The Elixir of Life sparks fascination and wanderlust. A fountain of youth or elixir of immortality, it's desperately sought by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. He sends alchemist Xu Fu on a quest to the Isles of the Immortals.
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Death of Emperors
Obsessed with immortality, the Emperor dies in considerable pain in 210 BCE after drinking a mix of quicksilver and powdered jade. He's not the only one. In the Middle Ages, the Jiajing Emperor of the Ming dynasty dies from ingesting a mercury-based Elixir of Life.
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According to historians a number of Chinese emperors, nobles and officials die of elixirs taken to prolong their lives. The phenomenon is dubbed Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning.
Qin Shi Huang's lust for life is a perfect climate for tricksters and charlatans. Before long the royal personage makes claimants take their own elixir, and buries them alive to test results.
By the time he dies in 210 BCE the Emperor survives at least three assassination attempts. Considering how fastidious he is about testing it's not clear whether the purpose of the fatal potion is to extend his life by magic, or to end it by murder.
Mythology & Alchemy
Ancient Chinese believe certain stones and materials have the power to prolong life. They include cinnabar, a red ore of mercury; hematite, a magnetic stone high in iron; jade, known as the imperial gem; or gold, highly potent, associated with power, wealth and happiness.
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The materials pertain to the extension of life due to their long-lasting nature. They're thought to confer longevity on the one who uses them. Gold and silver are edible metals; others, not so much. The search for the Elixir heightens activity in the Imperial court of China.
The Chinese Immortals might have the answer. The Eight Immortals are thought to live on Penglai, also known as Penglai Immortal Island. It's one of the sacred islands of the Bohai, a coastal bay of the Yellow Sea. In the opposite direction are the islands of Japan.
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The Immortals are as gods but also common people. They teach humans and maintain connections of mortals and ancestral spirits. Venerated by Taoists and popular in secular culture, they're signs of prosperity and longevity. The Eight Immortals often appear in art.
Voyages of Xu Fu
Fearing the advance of age, Emperor Qin Shi Huang sends alchemist and explorer Xu Fu on a journey to get the Elixir of Life from the Immortals. It's said to be in the possession of the wizard Anqi Sheng, who is a thousand years old at the time of Qin Shi Huang.
Anqi is a Taoist wizard able to make himself visible or invisible at will. Qin Shi Huang insists he spoke to Anqi for three days and nights. With a fleet of sixty barques containing soldiers, crewmen and a thousand youthful men and women, Xu Fu departs on his quest 219 BCE.
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He sails for many years and returns without success. When the disappointed Emperor questions him, Xu Fu claims a giant sea creature guards the place. He asks for archers to kill it, and the Emperor provides them.
Mystery of Xu Fu
Upon his second journey, in 210 BCE, Xu Fu fails to return. Later, Japanese writings describe a local god named Xu Fu, relating to medicine, farming and silk. He teaches agriculture, healing and fabric techniques to the ancient Japanese.
In Japanese legend, Xu Fu reaches the peak of Mount Kinryu in southwest Kyushu, where he meets a hermit who gives him the elixir of eternal life. The elixir is made from the plant furofuki (Asarum monodoraflorum), or wild ginger.
Furofuki is still found on Mount Kinryu. The name comes from furofushi, meaning "not grow old, not die" in Japanese.
Xu Fu never returns to China. His whereabouts today are unknown.