10-06-2025
Did China's first emperor send expedition west in quest for ‘elixir of life'?
History records the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang as sending the alchemist Xu Fu eastwards towards Japan on a quest for the elixir of immortality. However, the ancient texts make no mention of any similar expedition heading west.
But according to a state media report, findings by Chinese archaeologists suggest that a western expedition for the 'elixir of life' may indeed have been launched during the reign of Qin Shi Huang.
Qin Shi Huang, or the '
first emperor of China ', was so named because he was the first ruler to unify the various warring states into a single empire in the late third century BC. He commissioned the Terracotta Army – a huge collection of life-size clay soldiers, chariots and horses that was buried with him to protect him in the afterlife and symbolise his enduring power – which is now a world-famous tourist attraction.
The June 8 report in Guangming Daily refers to a 37-character cliff inscription high on the Tibetan Plateau, near Zhaling Lake in Qinghai province. It was discovered in 2020 by Chinese archaeologists conducting field research on the northern shore of the lake, the report said.
Carved in a distinctive
Qin dynasty script, the inscription is believed to chronicle a state-sponsored mission travelling westwards towards the mythical Mount Kunlun during the 'emperor's 26th year', or 221 BC, explicitly seeking the 'elixir of life'.
The discovery has been hailed in some quarters as potentially rewriting history. But leading scholars have reacted with fierce scepticism, questioning the claim's authenticity and viability while reigniting ancient debates about Kunlun's true location and fuelling accusations of potential forgery.
