Chinese alchemy has been around for a very long time. In fact, its origins predate Taoism.

The oldest element in Chinese alchemy may be the ‘xian’ culture. Xian refers to people who till today are often referred to as ‘strange’ because of their unusual capacities and who usually spent their days as hermits in the mountains of China, perfecting their life and searching for immortality. They discovered and used herbs and minerals to promote and preserve their health and found out about the inner secrets of the human body.

Then there were the experts who knew all about metal ores and metallurgy. They were the chemists of ancient China. During their experiments they realized that metals could be transformed and they started looking for means to change metals into the most precious metal of all: gold.

And there were also the Taoists: philosophers, revolutionaries, scientists, specialists of rituals, masters of astronomy and astrology, physicians, health specialists, etc. They  were occupied with all facets of life and science. These people maintained the view that people and the universe are very similar and that by studying the mysteries of both, man can become one with that which produces this unity. That ‘thing’ by lack of a suitable name is called the Taoist ‘Way’ or ‘Dao’.

These ingredients combined about two thousand years ago into a Taoist way of practicing alchemy. At first the influence of metallurgy and external means (Chinese chemistry, herbal and mineral medicines) prevailed and an external or experimental type of practice developed. Alchemists tried to find the perfect ‘medicine’ to live forever. This medicine had to be absorbed into the human body. It was thought to be or to produce a special kind of ‘gold’. To transform substances into gold other metals (such as lead) and minerals (such as cinnabar, called ‘dan’ in Chinese) were used. We call this practice  ‘waidan’ (external cinnabar or external alchemy). One should not think that waidan was only based on external means. The other part of the practice was equally important. Alchemists also trained their body to be able to cope with the transformations caused by the external ‘elixirs’.

After several hundreds of years of experimenting with all kinds of alchemical medicine the final conclusion was inevitable: external means could not create eternal life nor could they produce real gold. It was time to move on and explore other ways. This realization re-opened the internal road to self perfection: by using as little as possible from the external means and enhancing the internal work new insights came about. This road is called ‘neidan’ (internal cinnabar or internal alchemy). Several traditions were created. They profited not only from the existing knowledge of the external alchemists but also from the findings of other (non-Taoist) traditions such as Buddhism and even Confucianism. Some stressed the importance of Taoist religious practice as being the most important ingredient, others stressed the alchemical practice and criticized the three main philosophy-religions of China.

The latter view can be found in the tradition that is studied and continued by us: the Southern Tradition of the Golden Cinnabar (Nanzong Jindan Dao). This tradition originated in the 10th-11th century. Its founder was Zhang Boduan (984 - 1082), a former Confucianist, turned Buddhist and finally Taoist but foremost an alchemist or danshi. His main focus was on ‘reality’ or ‘authenticity’. Many traditions, including some alchemical traditions, promote and create illusions and hallucinations. True internal alchemy practice destroys these aberrations and makes the practitioner ‘awake’. To reach this goal simple but continuous practice is sufficient.

However, because of its simplicity and lack of illusions, this tradition was not as successful as those that ‘entertained’ people with fake ‘realizations’. In the end, part of the tradition was integrated into the later (very successful) Quanzhen (Complete Authenticity) Taoist tradition. The more authentic tradition continued to be transmitted ‘among the people’, meaning from master to student and outside of Taoist monasteries and official interference.

Very few authentic masters are alive today and they have little to gain from publicity. On the other hand, they also realize that without further transmission a precious treasure may be lost forever and that is why most still teach a limited number of students. Dan Vercammen (Chinese name: Fei Danning), head of research at our Taoist Alchemical Studies Center, met a ‘strange’ person while practicing with other masters in Shanghai in 1986. This person, Fu Qinglong from Hangzhou, did not want to become famous but stressed the importance of his tradition and for some reason thought it useful to transfer his knowledge to a Western student. It was the beginning of our lifelong commitment to neidan research and practice. Fu transmitted the essence of the Yinyang tradition of Nanzong Jindan Dao and Taoist ways of practicing the internal martial arts. After making sure that his heritage was safe, he disappeared. He left us with the heavy but joyful ‘burden’ of preserving the tradition. We feel honored to be able to bridge the gap between this ancient tradition and the modern world. Please feel free to browse this web site to find out about what we do and get in touch with us if you are sincerely interested in internal alchemy. You won’t be disappointed.

Check out our courses here.