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00:02In the middle of a vast open steppe, lies a fabled city, Xanadu.
00:11Cobleham creates an amazing city, a true marvel of the world.
00:16Founded by the grandson of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan, Xanadu in China is one of the greatest cities of
00:24all time.
00:25This legendary metropolis supposedly stands at the heart of a vast empire.
00:33But does Xanadu really exist?
00:36Marco Polo describes a place that seems like a fantasy.
00:41Now, new discoveries and aerial imaging allow archaeologists to reconstruct Xanadu's ruined megastructures and reveal the truth behind the myths.
00:53Why would nomadic warriors, famous for fighting on horseback, build a fabulous city in the middle of nowhere?
01:04To unearth its secrets, we digitally rebuild this legendary city.
01:12We decode the mystery of its mythical Pleasure Dome, and recover lost treasures from hundreds of strange tombs, to reveal
01:23the hidden wonders of Xanadu.
01:36Inner Mongolia, Northern China.
01:40More than 700 years ago, these enormous open grasslands are home to the world's most fearsome warriors.
01:50Travelers, the Mongols.
01:54Travelers' tales say they build a spectacular city that rises from the plains.
02:01One now lost in the mists of time.
02:05Xanadu.
02:08Legends describe Xanadu as a marvel of the world.
02:13A walled metropolis, home to more than 100,000 people, filled with unimaginable splendor.
02:22Its most famous site, a mighty Pleasure Dome.
02:26A colossal tent, supported by ornately carved pillars, and tethered by hundreds of silk cords.
02:36In the city, a marble palace, exquisitely decorated with gold, dominates the landscape.
02:43It sounds too fantastic to be true.
02:46Is this city, the Xanadu of legend, real?
02:53Investigators believe that these mysterious ruins are those of the fabled city.
02:59They lie many miles north of the Great Wall.
03:03Close to China's border with Mongolia.
03:08From above, the landscape reveals hints of huge structures, now hidden beneath a sea of grass.
03:16Today, the site is heavily protected.
03:20Excavations are no longer allowed.
03:23One of the very few people to have led investigations here is Professor Wei Jian.
03:29He's following a trail of clues about Xanadu, left by a merchant and explorer from Venice, named Marco Polo.
03:38We have already mentioned this place in Marco Polo, which is already mentioned in Marco Polo, but now we have
03:45to continue to open it.
03:47Marco Polo travels to the lands of the Mongols in 1275.
03:53He's one of the first Westerners to mention the wonders of Xanadu.
03:57He describes the city as a paradise, where exquisite buildings tower over exotic gardens, filled with wild animals.
04:09But some believe he never makes it as far as China.
04:13How can we be sure that the fabulous city he describes ever exists?
04:22Wei Jian leads the first modern investigations at the site.
04:26He uses satellite images to decode its hidden landscape.
04:31They reveal proof of massive city walls that stretch for miles.
04:46More of the city's layout emerges.
04:49Three gigantic squares nest inside each other.
04:53They conceal dozens of strange lumps that look like structures.
05:08Data from the satellite images allow us to digitally reconstruct this extraordinary city.
05:15Three towering structures, perfectly aligned along a central axis, make up the heart of the city.
05:24Walls more than 15 feet high surround this inner district.
05:29Stretching beyond this core, a sprawling mass of buildings covers an area bigger than 400 Manhattan city blocks.
05:39This vast city is the legendary Xanadu.
05:43It doesn't just confirm Marco Polo's account, it surpasses it.
05:53Who builds this magnificent metropolis?
05:57An inscription discovered in the ruins holds the answer.
06:02It is written in ancient Chinese seal script.
06:13The tablet allows Wei Jian to identify Xanadu's ruler.
06:18It dates to the reign of one of the greatest Mongol leaders of all.
06:24Kublai Khan.
06:26The first Mongol emperor of China.
06:31But there's a mystery.
06:34Kublai Khan's Mongols are a nomadic people.
06:39Marco Polo says they live life on horseback, staying in tents called Gares.
06:45Why do they build one of the greatest cities of all time?
06:53Investigator Degi Ganbat thinks that the road to Xanadu begins hundreds of miles away in Mongolia, the Mongol heartland.
07:04This vast landscape goes miles and miles and you can feel the emptiness.
07:12Degi heads to an isolated settlement called Karakorum.
07:17Legend says that this is the site of the first Mongol city.
07:26Finally, I'm here.
07:29It's such a beautiful site.
07:31Like I've come back to the 13th century.
07:36Today, a colossal Buddhist monastery dominates the landscape.
07:44Degi searches for evidence that a vast Mongol city once stands here.
07:49Nothing much is left on the surface except those astonishing giant stone turtles, which once marked the boundaries of the
07:58city.
08:02Degi thinks that this lost metropolis is what makes Xanadu possible.
08:08800 years ago, one man unites the nomadic tribes at this very spot and transforms the Mongol way of life.
08:18A shattered marker stone, inscribed with classic Mongol script, identifies his name.
08:25Genghis Khan
08:30Genghis Khan is one of the most feared rulers in history.
08:35Under his command, Mongol armies sweep across Asia and carve out a huge empire.
08:43Genghis Khan makes Karakorum the first Mongol capital.
08:47It attracts travelers from over half the known world.
08:51People like Marco Polo.
08:54It must have been such a crowded, diverse, multicultural, cosmopolitan city in the 13th century.
09:03It hosted about 15,000 people at once, which included different nations like Mongolians, Uyghurs, Chinese, Persian, and Europeans as
09:13well.
09:16Xanadu's founder, Kublai Khan, is the grandson of Genghis Khan.
09:21He rises to power in the years after his grandfather's death.
09:27Kublai inherits a quarter of the vast Mongol Empire that stretches from northern China to the Middle East and even
09:34parts of Europe.
09:38Kublai orders a new capital city to be built in the East, on the edge of his Chinese territories.
09:48Within three years, his dream is realized.
09:51The fabled city of Xanadu.
09:54A dazzling metropolis full of palaces and lush gardens.
10:00Xanadu far exceeds Karakorum in both size and magnificence.
10:06Marco Polo describes it as a marvel of the world.
10:11The Mongols build one of the greatest cities in history in just a few short years.
10:20Why does Kublai Khan need a new capital in the middle of this vast wilderness?
10:27And what is the secret behind the stunning palace at the heart of Xanadu?
10:44The vast, endless grasslands of East Asia.
10:48Home of the fearsome Mongols.
10:53More than 700 years ago, their spectacular city rises from the steppe.
10:59Xanadu.
11:01Built on the order of a powerful Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan.
11:14But the Mongols already have a capital city, Karakorum.
11:20Why does Kublai Khan build a new one hundreds of miles away in China?
11:28The answer could lie with Xanadu's most impressive building.
11:33Sitting on raised foundations, supported by elaborately carved marble pillars at each corner.
11:40A mighty palace rises 220 feet into the sky.
11:47Brightly colored ceramic tiles cover the building's roof.
11:51And ornamental figures guard its ridges.
11:55This is the Da'angur, the Pavilion of Great Peace.
12:00A monumental skyscraper.
12:02It is a far cry from the tents that the Mongols usually call home.
12:07Could this mysterious building reveal why Kublai Khan founds Xanadu?
12:14Investigator Wei Jian uses satellite images to search for clues.
12:20He thinks these are the remains of the Da'angur Palace.
12:24It stands at the heart of the city, within its own exclusive grounds.
12:30The Da'angur Palace does not look like a traditional Mongol building.
12:37Wei Jian investigates a curious marble pillar discovered in its ruins.
12:51These stone blocks are almost all that remains of the once mighty palace.
12:56This pillar is a vital part of the structure.
13:01It helps support the southwest corner of the building.
13:05But it's the column's design that really catches Wei Jian's eye.
13:10It's Chinese, not Mongolian.
13:29It's a shock.
13:31The Mongols and the Chinese are supposed to be sworn enemies.
13:37But at the heart of Xanadu is an imperial Chinese palace.
13:42What is Kublai Khan doing building a city just like those of his hated rivals?
13:49A closer look at the city's outer districts reveals another surprise.
13:56They resemble the flat open plains of Kublai Khan's homeland.
14:02There are many people of the Mongolian villages.
14:07The land is more space.
14:09They can travel to the Mongols.
14:10They can drive to the Mongols.
14:14Xanadu is an unusual blend of both Chinese and Mongol tradition.
14:20Wei Jian thinks the city's strange design is intentional.
14:28Kublai Khan builds Xanadu to stamp his authority on northern China, using Chinese designs to
14:34help win the citizens' respect. But he cleverly chooses its location on the edge of the Mongol
14:43grasslands to reassure his own Mongol people that he hasn't abandoned his roots.
14:58Kublai Khan intends Xanadu to be a new kind of hybrid city, one that will unite both his peoples.
15:08But does it also have another purpose?
15:13A clue lies with the marble column from the Da'angur Palace.
15:20Marble does not exist in the East Asian steppe.
15:26Where does the great Khan get the raw material to build his new palace?
15:36Mongolian investigator Degi Ganbat searches for answers among the ruins of Karakorum,
15:42the first city the Mongols build. It lies more than 600 miles northwest of Xanadu, in the middle of Mongolia.
15:52The original palace of Genghis Khan and the imperial court is believed to lie somewhere beneath this
15:59area within this wall.
16:01The monks who build the Buddhist monastery here reuse material from the old city.
16:08The resources for golden wind is very few here, just like at Xanadu. So it's common for people to reuse
16:15any materials available. This stone, it has chiseled traces. It must be from original Harharum city.
16:25After the collapse of Harharum city, falling into ruins, the people reused the stones, the bricks,
16:33and the stone statues and even monuments.
16:36Degi thinks Kublai Khan orders his builders to do the same thing at Xanadu.
16:42They tear down a Chinese palace and conquered territory at Bianliang,
16:49and bring its marble hundreds of miles north to use in the Da'angur palace.
16:56By demolishing the palaces of his enemies and then building his own palace from those raw materials,
17:03Ublehan says, I am the boss now, and he is one of the greatest rulers in the world.
17:13Xanadu is a hybrid city built by a visionary ruler and a statement of ultimate power.
17:22A few years after the construction of Xanadu, Kublai Khan declares himself to be the rightful emperor of
17:29all China. But the rich and fertile south still holds out against his growing power.
17:38Is Xanadu just a symbolic place from where Kublai Khan can rule his vast empire?
17:45Or does a strange discovery in the city walls reveal his master plan? The conquest of southern China?
18:04In 1256, Kublai Khan founds the hybrid city of Xanadu. From his towering palace here,
18:11he rules over Mongols and Chinese. But strange discoveries in Xanadu suggest this city is designed in a class of
18:20its own.
18:21Through the discovery of Yuan-sanadu, we found that Yuan-sanadu and other cities in China and in Chinese history,
18:30there are a lot of different places.
18:36Three defensive walls encircle the city, punctured by gateways at strategic points.
18:43They're protected with barbicans, secure holding pens for visitors, guarded above from all angles.
18:51Watchtowers give a comprehensive view of approaching enemies.
18:57Amongst these impressive defensive structures, one curious feature stands out.
19:02The city's southern entrance is wide open, allowing would-be attackers a clear path direct to the heart of Xanadu.
19:11Why does Kublai Khan build this weak point in his new city?
19:17Wei-Jian examines the excavation evidence from Xanadu to find out.
19:37Weijian believes the strange open southern gateway is a sign that Kublai Khan has a hidden motive for Xanadu.
19:48Weijian believes the strange open southern gateway is a sign that Kublai Khan has a hidden motive for Xanadu.
19:53Mongol warriors flying out of the barbicans on horseback would have to slow down,
19:59as the design forces a sharp 90-degree turn.
20:03But this straight open south gateway allows mounted Mongol soldiers to pour out of the city in their hundreds, unimpeded.
20:13Xanadu's southern entrance is not built for defense, but for attack.
20:18The Mongol army is going to use the right to fight the world.
20:26Kublai Khan's city is a fixed power base, from where he can launch his deadly attacks.
20:33What makes Mongol horseback combat so effective?
20:39Sogtushevrai has spent years mastering the tactics of formidable Mongol warriors,
20:45starting with their number one asset, the horse.
20:50Mongol life practically begins on horseback.
20:53Children prepare for a mobile life in the saddle from an early age.
21:04The bow and arrow.
21:12Alongside sturdy horses, Mongols rely on a favorite weapon, the bow and arrow.
21:32There's a hidden secret to a Mongol archer's famous accuracy.
21:37The warriors fire their arrows at the exact moment all four of the horse's hooves are off the ground.
21:44This split-second timing gives them maximum control.
21:49Mongols use this remarkable skill in battle.
21:53Paired with their famous composite bow made of fiber, horn, and wood.
21:57It's described as the deadliest weapon in the ancient world.
22:02To test this claim, Sogtus prepares a target.
22:07First, the archer must select the type of arrow that's best suited to the distance.
22:13Going to talk to this horseback, horseback archers fire rounds of arrows at the target.
22:21All right.
22:45It's said that these arrows can penetrate armor at a distance of 300 feet.
22:52Mongol warriors are formidable.
22:54Their nomadic lifestyle gives them a final unique advantage.
22:59They carry and collect what they need as they travel, which means they can fight without
23:03long and vulnerable supply lines.
23:08From Xanadu, Kublai Khan leads his warriors south to finish what his grandfather Genghis
23:13Khan started, the conquest of all of China.
23:21Mongol armies destroy their enemies with waves of deadly cavalry archers and ferocious mounted
23:29lancers.
23:32Mongol generals adopt the weaponry of those they conquered.
23:36They use trebuchets designed by Persian engineers to take down Chinese cities.
23:43With these tactics, the Mongols defeat their rivals, the Southern Song Dynasty, and finally
23:50conquer the rest of China.
23:54Kublai Khan's master plan to use his hybrid city of Xanadu as a base for attack works.
24:01For the first time in over 300 years, China is reunified under one emperor, Kublai.
24:08And he is the first non-Chinese to control it.
24:13Xanadu officially becomes the capital of Imperial China.
24:18Xanadu.
24:18But Kublai Khan's city faces a series of challenges.
24:22How does the emperor deal with a rampaging threat that could wipe out Xanadu?
24:35Xanadu.
24:37Kublai Khan's imperial city on the vast open steppe.
24:42He rules the whole of China from here, but nature is fighting back.
24:49Xanadu sits in an open plain between the Shendian River and Longgang Mountains.
24:55A seemingly ideal location for a city.
24:59But the flat landscape is susceptible to flooding.
25:04Every year, heavy rains and runoff from the mountains threaten to submerge the city and
25:09wash it away for good.
25:12How can Kublai Khan's city be saved?
25:19Professor Wei Jian believes clues may be found by examining photographs he took during excavations
25:25at Xanadu.
25:50To Wei Jian, it's clear that raising Kublai's palaces off the ground is not only a way to elevate their
25:56status, but also to ensure they're out of reach of floods.
26:01Historical texts reveal even more ingenious techniques that the engineers used to combat
26:07the challenging terrain.
26:10Before construction of Xanadu's palaces can begin, engineers must create solid foundations
26:15in the marshland.
26:16They fill the lakes and feeder springs with pebbles and broken bricks.
26:21On top, they pile an enormous mound of coal and then set it on fire.
26:28They use the fire to melt stacks of lead and tin.
26:33The result is a solid platform.
26:36The height of a human.
26:37A secure foundation for Xanadu's palaces.
26:43Clever civil engineering keeps Kublai's grand palaces safe.
26:47But how does the emperor protect the rest of Xanadu from flood waters?
26:52Wei Jian thinks the answer may lie outside the city walls.
26:57The satellite image reveals a huge scar across the landscape.
27:10Archaeological surveys revealed the canal runs for almost four miles.
27:16Wei Jian believes it's specially designed to carry away the water that threatens to engulf the city.
27:22We went to the west side to the west side to the west side to the west side to the
27:27west side.
27:28This is what we used to call the鐵翻干渠.
27:33Engineers build the 180-foot wide canal around the perimeter of Xanadu.
27:39They construct a huge dam to the north to capture water running off the mountains and form a gigantic reservoir.
27:48They build sluice gates into the dam to control the water's flow through the canal to the river in the
27:55south.
27:57Their impressive structure safely diverts the water around Xanadu, keeping the city out of harm's way.
28:07So this building is an extraordinary building.
28:10This building is a very extraordinary building.
28:11It's very unfortunate.
28:12But Xanadu is not the only place Kublai Khan has ambitious plans for.
28:17Nearly 200 miles south is the modern Chinese capital, Beijing.
28:23Beside today's skyscrapers, sits a 15th century imperial palace complex called the Forbidden City.
28:32When archaeologists excavate this area, they make a surprising discovery.
28:38Far below the ground here, archaeologists uncover foundations from a much earlier structure.
28:45Inside, fragments of bottles, tiles and bowls date from the 13th century, the time of Kublai Khan.
28:53Is this evidence that the ruler launches another colossal building project here, far from Xanadu?
29:05In the search for clues, investigator Degi Ganbat examines the translated accounts of the Venetian explorer Marco Polo.
29:15Marco Polo writes about another palace here.
29:18He says it is the greatest palace that ever was.
29:22And its walls of the palace are all covered with golden silver.
29:28He adds that no man on earth could design anything superior to it.
29:33It sounds spectacular.
29:34These foundations are the last traces of Kublai Khan's second imperial palace.
29:42Just eight years after Xanadu is complete, Kublai is already embarking on another enormous construction project.
29:52He names the city Dadu, meaning Great Capital, to be built on an even larger scale than Xanadu.
29:59Daedu will be ten times bigger than Xanadu.
30:03It's as if Xanadu is a prototype.
30:06Why does Kublai Khan need yet another capital city?
30:10Degi believes a map reveals a possible answer.
30:14Daedu is some, almost a thousand miles southeast of Kharharan.
30:20And here, it's almost 200 miles south of Xanadu.
30:25And surely, it's a better climate.
30:28Xanadu will be Kublai Khan's summer capital.
30:31Daedu, his winter capital.
30:34As the seasons change, the emperor will travel with his court between the two cities.
30:40But Degi believes the weather is not the only reason for building another capital city.
30:46Look where Daedu is.
30:47The center of gravity of Kublai's Yuan dynasty is Northern Central Asia, where the Mongols come from.
30:53It's now in China. The focus has shifted.
30:56Kublai's world now revolves around China more.
31:01Kublai Khan builds his new city in what's now the heart of his empire.
31:06He says, I may be a Mongol, but I'm also the emperor of China.
31:11So China is where I should be.
31:14Kublai Khan's ambitious city-building projects enable him to solidify his imperial rule.
31:20But what can strange discoveries in Xanadu reveal about life for its citizens?
31:26And how does the city become part of one of the greatest trading routes in history?
31:39Xanadu, Emperor Kublai Khan's magnificent summer capital.
31:46Grand palaces tower over the landscape, gleaming with marble, gold, and colorful ornaments.
31:55But this is not simply a city reserved for royalty.
32:00In the 13th century, Xanadu is the most prosperous metropolis in the world.
32:06120,000 people live in the city.
32:10What about these ordinary citizens?
32:14What is life in Xanadu like for them?
32:18Wei Jian believes clues could be hidden in an unusual location.
32:23Beyond the walls of Xanadu lie burial grounds for the city's inhabitants.
32:29To the south, over 1,000 tombs.
32:32These stone shelters house multiple burials.
32:37Alongside the bodies, mourners leave ornate mirrors and delicate porcelain to honor the dead.
32:46On the other side of the city, to the north, more burials.
32:52But here, the bodies are buried in individual graves.
32:56Inside, stirrups and arrowheads accompany the bodies as offerings.
33:01Both these cemeteries date from the same period.
33:05Why are they so different?
33:09Today, many of the tombs have been looted.
33:12But archaeologists have managed to save a handful of burial goods.
33:17Wei Jian believes these offerings reveal who lives in Xanadu.
33:31But the graves in the north tell a different story.
33:44The different burial styles and offerings indicate these citizens' ways of life were different too.
33:55Mongols and Han Chinese live side by side in Xanadu.
33:59And when they die, their families bury them according to their own religious beliefs.
34:07When the Mongols are the ruling power, they show an all-inclusive attitude towards religion at Xanadu.
34:15Further discoveries unearthed in the city suggest it contains a far richer mix of people than simply Han Chinese and
34:23Mongols.
34:24Wei Jian's team finds an intriguing stone carved with Arabic script.
34:48The discoveries reveal that Xanadu is a lively cosmopolitan city full of people from across Asia, the Middle East, and
34:57even Europe.
34:58It's a tolerant society where all faiths are free to worship, and earns Xanadu the nickname, the Place of 108
35:07Temples.
35:09To Wei Jian, it suggests Xanadu is a melting pot and an important hub along one of the greatest trading
35:16routes in history.
35:18The Silk Road is an ancient network of trade routes that run for over 4,000 miles over land and
35:25sea,
35:26connecting Asia with Europe, Africa, and Arabia.
35:30It's not just trade goods like silk that travel along the road.
35:34New technologies like gunpowder and paper spread too, and travelers exchange religious ideas like Buddhism.
35:42At the height of their empire, the Mongols control almost the whole route.
35:46They build inns and bridges, and even plant trees to give travelers shade.
35:52Troops garrisoned along the route provides security and stability,
35:57ushering in a period known as the Pax Mongolica, or the Mongol Peace.
36:04Marco Polo follows the Silk Road east from Venice to Xanadu.
36:12Marco Polo follows the Silk Road east from Venice to Xanadu.
36:26Xanadu and its multicultural citizens enjoy flourishing trade and relative peace under Mongol rule.
36:34But what happens next?
36:36Why are there only ruins of Kublai's great city left today?
36:50750 years ago, the powerful Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan, builds his first city, Xanadu.
36:58Located on the edge of the vast steppe, it becomes a flourishing multicultural center of trade and tolerance,
37:06attracting visitors and merchants from across the known world.
37:11But Wei Jian thinks surprising evidence among Xanadu's ruins reveals a sudden change of fortune.
37:18He examines images of Xanadu's main gateway on the southern side of the city.
37:25It's very simple.
37:26These are 10柱.
37:28There are also 10柱.
37:30There are 10柱 between 10柱.
37:32It's very clear that the fire burned.
37:33It's very clear that the fire burned.
37:35It's only the area that burned down.
37:38The fire burned down from the ground.
37:40So the fire burned down.
37:42The fire burned down from a big fire.
37:43It was a very long time ago when it burned down to the gate.
37:46Wei Jian wants to know if this fire damage is accidental or targeted.
37:53Other discoveries made on site may offer further clues.
37:58There are also many more places.
38:10Weijian believes the burnt columns and stone cannonballs
38:14are evidence of more than just a small skirmish at Xanadu.
38:21Almost a century after Kublai Khan establishes his UN dynasty,
38:27rebel uprisings against Mongol rules spread across China.
38:30They soon reach Xanadu.
38:35In 1358, the Red Turban Army enters the city.
38:40These Chinese rebels hold it for seven days,
38:43then pillage it and set it on fire.
38:47The rebels overthrow the Mongol dynasty and declare a new Han Chinese dynasty,
38:54the Ming, ruled by a new emperor.
38:58The Ming emperor's armies finished the job at Xanadu,
39:02raising the city to the ground to make sure the Mongol dynasty cannot rise again.
39:09Kublai Khan's palace at Dadu, his winter capital, is also totally destroyed,
39:14along with virtually every trace of the Mongol-UN dynasty in the city.
39:34The new rulers build their own palaces on top of the Mongol ruins at Dadu,
39:39Xanadu, the spectacular forbidden city we see today.
39:44And this city goes on to become today's Chinese capital, Beijing.
39:51The glory days of Xanadu draw to a close.
39:55The ruins of Kublai Khan's magnificent city are left exposed to the elements.
40:01They crumble away and are reclaimed by nature.
40:06Until modern-day archaeologists unearth the city's secrets and reveal its marvels once again.
40:32Xanadu is a truly remarkable city.
40:35Kublai Khan creates an amazing city, a true marvel of the world.
40:40For Marco Paolo to write about it and for us to still be intrigued by its mysteries 750 years later
40:47says a lot.
40:50Just as the legends describe, Xanadu is a spectacular wonder.
41:07Ingenious engineering allows it to thrive for 100 years poised to launch an attack at any moment.
41:17This city is the legacy of a triumphant nomadic Mongol emperor, Kublai Khan.
41:24This is Xanadu.
41:29This is Xanadu.
41:54This is Xanadu.
41:54The same thing as
41:57Xanadu.
41:59Xanadu is a specially
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