06 | China's forgotten empress and a Buddhist monk's epic journey to India

Most people have no idea that China even had an empress. And what an empress she was. Wu Zetian was part Daenerys Targaryen, part Cersei Lannister - a dragon queen with a vicious streak, and an eye for capable advisers and good scholarship. Joining her in this episode is the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, whose journey from Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an) to the world-famous university of Nalanda (near Patna in India's northeast) in Wu's time was the stuff of legend.YouTube link for this episode: https://youtu.be/VtrwvFUCLKYAlso, here is the link to the 'Empire' podcast's episode on Wu as well: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5iRb679pji7fXa9g93zoUF?si=ebBZCTt_SMSSjzhPERlIGwAlso, please check out Tristan G. Brown's lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dT8Wm5oI_oYou can tell just by looking at him on this video that this man goes to sleep every night knowing he is doing what he loves :)Email: [email protected]: ⁠ @RichardLikesHistory ⁠X: @skerkwagga1939Produced by Richard Marais(0:00) The Dynasties of China (3:07) Nalanda and the Buddhist Golden Age (6:26) Buddhism in China (9:10) Wu Zetian: China's Queen Cersei (10:02) Xuanzang: the Traveller Monk (17:34) Wu's early life (20:57) Navigating the Emperor's death (24:50) Cersei rears her head (29:04) Wu at the top (31:46) Wu's legacy