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What trials unite not only Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins but many of literature's most interesting heroes? And what do ordinary people have in common with these literary heroes? Matthew Winkler takes us step-by-step through the crucial events that make or break a hero.

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12 Steps of Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" 

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12 Steps of Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey" 

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Learn about the feudal system during the Middle Ages and Medieval times. Feudalism with lords and manors, serfs and peasants.

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Feudalism Definition & Facts | Study.com

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Feudalism in Ancient China- Lesson for Kids | Study.com

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Discovering China :  Mulan — Legendary Woman Warrior in Chinese History

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5 Interesting Facts About Mulan That You May Not Know

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Think you know Mulan? Did you know these interesting facts? Checkout Shenyun Performing Arts: www.shenyunperformingarts.org Support OTGW on Subbable: https://subbable.com/offthegreatwall Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OffTheGreatWall Twitter: http://twitter.com/ntdotgw http://e.ntd.tv/NTDtelevision Subscribe for more Off the Great Wall: http://e.ntd.tv/SubscribeOTGW Make sure to share with your friends! __ OTGW Merchandise!

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The Role of Women during the Song and Tang Dynasty

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The Role of Women during the Song and Tang Dynasty

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The Status of Women in the Song and Tang Dynasties - All China Women's Federation

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In the book The Course of Sexes: From Song to Qing Dynasty, author Wang Wei compares the status of women in the Song and Tang

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Kids History: The Tang Dynasty of Ancient China

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Kids learn about the Tang Dynasty of Ancient China. A time of peace, prosperity, and inventions such as gunpowder, printing, and porcelain.

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China in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, the Chinese enjoyed a higher standard of living than almost any other contemporary nation. This high standard of living was made possible by their stable civilization, which for the most part had remained unbroken for centuries. While Europe was amid dark times, poverty, war and disease, China was flourishing, producing new art, science, and literary works.

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China in the Middle Ages During the Middle Ages, the Chinese enjoyed a higher standard of living than almost any other contemporary nation. This high standard of living was made possible by their stable civilization, which for the most part had remained unbroken for centuries.

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Explore the reality of the legend

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Kids learn about the Timeline of Ancient China. Major events that occured over the course of Chinese history including dynasties, inventions, and famous people.

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Click through the presentation for deeper understanding of Legend

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Read about the Tang Dynasty and the "Ruler of Heaven"

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fu hao (fl. 1040 bce)earliest woman general of the ancient shang dynasty

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whose recently unearthed tomb contained a wealth of funerary objects symbolic of her royal and military power.   name variations: lady hao. pronunciation: foo how.

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Fu Hao (fl. 1040 BCE) | Encyclopedia.com

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Fu Hao (fl. 1040 bce)Earliest woman general of the ancient Shang dynasty, more than 3,000 years ago, and queen consort of Emperor Wu Ding, whose recently unearthed tomb contained a wealth of funerary objects symbolic of her royal and military power. Name variations: Lady Hao. Pronunciation: FOO HOW.

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Learn what was inside

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Ancient Origins Reconstructing the story of humanity's past

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Lady Fu Hao is a highly extraordinary character from Chinese history, who lived over three millennia ago. In a society that was heavily dominated by male figures, Fu Hao took on roles that other women of her time would never even dream of taking. Apart from being a wife and a mother, Fu Hao was also a military leader, a shaman / priestess, and an influential politician. The discovery of her lavish tomb in the 1970s is a reflection of her important position in life.
Commemorative statue of Fu Hao at Yinxu ()
Lady Fu Hao lived during the reign of Emperor Wu Ding of the Shang dynasty (c. 1250 - 1192 B.C.). According to Chinese historical records, Wu Ding gained the alliance of neighbouring tribes by marrying a woman from each of the tribes. As a result, he had numerous wives, 60 according to historical sources, and Fu Hao was one of them. Although it is unclear as to the way Fu Hao rose through the ranks, the Shang dynasty oracle bones provide us with some information as to her contributions to the Shang dynasty.
Oracle bone with a divination inscription from the Shang dynasty, dating to the reign of King Wu Ding (Wikpedia)
The oracle bones discovered at Yinxi provide us with a tantalising glimpse of the life of Fu Hao. According to the inscriptions on the bones, she led several successful military campaigns against the enemies of the Shang, including the Tu-Fang, a tribe that fought the Shang for generations. Fu Hao utterly defeated them in one decisive battle. She also led campaigns against the Yi, Qiang and Ba tribes.

Lady Fu Hao's role was not restricted to military matters, as she was involved in important ceremonial matters as well. Whilst the Shang kings had absolute control over this aspect of Shang society, the oracle bones reveal that Emperor Wu Ding gave instructions to Lady Fu Hao on various occasions to conduct special rituals and offer sacrifices. This demonstrates the enormous amount of power that Fu Hao wielded, and the high esteem in which Wu Ding held her in.

Whilst it may be possible that these great works were performed after she rose to the top of the hierarchy, it may be equally plausible that it was these deeds that helped Fu Hao secure her high position in Shang society. Regardless, LFu Hao's tomb is a perfect reflection of the status that she had in life.
The tomb of Lady Fu Hao. Skeletons can be seen around the perimeter ().
As Fu Hao died before Wu Ding, a tomb was built for her near Anyang. Discovered in 1976, Lady Fu Hao's tomb is one of the best preserved from the Shang dynasty. The tomb is a single large pit measuring 5.6 x 4 m at the mouth. Inside this pit is a wooden chamber 5 meters (16.4 feet) long, 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) wide and 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) high. The chamber held a lacquered coffin which has since rotted away. Archaeologists were able to establish the identity of the tomb's owner as Lady Fu Hao due to the inscription of her name on the tomb's ritual bronzes.
Top image: Artist's impression of Fu Hao (history.cultural-china.com)
The grave goods found in Lady Fu Hao's tomb were exceptional, as it was one of the few tombs in China that was discovered unlooted. In total, more than 400 bronze relics were found in the tomb, including weapons, bells, mirrors, and ritual vessels. Furthermore, a vast quantity of jade (755 items), bone (564 items), ivory, stone and ceramic objects, as well as thousands of cowrie shells (Shang currency) were found in the tomb. Apart from these offerings, human sacrifices were also performed, so that Fu Hao would have servants to serve her in the afterlife. This is evident in the skeletons off 16 human beings buried around the perimeter of her tomb.

It is perhaps an extremely fortunate that Lady Fu Hao's tomb was discovered intact by archaeologists. Without the oracle bones or the grave goods from the tomb, it is highly likely that Fu Hao would have been lost to history forever. It is only through these artefacts that the life of such a remarkable figure is known to us.

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Lady Fu Hao and her Lavish Tomb of the Shang Dynasty

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Lady Fu Hao is a highly extraordinary character from Chinese history, who lived over three millennia ago.

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Lady Fu Hao was a queen, general and high priestess of the Shang dynasty in Eastern China during the 13th Century BCE.

Fu Hao first became known when she married the Shang king, Wu Ding, and became one of his 60 wives. Fu Hao took advantage of the semi-matriarchal slave society to ascend through the ranks of the royal household, gain a leading position in the Shang army and become Wu Ding's most favoured wife.

As a warrior Fu Hao gained notoriety for her efforts against the Tu-Fang, who despite having been fierce rivals of the Shang for generations were completely defeated by Fu Hao in a single decisive battle. She went on to become the Shang's most powerful military leader commanding a force of 13,000 soldiers with several other generals in service to her. She led successive military campaigns against the neighboring kingdoms of the Yi, Qiang and Ba. The last of these involved her leading the earliest recorded ambush in Chinese history.

Like other war chiefs Fu Hao was granted a fiefdom of land from the territories she conquered, from which she derived her own income. She was also an active politician and spiritual leader, acting as an adviser to the king and performing religious rituals as a high priestess. These were unusual roles for a woman at the time and reflected the faith that Wu Ding placed in her.

Following Fu Hao's death the Shang's military dominance weakened under attacks by the Gong, causing Wu Ding to make repeated sacrifices and prayers to Fu Hao's spirit to defend them against invasion. Over the centuries Fu Hao's accomplishments descended into myth and many historians did not believe that she had really existed until her tomb was uncovered at Yinxu in 1976. The tomb contained detailed records of her life on oracle bone, as well as an arsenal of weapons including battle-axes bearing her personal inscription.

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Lady Fu Hao was a queen, general and high priestess of the Shang dynasty in Eastern China during the 13th Century BCE. Fu Hao first became known when she married the Shang king, Wu Ding , and became one of his 60 wives. Fu Hao took advantage of the se

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Learn about the advance Technologies of the Tang Dynasty

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The Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty came to power in 618 A.D., after a series of peasant uprisings against the Sui Dynasty gave an ambitious territorial lord by the name of Li Yuan the opportunity to proclaim himself emperor.

Under the Tang Dynasty the empire continued to grow in strength, wealth and size. Yuan's son, Tai Cong, established a strong central government, allowing him to easily maintain control over his massive kingdom.

Officials in the government were required to pass difficult written exams that measured how qualified an individual was to serve in government. These tests helped insure that the most talented individuals were selected and promoted within the government.

The peace that lasted during the Tang Dynasty allowed the people to improve their technologies. One important technological advance was in the area of growing rice. Farmers developed better methods for growing rice, which resulted in greater crop yields, and allowed the population of China to increase.

Under the Tang Dynasty trade flourished. With new roads and improved waterways, merchants were able to bring Chinese goods out to the rest of the world and exotic goods back into China. This new wealth allowed the Chinese capital of Changan to grow into the largest city in the world at the time, with more than two million inhabitants.

While the capital flourished, many of the outlying provinces began to experience decline and poverty. The Tang Dynasty put so much of their resources into building the capital, that the military became weaker and less effective. In 765 A.D., turmoil and uprisings began to plague the dynasty. In 907 A.D., these uprisings led to the dynasty being overthrown.

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The Tang Dynasty The Tang Dynasty came to power in 618 A.D., after a series of peasant uprisings against the Sui Dynasty gave an ambitious territorial lord by the name of Li Yuan the opportunity to proclaim himself emperor. Under the Tang Dynasty the empire continued to grow in strength, wealth and size.

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Map of Tang Dynasty and surrounding Tribes

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Map of Tang Dynasty and surrounding Tribes

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Tang Dynasty Map, China, 700 AD - Nations Online Project

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Map showing the geographical extension of the Tang Dynasty, China in 700 AD.

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The legend of Huā Mùlán originated from a Chinese poem, "The Ballad of Mùlán." The poem was written during the Northern Wei dynasty (from 386-534) when nomadic invaders ruled northern China.

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Discovering China :  Mulan — Legendary Woman Warrior in Chinese History

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As far as Disney Princess movies go, Mulan was arguably one of the best. Despite how good it was,