Humanity’s understanding, use and mastery of fire is the first practice for mankind to understand nature and use nature to improve production and life. The application of fire is of extremely important significance in the history of the development of human civilization. From the Yuanmou Man more than 1 million years ago to the Beijing Man 500,000 years ago, traces of the use of fire have been left behind. Humans initially used natural fire. After the invention of artificial fire, primitive man mastered a powerful natural force, which promoted the development of human institutions and society, and ultimately separated humans from animals.
Primitive humans
Controlling fire to provide heat and light was one of the great early achievements of mankind. Early humans preserved fire from naturally occurring fire sources. Later, he learned to use the method of drilling wood to make fire or knocking flint to actively obtain fire. Learning to use fire enabled humans to migrate and settle in cooler climates. Fire was used for cooking difficult-to-digest foods, lighting, heating, driving away wild animals, heat-processing materials, and more. Archaeological research shows that humans were using fire in a controlled manner a million years ago. Near Eastern humans were able to make their own fire 790,000 years ago. However, the ability to use fire did not become widespread until about 400,000 years ago.
Modern humans
Burning wood was the earliest way to make fire. Trees have provided much of the energy needed by humans since ancient times, so they are called firewood or firewood. Different trees make different firewood. "Tiao Ding Ji Huo" lists various types of firewood for cooking: "Mulberry firewood: cooked and eaten, it is beneficial to people. It can also be cooked with old ducks and meat, which can make them extremely rotten and can detoxify all poisons. Dirty firewood is not suitable for food." Rice ear fire: cooking rice, soothing the internal organs. Wheat ear fire: cooking rice, quenching thirst and moisturizing the throat, and promoting urination. Pine firewood: cooking rice, strengthening bones and muscles, not suitable for making tea. Pork is eaten without wind, and boiled chicken, duck, goose and other fishy things are rotten. Mao firewood is used for cooking, which is good for improving eyesight and detoxification. Reed fire and bamboo fire are suitable for frying all kinds of nourishing medicine. Turbidity. Bran fire: Cooking food with bran fire can support two pots. Southerners often use it, and the cost is half that of firewood. In the spring, insects can enter the bran, which will damage things. ”
In modern times, humans use thermal power to generate electricity, using coal, oil and natural gas as fuel.
Primitive Fire
Human beings, like animals, were initially afraid of fire. Later, they gradually discovered the benefits of fire - the meat that has been grilled tastes more delicious, so they took the initiative to use fire.
Influence on life
Artificial fire
The use of fire first enabled humans to form and promote a cooked food life. In particular, the invention of artificial fire allowed humans to eat cooked food at any time, reduced diseases, and promoted the development of the brain and the evolution of the system. The promotion of cooked food has also expanded the sources and types of food, allowing mankind to finally get rid of the era of "eating hair and drinking blood". Fire also brought warmth to humans, thereby expanding the scope of human activities, making humans no longer restricted by climate and geography, and enabling them to live in cold areas.
Fire and social production
Fire is one of the important means of hunting for primitive people. The use of fire to drive away, surround and exterminate wild animals is effective and improves hunting production capacity. Burning grass
It is fertile and unstoppable (23 photos) and promotes the growth of weeds, which was naturally inherited by the nomadic tribes who came after. The original method of agricultural farming, slash-and-burn farming, relied on fire. As for the primitive handicraft industry, it is inseparable from the role of fire. Bows, arrows, and wooden spears must be calibrated by fire. In the future, pottery making, smelting, etc. cannot be completed without fire.
Fire from ancient times to the present
Fire is the foundation of food and cooking. It should be said that with fire, there is food culture. Before they could skillfully use fire, the ancestors could only live a primitive, animal-like life. The so-called "eat the food of plants and trees, the meat of birds and beasts, drink their blood, and eat their hair." As "Han Feizi" said: "The people eat fruits, clams, clams, fishy and foul smell, which hurts the stomach and stomach, and the people suffer from many diseases." After humans became proficient in the use of fire, human diet has undergone earth-shaking changes. This is the so-called "fired fire makes people cooked, making people have no abdominal diseases, and is different from animals." According to Chinese legend, drilling firewood to make fire The Suiren clan was the first ancient Chinese ancestor to be able to use fire.
The so-called two means that fire can be divided into yin fire and yang fire. The ancients divided fire into three types: heavenly fire, earthly fire, and human fire. They believed that there were four kinds of heavenly fire, five kinds of earthly fire, and three kinds of human fire. "There are two kinds of Yang fire in the sky; the sun, the true fire; and the star spirit, the flying fire. There are two kinds of Yin fire in the sky: dragon fire (called the fire at the dragon's mouth) and thunder fire. There are three kinds of Yang fire in the earth; the fire that drills wood and the fire that strikes stone. There are two kinds of yin fire in the earth: oil fire (the ancients said that oil will naturally catch fire when stored in a certain amount), and water fire (the ancients said that there is fire in rivers, lakes and seas, and there is fire in the night). There is one fire, Bingding Junhuo (the so-called Li fire of the heart and small intestine). There are two types of human yin fire, Mingmen Xianghuo (which originates from the North Sea, is called Kan fire, and travels through the three burners and resides in the liver and gallbladder). Samadhi fire (pure fire) Yang, dry fire). "There are six types of yang fire, six types of yin fire, and twelve types of yin fire."
The tools for making fire in ancient China have always been very backward. For a long time, primitive "fa candles" were used. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, more refined "fa candles" made of pine wood were developed. "Weixiang Congtan": "Hangzhou people cut pine wood into small pieces, which are as thin as paper. They are sharpened with sulfur and are called 'Fa Zhu'." After the Song Dynasty, it was also called "Huo Cun". "Qing Yi Lu·Utensils": "There is an emergency at night, and it is difficult to make a lamp. A wise man batches pine strips, dyes them with sulfur, and sets them aside for use. Once they meet the fire, they will get the flames, which is the spirit; they call out 'to ignite the fire' slave". Nowadays, some people have borrowed money and changed their name to 'Huo Cun'." And it is said that in the Southern Song Dynasty, there were workshops specializing in making "Huo Cun".
In the 17th century, the French chemist Boyle used sulfur-sticked A thin wooden stick caught fire when rubbed against phosphorus-coated rough paper, giving rise to the prototype of matches. Then in the 18th century, giant matches like drumsticks appeared in Venice. Because of their high price, several people often bought one. situation, and you must have a bottle of sulfuric acid when using it. In 1830, small friction matches made of white phosphorus appeared. The Japanese therefore called the matches "phosphorus inches". Fortunately, 25 Years later, Sweden's Runtastr?m discovered red phosphorus, which was safer and non-toxic. Then he invented the world's first safety matches. Matches entered China in 1880 and were started by the British Richard in Shanghai. In 1890, the Swedes opened China's first match factory, Ruishang Foreign Company, in Shanghai. The trademark of the first match produced in China was printed with the bust of Cixi, and it is said that the first box of matches in China was produced. The match coincided with Cixi's 60th birthday. Because the match was imported from abroad, the Chinese called it "match".