Dad & Elaine Went to Zhougong Temple (周公庙, Zhōugōng Miào) — And Found a 3,000-Year Conversation About How to Govern Dad had already met plenty of: kings, emperors, generals, and: conquerors while traveling around China. Then in: Qishan (岐山, Qíshān) in Shaanxi Province (陕西省, Shǎnxī Shěng)… Dad & Elaine went looking for a man who wasn’t actually the king. 😂 His name was: Duke of Zhou (周公, Zhōugōng). And the deeper Dad...
From Yandi Mausoleum (炎帝陵) in Baoji to 炎黄子孙 — and the strange Chinese story where defeating your rival doesn’t necessarily erase him Dad and Elaine had come to Baoji (宝鸡, Bǎojī) in Shaanxi Province (陕西省, Shǎnxī) expecting to learn about one legendary ancestor. His name was: Yandi (炎帝, Yándì) the Yan Emperor. Simple enough. 😂 Then we started walking through Yandi Mausoleum (炎帝陵, Yándì Líng). And the family story became considerably more...
Just a Few Hours From Beijing, Anyang Takes You More Than 3,000 Years Back Beijing gives a first-time traveler an enormous amount of Chinese history. The: Forbidden City. Great Wall. Temple of Heaven. Summer Palace. Ming. Qing. Imperial China everywhere. So why would Dad tell you to get on another train? 😂 Because a few hours south of Beijing sits: Anyang (安阳, Ānyáng) in Henan Province (河南省, Hénán Shěng). And Anyang can...
Section 1 — Before Zhou Won, King Wen Was a Prisoner of Shang Dad & Elaine had just encountered the world of the: Shang dynasty (商朝, Shāng Cháo) at: Yinxu (殷墟, Yīnxū) near Anyang (安阳, Ānyáng) in Henan Province (河南省, Hénán Shěng). There, Shang felt powerful. Royal tombs. Bronzes. Palace and temple remains. Oracle bones carrying the questions and names of Shang kings. 🔥 Then we went to another historical site near...
What This Story Shows At Yinxu (殷墟, Yīnxū) in Anyang, Dad & Elaine stood in front of writing more than 3,000 years old. Some of those ancient marks looked strangely familiar. A sun. A mountain. A person. And that started a much bigger rabbit: How did humans go from making simple marks to creating a writing system capable of carrying Chinese civilization across thousands of years? This story begins with marks scratched...
Elaine was climbing again. 😂 Up stone steps. Through old gateways. Higher and higher above the landscape outside: Hancheng (韩城, Hánchéng), Shaanxi. Our destination was: Sima Qian Temple and Tomb 司马迁祠墓 Sīmǎ Qiān Címù Dad had dragged Elaine here for one man. A historian who died more than: 2,000 YEARS AGO. 🐇 🎥 Come Up the Hill With Elaine Elaine climbs the steep stone steps toward the Sima Qian shrine complex in...
Section 1 — You Came to Huangdi Mausoleum. But Who Exactly Is Buried Here? Travel into northern: Shaanxi (陕西, Shǎnxī) toward: Huangling County (黄陵县, Huánglíng Xiàn) and you’ll encounter a name that takes us much farther back than: Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), Confucius (孔子), or even: Shang dynasty (商朝). The place is: Huangdi Mausoleum (黄帝陵, Huángdì Líng). Dad & Elaine visited. 🎥 Walk With Elaine to Huangdi Mausoleum Elaine walks along the...
From China’s Most Dramatic Yellow Waterfall to the River Behind Some of Its Oldest Civilizations Section 1 — You Came for the Waterfall. Look at the River. Dad & Elaine came to: Hukou Waterfall (壶口瀑布, Húkǒu Pùbù) for the obvious reason. It’s spectacular. Section 1 — You Came for the Waterfall. Look at the River. Dad & Elaine came to: Hukou Waterfall (壶口瀑布, Húkǒu Pùbù) for the obvious reason. It’s spectacular. 🎥...
What the Terracotta Army Reveals About Qin Shi Huang — and the China He Created Most first-time travelers to: Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) come for one place. The Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑, Bīngmǎyǒng). We did too. 😂 Rows upon rows of life-sized clay soldiers. Infantry. Archers. Officers. Horses. Chariots. One enormous underground army associated with: Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, Qín Shǐhuáng) — China’s: First Emperor (始皇帝, Shǐ Huángdì). You’ve seen the photographs. But when...
Just Outside Beijing (北京, Běijīng), Dad & Elaine Found a Human Story Hundreds of Thousands of Years Older Than Imperial China When international travelers come to: Beijing (北京, Běijīng) we naturally think of history. The: Forbidden City (故宫, Gùgōng). The: Great Wall (长城, Chángchéng). The: Temple of Heaven (天坛, Tiāntán). Emperors. Dynasties. Palaces. Walls. Imperial China. But one day Dad & Elaine traveled southwest from central Beijing (北京, Běijīng)… and the historical...
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