Original subtitles

[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.