Song Dynasty Alchemists: Alchemy, Politics And Literature

“Necromancers” are an ancient and special group.As a part of the "Scholar" group,they also have a certain level of culture and technical accomplishment.With their own knowledge of astronomy,Xiangming,geomantic omen,medicine,health preservation,and incantation,they wandered and lived in all walks of life in the Song Dynasty.This paper studies the pre Song Dynasty necromancers and defines them as people with alchemy and esoteric skills.The generation of necromancers is influenced by the immortal thought,the theory of Yin Yang and five elements and the Yi ology.Some necromancers are directly from witches.After the emergence of Taoism,the necromancers formed an inseparable relationship with Taoism because of the same immortal thought core as Taoism.During the Qin and Han Dynasties,the most typical activities of the necromancers were preaching to the rulers about immortality and seeking the elixir of immortality for the rulers;during the Han,Wei and Six Dynasties,the necromancers became more abundant and theoretical,which provided favorable support for the activities of the necromancers;during the Sui,Tang and Five Dynasties,the necromancers became the tools for the superiors to build momentum and consolidate power,and also the makers of the elixir of immortality for the monarchs in their later years.In this paper,according to the different recipes mastered and applied by the necromancers,the Song Dynasty necromancers can be divided into six typical categories: astronomy,Xiangren,fengshui,medicine,health and magic.Because of their special relationship with the prediction of the fate of heaven,they were limited by the government orders of the Song Dynasty and had a narrow range of activities and communication;those who engaged in Xiangming and Fengshui had greater freedom of activities,and all social strata had superstition,so they could be active between the government and the people.As a group whose belief and character are closest to Confucianists,most of them study skills and save the world,which has a positive impact on medicine in Song Dynasty and even ancient China.Both health preserving and magic necromancers are closely related to Taoism,and their activities highlight the development of Taoist inner alchemy and incantation in Song Dynasty.The activities of the Song Dynasty’s necromancers also had an important influence on the politics and literature of the Song Dynasty.Politically,from the end of the Five Dynasties to the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty,most of the astromathematicians participated in political activities in the way of foretelling the fate of heaven.Song Zhenzong cooperated with the necromancers in the period of the establishment of Shintoism.During the period of song Huizong’s fanatical worship of Taoism,a whole group of necromancers gathered around him.This paper explores the relationship between the Song Dynasty necromancers,especially the Taoist necromancers,and the incumbents at different stages of the Song Dynasty,as well as their positive and negative influences on the politics of the Song Dynasty.In literature,because scholars and different types of necromancers,such as Yi Bu Xing,all have communication activities,there are a considerable number of works presented to them by scholars with different themes;the group of necromancers is also one of the creation objects of the Song Dynasty’s note novels,showing different images.