How the Xiongnu Outwitted Han China: The Traps of Baideng and Mayi

How did the Xiongnu hold Han China in check for seventy years? Explore the steppe strategy, diplomacy and deception behind the siege of Baideng and the failed ambush at Mayi.

In the winter of 200 BC, Emperor Gaozu, founder of the Han dynasty, spent seven days trapped on a snowy hill, surrounded by Modu's Xiongnu horsemen. Their horses were arranged by colour: white in the west, grey in the east, black in the north and chestnut in the south. This documentary follows the rivalry from Modu's rise to the costly wars that followed.

Key themes:

• Modu's whistling arrow and the ruthless discipline of his riders.
• The Donghu's demands for a horse, a wife and land—and why Modu went to war over wasteland.
• The scout who warned Gaozu against advancing into a trap.
• The siege of Baideng, the gift to the Yanzhi and Gaozu's escape through the fog.
• Heqin marriage diplomacy, silk tribute and Modu's proposal to Empress Dowager Lü.
• Zhonghang Yue, the Han defector who advised the Xiongnu to distrust China.
• The Mayi ambush: 300,000 men and a watchtower that exposed the plan.
• Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and the high price of Han victory.

Sources: Sima Qian, Shiji (chapters 99, 108, 110, 111 and 123); Ban Gu, Han Shu (chapters 52 and 94). Chinese quotations shown on screen follow the wording of these sources.

Visuals and maps: Some images and all film scenes are AI-generated. Maps are based on the Turkic Atlas time map, with some neighbouring states adapted from Cliopatria (Seshat), CC BY 4.0, and relief based on Natural Earth.

A film by Emre-E Yavuz.
Maps © Emre-E Yavuz 2026.