The emperor agreed, waiting years for Xu Fu to return with the promised potion. Xu Fu set off on a journey into the eastern seas in 219 BC, promising he would find the secret to eternal life. In fact, the magician conned the emperor, demanding a luxury boat and 6,000 virgins to discover the immortality elixir. The emperor thereupon ordered Xu Fu to gather a group of several thousand young boys and girls and set out to sea to search for the immortal men.” Sima Qian wrote, "They asked that they be allowed to fast and purify themselves and to go with a group of young boys and girls to search for them.
In one instance, a group led by the magician Xu Fu promised to find the mythical island of the immortals, known as Penglai. One official from Duxiang wrote back apologizing for not discovering immortality yet, while an official in Langya sent Qin Shi Huang an herb with life-extending properties.Īrticle ImageHan Dynasty historian Sima Qian recorded Qin Shi Huang's efforts to live forever. The emperor ordered every government official in China to commit resources to his quest. And for over a decade, he ordered scholars and magicians to locate an immortality elixir so he wouldn't perish. Qin Shi Huang unified China in 221 BC, becoming the first emperor. China's First Emperor Survived Multiple Attempts On His Life, Intensifying His Quest For ImmortalityĬhina's first emperor kicked off the search for immortal life by dedicating much of his reign to avoiding his demise. In other periods, emperors ate arsenic. By trying to live forever, multiple Chinese emperors wound up taking their own lives instead.
Emperors in the Zhou Dynasty ate jade to live longer. Ironically, many immortality potions contained toxic ingredients like mercury and sulfur. Across multiple dynasties, emperors ended their own lives by drinking such elixirs, including the Wuzong Emperor in the Song Dynasty, the Jiajing Emperor in the Ming Dynasty, and the Yongzheng Emperor in the Qing Dynasty. As one scholar noted, according to centuries of Chinese emperors, “Holiness essentially meant the art of not dying.” By living forever, Chinese rulers proved they were god-like. Qin Shi Huang devoted years to escaping his own mortality, until he ended his life by consuming an immortality elixir made from mercury. Many of his successors chased immortality, as well, often drinking toxic potions to obtain eternal life. But what lengths were emperors willing to go to in order to achieve immortality?Ĭhina's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, became obsessed with immortality. Tales of an island of immortals entranced emperors, who believed they could join the ranks of immortals if they found the perfect elixir.
For centuries, Chinese emperors drank immortality potions meant to extend their lifespans.