It is difficult to verify when the friction fire originated, but there is a legend of drilling wood for fire in ancient China. Everything is done by Han Feizi records: "In ancient times, people ate melons and fruits, clams and clams, which made them stink and hurt their stomachs. There are many diseases among the people, some are made by saints, and the people are happy to make a fire by drilling. The sage here is the Suiren in later myths and legends. Suiren is obviously not a specific person, but a group that is good at drilling fire pits. The method of drilling wood for fire was used for a long time in ancient China. According to the simulation test, it can be inferred that hard wooden sticks were used as drill pipes at that time, and the wood blocks drilled out were often cork. When the drill pipe rotates rapidly on cork, the sawdust may burn. It is understood that until the 20th century, the Li nationality in Hainan and the Wa nationality in Yunnan were still using the method of drilling wood for fire.
Ancient tools for drilling wood for fire are hard to find in archaeology because they are made of wood. According to the investigation of unearthed cultural relics, drill pipes and sawdust for drilling wood were found in the sites of Han Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, such as the Yan Feng site in Juyan.