[Historical Records of China] Episode 1: The Five Emperors and the Yellow Emperor

You only live once But a history But it can bring us 1,000 kinds of life The first of the Twenty-Four Histories: Records of the Grand Historian It does not record a labeled history But a real person He contains the rise and fall of empires and the rise and fall of generals and ministers. There are also fireworks of ordinary people and the market Of course, there are also the bloody and glorious deaths that are so impressive. The integrity of not seeking perfection Even the roots of our civilization His author is Sima Qian, the historian The breadth of vision far exceeds our imagination and depth of thinking Lu Xun praises the world's ten best masterpieces Li Sao without rhyme And I often feel Sima Qian doesn't look like an ancient person at all Because his thoughts are overdrawn to the point where we see it now. You can also get inspiration from many places only Although these dusty stories are wonderful But because they are difficult to understand classical Chinese And the medium that records them is written Even if we want to read But it's hard to pick it up easily Or maybe after reading a few sentences it becomes difficult to continue reading. Historical Records of China I hope this book will be read by many people. A big book that I can't finish reading Transformed into an easy-to-understand video book What history records is their story But this is also your story. They influenced us in the past We still resonate with them today. In the causal law of historical time and space We have already been woven In this story that spans thousands of years And it will affect thousands of years later Today We will start this season with the first part of the History Start this large series Historical Records of China Season 1, 16 episodes From April 25 Every Thursday at 18:00 Updated 3 episodes on Tencent Video Documentary Channel According to historical records The story of Emperor Wu took place about 5,000 years ago What was the concept 5000 years ago? he 3,000 years earlier than when Qin Shi Huang unified the world This is very far away even for Sima Qian. Because now we It was only 2,000 years before the Records of the Grand Historian was written. that time Everything on the land of China is still quite primitive. Low food production People think about how to fill their stomachs every day The clothes they wear are also rather simple. Everyone just took off their skinny skirts Put on the roughest linen fabric It is said that Cangjie created characters during this period. That is to say There was no writing before that. And people's social relationships are relatively simple The political system and social system have not yet been formed Concepts Usually I live with my family. The so-called secular or tribal era In this context Sima Qian recorded this The person who opened up a new situation for Chinese society That is, the first emperor in the Records of the Five Emperors. He was listed as the first of the emperors by Sima Qian We also regard him as the common ancestor of the Chinese nation. certainly Another ancestor, Emperor Yan, was not one of the Five Emperors. But it also has a role in the historical records. I will mention it later In fact, the reason why we call the emperor our ancestor It doesn't mean that he alone gave birth to an entire nation. But he is culturally A profound impact on all Chinese people He is the cultural ancestor of the Chinese nation. The history records that Huangdi Son of Shaodian His last name is Gongsun Xuanyuan Also known as Xuanyuan As for how Xuanyuan became the emperor later We'll talk more about this later. You may have heard of Mr. Lu Xun's two lines of poetry The memory is cold and I don't check it at all I see Xuanyuan with my blood Xuanyuan in Poetry It is Lu Xun who borrowed the emperor's name Refers to the entire Chinese nation Xuanyuan is an extremely intelligent person. He was still breastfeeding when other children were still breastfeeding. It's time to speak Sima Qian wrote a very rhythmic passage To describe him He was born a god. Weak but Speakable When I was young, I asked Long and compassionate Successful and smart When he was young, he was very smart. When I grow up, I am taught to be smart, honest and powerful. look The Chinese nation has such a wise ancestor Although Sima Qian only wrote that Xuanyuan was smart But he should be good looking. After all, it gave birth to outstanding talents like you and me. The era in which Xuanyuan lived There is no such position as emperor in the entire Chinese Empire But there is a common ruler That is, the Son of Heaven He is the leader of a tribe. But he also serves as the big brother of all tribal alliances. The main responsibility is to maintain the friendship between the people Insufficient mediation conflicts Let's go and care about the Ji family tribe today Is there any rice left? Tomorrow I will go and mediate the dispute between the Jiang and Yao tribes. What if someone really starts a fight? He also wants to lead troops to suppress When Xuanyuan was young, the emperor was a descendant of Shennong. Shennong is the one who tasted hundreds of herbs Shennong's specialties are medicine and farming Also considered one of the Three Emperors But when Xuanyuan grew up Shennong's power declined Their descendants are inferior to the previous generation I can no longer control the various tribal forces. The boss is weak and incompetent The subordinates will inevitably be in chaos So the princes invaded each other Tyranny against the people Of course, the princes here are tribal leaders. They not only fought each other Even innocent civilians were killed. But in the face of such a chaotic situation Shennong, who was called the emperor, was actually a No ability to conquer them One boss is no longer good. Another boss will stand up. So Xuanyuan stood up He's going to start showing off his skills Xuanyuan is used to using weapons No argument The pole is a shield Ge is a weapon No response means not coming to pay homage. People Emperor plagiarized weapons He did what the emperor should do. He went to various princes to mediate disputes Put an end to the war Conquer the secrets of the immortals In fact, sometimes Actions are more important than titles. Xuanyuan actually did what those emperors did Very strong The princes were quickly subdued. They have guests at leisure Bow down to the emperor Willing to be his younger brother Brother Shen Yuan is bowed to by his younger brother but The story of being an emperor is often full of twists and turns. Xuanyuan's expedition was not smooth sailing. Although he is great But I still encountered two difficult enemies. That is the famous Yan Emperor and Chi You You may ask Isn't Yan Emperor the same as Shennong? The descendants of Shennong are already emperors. How come there is another Yandi now? In fact, about the relationship between Yan Emperor and Shennong There have been many sayings Some people believe that Shennong is the Yan Emperor. Shennong is his real name Yandi is a title Some people think Yandi is the unified title of the leader of the Shennong clan Not referring to one person There is also another saying It is said that Emperor Yan has no relationship with Shennong Some people also say that Emperor Yan is the younger brother of the emperor. In the historical records Sima Qian did not discuss this issue directly. But judging by his behavior Yan Emperor may not be Shennong Another leader Because Shennong is older Like people from the era before Huangdi and Yandi This is more reasonable for the decline of Shennong clan In short, Sima Qian did not explicitly point out Is Yan Emperor Shennong? But the fact that Emperor Yan brought disaster to one side and oppressed other princes It is clearly written. Emperor Yan wanted to visit the princes in person The princes don't want to be bullied So they returned Xuanyuan has come to him To deal with Emperor Yan Xuanyuan made a lot of preparations Nai Xiu De Zhen Bing Weapons are not favored Comforting the people and looking at the four directions Xuanyuan Training Troops Planting crops Appease the people Measuring the land After these basic preparations are completed He also trained a group of special forces A group of piglets rose up These are legendary beasts. Possibly extinct. It was also exaggerated by a legend. In short, Xuanyuan brought brave soldiers The ferocious beast is already in sight Fighting on Copyright Night Unfortunately Where is the copyright Has not yet been verified Some say Shanxi Some people also say Hebei There are also people saying Beijing But anyway, in the copyright place Xuanyuan Sanzhai Then achieve his ambition Friends who are good at Chinese should know In classical Chinese, San can refer to three. Can also refer to multiple times But both are possible here. In short, in comparison Xuanyuan and Yandi's noble spirits rise Finally, Xuanyuan achieved his goal That is to say, he completely defeated Emperor Yan from a spiritual point of view. I will pledge my loyalty to Brother Xuanyuan from this courtyard. Yandi got it done But remember? Xuanyuan has another enemy Chiyou Yes This is Chiyou, who is often depicted as a Yangtze River monster. But in the historical records Chi You should be a mortal And he's an extremely cruel mortal. Do nothing else all day Guang led his people to cause chaos everywhere Because the Records of the Grand Historian states that Chiyou was a violent No one can defeat Chiyou's rebellion No need for imperial orders but The boss's provocation did not scare Xuanyuan why It turns out that those who are righteous have many helpers Help for the lost Xuanyuan has been operating in the tribe for many years. Not only did he defeat his opponent by force, He also conquered a large number of friends through his charm. His war is the world's war I heard that Brother Xuanyuan wanted to fight Chiyou. Various tribes came to support They formed a coalition Fighting Chiyou in the Wilderness of Zhuolu Eventually captured and killed Chiyou actually About the two great battles between Huangdi and Yandi Chiyou There are many explanations In some myths and legends All are heavy colors Grand scene Some people say that Emperor Yan used fire to attack in the copyright war. So Huangdi started to discuss Others say In the Battle of Zhuolu, he controlled Dawu and blocked the road So the emperor invented the compass car to deal with it. But these battles look exciting. There is none in the historical records. Sima Qian only mentioned it briefly. Just tell who wins and who loses in the end I guess he wrote that. Maybe it's due to considerations of rigor. He is a historian I have definitely read the documents describing the war above. But in his instruction structure Although it cannot be completely denied Those fantasy battles are too early But he did not find more conclusive evidence. They were not written into history books. This is the spirit of writing the Historical Records. Sima Qian also said in the last sentence of the article: He is the one who selected the elegant appearance from historical materials So his heart is as good as gold Only the most credible and reliable content Written in the History at this time The vast majority of tribes in the world Either he has been defeated by Xuanyuan Or submit to him. So the princes respected Xuanyuan as the emperor Dai Shennong was the emperor Thus, Xuanyuan officially replaced Shennong. Became the most beloved son of the world Here we return to the original question Why is Huangdi called Huangdi? Why isn't he called the Red Emperor, the Black Emperor, or the Green Emperor? This has to start with the ancients' concept of martial virtues. The Five Virtues It refers to the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth. The ancients believed Each dynasty has its own characteristics. Dynasties are interdependent and mutually exclusive Cycle Alternation For example, Zhou Chaoshu admired red The Qin, which succeeded the Zhou Dynasty, was of the water type. So the dragon robes and armor are all black As for the Yellow Emperor? You should have guessed it by the yellow color. Huangdi was of the earth virtue. According to Lüshi Chunqiu During the reign of Emperor Huang Once upon a time, there was a great hidden dragon. These should be two giant insects Now think about it, it's scary But people at that time thought This is an auspicious sign of earth virtue. It seems that this emperor belongs to the earth virtue. So people said Xuanyuan had the virtue of earth. And use the earth virtue to represent the color emperor to refer to the emperor Next, Sima Qian introduced A series of measures taken by the emperor after he ascended the throne He visited many corners of China. Located in the east of Haidengwan Mountain and Taizong Located in Kongtong Dengjitou Located in Jiangdengxiong Township in the south The north is like Xunyu and Fufu, which is different from Zhuolu Zhe. It seems so The emperor's sphere of influence is quite wide This is equivalent to the earliest prototype of China's territory. Over In politics The emperor also established a rudimentary administrative system We can imagine In the tribal era If an emperor wants the world to obey him What things should be done? His demands were different from those of the emperors of the later totalitarian era. When totalitarianism is formed The emperor fears that the bureaucracy will betray him. The most typical example is the Ming Dynasty There were constant conflicts between the emperor and the civil service group As a result, a group of eunuchs developed. But for the emperor His tentacles have not yet reached the various tribes. Unable to do extreme boxing so His most urgent task is to suppress the tribes To achieve the domination of the enchantment First, in military He wants to ensure that his tribe has absolute superiority in military strength. Able to crush all princes So there are those who are not obedient in the world The emperor thus fought for The peaceful ones tend to He brought soldiers Patrolling around in your area of ​​influence So busy that I can't even go home He moved from place to place Using troops as a guide Secondly, in terms of management and diplomacy The emperor wants Maintain communication with the princes Keep an eye on their movements But he can't handle it alone. The emperor then established the positions of left and right eunuchs. Specially used to monitor and assist various vassal states You can imagine The emperor also has his own tribe to manage But Sima Qian recorded It's not his job to manage internal affairs. But to supervise the princes This should be the historical consensus. For the emperor who records and manages the world Control the priority of other vassal states It is higher than the management and development of the emperor's own country. In addition, the emperor also performed many sacrificial activities That is to say, to the heavens, to the gods, to nature. Pray to the deceased ancestors everybody knows The ancients attached great importance to sacrifices We now have advanced technology Can overcome most natural problems But the ancients lacked conditions Any one now seems Minor natural disasters It could take their lives. so Ancient people depended on the weather for food. Sacrifice is an activity to communicate with God. It became something that everyone thought was very important. The same is true of the emperor himself Sima Qian said that the rivers of all nations are ghosts and gods Fengshan Praise for many The Emperor Sees Peace among Nations Peace on earth Then he offered sacrifices to the gods of mountains and rivers on behalf of all the people. Thank you for your blessing On the surface, this is nothing more than feudal superstition. But the reality is very interesting German social scientist Max Weber Three types of authority have been proposed Traditional authority and legal authority Charismatic authority Early Emperor Sacrificial Activities legal authority Because it forms a rule That is, only the emperor can offer sacrifices. And God will give priority to the emperor's prayers In this way, through the privilege of exclusive sacrifice The legality of the emperor's rule was enhanced. Maybe that's why The emperors of ancient feudal society Only then will you tirelessly offer sacrifices to the heavens Their purpose is not just to pray for blessings. Instead, it emphasizes the legitimacy and legality of its own rule. It's interesting Ancient emperors who went to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods Not many things have gotten better after Fengshan For example, Qin Shi Huang prayed for immortality and was not sick. The Qin Dynasty was also overthrown by Xiang Yu and Liu Bang Emperor Xuanzong of Tang became even more arrogant and extravagant. It also triggered the Anshi Rebellion In the era of Huangdi Humans don’t have enough knowledge So one person can do multiple things In fact, before the explosion of modern technology A person who is proficient in many fields at the same time It is quite common Like the other side of the earth Leonardo da Vinci lived 4,000 years later than the emperor You can be a painter, sculptor, engineer, and architect at the same time. Natural Scientists Sima Qian wrote that the emperor The ancestor of the Chinese nation Not only a politician with great means Still a scientist While worshiping He is also observing nature. Trying to find out the laws of natural change Emperor's Sun-Warming Speculation That is, looking at the sun Use the book and the small grass stick in your hand to count and calculate Recording the movement of the sun This leads to some simple but important conclusions For example, how long is a day? Is the weather going to get warmer or cooler? On these foundations The emperor made the earliest example Today, we may think that legislation is mediocre. Even if I don't know what day it is today It won't affect your life too much. But in ancient times Legislation is so important. It's a bit like a weather forecast plus an agricultural production guide. Movie release calendar Tell people when the weather will get warmer You can start sowing When will the temperature drop? Remember to store food for the winter If you don't know this information The people will suffer greatly. For example, this year's spring came particularly late. People may mistakenly think that it is not yet the farming season. This delayed the planting of crops. Or they can't estimate when to harvest their crops. I don't know how much grain to store for the autumn harvest. Is it one bowl of rice or half a bowl of rice every day? At that time, paper had not been invented. People can't look at the calendar. No cell phone Can't check weather forecast People want to know when to plant What's the date today The only thing we can rely on is the calendar That’s why Develop and enact legislation It is the duty of the emperor It is also a means for him to consolidate his ruling position. Sima Qian continued to write that Huangdi followed the plan of heaven and earth. Netherworld War Theory of Life and Death Difficulty of survival These four sentences are about Huangdi's achievements in philosophy. He follows the laws of the seasons Understand the changes of yin and yang Raising the principle of life and death Exploring the laws of life and death He developed his own philosophy Help all Chinese people understand themselves Understand the nature The emperor was also fascinated by the concept of education He not only uses knowledge to benefit himself Share this knowledge with the general public He Shibo White Bone Plant Purification Birds, Animals, Insects and Moths Ponro Sun, Moon and Stars Water waves, earth and stone, gold and jade, old sleeping, new ears and eyes Save water, fire and property He taught the people how to sow crops Domesticating birds, beasts, insects and moths for astronomical observation Record the movement of the sun, moon and stars Mining and using natural resources such as water, stone, and metal And tell the people We must work diligently Cherish the things you own Did you guys find out? Since the time of Huangdi On the land of China This gave rise to praise for hard work and thrift. The above mentioned Territory, politics, sacrifice, calendar, education, agriculture Even virtue These are all achievements of the Yellow Emperor period. We can see As a Son of Heaven The Emperor's Tribute The contribution is huge He not only gained power It has indeed changed the entire Chinese nation. Until now Chinese around the world There are still festivals and rituals to honor the emperor From his inventions We can see the prototypes of many things in later generations For example, Sun Speculations about the heaven and earth Evolved into a fairly complete 24 solar terms Let the people sow and harvest on the fertile land Endless The act of worship Developed a more complex A sacrificial ceremony with more ethnic characteristics It also formed the concept of respecting heaven and loving people. Another example is to work hard, save water, fire and money. He not only guides our actual life It has also been integrated into our thinking It has evolved into the spiritual virtue of the entire nation. Perhaps it is because of these contributions The far-reaching impact Sima Qian List Huangdi as the first of the Wudi The Chronicle of Emperor Wu is the first volume of the Chronicle This book is the first volume of the entire historical record. It can be said Huangdi is the first person recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian Everything this ancestor created Spanning thousands of years Already unconsciously It has become a part of our body and mind that's all It is the first volume of the Records of the Grand Historian: The Chronicles of the Five Emperors Contents of the Emperor Tells how Xuanyuan became the Son of Heaven And bring benefits to the people of the world In the next issue, we will continue to talk about the Five Emperors Tell the story of Emperor Yao When I heard the words of Yao and Shun Everyone may immediately think of the legend of Zen. Many emperors in costume dramas If someone praises me as being as great as Yao and Shun You can also be happy and bloom soon Yao is a model emperor Ancient Sages He was regarded as an idol by Confucius and countless literati But you know that under this halo Does he have any unknown difficulties? What is the hidden meaning behind the beautiful story of Yao, Shun and Shan What kind of human nature and political considerations? We will use this column Let us analyze every historical event for you. Difficult to distinguish at a glance Gains and losses and political games Explore beyond the labeled persona Richer real humanity You only live once But a history But it can bring us a thousand kinds of life Ten Records of China's Storms will be updated every Thursday at 18:00 for three episodes Stay tuned