Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese medical procedure now having spread to many parts of the world, is still quite mysterious. The jing luo or meridian system, on which acupuncture is based, has never been verified by any anatomic substance nor shown in any medical testing image. The numerous oddly named acupuncture points are in fact virtual dots on the smooth skin. The practice, however, can quickly bring about substantive good results, in some cases, instant cures. It is now impossible to find out who invented this miraculous medical technique, and when.

Historical records of acupuncture link it to the earliest legendary rulers of Huangdi and Fuxi. Zheu flu, the Chinese for acupuncture, actually means both acupuncture (zhen) and moxibustion (jiu). As acupuncture is far more effective than moxibustion, nowadays people tend to regard zhen flu simply as acupuncture.

Acupuncture was probably invented by accident. Ancient people might have accidentally found that they could relief pain by pricking certain points of the body with a sharp stone, in Chinese classics such as Shah Hai ling (The Classic of Mountains and Seas), Shuo Wen Jie Zi (The Original of Chinese Characters) and Zuo Zhuan (Zuo's Annals), there were records of using a sharp stone to prick the body to relief pain. Later stone needles were made for acupuncture. Needles of other materials were developed afterwards: bone, bamboo, wood, bronze, iron, gold and silver. The earliest gold and silver needles were unearthed from a tomb of the Western Han Dynasty in Mancheng County, Hebei Province.

In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the technique of acupuncture developed rapidly. In Huangdi Nei ling (The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine), there were systematic discussions about acupuncture. Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo, two noted doctors of the Han Dynasty, were also experts of acupuncture, and their practices could be found in historical records. In the meantime, there were also excellent acupuncture practitioners among common people. Hou Han Shu (The History of the Later Han Dynasty) tells about an old fisherman in Sichuan who fished on the Fujiang River volunteered to treat local residents with his outstanding technique of acupuncture. This proves that at that time acupuncture was quite popular and widely practiced.