The Fall Of The Tang Dynasty - The Tragic Story of Yang Guifei - China's Greatest Beauty (1080p_30fps_H264-128kbit_AAC)

Over a thousand years ago, a beautiful woman marries a prince. But on her wedding day, the emperor falls in love with her and concocts a plan to steal her away from his own son. Little did she know this K-drama style love triangle would not only lead to her rising to become the most powerful woman in the world, but would lead to the demise of the greatest empire in Chinese history. This girl, known as the most beautiful woman in China, was Yang Guifei. How did her tragic story transpire? Well let's talk about it brah. The youngest daughter of four is born in Yongji, modern-day Shanxi province during the reign of the Tang dynasty, considered one of the zenith points in Chinese history in terms of wealth, power, and stability. The empire spanned from the Korean peninsula in the east, to the edge of Siberia and the steppes of Mongolia in the north, to present-day Afghanistan in the west, and to northern Vietnam in the south, and was almost certainly the most powerful and wealthy nation in the world during its era. The girl and her family move to Sichuan, where their father works as a census official, but he dies abruptly thereafter. The young girl is forced to move to the eastern capital of Dongdu to live with her uncle, a low-ranking government official. Born by the name Yang Yuhuan, this girl stood out in a crowd for her unmatched beauty. It is said that she possessed mature yet soft facial features. She had deep dark eyebrows and that were contrasted by her pale complexion. Her hands were delicate and always carefully placed. Her hair was described like a cloud, full and fluid, often resembling her unconfined nature. And fittingly with the descriptions left behind of her, she is remembered alongside prestigious company as one of the four great beauties of ancient China. Yang was not only physically beautiful, but talented in the performance arts, regularly captivating audiences on the pipa, an ancient musical instrument, and dancing at gatherings in the imperial palace. The Tang era was known for its liberal culture relative to other dynasties and was considered the golden age of dance in Chinese history, where women often performed at social gatherings prior to the spread of conservative values in later centuries, which introduced practices like foot binding and the confinement of dancing to opera performances. And the Tang era didn't only enjoy freedom of expression through art forms, but also through physical attraction in general, as attitudes were at their most liberal point in pre-modern Chinese history. Women commonly wore clothing which left their a** partly exposed, and Yang Guifei was no exception. She later made quite a name for herself amongst the elite class of China, influencing fashion trends with her glamorous silk dresses. She is even credited with the invention of the hezi, a type of undergarment. At the height of her power, 700 laborers were conscripted to sew Having been raised in Dongdu, Yang is brought from one of the far corners of China and Sichuan to one of the political centers of the empire, where many high-ranking officials and more importantly, members of the royal family reside. It's here a 17-year-old Yang Yuhuan is discovered by Prince Li Mao, the 18th son of the emperor. Entranced by her beauty, he quickly arranges to marry her. Yang, having been a fatherless daughter raised as an adopted child of a lowly local official, becomes a princess overnight. Her fairy tale is quickly thrown into chaos however, as during her wedding she is introduced to her father-in-law, Emperor Xuanzong. Like his own son, the emperor is immediately enchanted by Yang's beauty and grace and cannot bear the idea of not having her for his own. However, since Princess Yang was already promised to his son to avoid public criticism against his unrighteous desires, Emperor Xuanzong stealthily arranges for her to become a Daoist nun to force her to annul her marriage. Yang stays for a brief time as a Daoist nun in the palace, before Emperor Xuanzong makes his move and acquires her as an imperial consort after bestowing a new wife on his son. What Yang Yuhuan thought of all of this is uncertain. On one hand, her status rises exponentially by becoming a consort of the emperor himself as opposed to a prince, but on the other, she is demoted from the title of a first wife to the title of a concubine. Not to mention, status and titles aside, the awkward fact that she ends up in a love triangle with the son and his father. However she felt, she makes the most of the situation and at 26 years old, would quickly become the favorite consort of the emperor. With the emperor overcome by love, he showers his new concubine with all that she desires and bestows upon her the title of Guifei, the highest title that can be awarded to an imperial consort. On one occasion, Yang angers Emperor Xuanzong in a jealous argument and he has her banished to one of her cousin's estates. With her absent from his company, he falls into a deep depression and ultimately would have all her favored treasures and imperial meals delivered to her while she is away. After realizing how much he needs her, Xuanzong orders Yang's return and from then on he falls even more deeply in love with her and no other imperial consort would hold his attention again. Xuanzong not only showers blessings on Yang but also all her kin. He bestows posthumous honors on Yang's father and grants her mother the title of Lady of Liang. Her three older sisters are conferred the ranks of ladies of Han, Guo, and Qing and it was said that whenever the noble women were present at imperial gatherings, even Emperor Xuanzong's own sister, the imperial princess, did not dare take a seat more honorable than the sisters of the emperor's favorite consort. Yang Guifei herself becomes the most powerful woman in the world. Despite her technically low status, when entering a room with other royal family, consorts, and high officials, all bow to her above all else second only to the emperor and refer to her as Niangzi, an honorific normally reserved only for the empress or the first wife of the emperor. Even many of Yang's extended family members including uncles and cousins are given positions in high office despite many being inexperienced and incompetent. This act would begin sowing the seeds of conflict to come for both the emperor and Yang herself. In the far corner of the empire over 1,500 kilometers or nearly a thousand miles away from Chang'an, a 33-year-old half Gokturk half Sogdian officer by the name of An Lushan quickly begins rising through the ranks while serving in the Pingu army on the frigid frontiers against the semi-nomadic tribes and kingdoms of modern-day Manchuria. He is described as a handsome man of great stature, both tall and wide, though he would grow increasingly overweight in his later years with a charming and persuasive personality. However, after launching a failed attack on the Khitans and the Xi against his commander's orders, An is sent to the capital to be sentenced to death by the emperor. Upon their meeting, however, Xuanzong, seeing potential in the young general, pardons him against his advisor's wishes and sends him back to serve on the front lines. Over the course of the next five years, the Pingu army sees several major victorious campaigns in securing the dynasty's borders in Manchuria, and the army is promoted to a military circuit, making An a military governor over the region. An Lushan returns to the capital to pay homage to the emperor, and this time he is welcomed as the hero. Xuanzong allows him full access to the imperial palace, where he is introduced to Yang Guifei. The two immediately hit it off, and An asks that he become an adoptive son of Yang, and Emperor Xuanzong agrees. On one occasion, he bows to consort Yang before bowing to the emperor. Not being of Chinese descent, foreigners were often referred to as barbarians during dynastic history, leading An to state, Barbarians bow to mothers first before fathers. Xuanzong, now believing An to be loyal to him as a son to a father, shows him even greater favors. The emperor gifts An a grand mansion in the capital, sparing no expense, built with walls adorned with the finest jade in the empire. Over the years, many advisors and high officials warn the emperor of their suspicions of An's loyalty towards the crown, suspecting him of making plans to consolidate power to overthrow the dynasty. But the warnings always fall on deaf ears. By this time, An is overweight to the point of obesity, and the emperor Xuanzong on one occasion asks him, What does this barbaric belly contain? Other than a faithful heart, there is nothing else. Emperor Xuanzong was so won over by An Lushan, he even refuses to investigate whispers throughout the capital that his favorite consort, Yang Guifei, is having an affair with An. So favored has An become by Xuanzong and Yang Guifei, that the emperor anoints him the title, Prince of Dongping, setting a precedent as the first case in the dynasty's history of a non-li clan member, the clan of the emperor, to be welcomed into the royal circle outside of a marriage. Where trouble really begins brewing for Yang Guifei is when her incompetent cousin, Yang Guozong, is promoted to chancellor. Guozong, a known hothead with a knack for making enemies, despises An Lushan, regarding him as an out-of-place barbarian that conned his way into the imperial circle. The two openly quarrel to the point where the chancellor, out of spite, arrests and even executes members of An's staff at his private estate. By this point, and unfortunately for Yang Guozong, An Lushan is arguably the most powerful military figure in China. Having led many successful campaigns in the northeast frontier, he is considered a national hero and possesses unparalleled loyalty from his men that would obey his orders over the emperors. In retaliation for the execution of his staff members, An orders his northern army to descend on the capital in December to bring Yang to justice. En route to the capital, imperial forces are defeated by An's army one after another, and eventually, at Tong Pass, the last major imperial defense is destroyed. With the situation becoming desperate, Emperor Xuanzong, along with consort Yang, her family, and his immediate clan members, secretly flee Chang'an, heading towards Chengdu. An Lushan's forces overtake the capital city of Chang'an, and the most populous and wealthy city in the world is set ablaze, killing and displacing the majority of its 1 million inhabitants. With him are Yang Guozong and many other high officials and officers. While en route to Sichuan at Xianyang, many imperial soldiers and even foreign emissaries that fled with the imperial family begin facing food shortages. With most imperial officers believing Yang Guozong's actions had provoked this disaster, nearly the entirety of the Yang clan, along with their spouses are rounded up and put to the sword, except for Yang Guifei, who is defended by the emperor. The soldiers surround Emperor Xuanzong's pavilion, placing him under house arrest. The emperor's years of alliance with the Yang clan has thrown the empire into civil war. All over his blinded love for a woman of lowly background, his officers demand blood. With pressure mounting and his own head and that of his kin on the line, the emperor sorrowfully orders Yang Guifei to a Buddhist shrine and allows her a forced suicide, considered a more dignified death than execution. At the age of 37, imperial soldiers hang her with a silken cord. She is buried at Mawei without a coffin, but with masses of fragrance wrapped in purple blankets. Back east, En Lushan declares himself emperor and founds the state of Yan, with its capital in Luoyang. Over the next year, En becomes increasingly obese and is said to have required three servants to dress him. His obesity causes him to become ill, paranoid, and violent, and he becomes a recluse, with even his highest ranking generals rarely seeing him. Eventually, his own son has him assassinated in his chambers. A year later in 757, with the Yan kingdom facing infighting amongst its leaders following the death of En Lushan, the new emperor Su Zhong recaptures Chang'an and welcomes his retired father back to the capital. Xuanzong's first concern before returning is to head straight to Mawei to locate his greatest love's body and rebury her with honor. High officials speak against it, pointing out that the imperial guard might again mutiny if he did so. However, Emperor Xuanzong secretly sends eunuchs to rebury her with a coffin. When they find the body, it is badly decomposed, but the fragrance bag buried with her is still fresh. The eunuchs return with the fragrance bag and upon its presentation to Xuanzong, he weeps bitterly. When he returns to Chang'an, he has his most talented painter create a picture of Consort Yang in a secondary palace and often goes there and lament to view the portrait. Some legends say that Yang had actually been rescued, escaping to Japan to live her remaining life there. In Japanese, she is known as Yokihi and her final resting place was at Atsuta Shrine, where she found refuge. A water spring in Nagoya is dedicated to her. The En Lushan Rebellion which spanned from 755 to 763 AD is regarded as one of the deadliest conflicts in human history, with some estimated death tolls at up to 36 million, killing approximately one-sixth or 17% of the world's population. To put that into perspective, World War I resulted in the death of only 1-2% of the world's population. Though some modern historians believe that the actual death toll may have actually been less and attribute inaccurate estimates to later Tang's difficulty in gathering accurate census data following the war. Either way, a lot of people died. The rebellion was the direct cause of the dynasty's decline and led to rampant secessionism amongst regional warlords during the later half of the dynasty that continued into the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period for decades after the ultimate fall of the once great and powerful Tang Dynasty. While there are numerous other factors that likely contributed to the rebellion and the collapse of the empire, one can't help but wonder how differently history would have played out if not for the tragic story of the most beautiful woman in the world.