Tag: Three kingdoms

University Looking for DNA of Chinese Warlord

Calling all Chinese males with the last name Cao. Apparently, you might be the key to resolving Chinas latest archaeological controversy.

Researchers at Shanghais Fudan University are collecting DNA samples from such people with the hope that they can help prove whether or not a recently discovered tomb belongs to a Chinese warlord.

Made public in December, the tomb is believed to belong to Cao Cao, a legendary figure who lived during Chinas famed Three Kingdoms period (184 to 280). A corpse found at the site is the alleged remains of the ancient ruler.

While archaeologists claim the find is genuine, the discovery has been met with skepticism from others experts and much of the Chinese populace.

Wanting to lift the doubt surrounding the archaeological find, researchers at Fudan University announced last week that they would seek to perform a DNA test. This would involve taking the DNA of the corpse found at the site, and trying to see if it matched with the DNA of Cao Caos living descendants.

Li Hui of Fudan University is leading the research team. In an interview, Li said it was the schools own choice to take on this project.

Cao Cao is a very famous person, he has many stories surrounding him and so everyone has been interested in this discovery, Li said. But now there is some doubt about the authenticity of the tomb. A DNA test can resolve this.

One of the major roadblocks, however, is that no one can say for sure who is a real descendant of the famous warlord. Cao Cao lived almost 1,800 years ago after all, and no official records have been made tracing the figures genealogy.

To see if a DNA test is even feasible, Li and his team are currently working to find Cao Caos living descendents. Theyve asked for volunteers across the country who have the surname of Cao or Xiahou, the original surname Cao Caos family once went by. Volunteers also must be male since the DNA test will trace Cao Caos lineage by looking at a Y-chromosome mutation found in men.

But even as they aim to rid the doubt regarding the Cao Cao tomb find, the researchers have already attracted their own skepticism from the Chinese public. Comments on the Internet include those who believe its impossible to find the living descendants to those who think Fudan University is just boasting.

People dont believe that DNA testing can be done. But thats wrong, Li said. We have been doing this type of work for decades now.

Some of Lis previous research work includes looking at the genetic foundations of the modern Chinese people. This has involved tracing the DNA back to African lineages as well as to different ethnic populations in East Asia. In 2007, Fudan University also conducted DNA testing on ancient mummies found in Xinjiang to determine their ethnic origin.

Li added that if he and other researchers can do DNA testing for prehistoric remains, then tracing the lineage for a 1,800 year old corpse should be possible.

The project aims to collect the DNA of 600 people. But Li said theyve already met about 10 percent of that goal. The hope is that they can find the common Y chromosome marker to Cao Caos lineage.

So far, the results show the presence of two main Y chromosome markers, one among volunteers that have been coming from central China, the other from the eastern portion of the country.

Li estimates that it will take another 2 months before they finish collecting the DNA samples. He added that volunteers have been calling the school and scheduling visits. The research team also plans to visit areas likely to have real life descendants, such as Anhui province, where Cao Cao was born.

Even if the DNA is collected, the research team doesnt know if theyll be granted access to Cao Caos alleged skeleton remains, which are held in Henan province. Li said an official there told him they have yet to discuss the issue, but plan to.

Still, one other problem remains. If a DNA test on the bones is carried out and turns out to be a success, one could only say that the discovered corpse has the DNA of someone belonging to the Cao Cao family, but not that of Cao Cao himself.

To Li, this would be enough to help put the controversy to rest.

This tomb is a kings tomb. Its the tomb of an emperor. Not just anyone will be buried in a tomb like this, he said. If the body is found to belong to the Cao family, then the possibility of it belonging to Cao Cao is much higher.

Is China’s Cao Cao Tomb Discovery Genuine?

The recent discovery of Cao Caos tomb has sparked heated debates in the Chinese media over whether the find is genuine or not. The tomb, discovered in Chinas Henan province, is believed to belong to Cao Cao, a legendary Chinese warlord who lived about 1,800 years ago.

At the end of last year, Chinese archaeologists announced the find to the public. The strongest evidence they point to includes inscriptions on artifacts found at the site, as well as a recovered corpse whose time of death closely matches with when Cao Cao is recorded to have died.

Liu Qingzhu, a Chinese archaeologist with the countrys Institute of archaeology, said in a past interview with Heritage Key, Looking at all this evidence, one can say that the tomb has to belong to Cao Cao.

Renowned for his role in the Three Kingdoms period (184 to 280 AD), Cao Cao is a popular figure in Chinese culture, having been featured in books, TV shows and movies. News of the discovery became a hot topic in the country. But experts, as well as the country’s populace, were quick to express doubts about the find, causing a media uproar. Here are some of the concerns.

Questions About the Evidence

Many of the inscriptions found on the artifacts at the site mention the King Wu of Wei. Archaeologists involved with the find believe this title refers to Cao Cao, who ruled over the Kingdom of Wei in the early 3rd century AD.

The tomb, however, contains no mention of the name Cao Cao, which has left people questioning the find. Some scholars have argued against the archaeological evidence, saying the tomb does not match what was described in the historical records. Others are convinced Cao Caos tomb is located elsewhere such as in Bozhou, a city in Anhui Province, where the leader was born.

Fake Artifacts

One of the prominent skeptics has been Ma Weidu, a famous antique collector. Even though archaeologists spent close to a year excavating the tomb, Ma wrote in his blog and said in interviews that the artifacts used to prove the tombs connection to Cao Cao could have been created as replicas. He points out that archaeologists learned about the tomb after authorities apprehended looters, who had already robbed the site before.

While in the last decade the country has spent a great deal of effort in fighting the tomb raiding culture, many looters have stopped looting, and instead turned to creating fakes, which have tricked people looking for bargains and even experts, Ma wrote in his blog.

Ulterior Motives

Netizens in China have also suggested that the discovery may have been motivated by money. They cite how the local government in Henan province is already seeking to turn the tomb into a tourist attraction. Local news reports have mentioned that the tomb could raise a substantial income for the province.

Lack of DNA Testing

To put the issue to rest, people have called for DNA tests to prove whether the corpse found in the tomb is in fact the deceased warlord. But experts have said, given the conditions of the recovered remains, it would be difficult to conduct a DNA test. At the same time, there is a doubt as to whether it would be possible to find a sample from someone who is descended from Cao Cao.

An ongoing online poll at Sina.com, the countrys largest information portal, currently shows that about 60 percent of the poll takers do not believe the tomb belongs to Cao Cao.

One Chinese blog wrote of the controversy: “We can’t believe the experts, we can’t believe the media, we can’t believe the government. In this day and age, we don’t know what we can believe.”

Faced with the mounting skepticism, archaeologists tried to address the concerns this past week during seminars sponsored by Chinas Institute of Archaeology.

The biggest news to come forth was when Wang Wei, director of the institute, said to the media that the institiute could not say with absolute certainity that the tomb belonged to Cao Cao.

Wang said in local news reports, that while on a preliminary level the instititue believes that the tomb is Cao Cao’s, This is not our final conclusion. Currently we cannot declare it with total confirmation.”

Still, archaeologists involved with the discovery are continuing to make the case that tomb is the warlord’s final resting place. Some of the additional evidence includes the size and style of the tomb, which experts say adhere to the standards of that era. They also add that none of the artifacts excavated from the tomb show any evidence of being fabricated.

“The tomb belongs to Cao Cao,” Liu said in an interview with Heritage Key this week. “It’s not a matter of if we are 70 percent sure, or a 100 percent sure. It is Cao Cao’s tomb.”

This was just a small academic topic that’s suddenly become a major societal issue

The discovered tomb is 740 square meters in size and archaeologists believe its scale to be fit for a king. More than 250 artifacts, made up of gold, silver, jade, as well as stone tablets were found belonging to the tomb. Along with a male corpse that died at around the age of 60, archaeologists also uncovered the remains of two women in the tomb, one aged in her 50s, the other in her 20s at the time of death.

Liu said he believes part of the reason why skepticism about the discovery is so high is that many people rarely come in contact with archaeology and lack the knowledge about how the field operates. With Cao Cao being such a popular figure, people want to understand more, but are confused when they hear conflicting points of view, he said.

“This was just a small academic topic that’s suddenly become a major societal issue,” Liu added.

Archaeologists will continue their excavation work on the discovery. In the meantime, the institute recently named the Cao Cao find as one of their top discoveries in 2009.

Tomb of famous Chinese warlord Cao Cao found

Archaeologists believe they may have found the remains of Cao Cao, a Chinese warlord renowned for his role during Chinas Three Kingdoms period.

This past weekend Chinese archaeologists announced the find, saying they had discovered the ancient rulers tomb in Chinas Henan Province, near Anyang.

Cao Cao, who lived from 155 to 220 AD, is a major historical figure in China. Both a military general and a poet, he established himself as a king of his own state while fighting to unite the country under his rule. Cao Caos life was later romanticized in Chinese literature, with him being cast as a cruel tyrant.

The discovery of the tomb includes the remains of three bodies and numerous artifacts. Liu Qingzhu, an archaeologist in Beijing, said in an interview that there were four main reasons why experts believe the tomb likely belongs to Cao Cao.

Location: The tomb is found near the former capital of the Kingdom of Wei, which Cao Cao founded and ruled over.
Built for a king: The scale of the tomb matches what a king of that time would be buried in. The tomb is also built in the same styles used by Cao Caos kingdom.
Inscriptions: Dozens of artifacts within the tomb are inscribed with lettering that indicates it belonged to the king of Wei. A pillow made out of rock carries the inscription: “The King Wu of Wei often uses this comfort neck stone.”
Bones: Of the three bodies found in the tomb, one is a male that is aged to in his 60’s. This corresponds with historical records which say Cao Cao died when he was 65.

“Looking at all this evidence, one can say that the tomb has to belong to Cao Cao,” Liu said.

Excavations at the tomb began last December. But authorities didnt become aware of it until they seized looters who were found carrying relics belonging to the site.

The tomb itself is 740 square meters in size, with a 40 meter passage that leads down to the chamber. The two other bodies found in the tomb are both women, one aged in her 50s, the other in her early to mid 20s. The older woman is thought to be one of Cao Caos wives, while the younger is believed to be her escort or a possible concubine.

Even as the tomb had already been looted, archaeologists have found more than 250 artifacts, including gold, silver, jade, as well as stone tablets.

The recent archaeology find will no doubt reveal more about Cao Cao, who has suffered from a bad reputation in China. One of the countrys most famous historical novels “Romance of The Three Kingdoms” depicts him as a villain. Ancient records, however, describe him in a more positive light, portraying him as a strong ruler.

Nevertheless, Cao Cao has become a popular character in Chinese culture, being featured in the countrys opera, as well as TV shows and movies. He is also a character in a popular Japanese video game series set during the Three Kingdoms period.

Woo’s Wish: East/West Unison

The worlds third largest economy may command respect for its military might and new superpower status.But director John Woo wants to use the universal stories of ancient China to build a more culturally respected worldview of the great nation.

His new film Red Cliff (read the review here) is one hes been trying to make for almost two decades to that end.The story of Red Cliff took place a thousand and eight hundred years ago in China, says the godfather of action-films. It was a battle bearing significant historical importance. Through the widely told tales of the battle, we learned of the great intelligence and bravery of the ancient people of China, who, though gravely outnumbered, managed to defeat their enemies.

With all this talk of Battles, and the Chinese cultural heritage of martial arts, one might expect Red Cliff to be nothing but a close-quarters fighting fest. But Woo’s ambitions for the film are much higher. He claims, My goal is for this film to rise above cultural and historical barriers, so that the Western audience feels as if they are watching an Asian Troy, while the Eastern audience can discover new perspectives on a familiar story.

Woo took a brave step in his dedication to historical accuracy. For me, the most attractive aspects of Romance of the Three Kingdoms [the novel many believe the film to be based on] are not the supernatural characters idealized by the novel, but true Heroism that the characters show.The world has many kinds of heroes, he continues but I like heroes that are real and human.

A Philosophical Woo

In 2008,China demonstrated their desire to forge closer links with the West through their hosting of the Olympic Games.It’s a sentiment shared by Woo, who says, I genuinely believe that human emotion is universal and not bound by culture. The same values of virtue, morality and friendship are praised in the West just as they are in the East. Though these feelings are expressed in different ways, deep inside, we all essentially share the same emotions. With this in mind, I disregarded a great deal of the details in the book when I made Red Cliff. We have a large production crew assembled from all over the world: China, America, Japan and Korea. During the course of our collaboration, talented people from both East and West were able to learn from working together.

While Woos comments are admirable, one cant help feel hes stretching his ambitions a little too far.For one, making a film that is supposedly closely linked to the history books about a culture existing 1,800 years ago, and then attempting to apply universal beliefs to the other side of the world is a little off-kilter.Secondly, if Woo really wanted a connection to be made with the West, why did we end up with the paltry 2hr 30mins version when the four-hour long Asian two-part release contained all the nuances and ancient subplots?

Maybe he wanted to do too much in making a realisticancient world film that was also accessible to the masses, provingChina can do Hollywood’ after all. In the words of Mr Woo, While audiences in the East love many great movies from the West, Western audiences also appreciate our splendid culture of the East. Therefore, I genuinely hope that when you watch Red Cliff, you do not look at it as a Chinese film or a Hollywood film, but as a global film.

Image by Markus Vandriel