Meng Huo You

During the Eastern Han dynasty, the Chinese historian and poet Ban Gu recorded in the geography section of his Book of Han that a flammable liquid substance are found in the Gao Nu County, located in the northeast portion of present-day Shaanxi Province.

Four hundred years later, during the late stages of Southern and Northern dynasties, historian Fan Ye cited in the Book of Later Han that the collection and exploitation of petroleum had been around for some time: （延壽）縣南有山，石出泉水，大如，燃之極明，不可食。縣人謂之石漆。 In the southern mountains of Yan Shou county, there exists [a] water which springs from the rock and combusts brightly; the liquid is not for consumption.

The earliest mention of "rock oil" (石油), the Chinese name for petroleum, is by a book "Grand Peace Records" from the Northern Song dynasty, and officially designated the current name by Song dynasty polymath scientist Shen Kuo using the description found in his famous book Dream Pool Essays.

Due to the chemical characteristics of petroleum that it continues to burn in water, it was widely used by feudal militaries.

During this time a small dynasty in Vietnam paid tribute to the Chinese emperor with petroleum.