Fang (alchemist) facts for kids

Fang (Chinese: 方) was a brilliant Chinese scientist who lived a very long time ago, around the first century B.C. She holds a special place in history as the earliest recorded woman alchemist in China. An alchemist was like an early chemist who tried to change ordinary things into valuable ones, often metals.

Who Was Fang?

We only know this amazing scientist by her family name, Fang. She grew up in a family that loved learning and was already skilled in the ancient art of alchemy. Because of her family's background, Fang was able to study alchemy with one of the wives of Emperor Han Wu Ti. This gave her access to the highest levels of society in ancient China, where she could pursue her scientific interests.

Her Amazing Discovery

Fang is famous for discovering a special way to turn mercury into silver. This was a huge achievement for her time! It's believed that she used a clever chemical trick. She likely extracted silver from its natural rocks, called ores, by using mercury. When the mercury was boiled away, pure silver was left behind. This showed a deep understanding of chemical processes.

A Secret Kept Safe

Fang's husband, Cheng Wei (simplified Chinese: 程伟; traditional Chinese: 程偉), knew about her incredible discovery. He tried very hard to get her to tell him the secret procedure for making silver. However, Fang bravely refused to share her scientific method with him. She kept her valuable knowledge safe.

Her Legacy

Even though many details of Fang's life are not widely known today, her story was recorded by another famous author and alchemist named Ge Hong. Thanks to him, we remember Fang as a pioneering woman in science and alchemy from ancient China. Her work shows that women were making important scientific contributions even thousands of years ago.