Part 1

3 min read

The rise and fall of the Family Zhao — the Gods and Goddesses, Gaia and Thor in the East, the inventor of fire, the creator of the earth, the extermination, the think tanks, the leading societal revolutions, the carving up nations, usurping thrones by rebels and toadstools.

I was unhappy with how the existing English literature and Wikipedia documented the family of Zhao — the gods, the legends, the heroes, the generals, the dukes, the rebels, and the poets had lost their charm, their anger, their helplessness, their sorrow, their greatness, their sacrifices, their madness in translation and had all become chaos. So my attempt is to bring their characters back to life.

Zhao 赵 in small seal script 小篆

Although I submit to my vain that I may have supplicated to some of my ancestors — to be as great as they are — I know for a fact that I am one of the ordinaries, just like most of the existing Zhaos in the 21st century. The bloodline is too diluted that I no longer have the right to call myself the princess of Zhao which would certainly be a farce.

The timeline seemed to be conjured up out of nowhere. Had I included everyone in the Zhao family and every piece of history in this article, like the chain of leaders in Zhao’s clan during the Warring States Period, the kings in the Triệu dynasty, the House of Zhao in the Song Empire, every kingdom that has ruled and built by the family Zhao and so much more, this article wouldn’t be finished in 20 minutes but ended up with columns of collection. The history of the Zhao family has centred on or surrounded China’s civilisation and has never been far from power and wealth. However, I am excluded from this convention.

My only job here is to tell the unmissable story I remembered in the genealogy of Zhao, to share the unspoken truth in western literature, to immerse you with my ancestors' emotions, creations, conspiracies and sufferings, just like in how they did it in The Orphan of Zhao, The Age Of Heroes, The Up And Beyond 5000 Years of China, the Records of the Grand Historian, The Commentary of Zuo and more.

We have survived family extermination. We lived through assassinations. We exiled siblings. We killed our own families. We understand the world and the history so much so that we are well aware if we want to survive and live in this modern world undisturbed, we must hide — be dumb, be normal, be quiet, and be ignorable — neglecting the caprice and beauty and keep the inner-truth to ourselves. In fact, the name of Zhao has become a name for hiding for many royals persecuted, afflicted and defrocked. The Publ1c1ty D3partment 0f the Chin3s3 C0mm2nist P8rty has explicitly stated that the term ‘Zhao family’ cannot be mentioned in any public media since 2015 and it is still the same. The art of hiding is a skill that I haven’t mastered.

Fame kills. Name kills. Word kills. Wrong friend kills. Publicity kills.

The story began in 2981 BC.