The mysterious history of cinnabar: a legend from ancient times to the present

Hello everyone! Today we will talk about the historical story of cinnabar and unveil its mystery. In fact, the discovery and use of cinnabar can be traced back 7000 years to the ancient site of Jiudui District, Dadiwan, Qin 'an, Gansu. In ancient times, cinnabar was not only used as a pigment, but also used by emperors in past dynasties to read the memorial and grind it into ink. It is also widely used in historical relics and painting, such as the murals in Hexi Corridor and Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, and the wall beams of the Forbidden City in Beijing, for anticorrosion and color change prevention.

With the passage of time, cinnabar has been found and used all over China, including Hemudu Village site, Beixi site in Zhicheng, Hubei, Liuwan site in Ledu, Qinghai and Huashan rock paintings in Guangxi. Cinnabar, also known as cinnabar or Cinnabar in ancient China literature, has been paid special attention to because of its bright red color.

The formation of cinnabar is a complicated and long geological process, which mainly occurs in the deep crust. It is formed by the chemical reaction between mercury-containing minerals and sulfur under certain temperature and pressure conditions. This process often takes millions or even hundreds of millions of years and can be formed in hydrothermal deposits, volcanic activity or sedimentation. Cinnabar is a symbiotic mineral, which is difficult to mine. It can become the jewelry we see today after various processing.

Cinnabar is not only widely used in ancient times, but also cherished and loved by people today. Its beauty and mystery make people full of curiosity and desire to explore it. I hope this article will give you a deeper understanding of cinnabar.