Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese more than a thousand years ago. The study of gunpowder began with ancient alchemy. China was the first country to invent gunpowder. During the Sui Dynasty, a ternary system of gunpowder consisting of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal was born. Black gunpowder officially appeared in the Tang Dynasty (late 9th century). Gunpowder was invented by ancient alchemists. From the Warring States period to the early Han Dynasty, emperors and nobles indulged in the fantasy of becoming immortals and achieving eternal life, which drove some alchemists and Taoists to refine “elixirs” and gradually invented the formula for gunpowder during the refining process.
In the first year of Yongchun reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty (682 AD), alchemists of the Tang Dynasty pioneered the sulfur roasting method, which uses sulfur and saltpeter to grind into powder, and then adds soap jiao (containing carbon). In the third year of Yuanhe reign of Emperor Xianzong of Tang Dynasty (808 AD), the Xinghuoji method was created, which uses saltpeter, sulfur, and Aristolochia (including carbon) to burn together. These two formulas are both a mixture of three medicinal ingredients, which already have the preliminary ingredients contained in gunpowder.
The initial use of gunpowder was not in military affairs, but in the acrobatic performances of various military circuses in the Song Dynasty, as well as in the fireworks acrobatics of puppet shows – medicinal puppets. During the Song Dynasty, acrobatic performances such as “holding gongs”, “hard ghosts”, and “mute art dramas” all used newly emerging gunpowder products such as “exploding fights” and “spitting fire” to create a mysterious atmosphere. The Song people also performed illusions with gunpowder, such as spraying smoke and clouds to escape people and transform objects, in order to achieve magical and mysterious effects.
China invented gunpowder, which was first used to make fireworks, and soon applied it to military use, inventing the world’s first rocket. Cannon and firearms were already quite mature in the military application of gunpowder in China during the Song Dynasty, making China’s technology far ahead of the world.
According to the record in “Fan Zieran”, it was already used for folk livelihood applications in China during the Spring and Autumn period. Fan Zijiran said, “saltpeter comes from the Longdao”. The first book in China that recorded the formula for gunpowder was written around the 8th and 9th centuries. The book says that “using sulfur, realgar, and saltpeter, and burning them with honey” will result in the phenomenon of “flames rising, burning hands, faces, and houses”. The ‘secret’ here should be the ‘honey’ of honey. Honey can turn into charcoal when heated. Mixing sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal is the formula for gunpowder.
The invention of gunpowder is the result of people’s long-term alchemy and pharmaceutical practice, with a history of over a thousand years.
In the late Tang Dynasty, gunpowder had already been used for military purposes. In the first year of Tianyou reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Dynasty (904 AD), Yang Xingmi’s army besieged Yuzhang. General Zheng (using his troops to fire and set fire to the Dragon Shaman, led the brave soldiers to rush into the city and burn their bodies). The term ‘flying fire’ here refers to artillery, rockets, and the like. (Artillery) is to make gunpowder into a ring, ignite the suspension wire, and throw it out with a catapult; Rockets, on the other hand, tie gunpowder balls under arrowheads, ignite the fuse, and shoot them out with a bow. In the Song Dynasty, continuous wars promoted the accelerated development of gunpowder weapons.
The Northern Song government established gunpowder workshops and successively manufactured weapons with combustion performance such as gunpowder arrows and cannons, as well as highly explosive weapons such as Thunderbolt Cannon and Thunder. In 1259, the Southern Song Dynasty produced a spear made of giant bamboo with gunpowder inside. In the Yuan Dynasty, the Copper Casting Fire System emerged again, known as the Copper General. These are weapons propelled by the explosion of gunpowder, demonstrating unprecedented power in warfare.
The following picture shows the South Wei Gunfire and the North Wei Gunpowder Arrow.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, gunpowder was first introduced to Arab countries, and then to Greece, Europe, and even various parts of the world. It has played a driving role in the progress of human civilization, the development of economy, science and culture. It was not until the mid-14th century that there were records of gunpowder and firearms being used in various countries of England and France.