Qigong has long history. Even before words have been created, ancient people had already known doing Qigong. Among the historical relics unearthed from four tombs at Sangpingtai, Liuwan, Qinhai Province, China in 1975, there was a colored pottery which belonged to New Stone Age about 4000-5000 years. There is a colored human picture on the pottery. His eyelids drop slightly and his mouth is in round shape, like turtle inhale or exhale with sound. His both palms place on side of lower abdominal and both legs in horse stand. This picture is the earliest historical relics related Qigong that looks just like “turtle taking Qi,” one part of the Turtle Qigong passed down from ancient.
“Jade Pendant Inscription on Qigong,” a historical relic of the early Warring States periods, (about 380 BC) according to experts study, record the train method and theory of Qigong. The Inscription contains altogether forty-five Chinese characters: “In promoting and conducting Qi, depth promises storage, storage promises extension, extension promises descent, descent promises stability, stability promises solidity, solidity promises germination, germination promises growth, growth promises retreat, retreat leads to heaven. Heavenly Qi functions from above, Earthly Qi functions from below. Conformity to this leads to life while adversness to this leads to death.” It is the earliest records on Qigong that describes turtle breath, turtle swallow Qi and conducting Qi vividly.
The Yellow Emperor’s canon on Internal Medicine says: “Those who suffer from a lingering kidney disease can face the south from 3 am to 5 am, clear the mind of all stray thoughts, hold breath without respiration for seven times, swallow the breath by slightly craning the neck to send it down smoothly, just like swallowing very hard objects. Having done this seven times, gulp down the plenty of sublingual saliva.” This is an exact record of turtle Qigong treatment using turtle breath, inducing and conducting Qi.
