Human history is filled with incredible moments of triumph, but maybe more so equally horrific atrocities.

Sometimes these incidents occur in desperation, but often, unfortunately, that is simply not the case.

Over a thousand years ago, there was a nation-defining event in East Asia that was a bit of both, and it was horrifying.

This is that story, and although the events in this video are fleeting and nondescriptive,

they are still highly disturbing, so viewer discretion is advised. It goes without saying that China is one of the earliest and oldest continuous civilizations

in human history, with written accounts dating back thousands of years.

As you might imagine, a written history going that far back is subject to some disagreement. Some historians

hold that China's recorded history dates back to around 2100 BC, while others believe

1600 BC is a more accurate beginning. Whatever the case, it also goes without saying that China

has an incredibly rich, political, and cultural history, and its long history is broken up in two

time periods known as dynasties.

Depending on who you ask, the first in China's recorded history is the Shia dynasty, although some historians argue there's no proof of its existence.

There is agreement, however, that written history exists for sure from the Shang dynasty, which began around 1600 BCE. By the time we get to the

common era, historical records become more detailed and reliable, giving us a clear

picture of what ancient Chinese civilization was like. In its history as well, China was

broken up and unified six times, and by the year 581 CE, it became one country under the Sway dynasty, which didn't last

long. The subsequent decline of the dynasty ushered in the Tong Dynasty, which is considered

one of the country's many golden ages of cultural and artistic growth. In fact, it's still viewed

as one of the periods that produced the country's greatest poetry. The Tong Dynasty was also

time of great military progress, as an army of hundreds of thousands

was amassed to defend the country against outside forces that sought to control much of the Silk Road.

If you're not familiar with it, the Silk Road was a network of trade routes that ran through China, across Asia,

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