All language subtitles for Unearthed.2016.S09E11.Legend.of.Xanadu.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-HiNGS_track3_[eng]

[narrator] In the middle
Of a vast, open steppe,

Lies a fabled city.

Xanadu.

[woman speaking]

[narrator] Founded by
The grandson of the mongol
Conqueror genghis khan,

Xanadu, in china,
Is one of the greatest
Cities of all time.

This legendary metropolis

Supposedly stands at the heart
Of a vast empire.

But does xanadu really exist?

Marco polo describes a place
That seems like a fantasy.

[narrator] Now,
New discoveries
And aerial imaging

Allow archaeologists
To reconstruct

Xanadu's ruined
Mega structures,

And reveal the truth
Behind the myths.

Why would nomadic warriors,
Famous for fighting
On horseback,

Build a fabulous city in
The middle of nowhere?

To honor its secrets,

We digitally rebuild
This legendary city.

We decode the mystery
Of its mythical
Pleasure dome.

And recover lost treasures
From hundreds
Of strange tombs...

To reveal the hidden
Wonders of xanadu.

Inner mongolia,
Northern china.

More than 700 years ago,

These enormous open grasslands

Are home to the world's
Most fearsome warriors...

The mongols.

Travelers' tales say
They built a spectacular city

That rises from the plains.

One now lost
In the mists of time.

Xanadu.

Legends describe xanadu
As a marvel of the world.

A world metropolis,
Home to more than
100,000 people.

Filled with
Unimaginable splendor.

Its most famous site,

A mighty pleasure dome.

A colossal tent supported
By ornately carved pillars.

And tethered by
Hundreds of silk cords.

In the city, a marble palace,

Exquisitely decorated
With gold,

Dominates the landscape.

It sounds
Too fantastic to be true.

Is this city,
The xanadu, of legend, real?

Investigators believe that
These mysterious ruins

Are those of the fabled city.

They lie many miles north
Of the great wall.

Close to china's border
With mongolia.

From above,
The landscape reveals
Hints of huge structures,

Now hidden beneath
A sea of grass.

Today, the site
Is heavily protected.

Excavations are
No longer allowed.

One of the very few people
To have led
Investigations here

Is professor wei jian.

He's following a trail
Of clues about xanadu.

Left by a merchant
And explorer from venice...

...Named marco polo.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Marco polo
Travels to the lands
Of the mongols in 1275.

He's one of the first
Westerners to mention
The wonders of xanadu.

He describes the city
As a paradise.

Where exquisite buildings
Tower over exotic gardens

Filled with wild animals.

But some believe, he never
Makes it as far as china.

How can we be sure
That the fabulous city
He describes, ever exists.

Wei jian leads the first
Modern investigations
At the site.

He uses satellite images to
Decode its hidden landscape.

They revealed proof
Of massive city walls
That stretch for miles.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] More of
The city's layout emerges.

Three gigantic squares
Nest inside each other.

They conceal dozens
Of strange lumps
That look like structures.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Data
From the satellite images

Allow us to
Digitally reconstruct
This extraordinary city.

Three towering structures,
Perfectly aligned
Along a central axis,

Make up the heart of the city.

Walls, more than 15ft high,
Surround this inner district.

Stretching beyond this core,

A sprawling mass of buildings
Covers an area

Bigger than
400 manhattan city blocks.

This vast city
Is the legendary xanadu.

It doesn't just confirm
Marco polo's account,

It surpasses it.

Who built
This magnificent metropolis?

An inscription
Discovered in the ruins
Holds the answer.

It is written in
Ancient chinese seal script.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] The tablet
Allows wei jian
To identify xanadu's ruler.

It dates to the reign
Of one of the greatest
Mongol leaders of all.

Kublai khan.

The first mongol emperor
Of china.

But there's a mystery.

Kublai khan's mongols
Are a nomadic people.

Marco polo says
They live life on horseback,

Staying in tents called gers.

Why did they build
One of the greatest cities
Of all time?

Investigator deggi ganbat

Thinks that the road
To xanadu begins

Hundreds of miles away,
In mongolia.

The mongol heartland.

[deggi] This vast landscape
Goes miles and miles,

And you can feel
The emptiness.

[narrator] Deggi heads
To an isolated settlement
Called karakoram.

Legend says
That this is the site
Of the first mongol city.

[deggi speaking]

[narrator] Today,
A colossal buddhist monastery
Dominates the landscape.

Deggi searches for evidence

That a vast mongol city
Once stands here.

Nothing much is left
On the surface,

Except these astonishing
Giant stone turtles,

Which once marked
The boundaries of the city.

[narrator] Deggi thinks that
This lost metropolis is
What makes xanadu possible.

Eight hundred years ago,

One man unites
The nomadic tribes
At this very spot,

And transforms
The mongol way of life.

A shattered marker stone,

Inscribed with classic
Mongol script,

Identifies his name.

Genghis khan.

Genghis khan
Is one of the most
Feared rulers in history.

Under his command,

Mongol armies
Sweep across asia,

And carve out a huge empire.

Genghis makes karakoram
The first mongol capital.

It attracts travelers from
Over half the known world.

People like marco polo.

[deggi speaking]

[narrator] Xanadu's founder,
Kublai khan,

Is the grandson
Of genghis khan.

He rises to power
In the years after
His grandfather's death.

Kublai inherits a quarter
Of the vast mongol empire,

That stretches
From northern china,

To the middle east,
And even parts of europe.

Kublai orders
A new capital city
To be built in the east,

On the edge
Of his chinese territories.

Within three years,
His dream is realized.

The fabled city of xanadu.

A dazzling metropolis
Of palaces and lush gardens.

Xanadu far exceeds karakoram
In both size and magnificence.

Marco polo describes it
As a marvel of the world.

The mongols built
One of the greatest
Cities in history,

In just a few short years.

Why does kublai khan
Need a new capital

In the middle
Of this vast wilderness?

And what is the secret behind
The stunning palace
At the heart of xanadu?

[narrator] The vast, endless
Grasslands of east asia.

Home of the fearsome mongols.

More than 700 years ago,
Their spectacular city
Rises from the steppe.

Xanadu.

Built on the order
Of a powerful mongol ruler,

Kublai khan.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] But the mongols
Already have a capital city.

Karakoram.

Why does kublai khan
Build a new one

Hundreds of miles away,
In china?

The answer could lie
With xanadu's most
Impressive building.

Sitting on raised foundations,

Supported by
Elaborately carved
Marble pillars at each corner,

A mighty palace rises
220ft into the sky.

Brightly colored ceramic tiles
Cover the building's roof.

And ornamental figures
Guard its ridges.

This is the da'an ge,

The pavilion of great peace.

A monumental skyscraper.

It is a far cry from the tents
That the mongols
Usually call home.

Could this mysterious
Building reveal

Why kublai khan found xanadu?

Investigator wei jian
Uses satellite images
To search for clues.

He thinks these
Are the remains
Of the da'an ge palace.

It stands at the heart
Of the city,

Within its own
Exclusive grounds.

The da'an ge palace
Does not look like
A traditional mongol building.

Wei jian investigates
A curious marble pillar
Discovered in its ruins.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] These stone blocks
Are almost all that remains
Of the once-mighty palace.

This pillar is a vital part
Of the structure.

It helped support
The southwest corner
Of the building.

But it's the column's design
That really catches
Wei jian's eye.

It's chinese, not mongolian.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] It's a shock.

The mongols and the chinese
Are supposed to be
Sworn enemies.

But at the heart of xanadu
Is an imperial chinese palace.

What is kublai khan doing

Building a city just like
Those of his hated rivals?

A closer look
At the city's outer districts
Reveals another surprise.

They resemble
The flat open plains
Of kublai khan's homeland.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Xanadu
Is an unusual blend

Of both chinese
And mongol traditions.

Wei jian thinks the city's
Strange design is intentional.

Kublai khan builds xanadu
To stamp his authority
On northern china.

Using chinese designs to help
Win the citizens' respect.

But he cleverly
Chooses its location

On the edge
Of the mongol grasslands,

To reassure
His own mongol people

That he hasn't
Abandoned his roots.

[we jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Kublai khan
Intends xanadu to be
A new kind of hybrid city.

One that will unite
Both his peoples.

But does it also
Have another purpose?

A clue lies
With the marble column
From the da'an ge palace.

Marble does not exist
In the east asian steppe.

Where does the great khan
Get the raw material
To build his new palace?

Mongolian investigator
Deggi ganbat

Searches for answers
Among the ruins of karakoram.

The first city
The mongols built.

It lies more than 600 miles
Northwest of xanadu,

In the middle of mongolia.

The original palace
Of genghis khan
And the imperial court

Is believed to lie
Somewhere beneath this area,
Within this wall.

[narrator] The monks who built
The buddhist monastery here,

Reused material
From the old city.

[deggi] The resources
For building with

Is very few here,
Just like at xanadu.

So, it's common
For people to reuse
Any materials available.

This stone,
It has chiseled traces--

It must be from
Original karakoram city.

After the collapse
Of karakoram city,
Falling into ruins,

The people reused
The stones, the bricks,

And the stone statues
And even monuments.

[narrator] Deggi thinks
Kublai khan
Orders his builders

To do the same thing
At xanadu.

They tear down
A chinese palace,

In conquered territory
At bianliang.

And bring its marble
Hundreds of miles north

To use in the da'an ge palace.

[deggi] By demolishing
The palaces of his enemies,

And then building
His own palace
From those raw materials,

Kublai khan says,
"I am the boss now."

And he is one of the greatest
Rulers in the world.

[narrator] Xanadu is
A hybrid city
Built by a visionary ruler.

And a statement
Of ultimate power.

A few years after
The construction of xanadu,

Kublai khan declares himself
To be the rightful emperor
Of all china.

But the rich and fertile south
Still hold out
Against his growing power.

Is xanadu
Just a symbolic place

From where kublai khan
Can rule his vast empire?

Or does a strange
Discovery in the city walls
Reveal his master plan?

The conquest
Of southern china.

[narrator] In 1256,

Kublai khan founds
The hybrid city of xanadu.

From his towering palace here,
He rules over
Mongols and chinese.

But strange discoveries
In xanadu

Suggests this city is designed
In a class of its own.

[speaking mandarin]

[narrator]
Three defensive walls
Encircle the city,

Punctured by gateways
At strategic points.

They're protected
With barbacans.

Secure holding pens
For visitors,

Guarded above from all angles.

Watchtowers give
A comprehensive view
Of approaching enemies.

Amongst these impressive
Defensive structures,

One curious feature
Stands out.

The city's southern entrance
Is wide open,

Allowing would-be attackers
A clear path,
Direct to the heart of xanadu.

Why does kublai khan
Build this weak point
In his new city?

Wei jian examines
The excavation evidence
From xanadu, to find out.

[speaks mandarin]

[narrator] Wei jian
Believes the strange,
Open southern gateway

Is a sign that kublai khan has
A hidden motive for xanadu.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Mongol warriors,
Flying out of the barbacans
On horseback,

Would have to slow down.

As the design forces
A sharp, 90 degree turn.

But this straight, open
South gateway

Allows mounted mongol soldiers
To pour out of the city
In their hundreds, unimpeded.

Xanadu's southern entrance
Is not built for defense,

But for attack.

[speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Kublai khan's city
Is a fixed power base,

From where he can launch
His deadly attacks.

What makes mongol
Horseback combat so effective?

Tsogtkhuuu shavirai has spent
Years mastering the tactics
Of formidable mongol warriors.

Starting with their
Number one asset,

The horse.

Mongol life practically
Begins on horseback.

Children prepare for
A mobile life in the saddle
From an early age.

[speaking mongolian]

[narrator]
Alongside sturdy horses,

Mongols rely
On a favorite weapon.

The bow and arrow.

[tsogtkhuuu
Speaking mongolian]

[narrator] There is
A hidden secret to a mongol
Archer's famous accuracy.

The warriors fire their arrows

At the exact moment
All four of the horse's hooves

Are off the ground.

This split second timing
Gives them maximum control.

Mongols use this
Remarkable skill in battle.

Paired with their famous
Composite bow

Made of fiber, horn and wood.

It's described
As the deadliest weapon
In the ancient world.

To test this claim,

Tsogtkhuuu prepares a target.

First, the archer must select
The type of arrow that is
Best suited to the distance.

[speaks mongolian]

[narrator] Horseback archers
Fire rounds of arrows
At the target.

Oh!

[speaks mongolian]

Yah!

[narrator] It's said
That these arrows

Can penetrate armor
At a distance of 300 feet.

Mongol warriors
Are formidable.

Their nomadic lifestyle
Gives them a final
Unique advantage.

They carry and collect
What they need as they travel,

Which means they can fight
Without long and vulnerable
Supply lines.

From xanadu, kublai khan
Leads his warriors south

To finish what his grandfather
Genghis khan started.

The conquest of all of china.

Mongol armies
Destroy their enemies

With waves of deadly
Cavalry archers,

And ferocious mounted lancers.

Mongol generals
Adopt the weaponry
Of those they conquer.

They use trebuchets designed
By persian engineers,

To take down chinese cities.

With these tactics,
The mongols
Defeat their rivals,

The southern song dynasty.

And finally conquer
The rest of china.

Kublai khan's master plan

To use his
Hybrid city of xanadu

As a base for attack, works.

For the first time
In over 300 years,

China is reunified under
One emperor, kublai.

And he is the first
Non-chinese to control it.

Xanadu officially becomes
The capital of imperial china.

But kublai khan's city
Faces a series of challenges.

How does the emperor deal
With a rampaging threat

That could wipe out xanadu?

[narrator] Xanadu...

Kublai khan's imperial city
On the vast, open steppe.

He rules the whole
Of china from here.

But nature is fighting back.

Xanadu sits in an open plain

Between the shandian river
And longeng mountains.

A seemingly ideal location
For a city.

But the flat landscape
Is susceptible to flooding.

Every year, heavy rains
And runoff from the mountains

Threaten to submerge the city.

And wash it away for good.

How can kublai khan's city
Be saved?

Professor wei jian believes
Clues may be found

By examining photographs
He took during excavations
At xanadu.

[speaking mandarin]

[narrator] To wei jian,
It's clear that

Raising kublai's palaces
Off the ground

Is not only a way
To elevate their status,

But also to ensure
They're out of
Reach of floods.

Historical texts reveal
Even more ingenious techniques

That the engineers used
To combat
The challenging terrain.

Before construction of
Xanadu's palaces can begin,

Engineers must create solid
Foundations in the marshland.

The fill the lakes
And feeder springs

With pebbles
And broken bricks.

On top they pile
An enormous mound of coal,
And then set it on fire.

They use the fire to melt
Stacks of lead and tin.

The result
Is a solid platform,

The height of a human.

A secure foundation
For xanadu's palaces.

Clever civil engineering keeps
Kublai's grand palaces safe.

But how does the emperor
Protect the rest of xanadu
From floodwaters?

Wei jian thinks
The answer may lie
Outside the city walls.

The satellite image
Reveals a huge scar
Across the landscape.

[wei jian speaks mandarin]

[narrator]
Archaeological surveys

Reveal the canal runs
For almost four miles.

Wei jian believes
It's specially designed

To carry away the water
That threatens
To engulf the city.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Engineers build
The 180-foot wide canal around
The perimeter of xanadu.

They construct a huge dam
To the north,

To capture water
Running off the mountains

And form a gigantic reservoir.

They build sluice gates
Into the dam,

To control the water's flow
Through the canal,

To the river in the south.

Their impressive structure
Safely diverts the water
Around xanadu.

Keeping the city
Out of harm's way.

[speaking mandarin]

[narrator] But xanadu
Is not the only place

Kublai khan has
Ambitious plans for.

Nearly 200 miles south
Is the modern
Chinese capital, beijing.

Beside today's skyscrapers,

Sits a 15th century
Imperial palace complex

Called the forbidden city.

When archaeologists
Excavate this area,

They make
A surprising discovery.

Far below the ground here,

Archaeologists
Uncover foundations

From a much earlier structure.

Inside,

Fragments of bottles,
Tiles and bowls
Date from the 13th century,

The time of kublai khan.

Is this evidence
That the ruler launches

Other colossal
Building project here,

Far from xanadu?

In the search for clues,

Investigator deggi ganbat
Examines the translated
Accounts

Of the venetian explorer,
Marco polo.

Marco polo writes
About another palace here.

He says, "It is the greatest
Palace that ever was."

And its walls, of the palace,
Are all covered
With gold and silver.

He adds that,

"No man on earth
Could design anything
Superior to it."

It sounds spectacular.

[narrator] These foundations
Are the last traces

Of kublai khan's
Second imperial palace.

Just eight years
After xanadu was complete,

Kublai is already embarking
On another enormous
Construction project.

He names the city dadu,

Meaning "Great capital".

To be built on an even larger
Scale than xanadu.

Dadu will be ten times
Bigger than xanadu.

It's as if xanadu
Is a prototype.

[narrator] Why does
Kublai khan need
Yet another capital city?

Deggi believes, a map reveals
The possible answer.

Dadu is some... Almost
1000 miles southeast
Of kharghar.

And here it is almost
200 miles south of xanadu.

And surely,
It's a better climate.

[narrator] Xanadu will be
Kublai khan's summer capital.

Dadu his winter capital.

As the seasons change,
The emperor will
Travel with his court

Between the two cities.

But deggi believes
The weather is not
The only reason

For building
Another capital city.

Look where dadu is.

The center of gravity
Of kublai's yuan dynasty

Is not in central asia,

Where the mongols come from.

It's now in china,
The focus has shifted.

Kublai's world now revolves
Around china more.

[narrator] Kublai khan
Builds his new city

In what's now the heart
Of his empire.

He says, "I may be a mongol,

But I'm also the emperor
Of china.

So, china
Is where I should be.'

[narrator] Kublai khan's
Ambitious
City-building projects

Enable him to solidify
His imperial rule.

But what can strange
Discoveries in xanadu

Reveal about life
For its citizens?

And how does the city
Become part

Of one of the greatest
Trading routes in history?

[narrator] Xanadu...

Emperor kublai khan's
Magnificent summer capital.

Grand palaces tower
Over the landscape,

Gleaming with marble, gold
And colorful ornaments.

But this is not simply
A city reserved for royalty.

In the 13th century,

Xanadu is the most
Prosperous metropolis
In the world.

120,000 people
Live in the city.

What about
These ordinary citizens?

What is life in xanadu
Like for them?

Wei jian believes
Clues could be hidden
In an unusual location.

Beyond the walls of xanadu,

Lie burial grounds
For the city's inhabitants.

To the south,
Over 1,000 tombs.

These stone shelters
House multiple burials.

Alongside the bodies,

Mourners leave ornate mirrors

And delicate porcelain,
To honor the dead.

On the other side
Of the city, to the north...

More burials.

But here, the bodies are
Buried in individual graves.

Inside, stirrups
And arrowheads

Accompany the bodies
As offerings.

Both these cemeteries
Date from the same period.

Why are they so different?

Today, many of the tombs
Have been looted.

But archaeologists
Have managed to save
A handful of burial goods.

Wei jian believes
These offerings reveal
Who lives in xanadu.

[speaking mandarin]

[narrator] But the graves
In the north
Tell a different story.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] The different
Burial styles and offerings

Indicate these citizens'
Ways of life
Were different too.

Mongols and han chinese
Live side by side in xanadu.

And when they die,
Their families bury them

According to their
Own religious beliefs.

When the mongols
Are the ruling power,

They show
An all-inclusive attitude

Towards religion at xanadu.

Further discoveries
Unearthed in the city

Suggests it contains
A far richer mix of people

Than simply han chinese
And mongols.

Wei jian's team finds
And intriguing stone

Carved with arabic script.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator]
The discoveries reveal

That xanadu is a lively
Cosmopolitan city

Full of people
From across asia,

The middle east,
And even europe.

It's a tolerant society,
Where all faiths
Are free to worship.

And earned xanadu the nickname

"The place of 108 temples".

To wei jian, it suggests
Xanadu is a melting pot

And an important hub
Along one of the greatest
Trading routes in history.

The silk road
Is an ancient network
Of trade routes

That run for over 4,000 miles
Over land and sea,

Connecting asia with europe,
Africa and arabia.

It's not just trade goods
Like silk that travel
Along the road...

New technologies
Like gunpowder
And paper spread too.

And travelers exchange
Religious ideas,

Like buddhism.

At the height of their empire,

The mongols control
Almost the whole route.

They build inns and bridges.

And even plant trees
To give travelers shade.

Troops garrisoned
Along the route provide
Security and stability.

Ushering in a period known
As the pax mogolica,

Or "The mongol peace".

Marco polo follows
The silk road east,

From venice to xanadu.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Xanadu
And its multicultural citizens

Enjoy flourishing trade
And relative peace
Under mongol rule.

But what happens next?

Why are there only ruins
Of kublai's great city
Left today?

[narrator] 750 years ago,

The powerful mongol ruler,
Kublai khan,

Builds his first city, xanadu.

Located on the edge
Of the vast steppe,

It becomes a flourishing
Multicultural center

Of trade and tolerance,

Attracting visitors
And merchants from
Across the known world.

But wei jian thinks
Surprising evidence
Among xanadu's ruins

Reveals a sudden change
Of fortune.

He examines images
Of xanadu's main gateway,

On the southern side
Of the city.

[speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Wei jian
Wants to know

If this fire damage
Is accidental or targeted.

Other discoveries made on site
May offer further clues.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Wei jian believes
The burnt columns
And stone cannonballs

Are evidence of more
Than just a small skirmish
At xanadu.

[speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Almost a century
After kublai khan establishes
His yuan dynasty,

Rebel uprisings
Against mongol rule
Spread across china.

They soon reach xanadu.

In 1358, the red turban army
Enters the city.

These chinese rebels
Hold it for seven days.

Then pillage it,
And set it on fire.

The rebels overthrow
The mongol dynasty

And declare a new
Han chinese dynasty,

The ming,

Ruled by a new emperor.

The ming emperor's armies
Finish the job at xanadu,

Razing the city to the ground

To make sure
The mongol dynasty
Cannot rise again.

Kublai khan's palace at dadu,
His winter capital,

Is also totally destroyed.

Along with virtually every
Trace of the mongol
Yuan dynasty, in the city.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] The new rulers
Build their own palaces

On top of the mongol
Ruins at dadu.

The spectacular forbidden city
We see today.

And this city
Goes on to become
Today's chinese capital,

Beijing.

The glory days of xanadu
Draw to a close.

The ruins of kublai khan's
Magnificent city

Are left exposed
To the elements.

They crumble away,

And are reclaimed by nature.

Until modern-day
Archaeologists unearth
The city the city secrets,

And reveal its marvels
Once again.

[wei jian speaking mandarin]

[narrator] Xanadu is
A truly remarkable city.

Kublai khan creates
An amazing city,
A true marvel of the world.

For marco polo
To write about it,

And for us to still be
Intrigued by its mysteries

750 years later,
Says a lot.

[narrator] Just as
The legends described,

Xanadu is
A spectacular wonder.

Covered in gold and marble
Fit for an emperor,

Stretching over 1,100 acres,

Home to people
From all over the world...

Ingenious engineering
Allows it to thrive
For 100 years.

Poised to launch
An attack at any moment.

This city is the legacy
Of a triumphant, nomadic
Mongol emperor,

Kublai khan.

This is xanadu.