Early Discoveries
Early humans lived in China more than 500,000 years ago. Modern researchers report that Chinese civilization began developing in rich river valleys of eastern Asia more than 7,000 years ago. Five thousand years ago, at approximately the same time ancient Egyptians were building the Great Pyramids in the Valley of the Nile, people in the Yellow River Valley grew crops and governed themselves. In an effort to keep records, the Chinese developed a system of writing 3,500 years ago. Messages were scratched into animal bones. Symbols eventually evolved into the written language used today. It is noteworthy that Chinese is the oldest continuously written language in the world.

Philosophy
Historically Chinese philosophers believed all things were comprised of the five elements - wood, fire, earth, metal, and/or water. Subsequently, changes in nature could be explained in terms of these elements. Furthermore, Yin and Yang were the two forces that connected all things. Yin is associated with cold, wet, intuition, the feminine side of men and women, nighttime and the moon. Yang is linked with the masculine and intellectual side of men and women, and the sun, which produces light, heat, and daytime. Philosophers believe that while everything contains both Yin and Yang, in most cases one is more dominant than the other. In sum, Yin and Yang are contained in different parts of a single overall universal force, also known as Tao (pronounced Dow), or "the way." Finding the Tao, or "the path" of objects, ideas and nature as a whole was a goal of ancient Chinese science.

Alchemy
The roots of modern chemistry can be traced back to China. Alchemists were concerned with what made life possible, cures for diseases, and changing common metals to gold. The symbol of the Dragon often represented chemical processes. Some of the most famous alchemists were women. Keng Hsien Seng, who lived in the 800s, was summoned to court by the emperor to perform magic, tell stories, and make elixirs of life for curing diseases. Similarly, Li Shao Yum, who lived in the 1100s, dressed in Taoist robes and traveled across southern central China telling fortunes, reciting poetry, and preparing elixirs.

Acupuncture
As noted earlier, Chinese philosophers saw everything in terms of the balance of forces, Yin and Yang. With this in mind, it was believed that illness occurred when the balance between these two forces was disrupted; therefore, the doctor's job was to restore this balance. Acupuncture was one of the earliest treatments. Acupuncture involves a trained professional sticking thin, sharp needles into specific points along the person's body. While bone needles were used originally, acupuncturists switched to metal after learning how to use bronze and copper. The ancient Chinese advocated that acupuncture affected the flow of ch'i, which in turn is related to the Tao force. Acupuncture is still used and is growing in popularity in the west, particularly for acute diseases such as arthritis, asthma, migraines, ulcers and eye diseases.

Disease Prevention
Chinese medicine had evolved hundreds of years before Western medicine. Specifically, the Chinese were among the first to develop methods for disinfectants, vaccinations, and antiseptics. When a person died of an infectious disease, the Chinese historically burned chemicals releasing a poisonous smoke, ultimately killing the germs in the house, and disinfecting it. In 980 a Chinese monk named Tsan Ning advised people to steam clothes of the sick to prevent others from contracting the sickness. Antiseptics were not routinely used in Western hospitals for 900 more years. Likewise, by the year 1000, the Chinese had developed vaccinations to prevent people from becoming infected by smallpox virus, whilethe English did not find a way to protect people from deadly diseases until 1796.