Alchemy was a special superstitious art practiced in ancient China, also known as “the golden touch”. The basic idea of alchemy was to make divine pills that could make human beings “live forever” and turn common metals like copper and iron into gold and silver.

The invention of Chinese alchemy originated from the “immortality-achieving” concept in ancient myths. Alchemists believed that the human body could achieve immortality through a certain kind of wonder drug. Therefore, way back in the 3rd century BC, alchemic activities appeared in China and gained supports from the rulers of various dynasties.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, alchemists’ thought of immortality developed into Taoism and alchemy became popular among ordinary people. Zhou Yi Can Tong Qi (A Comparative Study of the Zhou Dynasty Book of Changes) by Wei Boyang of the Eastern Han Dynasty is the earliest theoretic work on alchemy existing today in the world. The Inner Chapters of Baopuzi (The Master Who Embraces Simplicity) by the Jin Dynasty alchemist Ge Hong documented and summarized the alchemy since the Han and Jin Dynasties in great detail.

China was not the only country to practice alchemy. In the 8th century, the alchemy called “al-kimiya”(according to research, the name may have derived from the ancient pronunciations of the Chinese characters of “jin ye” or “the liquid of gold”, pronounced as “kim-ya”) appeared in Arab. It was used to make a panacea called “elixir” for eternal longevity, gold extracting and drug making. Around the 12th century, the Arabian alchemy was introduced to Europe.

The practicing of alchemy did not achieve immortality, but improved people’s understanding of nature. The gunpowder appeared in the late Tang Dynasty was a product of alchemy. And alchemy also laid a foundation for the emergence and development of modern chemistry in Europe. Alchemy-related words like “alchemia” and “alchimia” etc evolved into words meaning “chemistry”, such the German word “chemie”, French word “Chemie” and English word “chemistry”.