How They Built: Ancient China
A ten‑minute look at the planning, tools, labor and engineering that created China’s earliest monuments.
Chapters
- 0:07 Planning and Foundations
- 1:16 Materials, Tools, and Techniques
- 2:34 Labor and Organization
- 3:16 Engineering Achievements
On-screen text
- 0:07 Planning and Foundations
- 0:14 Planning and Foundations
- 0:31 King orders palace foundation trench Historical record · Oracle bone inscription, Anyang (c. 1200 BCE)
- 0:49 Rammed earth walls for royal hall Historical record · Western Zhou bronze vessel inscription (9th c. BCE)
- 1:07 Rituals before cornerstone laying Historical record · The Book of Rites (Liji), chapter on building (3rd c. BCE)
- 1:16 Materials, Tools, and Techniques
- 1:23 Materials, Tools, and Techniques
- 1:40 Bronze hammers and levers in Han tomb The Institute's interpretation · Excavation report of the Han tomb of Marquis Liu (Henan Museum, 1998)
- 1:58 Terracotta figure with lever Historical record · Terracotta Warrior with wooden lever (Museum of the Terracotta Army, Xi’an)
- 2:16 Wooden pulley lifts beams The Institute's interpretation · Yingzao Fashi (Song dynasty building manual, 1100 CE)
- 2:25 Iron chisels in Han era The Institute's interpretation · Iron Age artifacts from the Han site at Anyang (National Museum of China, 2005)
- 2:34 Labor and Organization
- 2:41 Labor and Organization
- 2:58 Household corvée labor duty Historical record · Book of Han (Hanshu), vol. 28, on corvée labor (1st c. CE)
- 3:07 200,000 men built Qin wall Historical record · Stele of the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan (Qin dynasty, 215 BCE)
- 3:16 Engineering Achievements
- 3:57 Zhejiang stone bridge inscription Historical record · Zhejiang stone bridge inscription (Tang dynasty, 8th c.)
- 4:29 Shiji records linking walls Historical record · Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), biography of Qin Shi Huang (c. 91 BCE)
Sources
Historical record: Oracle bone inscription, Anyang (c. 1200 BCE) · Western Zhou bronze vessel inscription (9th c. BCE) · The Book of Rites (Liji), chapter on building (3rd c. BCE) · Terracotta Warrior with wooden lever (Museum of the Terracotta Army, Xi’an) · Book of Han (Hanshu), vol. 28, on corvée labor (1st c. CE) · Stele of the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan (Qin dynasty, 215 BCE) · Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), chapter on Emperor Wu (c. 100 BCE) · Zhejiang stone bridge inscription (Tang dynasty, 8th c.) · Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), biography of Qin Shi Huang (c. 91 BCE)
Tradition / scripture: Traditional Chinese legend of Lu Ban (5th c. BCE)
The Institute's interpretation: Excavation report of the Han tomb of Marquis Liu (Henan Museum, 1998) · Yingzao Fashi (Song dynasty building manual, 1100 CE) · Iron Age artifacts from the Han site at Anyang (National Museum of China, 2005) · Geotechnical study of Qin Great Wall sections (Science China Earth Sciences, 2015) · Archaeological study of Qin logistics (Journal of Chinese Archaeology, 2012) · Mawangdui silk texts (1970s excavation)
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 128 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (19) — the next things to make
- Artisans compact earth inside a wooden frame at a Zhou royal construction yard.
- An artisan operates a pulley, raising a timber beam on a construction site.
- A craftsman uses an iron chisel to shape a stone slab.
- Cross‑section diagram of wall layers with workers tamping earth.
- Cross‑section diagram of wall layers with workers tamping earth.
- Peasants with wooden tools marching in formation toward a construction site.
- Peasants with wooden tools marching in formation toward a construction site.
- A massive line of laborers moving stone and earth along a hilltop.
- Laborers roll heavy stone blocks on wooden cylinders along a straight road.
- Laborers roll heavy stone blocks on wooden cylinders along a straight road.
- Wooden barges loaded with timber gliding down a river toward a hilltop site.
- Wooden barges loaded with timber gliding down a river toward a hilltop site.
- Close‑up of mortar being spread onto wooden beams; water droplets bead and roll off, showing the formula’s waterproof quality.
- Completed wooden‑beam bridge spans the river; workers cross it while the river spirit’s reflection shimmers beneath the arches.
- Stone quarry on a cliffside; laborers chip large blocks, dust rises, and a faint mountain spirit watches from the summit.
- Arch construction in progress: workers hoist a curved stone, positioning the keystone as tension builds across the span.
- Continuous Great Wall snakes over rolling hills at sunrise; ancestral spirits walk along the crest, gazing over the land.
- Close‑up of mortar being applied to wall stones; water beads and rolls off, demonstrating lasting waterproof strength.
- Twilight settles; silhouettes of bridges and the Great Wall stand against a darkening sky as spirits fade into lingering mist.