The formula of gunpowder was initially discovered by Taoist alchemists of ancient China when they attempted to make pills of immortality. Afterward, according to the formula, some people produced black gunpowder using a mixture of niter, sulfur and charcoal in a certain proportion. In the middle years of Tang Dynasty, some books recorded the method of producing this kind of gunpowder. After its invention, gunpowder was first used to produce firecrackers and fireworks, and began to be applied to military affairs till late years of Tang Dynasty.

In Northern Song Dynasty, gunpowder had been in the extensive application to military afffairs, and then weapons such as firelock, rocket and cannon already emerged. In the time between 1225 AD and 1248 AD, gunpowder and weapons using gunpowder were introduced to Europe via Arabia. Since niter, the major raw materials of gunpowder, is as white as snow, Arabian called gunpowder "Chinese Snow" and "Chinese Salt". After introduction of gunpowder to Europe, gunpowder was not only extensively applied to weapon industry, but also various projects such as exploding mountains, road constructions, and river excavation. The invention of gunpowder accelerated the advent of the industrial Revolution.