The Path of Qihuang
Legendary Physician of High Antiquity — Fuxi
Fuxi (Fu Xi), also known as Paoxi and Fuxi Shi, is the mythological progenitor of humankind in Chinese tradition and a collective representation of clan communities of the mid-to-late Paleolithic era. Legend holds that he was one of the founding fathers of Chinese medicine and acupuncture — he “tasted hundreds of herbs and created the nine needles,” and was the first to devise the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) to comprehend the virtues of the divine and to categorize the nature of all things. For over a millennium, he has been revered by the medical community as the pioneering sage of TCM theory.
Fuxi, also written as Mixi, Paoxi, or Fuxi, and also referred to as Xi Huang or Huang Xi, is regarded in Chinese mythology as the progenitor of humankind. The era in which he lived approximately corresponds to the middle and late Paleolithic period. According to tradition, he is one of the founding figures of Chinese medicine. The Yizhuan · Xici Xia (Commentary on the I Ching: Appended Phrases, Part II) states: “In antiquity, when Paoxi ruled all under heaven, … he first created the Eight Trigrams, in order to comprehend the virtues of the divine intelligence and to categorize the nature of all things.” The Diwang Shiji (Annals of the Emperors and Kings) records: “Fuxi tasted hundreds of herbs and created the nine needles.” For over a thousand years, the Chinese medical community has honored him as the founding ancestor of both herbal medicine and acupuncture. Fuxi represents the collective embodiment of an ancient clan community that made contributions to health preservation by founding the theory of the Eight Trigrams, thereby enriching the understanding of the human body.