the right time, is somewhat reinforced by true fact that the Yangtze and the nucleus submarine in Far Harbor are virtually identical.

The creation club for the chinese stealth suit shouldve given him some unique lines if your wearing it when you go on board

Love the way the kid says "SHIT"

"You can go to hell." "That is . . . (Fair)."

Zao sounds like a great redeemed side character. It would be nice to see him return in a future game, either as an easter egg or for the plot.

Fun fact: You don’t have to take the officer’s sword from him. One of the residents at the covenant also has this same sword.

I felt sorry for him. Just another victim of the war. He had 200 years to regret, to reflect on the hellscape he created, the death he dealt to so many innocents. Now, like so many others, he just wants to go home and rebuild. It's sad and he deserves pity. Good video though! Will you do a video on Travis and DCR next? Just a suggestion.

3:04 qian ting - submarine 4:30 jiang shi - vampire/zombie 4:53 wei xian - danger 5:07 bao wu - treasure 5:23 gu shi - story 5:33 xie xie - thank you 5:43 shi de - Yes/indeed 6:11 tong ku - suffering 6:57 xingyun - good luck 7:31 Zhongguo - China 7:37 jia - home 8:08 bu xing - misfortune 9:05 zu guo - homeland 9:23 Xianjin - cash 9:55 yi han - regret 10:00 jian - sword 11:01 bei - sorrow 11:52 Jia ren - family member 17:11 xiao xin - be careful/pay attention 17:26 si wang - death 17:50 Baozha - explosion Also his uniform looks nothing like the actual Chinese Navy, more like Nazi SS from the WW2 era, especially that officer cap with a skull in the middle...

Zao would be a great companion especially for the Male soul survivor since he was in the pre war us army

The nukes being inaccurate kinda makes sense because of how old and worn down the submarine was

The pet-peve I have about his playthroughs here in Fallout 4 are that he ignores picking up the wonderglue and the duct tape. All that rare adhesive going to waste...

“America liberating Anchorage? Now *that* was a good joke!” Zao is downright SAVAGE

Old video I know, there was a canceled side quest where Zao took you to an underwater vault ran by a sentient squid thing. Also the ghoul whale was another canceled side quest/storyline if I remember correctly. Would have been cool even if it was a quick glimpse like the white whale in the witcher 3.

"don't you think I'd come up with a better story if I was trying to ambush you?" Well he's got a point there

Just went in the other room, and ... my roommate was watching this video too??? Literally we somehow ended up watching the exact same thing at the same time without knowing. I took my earbuds out and heard the audio coming from across the hall and thought I was losing my damn mind. How the actual fuck.

Plot Twist: Zao actually was in fact wearing, a leopard g-string.

You are literally my go-to Fallout RU-vidr, keep it up bro

Imagine if there was an option to give the First Mate's hat to Zao saying, "I'm sorry. I did what needed to be done." Zao would then reply, "I know... Thank you, but please... keep it. Consider it gift; a token of friendship, and an apology for what I have done." You then reply, "Consider yourself forgiven. We cannot undo what has already been done, but we can make things better with what we have left and with what we never lost to begin with. Safe travels... my friend." Only then would the hat gain special stats that are unique.

"America liberating Anchorage... now that was a good joke!" LOL! I never saw this interaction with Zao. That is awesome.

The sub is stuffed with American supplies because he collected all that stuff on his scavenging missions. I'm assuming all his original supplies ran out since the sub wasn't stocked up for 200 years of living.

Meeting the man responsible for the destruction of the commonwealth is a nice touch... I had to use your video to find this quest 👌

Former USN sailor here, little note about submarines: that galley (dinning area) is bigger than the one on the transport ship I served on. A modern nuclear sub only has seating for 10-15 men in the galley. Everything works in 8 or 12 hour shifts. And no reasonable submarine would have 80 beds, 20-30 tops, crew would share bunks in shifts

Zao: this is my submarine Sole survivor:oh no our submarine

I like how they portrait Zhao's patriotism. Chinese Patirotism is never equal to fanatics, but the Nostalgia or homesickness (思乡情怀) no matter which corner you are at, and the belief about rebuilding your own land, your own house with your people until you won't be able to do so. I'm not a PRC citizen and i was born in Sydney, but I lived in China for 13 years and my family is chinese, I can say that they really did this very accurate, and the Chinese community of this game marked Captain Zhao as one of the most memorable character of the franchise, it's been a long time since Chinese people, especially a PLA member is portraited this accurate instead of some RED GUARD stereotype. And we really appreciate that.

“The city was already destroyed when we got here” so he definitely wasn't responsible for destroying Boston.

Oh my god this was the earliest I can remember of me being a Fallout fan I saw this video pop up on my RU-vid and have been trying to find it ever since thank you oxhorn for getting me into Fallout

Would have been way cooler if he was the only person in the game to carry the chinese pistol (from fallout3), and after repairing the submarine he would give the pistol to you.

Captain Zao looked like he was suffering from PTSD. Respects lol.

When I got this quest I went back to my home base to gear up for a huge sea monster battle. You can imagine my surprise when it was just a Chinese man in a sub.

That kid has a concerning craving to be surrounded by blood and guts and stuff. Because it's awesome.

Bethesda stepped up their game in terms of chinese voice actors. General Jingwei in Fallout 3 sounded like a Caucasian merely reading hanyu pinyin off of the script, whereas Zao to me sounded a lot like a native Chinese. His pronunciation of Yangtze and Qian Ting was spot-on.

Honestly that would have been the best place to just put a Chinese stealth suit, and rifle.

"This is a Chinese Communist!" Man I loved your delivery and excitement, but it made me imagine you as one of those North Korean newscasters.

I didn't or wasn't studying Chinese at the time I was playing this back in the day but coming back to this now after 2 years of study it is cool to understand what he is saying

Zao is my favorite ghoul because he's the only passive/aggressive ghoul I experienced instead of Billy the kid

Fallout Pc: Sea monsters aren’t real kid. Fallout Universe: 200+ year old Human zombie things, Giant radiated sea crabs, Super mutants, Anger boy demon hell spawns (Death claws), and practically every insect enlarged to be able to eat a large dog.

Wait... the kids name is Donny Kowalski... Right? You know the kid who sells the water in Diamond City? Sheng Kowalski? Coincidence? I think not!

Would love to have a talk about Chinese interpretation of events with such a character in the game, to talk more about pre-war world